Washington, United States

Despite its disappointing trial earlier, AstraZeneca, a nasal vaccine to treat Covid is said to have a powerful future, experts say.

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China last month became the first country to approve the nasal vaccine. 

The nasal shot aims to build mucous membrane immunity and will also prevent people from getting infected. It will also help infected people to avoid spreading it.

Also read | COVID-19: Oxford nasal spray vaccine fails its first clinical test, say researchers 

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Experts believe that once tests are successful, the nasal vaccine will give a boost to vaccine campaigns in comparison to traditional jabs as it has less capability of stopping the transmission of the virus.

Last week, researchers at Oxford tested the nasal vaccine in a phase 1 trial. The trial was deemed a failure as the nasal vaccine promoted antibodies in very few participants and the immune responses were weak in comparison to traditional jabs, AFP reported. 

The researchers claimed that the results were different from the data received from China. The latter claimed to have significant results if the vaccine can be delivered directly to the lungs with a bit complex nebuliser. 

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It is important for the researchers to find out why the vaccine fell short, in order to build a more effective and strong nasal vaccine. 

Also read | New drug can be a 'game changer' for people with chronic cough, proves trial

Additionally, Connor Bamford, a virologist, said that neither similar nasal vaccines developed for polio and influenza are all live vaccines and have performed well, pointing hope for researchers.

According to an analysis by Airfinity and Nature, nearly 100 nasal vaccines have been developed amongst which only 20 have been tested on humans. 

With falling inoculation rates globally prompting countries to destroy thousands of vaccines, the demand for new vaccines remains uncertain.

(With inputs from agencies) 

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