An Israeli pharmaceutical company developing on an oral vaccine for the coronavirus has announced that it produced “promising results” during preclinical tests and could be an effective booster shot for those who have been previously vaccinated.
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The vaccine is being developed by researchers at the Galilee Research Institute (MIGAL) and its affiliate company MigVax.
The oral vaccine, MigVax-101, was tested on rats during preclinical trials and triggered a “markedly higher” concentration of antibodies against the coronavirus than rats that received a placebo booster.
The company hopes to begin clinical trials with humans soon and if successful, could result in doses ready for use early next year when the demand for booster shots will increase. MigVax-101 must be refrigerated but doesn’t require the same deep freeze conditions that other vaccines need.
“The results of this trial increase our confidence that our MigVax-101 subunit oral vaccine will make a positive contribution to a world coming to grips with the new post-pandemic reality,” commented Prof. Itamar Shalit, MigVax’s Infectious Disease Expert.
“Fifteen months into the pandemic, we now see that the struggle to keep Covid under control is nearly as challenging as getting it under control to begin with. Oral boosters such as our MigVax-101 will be key enablers that will help health organizations the world over transition from ‘panic mode’ to routine, due to their ability to reduce the cost and expand the reach of ongoing vaccination programs.”