The Chinese city of Shanghai is now administering an inhalable COVID-19 vaccine in what is said to be a world first.
The vaccine, named Convidecia Air, is actually a mist that is sucked in through the mouth. It is being offered for free as a booster dose for previously vaccinated adults aged 18 and older.
"Convidecia Air has proven to be an innovative solution that provides safe and effective protection for people through a needle-free, painless and non-invasive delivery without any serious adverse events observed," the drug's manufacturer, CanSino Biologics, said in a statement.
Scientists hope that such needle-free vaccines will make vaccination more accessible because they are easier to administer, the Associated Press reported. They also may persuade people who don't like needles to get inoculated.
A video posted online by a Chinese state media outlet shows how the vaccine is administered, with the entire process taking about 20 seconds to complete. An individual holds a translucent white cup and puts the spout into their mouth as if they were taking a drink, then inhales the mist and holds their breath for five seconds.
"It was like drinking a cup of milk tea," one Shanghai resident said in the video, per the AP. "When I breathed it in, it tasted a bit sweet."
Convidecia Air has similar ingredients to its injected vaccine and can provide good protection against the virus after just one breath, according to CanSino.
Chinese regulators approved the vaccine for use as a booster in September after studies showed a stronger immune response in adults who obtained two COVID-19 shots and then inhaled the vaccine through the mouth, compared to than those who received three shots, according to Chemical and Engineering News.
In addition to being needle-free, the vaccine's localized area of action means it needs less viral material to trigger an appropriate immune response, C&EN reported. The vaccine's developers say Convidecia Air only needs a fifth of the injected amount to be effective.
"The inhaled version trains the immune memory function of the body by imitating the natural infection of the virus, which not only stimulates humoral and cellular immunity, but also efficiently induces mucosal immunity to achieve triple protection and effectively contain the infection and block the transmission," CanSino said.
The drugmaker noted that mucosal immune response develops in the respiratory tract, where COVID-19 takes hold, which provides a more immediate response and makes the inhalable vaccine more effective than an injectable booster.
It's not clear if the vaccine will be approved for use in other countries. CanSino pointed out, however, that Convidecia Air can be stably transported and stored between 35°F and 46°F, making it more accessible and contributing to large-scale vaccine distribution and building broad immune protection globally.
Researchers in the U.S. have been working on needle-free COVID vaccines, but none currently have been approved for use.
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