Toni Dimaano Science 01.23.2023 04:Jan AM EST

Drinkable COVID Vaccines Are Being Developed, Scientists Say

Within the next couple of years, people might be able to have an option to drink their covid vaccines instead of having to stick a needle to their arm.

According to CNet, researchers are currently working on orally administered and mucosal and nasal vaccines that have already completed phase 1 clinical trials.

Researchers Will Need More Funding To Conduct Further Study

To carry out the more thorough, advanced trials that might actually bring the vaccine to market, QYNDR is presently awaiting additional financing.

According to Kyle Flanigan, founder of US Specialty Formulations, the manufacturer of the QYNDR vaccine, the vaccine is pronounced "kinder" since it is administered gentler.

New Zealand's promising clinical trial findings give reason for optimism that QYNDR will be a workable alternative for defense against the slew of COVID-19 variants currently circulating.

"It's really challenging to have a vaccine survive making it through your digestive system, butr we were able to figure out how to get a vaccine past the stomach and into the gut, and have it be effective and induce the appropriate response," Flanigan says.

However, they require funding from investors to push it to the extra clinical trials required to take it to review and the market.

In fact, at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference this week in San Francisco, Flanigan was seeking that funding.

There Is Still A Long Way To Go Before Such Vaccines Reach The Market

Researchers are pushing their way in with new names and vaccination formats all across the world, such the nasal vaccines that have recently been introduced in China and India.

At the moment, researchers say that data are still needed to show if mucosal vaccines "deliver" on their promise to prevent infections.

However, if they outperform current COVID-19 vaccines in terms of infection resistance, they might represent the next generation, The Atlantic writes.

For individuals who are willing to get them, vaccines and booster shots are still accessible and protect against serious illness.

Meanwhile, for those who are at a high risk of becoming seriously ill, there are still some medicines available, such as the antiviral Paxlovid.

Because of this, a positive COVID-19 test result today generally has different implications than it did in August 2020 or the winter of 2021.

Mucosal vaccinations, like the ground-breaking mRNA vaccines and boosters, are expected to protect against infections as well as life-threatening illness, according to scientists.

However, they will need a substantial body of proof to support them, which will cost time and money, according to CNet.

Prior to releasing vaccines to the general public, the FDA has been permitting them to be sold under emergency authorization, which is an expedited but nonetheless rigorous regulatory process.

The FDA's lengthy, stringent "approval" process it demands for pharmaceuticals is still in place, and it's unclear how or if it will be lifted while the public health emergency designation is still in effect in the US.

The panel is anticipated to talk on a variety of topics, including when future booster doses should be administered and to whom.

Although they have not been around as long as regular vaccines and have less efficacy data, nasal vaccines are available in China and India for use as mucosal vaccines.

However, these vaccines produced elsewhere and imported into the US might have the quickest or best chance of being cleared.