NEW DELHI: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday launched an Omicron-specific mRNA-based booster vaccine for Covid.
GEMCOVAC-OM is India's first mRNA vaccine developed using the indigenous platform technology by Gennova, with funding support from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a statement said.
A few days ago, this vaccine got the nod from the office of the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
GEMCOVAC-OM is the fifth vaccine developed with support from Mission COVID Suraksha implemented by DBT and BIRAC under the Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package of the government for accelerated development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Singh said this 'future-ready' technology platform can be used to make other vaccines in a relatively shorter time.
GEMCOVAC-OM is a thermostable vaccine and does not require ultra-cold chain infrastructure used for other approved mRNA-based vaccines.
"This innovation makes it easy for last-mile deployment in our country. The existing supply chain infrastructure is sufficient to deploy this vaccine," said Singh, adding, "Its unique feature is that this vaccine can be administered without a needle injection."
The vaccine is delivered intra-dermally using a needle-free injection device system and in study participants, it generated significantly higher immune responses, the statement said.
The clinical outcome demonstrates the need for variant-specific vaccines for desired immune response, it said.