The iNNCOVACC COVID-19 vaccine was unveiled by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Science and Technology.
The first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to be approved for both a heterologous booster dose and a primary 2-dose schedule is iNNCOVACC. It is created in collaboration between Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIRAC), a PSU that falls under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
Dr. Mandaviya, who was delighted by the event, noted that more than 65% of the vaccines distributed worldwide come from India. He congratulated the BBIL team and the department of Biotech for developing the world's first nasal vaccination and said that it was "a wonderful tribute to the call for Atmanirbhar Bharat as it is the world's first intra-nasal COVID-19 vaccine.”
The Union Health Minister further stated that due to India's success in generating high-quality, reasonably priced medications, the country is recognized for its ability to innovate and produce vaccines. He further emphasized that within a month after the introduction of the first COVID vaccination worldwide, BBIL and ICMR introduced COVAXIN in India.
Congratulating BBIL for innovating another vaccine in collaboration with BIRAC, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that “India has taken a lead in developing vaccines and medicines for diseases common in the developing world”. He credited the Prime Minister's personal intervention and regular monitoring for inspiring and enabling the launching of "Mission Covid Suraksha" which has not only strengthened AatmaNirbhar Bharat but also bolstered India’s status as a worldwide vaccine development and manufacturing center, thus showcasing the strength of India's Science and Technology capabilities. “Next step would be to develop vaccines for non-communicable diseases”, he added.
He added that ZyCoV-D was created in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology in the Ministry of Science and Technology through BIRAC as part of "Mission Covid Suraksha," the world's first DNA-based vaccine for Covid-19 to be administered to humans, including children and adults 12 years and above.
iNCOVACC is a cost-effective covid vaccine that does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandages, etc, saving costs related to procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, which is routinely required for injectable vaccines. It utilizes a vector-based platform, which can be easily updated with emerging variants leading to large-scale production, within a few months. These rapid response timelines combined with the ability of cost-effective and easy intranasal delivery make it an ideal vaccine to address future infectious diseases.
A rollout of iNCOVACC is expected to begin in private hospitals that have placed advance orders. An initial manufacturing capacity of several million doses per annum has been established, this can be scaled up to a billion doses as required. iNCOVACC is priced at INR 325/dose for large volume procurement by State Governments and Govt of India.
Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Secretary, Dept of Biotechnology, Rajesh Kumar Pathak, Secretary, Technology Development Board, and other senior officials of the Ministry were present on the occasion. Dr. Krishna Ella, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman, Bharat Biotech, and Suchitra Ella, Co-Founder and MD, Bharat Biotech were also present.
