No More Injections, The 'Second Generation' COVID-19 Vaccine Will Be In Pill Form

Ilustrasi (Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The pharmaceutical company Oravax is reportedly developing a COVID-19 vaccine in pill form. The first phase of clinical trials of the pill-form vaccine is also scheduled to be given to humans in June.

Launching Business Insider, the 'second generation' COVID vaccine in pill form is designed to provide more measurable drug doses. So that it is easier for the public to distribute and consume.

"The oral vaccine allows people to take the vaccine themselves at home. That way the pill vaccine is easier to get anywhere in the world", said CEO Oramed Nadav Kidron, in his official statement as quoted by Science Alert, Thursday, March 25.

Although there is no guarantee of success, the pill-form vaccine option takes a year or more before being mass-produced. For the record, the vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer started their first human trials in March and May 2020, respectively.

The principle of caution, according to Prof. Paul Hunter, a medical expert at the University of East Anglia. Reminded that the development of this pill-form vaccine requires the right dosage.

"We need proper studies to prove the benefits of oral vaccines. But vaccines of this kind may also be beneficial for people with needle phobia, and this method may be easier and faster to administer", he said.

On its official page, Oravax stated that the pill vaccine he made is a triple antigen vaccine namely virus-like particle (VLP) that can increase the body's systemic immunity through Immunoglobulin G (IgG). The most common antibodies in blood and body fluids that protect against viral infections, and Immunoglobulin A (IgA).

Apart from pill form, other types of second-generation vaccines are also being developed, including the COVID-19 vaccine that is sprayed into the nose, or a vaccine that may be attached to the skin like a bandage for wounds.