But the results of the joint venture have not yet been reported in a scientific publication.
It has been reported that Indian-Israeli cooperation has developed an oral vaccine, one that can be swallowed as a pill instead of being injected as usual, for COVID-19. Preliminary testing in animals showed that the vaccine provided the expected antibodies that would provide protection. But the results have not yet been reported in a scientific publication and cannot be independently confirmed.
The result is also far from being proven in human trials, although company promoters say as tests go out, the vaccine candidate could be ready for human testing. in the next three months.
Premas Biotech, a biotechnology company based in Gurugram and Oramed Pharmaceuticals, a company headquartered in Jerusalem, has long collaborated on the development of new drug delivery methods.
The COVID-19 nasal vaccine candidate is a “protein-based VLP (Virus Like Particle) vaccine candidate” that generates a “triple protection” against the SARS CoV-2 virus, that is, to target the spike, membrane and, protein envelope of the coronavirus. These three proteins are essential to the structure of the coronavirus and shape it as well as the ability to reproduce within the body. Vaccines usually have the right to coax the immune systems to produce antibodies that neutralize these antigenic proteins.
The challenge with making an oral vaccine is that gastric juice would quickly reduce any layers of immunity that surround the antigen rendering them useless. Oravax says it solved that problem but how, as part of their proprietary secret sauce.
Oravax, the vaccine development company, is a joint venture between Premas and Oramed. The latter specializes in the manufacture of oral drug delivery systems and Premas has a technology platform called D-Crypt which is used to make a variety of “difficult to express” proteins in large sizes effectively.
“The vaccine candidate is also safe, effective and well tolerated at normal to high doses, and has produced high titers of neutral antibodies. The VLP is implemented using Premas’ proprietary D-Crypt ™ platform, which is highly scalable and can be performed on large blades, ”Oravax said in a statement.
Prabuddha Kundu, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Premas Biotech said Na Hindu that oral vaccination would significantly reduce administration. “It would be like taking a vitamin pill and I can now announce that we are over 100% sure that the technology is working and that we are promising. In a month we should have a scientific publication reporting our results. “
Oramed and Premas is an oral insulin drug candidate using similar technologies that underpin the vaccine candidate, and is currently in phase 3 human trials in the United States.
To date only two vaccines in India are publicly available for the pandemic although several others, using different approaches, are in various stages of clinical trials.