Pharma giant Bharat Biotech on Tuesday announced the launch of an oral cholera vaccine (OCV) to help combat cholera which continues to pose a significant global public health challenge, especially in regions with inadequate sanitation.
"Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL), a global leader in vaccine innovation and developer of vaccines for infectious diseases, today dedicated iNCOVACC® (BBV154) to the nation, the world's 1st COVID intranasal vaccine for Primary series and Heterologous booster," read a release issued by the firm on Thursday.
The Union Health Ministry said that those who have taken Covishield and Covaxin could take the nasal vaccine as a heterologous booster dose. The iNCOVACC has been approved by the Government of India and will be used as a heterologous booster dose for those above 18 years of age.
The nasal vaccine BBV154 had received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India in November for restricted use in an emergency situation for those above 18 as a heterologous booster dose.
The nassal vaccine has been approved for those aged above 18 years. The vaccine will be available in the private hospitals for booster dose in the initial phase.
In order to augment the Covid-19 vaccine production capacity in the country, the Central government in April requested that the IIL and Bharat Biotech International Ltd (BBIL) join hands.
The new variant of Rotavac is a unique rotavirus vaccine formulation that can be administered without a buffer. Its low dose volume (0.5 ml) facilitates easy vaccine logistics, cold chain management and low biomedical waste disposal post-vaccination. It is used for the prevention of rotavirus infection, which is prevalent in infants and young children.
Bharat Biotech chairman and managing director, Krishna Ella, said all documents required for EUL of Covaxin, have been submitted to WHO as of July 9.
So far, Covaxin's supply has roughly contributed only 10 per cent of the total doses administered in the nationwide Covid-19 immunisation programme.
The company's co-founder and joint managing director Suchitra Ella on Wednesday tweeted that Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana were supplied the vaccines through the government of India from June 8 to 14.
