Israeli pharmaceutical Oramed has obtained authorization from South Africa to begin clinical trials of an oral COVID-19 vaccine, called Oravax, next month.
“The oral vaccine candidate against COVID-19 could offer a potential solution to the pandemic, either as a booster or for the unvaccinated”, The executive director of Oramed, Nadav Kidron.
This vaccine in pill format “remove barriers to rapid and large-scale distribution, potentially allowing people to self-administer the vaccine at homeKidron pointed out.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has already started patient enrollment for phase 1 of the clinical trial, which will also take place on a smaller scale in Tel Aviv, although the green light is lacking from the Israeli Ministry of Health.
The goal of Oramed, founded in Jerusalem in 2006, is to advance as soon as possible in phase 1 of the clinical trial in South Africa to quickly complete phases 2 and 3 and obtain approval for emergency use.
Kidron said that in many countries, especially in Africa, people prefer to take a pill than to receive an injection, so it could be a safe, easy and effective solution for places with low immunization rates.
Oravax is a single-dose oral version of a prospective vaccine being developed in partnership with India-based Premas Biotech, and it was announced in March that it had successfully raised antibodies in pigs.
The pill is expected to be suitable as a simple initial vaccination, as it will not need to be stored at low temperatures and will eliminate the need for professionals to administer injections.
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