Are nasal sprays the future of COVID-19 vaccines? That’s certainly the hope of many researchers working on new kinds of inoculation. Nasalvaccines were recently approved in China and India for use as a booster dose. MedTwitter
. Eight of these vaccines are taken orally, and one, against flu, is administered intranasally. The oral polio vaccine is successful at inducing immunity in the gut and comes close to achieving sterilizing immunity. In rare cases, however, this live attenuated vaccine will mutate and cause illness.
That is because many adults have had years to build up some immunity to flu viruses. Even if this immunity is not strong enough to prevent the disease, adults’ mucosal immune reactions might still prevent the attenuated vaccine from infecting nasal cells or clear it before it can take full effect. Until the basic research is completed, the efficacy of mucosal vaccines must be determined in other ways. The Indian company Bharat Biotech measured systemic neutralizing antibodies in blood serum in its study of an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine. If these antibody levels match or exceed the antibody levels of intramuscular vaccines, the study will achieve its primary endpoint and be considered a success. But it will not determine the vaccine’s ability to prevent infection or transmission.
In July, the company noted in a further report that antibody levels waned over time but were still higher than those elicited through the intramuscular administration. The company is also measuring T cells and antibodies in saliva, but the strength of response needed to provide sterilizing immunity is not known.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
India rating-agency shutdown boosts debt cleanupCompanies that assess creditworthiness often run afoul of watchdogs, but are rarely forced to close. Banning Brickwork Ratings after years of poor performance marks a fresh charge in the country’s war against bad debt. It’ll help upgrade the $500 bln corporate bond market, too.
Read more »
Bus catches fire in west India, killing 12 and injuring 43NEW DELHI (AP) — A bus caught fire after hitting a truck on a highway in western India early Saturday, killing at least 12 passengers, an official said. Another 43 people with serious burns were taken to a hospital in Nashik, a city in Maharashtra state, said police officer Bhagwan Adke.
Read more »
ABC7's Ravi Baichwal hosts event honoring Father Jack Wall for 20 years of service with Life USAFather Jack Wall was honored Saturday night for his 20 years of service with Lift USA.
Read more »
Gambia launches inquiry into children deaths linked to India syrupsGambia suspends 'license of the suspected... importer' following deaths of 66 children in the small West African country that WHO says are possibly linked to four cough and cold syrups made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals in India.
Read more »
China holiday tourist trips fall 18% on year on broad COVID curbsChina recorded 422 million tourist trips over the week-long National Day holiday beginning on Oct. 1, down 18.2% from last year's holiday season, government data showed, as the sector remains hit by stringent COVID-19 curbs.
Read more »