AstraZeneca's COVID vaccine sees a setback in nasal spray trial

The nasal spray would also be less painful and easier to handle than injections.

AstraZeneca and Oxford University researchers are attempting to create a nasal-spray version of their COVID-19 shot. Their attempts suffered a setback as the initial testing did not yield the desired protection. An antibody response in the respiratory mucous membranes was seen in only a minority of participants in the trial, which was in the first of usually three phases of clinical testing, the University of Oxford said in a statement. The immune response seen in the blood was weaker than that from a shot-in-the-arm vaccination.

Globally, researchers have placed high hopes on nasal spray vaccines against the coronavirus because the method is believed to potentially prevent infection and not just disease as it may prompt an immune response directly in the airways, where the virus enters the body. The nasal spray would also be less painful and easier to handle than injections. According to the company’s statement, no serious adverse events or safety concerns were reported during the trial, which was funded by AstraZeneca.