Nasal spray vaccine trials

bumbleymummy · 2021-03-26T16:00:05+00:00

[[https://www.ft.com/content/48fe2e97-f9e5-4291-b965-0728bfc42213]] "Oxford university has begun advertising for participants in an early-stage trial to deliver the Covid-19 vaccine it jointly developed with AstraZeneca as a nasal spray, according to documents seen by the Financial Times. The phase 1 trial will involve about 30 healthy adults aged up to 40 and will study the safety of the formulation, according to a recruitment sheet circulated to prospective patients. It could begin as early as next week. Participants will receive at least one intranasal dose of the vaccine. Half will be randomised to receive a booster dose. The study will take about four months to complete."

XenoBitch · 26/03/2021 16:49

This could be great for people with needle phobia.

CrunchyCarrot · 26/03/2021 17:08

This is what I'm waiting for! :D

Crazycatlady83 · 26/03/2021 17:15

Can I ask a really stupid question?

How will this trial (and other trials) be impacted upon by the high uptake of the vaccine in this country do you think? In a couple of months, we are told all adults will have been offered the first dose of the vaccine. So how are they going to recruit for new trials? And how do they test if it has worked in older people when the uptake of the vaccine has been so successful so far?

Will they have to move it overseas and If so, I wonder if that would delay things (or have ethical issues?)

CrunchyCarrot · 26/03/2021 17:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CrunchyCarrot · 26/03/2021 17:35

I accidentally posted a link to my own computer file so asked for the above post to be withdrawn, ooops. Anyway I was saying that the trial is only for a very small number of people (30 I think it is) for people aged 18-40 (so likely not yet vaccinated) who must not take the vaccine whilst the trial is underway (it's a 4 month trial). More info on the Oxford site:

www.jenner.ac.uk/volunteer/recruiting-trials/covid-19-vaccine-intranasal-study-cov008

Crazycatlady83 · 26/03/2021 17:52

@CrunchyCarrot oh I see! My question probably isn’t relevant to this trial but I wonder in the longer term (because they want all adults to have the first jab by July) how they manage it when our adult population is vaccinated. We know there are still a few in development

Jenjenn · 26/03/2021 18:23

They will test it in a different country. Weren't the large scale trials in 2020 done in South America?

Raera · 26/03/2021 18:44

I wish that this had been kept under wraps. An area I work in which is high risk for transmission now has a large number of vaccine refusers due to these nasal spray rumours. Just get the jab people!

CrunchyCarrot · 26/03/2021 18:46

I wish that this had been kept under wraps. An area I work in which is high risk for transmission now has a large number of vaccine refusers due to these nasal spray rumours. Just get the jab people!

Why? If they are needle-phobes that's why they're refusers. If they're not, do they think something different is in that vaccine? From what I've read it's identical.

XenoBitch · 26/03/2021 18:51

@Raera

I wish that this had been kept under wraps. An area I work in which is high risk for transmission now has a large number of vaccine refusers due to these nasal spray rumours. Just get the jab people!

If they are holding out for a nasal spray then they most likely have a needle phobia. I have severe needle and medical phobia and I will not be having the vaccine in injection form. News like this should not be kept under wraps.... it brings hope to people who are, at the moment, being labelled selfish and being told to get a grip.

HazeyJaneII · 26/03/2021 18:56

It would be great if a succesful trial coincides coincides with a children's vaccine being ok'd...it would make the process a lot easier!

Raera · 26/03/2021 19:04

@CrunchyCarrot

I wish that this had been kept under wraps. An area I work in which is high risk for transmission now has a large number of vaccine refusers due to these nasal spray rumours. Just get the jab people!

Why? If they are needle-phobes that's why they're refusers. If they're not, do they think something different is in that vaccine? From what I've read it's identical.

No, they are just being awkward and revelling in something over which they can have some control. They are prisoners who are putting officers and fellow inmates at risk. - because they can.

MrsFin · 26/03/2021 19:10

@Crazycatlady83

Can I ask a really stupid question?

How will this trial (and other trials) be impacted upon by the high uptake of the vaccine in this country do you think? In a couple of months, we are told all adults will have been offered the first dose of the vaccine. So how are they going to recruit for new trials? And how do they test if it has worked in older people when the uptake of the vaccine has been so successful so far?

Will they have to move it overseas and If so, I wonder if that would delay things (or have ethical issues?)

I wonder this too. I'm taking part in the J&J vaccine trial, but I'm about to pull out because I've been offered the licensed vaccine. I hope the other participants are younger than me.

RMRM · 26/03/2021 19:12

As the parent of a needle phobic teen I hope this is successful with all my heart. 🤞 If unis end up requiring vaccination, I don't actually know how we will get it done. But then we will have that problem with the Meningitis one anyway.

XenoBitch · 26/03/2021 19:15

No, they are just being awkward and revelling in something over which they can have some control.
They are prisoners who are putting officers and fellow inmates at risk. - because they can.

A phobia is not "being awkward". It is a legitimate and recognised mental health condition, and can be debilitating.

Original poster

bumbleymummy · 26/03/2021 19:28

Sorry to post and disappear! RL got in the way

Yes, it is great to have an alternative for people who are needle phobic. It will be interesting to see if there’s any difference in immune response when delivered by this route.

OP posts:

Raera · 26/03/2021 19:34

@XenoBitch

*No, they are just being awkward and revelling in something over which they can have some control. They are prisoners who are putting officers and fellow inmates at risk. - because they can.*

A phobia is not "being awkward". It is a legitimate and recognised mental health condition, and can be debilitating.

With the greatest respect, I'm afraid that you are being naïve and are not familiar with the manipulative behaviour of prisoners.

XenoBitch · 26/03/2021 19:39

@Raera

Sorry! It was after my post I realised you were actually on about real inmates and not making some sort of comment about lockdown making us all prisoners.

Yeah, I get your point.

XenoBitch · 27/03/2021 00:21

Have just heard about this on the radio too. Seems a few people with needle phobia would be happy to volunteer for the trials.. but you need a blood test (so a needle) to take part. You could not make it up.

StarCat2020 · 27/03/2021 04:44

This could be an effective delivery method for children to have the vaccine.

Mindymomo · 27/03/2021 07:58

I agree for children this would be fantastic and for all others that don’t do needles.

KihoBebiluPute · 27/03/2021 08:05

I am sure they will get enough volunteers for the initial small scale tests just from aming needle-phobic under-40s who nevertheless want to be protected.

Larger scale trials will have to take place elsewhere anyway as the infection rate in the uk is so low there couldn't be statistically significant data on the effectiveness of the nasal spray if it was tested here. They will need to test it in a country where infection rates are still very high. That's not unethical, it's not like anyone is deliberately keeping infection rates high in some countries in order to have a testing ground for best vaccines.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 27/03/2021 12:30

I would have volunteered for the trial but sadly I'm too old

MrsFin · 28/03/2021 11:39

@Crazycatlady83

Can I ask a really stupid question?

How will this trial (and other trials) be impacted upon by the high uptake of the vaccine in this country do you think? In a couple of months, we are told all adults will have been offered the first dose of the vaccine. So how are they going to recruit for new trials? And how do they test if it has worked in older people when the uptake of the vaccine has been so successful so far?

Will they have to move it overseas and If so, I wonder if that would delay things (or have ethical issues?)

It's not a complete answer to your question, but when I had my second J&J trial vaccine yesterday they told me that, because of the incredibly fast roll out of the vaccine in the U.K., they are now allowing people who have been offered the live vaccine to be unblinded and stay on the trial.
You can now stay on the trial (if you want to) if you've had the placebo on the trial and elect to take up the offer of the licensed vaccine.

When the trial started, once you were unblinded you had to leave the trial for fear that knowing if you'd had a live vaccine or a placebo would affect your behaviour and skew the results.

However there are many, many trials running in countries where they haven't even started vaccination yet, so U.K. peeps dropping out our being unblinded isn't a big issue.

J&J vax has been licensed in US for one shot.
I'm on a trial to find out if two shots are better than one.

middleager · 28/03/2021 12:04

My teen son is asthmatic and has had the nasal flu spray at the GP for a good few years.

He used to be petrified of needles (is OK now) and fortunately children only get the nasal version. But if it had been needle only, I'm not sure he could have done it, so this is good news.