Second phase trial of intranasal Covid-19 vaccine begins at 5 centres across India

A total of 152 people have volunteered for this trial and nine of them were given the vaccine in Kanpur on Tuesday.

The second phase clinical trial of Bharat Biotech’s intranasal vaccine against Covid-19 began at Prakhar Hospital in Kanpur and four other centres in the country on Tuesday, officials said.

Image for representation. (File photo)

A total of 152 people have volunteered for this trial and nine of them were given the vaccine in Kanpur on Tuesday.

The other centres are the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-New Delhi and Patna, Nizam Institute in Hyderabad, and the Belgaum Medical College in Karnataka.

Dr JS Kushwaha, chairman of Prakhar Hospital, said a total of 30 volunteers would participate in the trial (in Kanpur) which was being conducted as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research and Bharat Biotech.

The nine volunteers were given four drops in each nostril at a gap of five minutes. They were observed for 30 minutes before they were allowed to go home. They would be called for the second dose after 28 days.

Before this trial, Prakhar Hospital was involved in clinical trials of Covaxin meant for adults and children.

The company had asked for the second phase trials of the intranasal vaccine on the basis of the phase one trial results.

Approving the request, the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) sent out emails to these five centres on Sunday night to go ahead with the trials. The volunteers for this trial are in the 18 to 65 years’ age group.