The launch of the world’s first intranasal Covid vaccine iNCOVACC, developed by Bharat Biotech, is a major milestone for the Indian pharmaceutical industry. This vaccine, which has been designed for easy, pain-free inoculation, has received approval for the primary two-dose schedule and as a heterologous booster dose for adults.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who unveiled iNCOVACC on Republic Day, said it marked a ‘glorious tribute to the call for Atmanirbhar Bharat’, even as he stated that more than 65 per cent of the vaccines supplied in the world were from India.
This underscores the country’s prowess as a reliable vaccine maker. The Vaccine Maitri Programme, under which the Union Government has supplied Covid vaccines, medicines and equipment to over 150 countries since the onset of the pandemic, has immensely helped India build goodwill across the globe.
It is largely due to the efficacy and safety of our Covid vaccines that the country has not witnessed any destructive wave after the one that caused lakhs of deaths in April-May 2021. Though Covid has petered out in India, its resurgence in countries such as China, Japan and South Korea makes it imperative not to let one’s guard down.
Last year, in a joint statement, the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities and the World Health Organisation had said that the development of effective vaccines for Covid-19 had become the top priority of many pharmaceutical companies and medical research institutes.
Indian pharma companies have been in the forefront of these life-saving R&D initiatives over the past two years. The iNCOVACC rollout is a much-needed shot in the arm for the Indian pharma sector, which has been in the news mostly for the wrong reasons in recent months after the deaths of around 70 children in the Gambia and at least 20 in Uzbekistan were linked to the consumption of cough syrups manufactured by Indian firms. It is hoped that the intranasal vaccine provided its affordability and availability are taken care of will enable the authorities to enhance coverage of the booster dose and spur people to shed hesitancy.