With the COVID-19 public health emergency approaching an end date and some vaccine-makers prepping for their shots to plunge into the U.S. market, many anticipate nasal COVID-19 vaccines to join the fray.
Here are seven things to know:
1. The FDA advisory committee will meet Jan. 26 to discuss the future of COVID-19 vaccines, including new boosters and which subvariants to target, according to CBS News.
2. The shift of COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the arm to being sent through one's nose — or even the mouth — partially depends on federal funds, which have been circling the drain for months. The federal government will likely drop the COVID-19 public health emergency status in early 2023, which will further cement a loss of a COVID-19 budget.
3. Nasal vaccines have a more difficult benchmark than their needle counterparts, experts told CBS News, because data about nasal vaccine efficacy is sparse in comparison and different companies have various methods and endpoints.
4. In July, Anthony Fauci, MD, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said nasal and universal options are the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines.
5. In December, India authorized a nasal COVID-19 vaccine that includes technology licensed from Washington University in St. Louis, according to a Dec. 9 news release from the university. The school also partnered with biotech company Ocugen in September to develop and sell the then-candidate.
6. China approved CanSino Biologics reformulating its vaccine into a nasal version, according to CBS News.
7. A phase 1 study published Oct. 11 in eBioMedicine found that AstraZeneca's nasal COVID-19 vaccine was safe and tolerable but not effective against COVID-19.