Covid-19. Quand aurons-nous accès au vaccin nasal développé par l’Université de Tours ?

"When will we have access to the nasal vaccine developed by the University of Tours?" was the question put to us by Jeanne-Marie. Ouest-France has the answer:
Since June 2020, French researchers have indeed been working on a vaccine that could be administered nasally. The research is being carried out by the start-up Lovaltech. Tests in vitro and then on animal models have demonstrated that the vaccine protects against severe forms of the disease and blocks transmission of the virus.
Nasal administration offers numerous advantages. As we know, Covid-19 spreads mainly by air, via aerosols. Vaccination by nasal spray could be more effective than vaccination by injection into the muscle. In fact, the nasal vaccine induces both a general immune response and an immune response in the nasal cavity, where the virus enters.
This would enable the vaccine not only to be effective against severe forms of the disease, but also to protect against contagiousness, something that current vaccines do little or poorly.

This vaccine is also effective against variants. It is composed of different antigens, including non-mutating antigens. Tests have shown it to be effective against all current variants.
However, we will have to wait until 2024 before we can hope for nasal vaccination. The vaccine cannot yet be administered to humans. It must first be controlled by a pharmaceutical subcontractor. Clinical trials are scheduled for next summer, at the Tours hospital.
If commercialized, the vaccine could be used for both booster shots and primary immunization. Initially, it would be aimed at the French, who are mostly vaccinated, in the form of a booster. In terms of immunity, initial tests show that the vaccine would require a booster every year for the most vulnerable people, and a booster every two years for the rest of the population.