Bharat Biotech signs deal with Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis for COVID-19 vaccine

Bharat Biotech has signed a licensing agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis for a novel chimp-adenovirus, single-dose intranasal vaccine for COVID-19. Bharat Biotech owns the rights to distribute the vaccine in all markets except the US, Japan and Europe.

While the Phase I trials will take place in Saint Louis University’s Vaccine & Treatment Evaluation Unit, Bharat Biotech, upon obtaining the required regulatory approval, will pursue further stages of clinical trials in India and undertake large scale manufacture of the vaccine at its GMP facility located in Genome Valley, Hyderabad.

“We envision that we will scale this vaccine to one billion doses, translating to one billion individuals vaccinated receiving a single-dose regimen. An intranasal vaccine will not only be simple to administer but reduce the use of medical consumables such as needles, syringes, etc., significantly impacting the overall cost of a vaccination drive,” said Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and MD of Bharat Biotech.

Reportedly, this intranasal vaccine candidate has shown unprecedented levels of protection in mice studies; the technology and data having been recently published in the scientific journal Cell and in an editorial in Nature.

Dr David T Curiel, Director of Biologic Therapeutics Center and Professor of Radiation Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Precision Virologics Interim CEO said, “The ability to accomplish effective immunisation with a single nasal dose is a major advantage, offering broader reach and easier administration. An effective nasal dose not only protects against COVID-19, but it also prevents the spread of the disease by offering another kind of immunity that occurs primarily in the cells that line the nose and throat. Most other vaccine candidates currently under development can’t do that.”

This vaccine expands Bharat’s portfolio of vaccines that are currently being developed and are in various stages of clinical development including COVAXIN which is currently in Phase II human clinical trials in India.