Oral Covid-19 Vaccine Being Developed By Oramed & Premas Biotech
As part of Singapore’s ongoing Covid-19 vaccination efforts, nearly 400,000 individuals have received their first dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
Rest Of S’pore May Get Covid-19 Vaccine From Apr, With Seniors Receiving Jabs Earlier
Though the jab may not appear intimidating to most of us, those with trypanophobia or a fear of needles might not see it the same way.
Thankfully, hope may be on the horizon for them as biotech firms are reportedly developing oral Covid-19 vaccines.
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Oral Covid-19 vaccines can be administered from home
According to pharmaceutical news site Pharmaceutical-technology.com, Oramed and Premas Biotech recently embarked on a joint venture to develop oral Covid-19 vaccines.
Besides allowing people to ingest the vaccine, this form also lets them take it in the comforts of their own home, claims Oramed’s CEO.
Since individuals would have to take the vaccine periodically like flu jabs, oral medication will definitely be more convenient.
Studies have only been done on animals so far, with promising results. Human clinical trials meanwhile will reportedly commence in June.
But even if they prove successful, it could take a year or more before they receive authorisation.
Other forms of vaccines also in the works
The Oramed-Premas joint venture isn’t the first to have worked on oral forms of the Covid-19 vaccine.
A similar attempt by Vaxart in 2020 achieved good results in animal trials but saw “disappointing responses” in subsequent human trials.
Besides oral pills, other forms of ‘second-generation’ vaccines are also reportedly being looked at, such as sprays and patches.
The aim of these alternative forms is to overcome existing vaccine problems, such as ease of administration and distribution woes.
Hope it does well for human clinical trials
The prospect of taking our Covid-19 vaccine orally does seem more palatable as compared to jabs.
Along with the convenience it offers, perhaps it does provide benefits beyond helping those with a fear of needles.
For now, let’s hope the oral vaccine does well for its human trial, so it can get the authorisation it needs to eventually reach the masses.
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