MADRID - Spanish scientists are preparing to start clinical trials of a Covid-19 vaccine nasal spray that they say could stop the spread of the virus as well as prevent people from falling ill.
The vaccines that are currently available or close to approval, including the leading Pfizer/BioNTech jab, are all administered via injection, and while they are effective at preventing disease in someone who is infected with the virus, it is not yet clear if they stop people transmitting it.
The Spanish team is one of a handful across the world working on nasal sprays as a means of delivering a vaccine.
The theory is that inhalable vaccines activate the local immune response in the nose, mouth and throat and therefore stem infection here, making it less likely for people to pass the virus on.
The vaccine would also deliver the wider systemic immunity that is delivered by any other candidate, the scientists say.
A team in China submitted approval for trials of a similar nasal spray vaccine in the autumn, and the team from Spain's CSIC national research council plan to begin human trials early next year.
