China-based vaccine maker CanSinoBIO has entered into a development and commercial supply partnership with Aerogen, for the inhaled delivery of its Covid-19 vaccine.
Aerogen is an Ireland-based company engaged in providing high-performance aerosol drug delivery solutions in the acute care sector.
Under the partnership, Aerogen will leverage its unique vibrating mesh aerosol technology to deliver CanSinoBIO’s recombinant Covid-19 vaccine Convidecia.
According to the vaccine maker, the two companies have been working together since 2013 on advancing the aerosol drug delivery.
In the current approach, aerosolised vaccine is directly inhaled into the patient’s airway, through a cup dispenser.
Inhaled delivery is expected to generate mucosal immunity, as the route emulates the natural infection pathway of the respiratory Covid-19 virus.
Aerogen CEO and founder John Power said: “The world has an urgent need for an effective, low cost, globally scalable and globally accessible solution to mass vaccination.
“The pioneering development undertaken by Aerogen and CanSino has resulted in a system that meets all these requirements and with a capacity to vaccinate in the billions.”
Interim results from the Phase 3 clinical trials conducted by CanSinoBIO showed that Convidecia is 95.47% effective in preventing severe disease, after 14 days.
According to the company, inhaled delivery requires a comparatively low volume of vaccine, allowing more patients to get the vaccine cost-effectively, compared to injectable ones.
CanSinoBio is planning to submit an application seeking commercial authorisation of its vaccine in China, while further clinical trials are underway in other countries.
CanSinoBIO chairman and chief executive officer Xuefeng YU said: “The innovative development on the inhaled delivery of Covid-19 vaccine is the testimony of our collaborative efforts.
“It is demonstrated that the aerosolised vaccine can stimulate mucosal immunity and significantly reduce the risk of transmission, which could be a solution to rapidly build mass immune protection and accelerate the end of the pandemic.”
