The world’s first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine has been approved in China. The Chinese company CanSino Biologics Inc said on Sunday its inhaled version of a coronavirus vaccine had been approved by the country’s drug regulator for emergency use as a booster. Moreover, it is expected to quickly become a favorite among a number of people who are not comfortable with needles and syringes.
It provides a needle-free option that might convince more people to get boosted
The vaccine, called Convidecia Air, uses the same adenovirus vector technology as its sister injectable version. However, it provides a needle-free option. It might convince more people to get boosted as new versions of coronavirus continue to spread. The news produced an instant movement in the market as the share prices of the company went up by around 14.5 percent.
The company came up with their one-shot Covid drug which was used in China, Pakistan, Hungary, Mexico, and Malaysia after completing human testing in March 2020. This new drug is the updated version developed by the company to boost protection against the COVID-19 virus.
The inhaled vaccine can be self-administered
The inhaled vaccine can be self-administered. It changes the liquid form of the vaccine into an aerosol using a nebulizer so it can be inhaled through the mouth. The needle-free vaccine “can effectively induce comprehensive immune protection in response to SARS-CoV-2 after just one breath,” CanSino said in a statement.
CanSino’s initial jab has proved 66 percent effective in preventing coronavirus infection, and 92 percent effective against severe disease in early clinical trials. But outside China, it has struggled to compete with vaccines made by Sinovac and Sinopharm.
This is not the first Covid vaccine that can be inhaled as similar products were also developed by AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. However, this was the first one to get approved.