On January 26, Union Health Minister Dr. Manshukh Mandaviya introduced the world′s first nasal vaccination, indigenously produced in India, the iNCOVACC, in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology. On the occasion of Republic Day, Dr. Mandaviya remarked that the launch of iNCOVACC is a major accomplishment in the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign. He stated that with this intranasal spray, India will become well known not only for its pharmacy but also for its research and innovation.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jitendra Singh declared that the nasal vaccination will be a great success and added that India owes it to the world. He stated that this vaccine had been created specifically to allow intranasal administration via nasal drops. The iNCOVACC vaccine from Bharat Biotech will be the first needleless booster dose ever created. He also praised that drug manufacturer and stated that with more than 7 billion doses produced to date, Bharat Biotech is a leading global vaccine developer and manufacturer.

Dr. Suchitra Ella, MD, of Bharat Biotech, added that it is exceptional that India has serviced not only itself throughout the pandemic problems but has also been a strong contributor to the global platform by supplying vaccines and medicines to over 150 nations. He further added that iNCOVACC was created in collaboration with Washington University in St. Louis, which had created the recombinant adenoviral vector construct and tested its effectiveness in preclinical trials.

On the other hand, Bharat Biotech carried out product development activities such as preclinical safety assessment, large-scale manufacturing scale-up, formulation and delivery device development, and human clinical trials. He thanked the central government and stated that debt financing for commercial-scale manufacturing facilities was made possible with the help of the Technology Development Board of the Indian government.