The nasal take on the COVID-19 vaccine did not bode well in its clinical trials. Oxford and AstraZeneca decided to go on a different route to deliver vaccines to patients, and it is through an intranasal shot to administer the protection without using needles.
A research published in mBio, an open access journal of the American Society for Microbiology last month showed that a needle-free mucosal bacteriophage-based COVID-19 vaccine is effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
"Being an intranasal vaccine, BBV154 may produce local antibodies in the upper respiratory tract. These may provide the potential to reduce infection and transmission. Further studies are being planned," the firm said.