A recent report published by Oxford University Press revealed that researchers in Japan developed a potential oral COVID-19 vaccine that may offer an alternative to injections.
The pill, easier to distribute, is also more effective in combating the illness. It contains a small inactive part of the virus, similar to the injection, but it acts faster by releasing into the mucus rather than the bloodstream.
The best way to neutralize viruses is to target them on the surface of mucus-producing epithelial cells in the respiratory system. Since the coronavirus infects bronchial cells, releasing antibodies into the mucus, not the blood, is crucial, according to the researchers.
A particular type of antibody known as Immunoglobulin A (IgA) can function within mucus and effectively neutralize the virus. However, to generate these antibodies, vaccination is required initially.
In experiments involving monkeys, the researchers discovered that the pill prompted the production of the necessary antibodies to combat COVID-19 without causing any observable adverse effects.
The results imply that, with additional research, clinics may soon provide an oral COVID-19 vaccine, a method that would be both more widely accepted and more effective.
Vaxart had same or better results over 2 years ago and is already doing P2 testing in people not monkeys. New oral vaccines coming soon.
Vaxart’s oral vaccine is two years ahead of this science. Project NextGen funding soon