Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, makers of the homegrown Covaxin was recently in news for striking a deal that would allow it to produce upto a billion doses of a nasal COVID-19 adenovirus vaccine in collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.

While the vaccine is currently in phase I trial in the country, it is expected that expansive trials will also be held in centres across India. Bharat Biotech will also be handling large-scale production of the vaccine at its Hyderabad headquartered base.

According to Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, the development of a nasal vaccine would help bridge the gap between demand and supply in a good manner. “We envision that we will scale this vaccine to one billion doses, translating to one billion individuals vaccinated receiving a single-dose regimen,”

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