First Needle-Free COVID Vaccine Which You Inhale Is Approved In China

It’s basically a fact: no one likes receiving injections. But what if you could get vaccinations without being poked by a needle?

We’re one step closer to that reality, with China having recently approved the world’s first needle-less COVID-19 vaccine that can be administered by simply breathing it in. 

Convidecia Air, the innovation by pharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics, makes use of the same vector as the injectable vaccine, which works by transporting genetic material into the body so it can build its defenses against the virus. 

This time, instead of having the virus injected into their arms, users can inhale it through the mouth in the form of a fine mist. 

According to Live Science, which quoted the World Health Organization (WHO) database, this needle-free booster is the first to gain approval among hundreds of oral or nasal vaccines currently being developed by scientists. 

Having received the milestone approval for a clinical trial back in March 2021, the new needle-less vaccine has shown to induce strong humoral, cellular, and mucosal immunity against the spread of COVID-19. 

Rather impressively, not only can the dose be self-administered, but the company said just one breath “can effectively induce comprehensive protection” from the virus.

Moreover, as the site noted, with viruses that affect the lungs and airways—such as COVID-19 and influenza—scientists posit that inhaled vaccines could actually be more effective and containing the spread of infections. 

Fingers crossed this technology can be adapted to other vaccines across the globe, so we won’t have to go through the terror of staring down a needle ever again.

[via Live Science and CanSino Biologics, cover image via Sudok1 | Dreamstime.com]