NDDB’s Indian Immunologicals develops COVID-19 intranasal vaccine

Anand: NDDB’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a leading vaccine manufacturer has announced a live-attenuated needle free intra-nasal booster vaccine developed against SARS-CoV-2 using codon deoptimisation technology in collaboration with Griffith University, Australia. This trailblazing work on Covid-19 vaccine has been published in the world’s leading science Journal Nature Communications. Publishing a paper in Nature Communications is one of the toughest challenges. With over 50,000 submissions received annually, gaining acceptance for publication in the journal is extremely difficult.

COVID 19 continues to claim the lives of approx. 1,700 people worldwide each week. The World Health Organization is urging those at-risk to stay up to date with their vaccinations with boosters. Among the various types of vaccines available, it is widely recognised that live attenuated vaccines generate a robust and broad-spectrum neutralising antibody response. IIL’s needle free intra-nasal booster vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated impressive stability and safety in extensive animal studies.

Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman, NDDB & IIL said that NDDB and its subsidiaries have been leading the way in adopting modern technologies for the benefit of humanity. The pioneering work done by IIL in collaboration with Griffith University, Australia introduced a new approach to combat infectious diseases using codon deoptimised live attenuated vaccines. Dr Shah stated that the collaboration between industry and academia is a perfect example of translating concepts into products for the benefit of people at large. Our R&D team has put immense effort to create this innovative vaccine and are proud of its proven safety and efficacy in generating a protective immune response with just a single dose.

Dr K Anand Kumar, Managing Director, IIL said that this accomplishment signifies a major step forward in our battle against COVID-19. The development of this vaccine not only highlights our dedication to innovation in public health but also demonstrates IIL’s capability in adopting novel technology. We are enthusiastic about the codon de-optimization technology and its use in targeted attenuation of microorganisms to be used as vaccine candidate.