A New York drug company announced Monday it had been cleared to begin human trials on a nasal COVID-19 vaccine.
Codagenix, a Long Island-based company said in a statement that it was given regulatory approval in the UK to begin phase 1 testing of 48 volunteers starting in January. COVI-VAC, according to the statement, could address “key logistical challenges” at a “global scale.”
“As a single-dose, intranasally-delivered vaccine, COVI-VAC will not require a needle and syringe, nor ultra-low temperature freezers. COVI-VAC can be manufactured at large scale and supports ease of administration in a mass vaccination campaign,” the statement read.
New York company to start human trials of nasal drop COVID-19 vaccine https://t.co/H5mUhBbLsr pic.twitter.com/6rALocN4eP
— New York Post (@nypost) December 15, 2020
Codagenix CEO J. Robert Coleman said in the statement there are “clear challenges” to “supplying the global community” with approved vaccines. The Pfizer vaccine approved for use in the US requires two doses and needs to be stored at 94 degrees below zero. (Bill Nye And The Science Lie: Celebrity Scientist Predicted Vaccine Would Take Two Years)
“The potential of COVI-VAC to meet the global demand as a single-dose, needle-free vaccine that needs only a standard freezer or fridge cannot be overstated,” Coleman said.
Pharmaceutical company Moderna’s vaccine could be up for an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration Friday after it was found to be 94% effective, NBC reported.