Nasal COVID-19 Vaccine Technology Licensed in the USA

Based on technology developed at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, a nasal vaccine for COVID-19 is on the path to becoming available in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.

Nasal vaccination is thought to provide greater protection against the virus than current injectable vaccines.

The advantage of the nasal vaccine is that it delivers a boost to immunity in the nose and upper respiratory tract, right where the virus enters the body, thereby potentially preventing infections altogether.

The university has licensed the rights to Ocugen Inc., a U.S.-based biotechnology company.

Ocugen intends to work closely with the U.S. government to initiate clinical trials and is also interested in the potential for the nasal vaccine to be a universal booster.

"Despite the many challenges of a global pandemic, our accomplished, dedicated faculty have continued to push the boundaries of discovery," said Dedric Carter, Ph.D., Washington University's vice chancellor for innovation and chief commercialization officer, in a press release on October 4, 2022.

The nasal vaccine was co-developed by Washington University scientists David T. Curiel, MD, Ph.D., and Michael S. Diamond, MD, Ph.D., with members of their laboratories. 

"In recent months, we have seen COVID-19 continue to spread — despite high levels of vaccination the U.S., Europe, and Japan have achieved," Diamond commented.

"Because the vaccine can be delivered directly into the nose, it is specifically designed to block infection at the portal of virus entry. As a result, we believe it may help prevent transmission and protect against new COVID-19 variants."

The Washington University nasal vaccine technology was previously licensed to Bharat Biotech International Limited in 2020 for development in India and limited parts of the world.

In September 2022, Indian health authorities approved the iNCOVACC (BBV154) nasal vaccine for emergency use, making it the world's first intranasal vaccine for COVID-19 to be approved.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin™ whole virion, inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, has been licensed to various countries. However, as of October 6, 2022, the U.S. FDA has not issued authorization.

Note: This announcement was manually curated for clarity and mobile readership.