An oral "vaccine" in pill form developed by the company Oravax should begin its first phase of clinical trials this summer to fight against Covid-19.
Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., an Israeli pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of oral drug delivery systems, recently announced the formation of a joint venture with the Indian company Premas Biotech. Named Oravax Medical Inc., the new structure is currently developing a vaccine candidate in pill form capable of protecting against emerging mutations of the new coronavirus .
In a pilot study in animal models, the vaccine candidate is believed to have promoted systemic immunity through immunoglobulin G (IgG), the antibody most common in the blood and body fluids which protects against viral infections, and by immunoglobulin A (IgA).
With these initial tests completed, Oravax now expects to begin its first clinical study in the second quarter of this year. If successful, oral administration of the vaccine should allow large-scale inoculation and easier distribution of the vaccine without the need for injection .
"An oral vaccine would remove several barriers, potentially allowing people to take the vaccine themselves at home" , underlines Nadav Kidron, CEO of Oramed. “While ease of administration is essential today to accelerate inoculation rates, an oral vaccine could become even more valuable in the event that a COVID-19 vaccine may be recommended annually as the standard vaccine against the flu “.
Oral vaccines would thus present themselves as a "second generation" option, easier to administer and simpler to distribute . “Vaccine could be shipped in normal refrigerators and then stored at room temperature “, continues Nadav Kidron.
In an email to Business Insider, Professor Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, however expressed a reservation . “We will need properly conducted studies to prove the value [of these oral vaccines] " , did he declare. "However, they may indeed be useful in severely phobic people, and may be easier and quicker to administer “.
Other types of second-generation vaccines are being studied, such as nasally administered vaccines. Scientists are studying the possibility of vaccinating the population with patches.
In the meantime, the various vaccination campaigns are continuing as best they can around the world. In France, where the number of Covid-19 patients treated in intensive care units continues to climb, the Minister of Health announced that the army and firefighters should soon deploy "at least 35 » major vaccination centers against Covid-19 “from April “.
The idea would be to »be able to use all the vaccines delivered to us from next month to massively vaccinate the French " , has followed. Mr. Véran, reaffirming in passing the objective of "ten million primary vaccinated by mid-April" .
