One of the critical ways a next generation Covid vaccine can improve on the original vaccines is to be more durable and…
Another Intranasal Covid Vaccine Trial & More Good News (Update 25)

This month, another intranasal vaccine has gone into clinical trial in Europe. It’s the 32nd mucosal vaccine to start clinical testing – and 5 are already in use in a few countries. There is also major new international funding for the development of a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine in Canada.
Those developments highlight why, even with the shocking attacks on scientific institutions and scientists happening in the US, there is still lots of good news about this race for better Covid vaccines. If there are setbacks in the US, the international science community and industry may re-calibrate elsewhere. Different vaccines may end up getting to the front of queue, and in different countries.
Still, scientific progress is not dependent on one country, so next generation Covid vaccine development won’t grind to a total halt. Even some developers from the US have distributed strengths globally – companies with subsidiaries elsewhere, or partnerships for these vaccines in particular. For example, the first next generation Covid vaccine likely to arrive in Europe soon was developed by an American company, Arcturus – but its major manufacturing partners are Australian and Japanese. And Caltech’s partners for moving forward with their pancoronavirus vaccine are in the UK.
There’s good news this month, too, from the US, with a clinical trial of an oral vaccine passing a major milestone: The team can now start recruiting thousands of people across the country. I begin this post with that, and other news from the government’s Project NextGen.
After that, I have the news from the last month broken down into 3 categories of next-generation Covid vaccines as usual (definitions below). Each section ends with an overview of vaccines in the category – and each has a link to skip over that straight to the next news section. There is news on trials, and preclinical results for 9 vaccines – including another study showing a mucosal vaccine prevented transmission of the Covid coronavirus.
ICYMI:
- December 2024 post, “Getting ready for more mRNA fear-mongering: A compendium,” plus An introduction to saRNA.
- Check out my May 2024 post, “When will we get a sterilizing Covid vaccine?”
- News from the US Project NextGen
- Mucosal vaccine news
- Durable or “variant-proof” vaccine news
- Pancoronavirus vaccine news
- Addendum 1: List of authorized vaccines (with countries)
- Addendum 2: Table of mucosal vaccines in clinical trials
- Addendum 3: Table of pancoronavirus vaccines with preclinical results
- Addendum 4: Definitions of vaccine types
News from the US Project NextGen
It’s still too soon to know what the fate of this program will be under the new US administration. Several comparatively small companies have a lot riding on their contracts. There was a reminder of that this month, when the company developing one of the Project NextGen-funded vaccines sold their assets in January 2025 after declaring bankruptcy.
There is a lot of sad and worrying news for scientists in the US, but it’s not all hopeless either. As of earlier this week, there is a communication freeze, but for the NIH at least, studies that have already been started haven’t been cancelled.
Vaxart’s is the first phase 2B “mini-efficacy” trial passed the safety hurdle and moved on to recruiting thousands of participants
The first stage of the Project NextGen-funded “mini-efficacy” trials is a 400-participant safety assessment. This month, Vaxart announced that the independent Data Safety and Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the trial had evaluated the results for those 400 participants 30 days after vaccination, and given the go-ahead for the trial proceed.
That means 9,600 people across the US will be sought, to be randomized to either a Vaxart or mRNA booster. If you’re interested, Vaxart lists 145 locations across the country. The list and contact details are here.
The company reports it will have funding into 2026, assuming that Project NextGen milestones and payments are as planned.
Vaxart’s vaccine is an oral, viral vector vaccine. The records in my collection for this vaccine are here.
Funding for another phase 1 trial – for a mucosal vaccine from Ocugen
Unlike the Vaxart trial, this one hasn’t started. The vaccine is a viral vector vaccine, based on ChAd (chimpanzee adenovirus), developed the University of Washington St Louis. It is the vaccine rolled out by Bharat Biotech in India as Covaxin, with intranasal application.
In the US, a company called Ocugen has licensed it. They now have a Project NextGen award through the NIH’s NIAID, to run a phase 1 trial testing intranasal and inhaled versions.
The records in my collection for this vaccine are here.
Other news
- GeoVax is the manufacturing partner for the City of Hope/NIH-developed vaccine to improve protection for people with immunosuppression. The latest news from them is that their phase 2b trial is now planned to start in the second half of 2025.
- Funding was announced for advancing vaccine patches, including to Vaxxas for an mRNA Covid vaccine. (I have only seen a report of preclinical results for a protein subunit vaccine from them so far.) (If you’re interested in patch vaccines, there was also news for the Castlevax vaccine. It’s not Project NextGen: CEPI, the international Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, has awarded funding to Micron Biomedical in the US to develop a patch for Castlevax vaccine.)
- The bad news is that Gritstone Bio declared bankruptcy and their assets were sold in January 2025. They had been advancing a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine, and had they met the milestones required in their Project NextGen contract, would have proceeded to a phase 2b trial.
Mucosal vaccine news
And then there were 32… This month, another mucosal vaccine has entered human trial, and that’s where we start. As well, there was news about the clinical trials for the Vaxart and Ocugen vaccines, which I reported in the section above. And the developers of Aerovax at McMaster University in Canada have published a short protocol for their phase 2 trial. Finally, there were 6 preclinical reports of mucosal vaccines this month – 2 of them were journal publications that had available earlier as preprints.
Intranasal viral vector vaccine from Rokote Laboratories (Finland) goes into phase 1 trial
This vaccine, called FINCoVac, is based on Adenovirus 5. I haven’t seen any public reports yet of the developers’ preclinical studies, and there isn’t much more available on the vaccine. The developers hope the vaccine can reduce Covid transmission as well as be more variant-proof. The trial began recruiting for 50 participants in late January 2025. It is expected to take 4 months to determine tolerability and dose levels.
The trial register entry is here. If you are interested in participating, contact details are under the “Locations and contact points” tab.
Preclinical reports for mucosal vaccines
I added 6 preclinical studies this month. One is aiming to be a “variant-proof” vaccine, so it is summarized in that section. The others are:
- An intranasal viral vector vaccine based on recombinant influenza developed by the Peter Doherty Institute at the University of Melbourne (Australia): This is the first report I have seen on this vaccine. It was tested in mice, including Covid infection challenge testing. The vaccine was instilled intranasally into the airways, which, the developers point out, means it reached deeper into the animals’ respiratory system than intranasal vaccine would in people. Boosting with the vaccine after another vaccine broadened the immune response, and increased protection.
- An intranasal protein subunit vaccine developed by the NIH National Cancer Institute (USA): This is the study on transmission of SARS-CoV-2, but only an abstract was available at the time I’m writing. (And the abstract appears to have been somehow generated from a document, garbling lots of the words – “protection” becomes “protoclon,” for example.) However, this study was released as a preprint in May 2024. In this study, hamsters were vaccinated either with 2 doses of authorized mRNA vaccine, or 1 mRNA dose followed by an intranasal subunit vaccine. Then they were challenged with SARS-CoV-2, and vaxed animals were co-housed with unvaxed ones. Intranasal vaccine, the researchers concluded, blocked transmission, while the mRNA vaccine alone did not.
- An intranasal protein subunit vaccine developed by the State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering Beijing (China): In this report, an intranasal protein subunit vaccine was tested in mice, including a viral challenge test. The developers reported that the vaccine induced strong signs of immune response in the blood, and mild mucosal response in the respiratory tract.
- An intranasal adjuvant in a protein subunit vaccine from the Icahn School of Medicine Mt Sinai (USA): NE/IVT is a type of vaccine adjuvant for intranasal vaccines. In this study in mice, the researchers concluded that an intranasal booster with an NE/IVT-adjuvanted protein subunit vaccine adds mucosal immunity and strengthens immunity generally after vaccination with the BNT/Pfizer mRNA vaccine. (This study was previously reported in a preprint in March 2024. The group published another preclinical study in 2023.)
- An intranasal protein subunit vaccine developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Livzon Pharmaceutical Group (China): An injected version of this vaccine is authorized in China. In this study in mice, the developers used the same vaccine as an intramuscular injection, followed by an intranasal boost. The developers reported that intranasal boost broadened the immune response. They had previously tested intramuscular versus intranasal, but not sequential vaccination. All records for this vaccine in my collection here.
Skip ahead to next news category
Mucosal Covid vaccine overview
- 5 mucosal vaccines are currently authorized for use, at least 1 in each of 6 countries. However, none have been authorized by a drug regulatory agency designated stringent, or listed, by WHO.
- 32 mucosal vaccines have reached clinical trial, although some of the vaccines are no longer in development. The vaccines that have entered clinical trials are tracked in a table below.
- In addition to the 5 authorized mucosal vaccines, 4 have reached phase 2 trials, and another 2 have reached phase 2/3 trial.
US Project NextGen-funded trials in this category:
- Phase 1 for MPV/S-2P, the intranasal viral vector vaccine developed by the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This trial for 60 participants began recruiting in July 2024.
- Phase 2b (“mini-efficacy”) for the intranasal protein subunit vaccine from Castlevax (planned to start in the last quarter of 2024);
- Phase 2b for the intranasal live attenuated vaccine from Codagenix;
- Phase 2b for the oral viral vector vaccine from Vaxart (trial start announced at the end of September 2024; trial registration here); and
- Phase 2b for the intranasal viral vector vaccine from Blue Lake Biotech/CyanVac (trial started in December 2024, trial registration here).
Durable or “variant-proof” vaccine news
We are still waiting on word from the European Commission about marketing authorization for the Arcturus self-amplifying mRNA vaccine, Kostaive. As I reported last time, they are due to respond to the European Medicines Agency’s recommendation within a set period. That is about 2 weeks from now. Still no news on what comes next in their global strategy, though the UK has been mentioned.
As mentioned above, the Geovax vaccine, which aims to achieve better and more durable results for people with immunosuppression, is now planning to start its Project NextGen-funded phase 2b “mini-efficacy” trial in the second half of 2025.
This month, I added preclinical reports for 2 new vaccines in this category. There was also bad news: As mentioned above, Gritstone Bio declared bankruptcy and their assets were sold in January 2025.
New preclinical reports
- An intranasal peptide vaccine from the University of Alberta and National Research Council (Canada): This is a type of subunit vaccine called an epitope or peptide vaccine. It is based on very small components of several parts of coronaviruses called lipopeptides, with an intranasal adjuvant. This new report includes tests of versions of the vaccine in hamsters. The developers measured signs of immune response, including mucosal response, and carried out a challenge test with an Omicron variant (BA.5). There were signs of immune response to a range of variants, and the vaccinated hamsters in the challenge test had less lung pathology.
- mPANVAX@COVID, an mRNA vaccine from Shenzhen and Nanjing Shenxin Biotechnology (China): This mRNA vaccine includes proteins from several Covid variants. The developers report on tests in mice, including signs of immune response, and challenge tests with several Covid variants (original, Delta, and Omicron). They detected no sign of infection in the lungs of vaccinated mice after the challenge tests. They also report on signs of immune response in non-human primates (rhesus macaques). Vaccinated and control primates had a challenge test with the Delta variant. No virus was detected in vaccinated animals’ blood, or, when the dose was high, in mucosal swabs. Control animals showed signs of pneumonia, but the vaccinated animals did not.
Skip ahead to next news category
Durable or “variant-proof” vaccine overview
Note: This is a rather vague category, including vaccines that aim to be more durable. I’m not sure how many can be classified as aiming to be “variant-proof”.
Authorized vaccine:
There is one vaccine in this category that has been authorized by a drug regulatory authority designated by WHO has stringent, or listed – and tested against an mRNA vaccine:
- LUNAR-COV19 (USA), trade name Kostaive: This self-amplifying mRNA vaccine was authorized in Japan in November 2023, with rollout in October 2024. It was also approved by the European Medicines Agency in December 2024, with authorization for the European Union pending.
US Project NextGen-funded trials in this category:
- Phase 1 for TNX-1800 from Tonix (aiming for lifelong immunity) (planned to go into clinical trial in 2024);
- Phase 2b (“mini-efficacy”) for GeoVax (viral vector vaccine) (planned to go into clinical trial in the second half of 2025).
These trials have not been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as yet.
Note: Gritstone Bio was originally in line for a phase 2b trial for their self-amplifying mRNA vaccine. However, the company declared bankruptcy and in January 2025, their assets were sold.
Pancoronavirus vaccine news
Pancoronavirus vaccines aim to provide protection not only from variants of the SARS virus that causes Covid, but also against the next new coronavirus to spread among humans. This month, I added another vaccine to this section: It had previously been tagged in the “variant-proof” category. There are also 2 reports of preclinical studies for vaccines in this category – both of them had already been included in my collection earlier as preprints.
Major funding for pan-sarbecovirus development by the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan (VIDO) (Canada)
VIDO has been working on a “variant-proof” Covid vaccine, as well as studying whether their vaccine platform might apply to MERS, and, subsequently a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine. Their original Covid vaccine, called COVAC, reached clinical trials. You can see the records for that vaccine in my collection here.
Their next step was to develop what they call a “train model,” incorporating proteins from several Covid variants in a bivalent or multivalent vaccine. They published a report last year of tests of versions of this vaccine in hamsters, studying whether their Covid vaccine could protect against variants. They concluded that it offered some protection against variants that weren’t specifically targeted in the vaccine.
This month, the international Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), announced they have awarded VIDO up to $24 million (Canadian) to go to the next step: Develop and test a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine, presumably based on Covid and MERS proteins. If preclinical tests show similar results to their previous vaccines, then the vaccine would go into clinical trial – and, it would anticipated, could be adapted in the future with other sarbecovirus proteins if they cross into humans.
New preclinical study reports
- Mosaic-8b, the protein subunit vaccine developed by Caltech, the California Institute of Technology (USA), with Ingenza (UK): Some background on this vaccine first, as summarized in an earlier post. This vaccine includes components from 8 coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Manufacture is therefore complex, and it took time for them to find a manufacturer. Last year, it was announced that Caltech has partnered with manufacturing groups from the UK, Ingenza and the Centre for Process Innovation, as well as the University of Oxford. A company spokesperson for Ingenza said they aim to develop a vaccine “rapidly,” using their platform “to reduce development time and costs, while establishing a scalable manufacturing process.”
This new report in mice is a journal publication of a study I had already included as a preprint, studying protection against several sarbecoviruses, including Omicron. This group has published several preclinical studies in non-primates and primates, and they are included in the table below. You can read a recent description of this vaccine here.
- An unnamed protein subunit vaccine developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA): This group has published 4 preclinical reports, all in non-primates. They are included in the table below. This new report studies the vaccine in mice, showing signs of protection against several sarbecoviruses, including the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
Pancoronavirus vaccine overview
A table below this post keeps track of vaccines I’ve added to this category so far that have publicly available preclinical results. Of these vaccines, 6 have reached phase 1 clinical trials, with some results for 3 of them marked *:
- * CoronaTcP (Gylden Pharma, UK/US) – protein subunit. (Note: This vaccine was previously called PepGNP-SARSCov2, and the manufacturer was previously called Emergex.)
- DIOSynVax (Cambridge University spin-off, UK) – mRNA.
- INSERM/Ennodc (formerly LinkInVax) (France) – protein subunit.
- Osivax (France) – protein subunit (phase 1 trial fully recruited in June 2024).
- * VBI Vaccines (Canada) – eVLP. [This company announced bankruptcy in late 2024.]
- * Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR, USA) – protein subunit.
US Project NextGen-funded trials in this category:
- CoronaTcP (Gylden Pharma, UK/US) – protein subunit.
- Unnamed (PopVax, India) – mRNA.
Addendum 1: List of authorized next generation Covid vaccines (with countries)
There are now 7 next-generation Covid vaccines authorized in 7 countries. Only one has been authorized or approved by drug regulatory agencies designated stringent, or listed, by WHO – in bold. Authorization is pending in the European Union. I’ve listed the vaccines in 2 categories, in order of date of first authorization (or initial approval).
Mucosal:
- Razi-Cov Pars (Iran), intranasal protein subunit vaccine: Iran (October 2021).
- Sputnik (Russia), intranasal viral vector vaccine: Russia (April 2022).
- Convidecia (China), inhaled viral vector vaccine: China (September 2022), Morocco (November 2022), Indonesia (March 2023).
- iNCOVACC (USA/India), intranasal viral vector vaccine: India (September 2022).
- Pneucolin (China), intranasal viral vector vaccine: China (December 2022).
Self-amplifying mRNA:
- Gemcovac (India): India (June 2022).
- Kostaive (LUNAR-COV19) (USA): Japan (November 2023), initial European approval, authorization pending (December 2024).
Addendum 2: Table of mucosal vaccines in clinical trials
* Indicates new entry since previous update post.
Note: Where there is a link to “All records” for a vaccine, that’s in my public Zotero collection for the vaccine, and it may include non-mucosal studies for that vaccine. Notes on that collection are here. For details on how I track Covid vaccine progress to maintain that collection, see my background post.
Vaccine, type, manufacturer | Mucosal version(s) | Phase 1 to 2 clinical trials | Phase 3+ trial(s) | Phase 3+ efficacy or immunogenicity results |
---|---|---|---|---|
ACM-001 Protein subunit ACM Biolabs (Singapore/Switzerland) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Results (press release only) | ||
Ad5-nCoV (Convidecia Air) Viral vector (adenovirus) CanSino (China) (All records) | Inhaled through the mouth using a nebulizer. | Phase 1. Results. Phase 1/2. Results (plus second later preprint). Phase 1/2. Results. Phase 2 (aged 6-17 years). Booster adapted for variant. | 10,420 people in China (Phase 3). Results. 1,350 people (Phase 3). 540 people, in Malaysia (Phase 3). Results. 904 people in China (Phase 4). Results. 360 people (Phase 4). 451 people (Phase 4). Results. 10,000 people in China (Phase 4). Results for a 4,089 in the Ad5-nCoV arms. | 904 people: Comparison after 2-dose course of inactivated vax: Convidecia injection vs inhaled, protein subunit, or CoronaVac booster (Phase 4 results). Both injected & inhaled Convidecia had stronger impact on signs of immunity than the others; response after inhaled version was slower but longer-lasting than injected (which peaked then declined from day 14), better for Omicron though not as good for original virus. No measure of mucosal immunity used. 539 people (Malaysia): Signs of serum immune response were lower for inhaled Convidecia than for injected BNT/Pfizer vax at 14 days, but grew for Convidecia to similar levels. Mucosal immune response (SIgA) was greater for Convidecia; the rate of adverse reactions was lower. 451 people: Comparison of different versions adapted for variant, including a bivalent version. Booster of inhaled Convidecia after previous vaccination with inactivated vaccine. Signs of immune response to Omicron were higher for the bivalent vaccine, though lower for the original SARS-CoV-2 strain. 4,089 people, plus a 2,008 un-randomized unboosted control group: This trial tested the original vax during Omicron, with either an injected or inhaled booster. There wasn’t a significant difference between them, though the injected version fell below their ineffectiveness threshold and the inhaled one reached effectiveness despite having a smaller dose of vaccine. |
Ad5-S Viral vector (adenovirus) State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease/Guangzhou Enbao Biomedical Technology Co (China) (All records) | Intranasal. | Infection prevention study. | ||
AdCOVID Viral vector (adenovirus) AltImmune (USA) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Results – press release only. Discontinued after phase 1. | ||
AdS+N Viral vector (adenovirus) ImmunityBio (USA) (All records) | Intranasal, oral capsule, or sublingual. | Phase 1 (oral). Phase 1 (sublingual). | ||
AeroVax (Ad5-triCoV) Viral vector (adenovirus) McMaster University/Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Canada) (All records) | Aerosol. | Phase 1 (& ChAd-triCoV/Mac). Phase 2. * Short protocol. | ||
Avacc 10 Protein subunit Intravacc (Netherlands) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Results (press release only) | ||
bacTRL-Spike-1 Live attenuated Symvivo (Canada) (All records) | Oral. | Phase 1. | ||
BBV154 (iNCOVACC) Viral vector (adenovirus) Bharat Biotech (India) (All records) This vaccine is ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S Washington University in St Louis (USA) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Phase 2. Small amount of data from these trials in the drug product information. Phase 2/3. Phase 2. | In India, 2-dose course of BBV154 vs 2-dose course of injected Covaxin inactivated vaccine (Phase 3 – and here). Results (previously in preprint). See also the drug product information. 875 people in India, booster trial (Phase 3). | 2,971 previously unvaxed people were assigned for the intranasal iNCOVACC, 161 for injected Covaxin. This trial did not aim to assess disease outcomes. It took place during the first Omicron wave. Signs of immune response were higher for iNCOVACC than Covaxin. Adverse events rate very low (5% local and 3% systemic) – lower than for comparison group. |
B/HPIV3/S-6P Viral vector (parainfluenza) NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (USA) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Fully recruited by early July 2024. | ||
BV-AdCoV-1 Viral vector (adenovirus) Wuhan BravoVax (China) (All records) | Inhaled through the mouth using a nebulizer. | Phase 1. | ||
ChAdOx1 Viral vector (adenovirus) Oxford University (UK) (This is the AstraZeneca vax) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Phase 1. Results. | ||
CoV2-OGEN1 Protein subunit US Specialty Formulations/VaxForm (USA) (All records) | Oral. | Phase 1. (Fully recruited, final dose in November 2022.) Press release stating successful (without data) and progressing to phase 2 trial. | ||
COVI-VAC Live attenuated Codagenix (USA, with the Serum Institute of India) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Press release in 2021 stating successful (without data) and progressing to phase 2/3. Preliminary results (conference abstract in 2021) and in a 2022 press release. Results in 2023 (press release only). Phase 1 (booster). | Phase 2/3, as part of the WHO Solidarity Trial for Vaccines in Mali, Colombia, Kenya, Philippines, Sierra Leone. Fully recruited by July 2024. (Protocol.) | |
CVXGA1-001 Viral vector (parainfluenza) CyanVac/Blue Lake Tech (USA) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Results (press release only). Phase 2. Results (press release only). Phase 2b. | ||
DNS1-RBD (Pneucolin) Viral vector (influenza) Beijing Wantai BioPharm (China) (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Phase 2. Joint results. | 30,990 participants in Colombia, Philippines, South Africa, Vietnam. Results (previously in preprint.) 5,400 participants in Ghana (Phase 3). | Comparison of 2 doses of intranasal vaccine 14 days apart, with placebo control, during circulation of Omicron. Included >13,000 previously unvaccinated people. Efficacy shown 90 days after 2nd dose. There was some decline at 180 days. Efficacy against symptomatic Covid: No previous vax: 55.2% (CI 13.8 to 76.7) Inactivated: 38.2% (CI -49.2 to 74.4) Viral vector: 39.9% (CI -16.7 to 69.1) mRNA: 10.1% (CI -45.9 to 44.5) Efficacy against severe Covid: No previous vax: 66.7% (CI 8.3 to 87.9) Inactivated: 54.6% (CI -47.3 to 86.0) Viral vector: 50.0% (CI -6.8 to 76.6) mRNA: 19.5% (CI -39.2 to 53.4) Efficacy against hospitalization: 100% (CI -9.2 to 100) Adverse events were very low – similar to placebo. Less than 8% of people had a runny and/or blocked nose or sore throat. |
* FINCoVac Viral vector (adenovirus) Rokote Laboratories (Finland) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. | ||
GAM-COVID-VAC (rAd26-S – Sputnik Light) Viral vector (adenovirus) Gamaleya Research Institute (Russia) | Intranasal. | Phase 1/2. | 7,000 participants in Russia (Phase 3 or phase 2/3 – not clear). | |
Mambisa Protein subunit Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (CIGB) (Cuba) (All records) | Intranasal drops. | Phase 1/2. Phase 1/2. Results. Phase 2. | ||
MPV/S-2P Viral vector (murine pneumonia) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (USA) (All records) | Intranasal drops. | Phase 1. | ||
MV-014-212 Viral vector (RSV) Meissa Vaccines (USA) (All records) | Intranasal drops or spray. | Phase 1. Results (press release). | This vaccine is in limbo because of the company’s financial difficulties. | |
MVA-SARS-2ST Viral vector (MVA) German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF)/IDT Biologika (All records) | Inhalation. | Phase 1. | ||
NB2155 Viral vector (Adenovirus 5) Guangzhou Medical University/ Guangzhou National Laboratory (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. | ||
CVAX-01 Viral vector (Newcastle Disease Virus) Castlevax/Icahn Mt Sinai (All records) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Results (press release). | ||
Ad5-S-Omicron BA.1 Viral vector (Adenovirus 5) Guangzhou Medical University/Guangzhou National Laboratory (China) (All records) | Intranasal | Phase 1. Results. | ||
Patria (NDV-HXP-S/AVX-COVID-12-HEXAPRO) Viral vector (Newcastle Disease Virus) Laboratorio Avi-Mex (Mexico) (All records on Patria, see also CVAX-01 for early development.) | Intranasal. | Phase 1. Results. Phase 2. Results. (Previously available in preprint.) | Phase 2/3 for injected version only: Results. | |
PRAK-03202 Protein subunit Oravax (USA) [Oravax was established by OraMed (Israel) to develop this vaccine, using Premas Biotech’s PRAK-03202 and their oral vaccine technology] (All records on oral PRAK-03202, and on intramuscular version) | Oral. | Phase 1 (in South Africa). Results (press release only). | ||
Razi-Cov Pars Protein subunit Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute (Iran) (All records) | Intranasal (third dose after 2 injections). | Phase 1. Results. Phase 2. Results. Phase 1 to 2 (in 12-17 year-olds). Phase 4 (Booster). Results. Phase 1 to 2 (in 5-17 year-olds). | 41,128 people in Iran, comparing the 3-dose course to 2-dose inactivated Sinopharm Beijing vax, only partially randomized (Phase 3). Results (Previous media report for the first 24,000 participants.) | Phase 3: The authors concluded Razi-Cov Pars was non-inferior to the inactivated vaccine, with similarly very low adverse events. However, the trial could not establish whether there was an advantage to an intranasal dose. Phase 4: Immunogenicity and safety study of intranasal booster in 195 people, placebo-controlled. Increased IgA and IgG anti-RBD in nasal mucosa, but not in serum and saliva. |
SC-Ad6-1 Viral vector (adenovirus) Moat Bio/Tetherex (USA) (All records) | Intranasal and inhaled. | Phase 1. Trial expanded to add an inhaled version (from 130 to 190 people). Results so far briefly mentioned in press release. | ||
SpikoGen Protein subunit Vaxine (Australia) (All records on mucosal and on all forms.) | Oral/sublingual. | Phase 1. | ||
(Unnamed) Inactivated bacteria DreamTec (Hong Kong) (All records) | Oral. | Phase 1. Phase 1. Phase 1. Note: An article of preclinical results has been retracted over lack of ethics committee approval. | ||
VXA-CoV2-1/VXA-CoV2-1.1-S Viral vector (adenovirus) Vaxart (USA) (All records) | Tablets. | Phase 1. Results. Phase 2. (Started October 1, 2021.) Results (press release). Additional brief results in presentation. Phase 2b. (Start announced September 30, 2024.) |
Addendum 3: Pancoronavirus vaccines with preclinical results
* Indicates new entry since previous update post.
Developer Country Vaccine name | Type of: Vaccine Coronavirus | Preclinical results | Clinical trial status |
---|---|---|---|
Academia Sinica Taiwan (Taiwan) (Unnamed) | mRNA All | Non-primate | |
Baylor College of Medicine (USA) (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Beta | Non-primate | |
Beijing University of Chemical Technology (China) (Unnamed) | Live attenuated pangolin coronavirus All | Non-primate | |
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center USA RhAd52.CoV.Consv | Viral vector Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Ingenza USA, UK Mosaic-8b | Protein subunit Beta | Non-primate Non-primate Primate, non-primate * Non-primate (previously in preprint) Non-primate (previously in preprint) Primate and non-primate | |
Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin Germany NILV-PanCoVac | Viral vector All | Non-primate (mucosal) | |
China Cuba Joint Innovation Center China, Cuba Unnamed | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate (mucosal) Non-primate (mucosal) | |
Codiak USA exoVACC Pan Beta Coronavirus | Protein subunit Beta | Article on development Non-primate (conference slides) Non-primate (conference slides) | (This company began proceedings in bankruptcy court. See news.) |
DIOSynvax UK DIOS-CoVax/ pEVAC-PS | mRNA Sarbeco | Non-primate Non-primate Non-primate (a different vaccine) | Phase 1 trial (incl. protocol) (Up to 36 participants in the UK) Began December 2021. Fully recruited. Expanded to another city – no trial register entry found. |
Duke University USA RBD–scNP | Protein subunit Beta | Primate Primate Primate, non-primate Non-primate (previously in preprint) Primate, non-primate | |
Francis Crick Institute UK (Unnamed) | Protein subunit with DNA boost All | Non-primate | |
Fudan University China HR1LS | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Primate, non-primate Primate Primate Non-primate | |
Georgia State University, University of Iowa USA SARS2-S (SARS-RBD) | mRNA Sarbeco | Non-primate Non-primate | |
Georgia State University USA Om-S-MERS-RBD | Protein subunit All | Non-primate | |
Georgia State University USA (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate Primate, non-primate Non-primate | |
Guangdong Pharmaceutical University China (Unnamed) | Protein subunit All | Non-primate | |
Gylden Pharma UK/USA CoronaTcP | Protein subunit Beta | Phase 1 trial (26 participants in Switzerland) Results. (Formerly press release only) Phase 1/2 trial (Up to 110 participants in the Philippines) (Not yet recruiting) | |
Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology South Korea (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
INSERM Vaccine Research Institute/Ennodc (formerly LinKinVax) France PanCov (CD40.CoV2/RBDv) | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate Primate, non-primate Primate Non-primate (conference poster) Non-primate | Phase 1/2 trial (Up to 240 participants in France) Booster trial; began recruiting in May 2024. |
Osivax France OVX033 | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate | Phase 1 trial (48 participants in France) First participant vaccinated in February 2024. Fully recruited in June 2024. |
Oxford University UK ChAdOx1.COVconsv12 | Viral vector Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
Pennsylvania State University USA (Unnamed) | Protein subunit All | Non-primate | |
Scripps Research Institute USA (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Beta | Non-primate | |
Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University China rTTV-RBD-HA2 | Viral vector Beta (plus influenza) | Non-primate (mucosal) | |
SK Bioscience/ Uni of Washington/Uni of North Carolina at Chapel Hill South Korea, USA GBP511 | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Primate, non-primate (testing Covid vaccine GBP510 against other sarbecoviruses) | More on plans for adapting this vaccine – GBP510 authorized as SKYCovione. See the University of Washington research listed below in this table. |
Stanford University USA DCFHP-alum | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Primate Erratum (correction to legend in a figure). Non-primate | |
Stanford University USA Unnamed | Protein subunit All | Non-primate | |
State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Guangzhou Medical University China (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Primate and non-primate | |
Sun Yat-Sen University China (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
University of Amsterdam Netherlands (Unnamed) | Virus-like particle Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
University of California Irvine/Techimmune USA (Unnamed) | Viral vector Beta | Non-primate (previously in preprint) Non-primate (mucosal) (previously in preprint) Non-primate (There was also a paper about this vaccine’s development in 2021.) | |
University of Houston/Auravax USA NanoSTING-NS | Protein subunit (intranasal) Sarbeco | Non-primate Non-primate Non-primate Primate, non-primate | |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill USA (Unnamed) | Viral vector Sarbeco | Non-primate (Previously in preprint) | |
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill USA (Unnamed) | mRNA Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
University of Sydney Australia CoVEXS5 | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
University of Toronto Canada (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
University of Washington USA (Unnamed) | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate (Previously in preprint) Non-primate Non-primate (MERS vaccine developed on the same platform as GBP511.) | (See “GBP511” above in this table.) |
University of Wisconsin-Madison (PanCorVac) USA (Unnamed) | Protein subunit All | Non-primate Non-primate Non-primate * Non-primate (previously in preprint) | |
VBI Vaccines Canada VBI-2901 | eVLP All | Non-primate Non-primate (Press release) | This company declared bankruptcy in late 2024. Phase 1 trial (103 participants in Canada) Began October 2022. Fully recruited. (Further background info.) Results (press release only). (101 participants) Previously vaccinated people boosted with 2 low or high doses, or 1 high-dose. Limited data reported. Some signs of immune response to a range of coronaviruses, mostly lasting at least 5 months. No major safety concerns. |
* Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan Canada Unnamed | Protein subunit Sarbeco | Non-primate | |
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) USA SpFN/ALFQ | Protein subunit Beta | Non-primate Non-primate Non-primate (incl RFN) Non-primate Primate Primate Primate (with J&J vax) | Phase 1 trial (US) Began April 2021, with 29 participants, including some on placebo. Results. Vaxed participants showed immune responses to several Covid variants and several sarbecoviruses, but no signs of response to MERS. |
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) USA RFN | Protein subunit Beta | Non-primate (incl SpFN) Primate | |
Washington University in St Louis USA (Unnamed) | Viral vector Sarbeco | Non-primate (mucosal) | |
Yale University USA (Unnamed) | mRNA All | Non-primate Non-primate | |
Yale University/Xanadu Bio USA (Unnamed) | Protein subunit, intranasal booster Sarbeco | Non-primate |
Addendum 4: Definitions of vaccine types
- Mucosal vaccines: These enter the body the way the virus does – through mucosal tissues. It’s hoped that provides defence against infection. They can be administered via different routes – squirts or drops in the nose, inhaled through the mouth through a nebulizer (similar to an asthma medication), or in tablet, capsule, or sublingual form.
- Pan-SARS-CoV-2 or “variant-proof” vaccines: These aim to provide protection against any variant of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 – including future variants. I include vaccines that aim for greater durability in this group. Pancoronavirus vaccines can be targeted to:
– the “subgroup” the 2 SARS viruses came from (the sarbecovirus subgenus),
– coronaviruses from the next level up (the genus, betacoronavirus, which includes lethal diseases like MERS, as well as common cold viruses), or
– the whole coronavirus family, with 4 genuses, including betacoronavirus and alphacoronavirus (with more common cold viruses).
I classify a vaccine as a pancoronavirus one when the developers are explicitly targeting coronaviruses more broadly than SARS-CoV-2, and have tested for signs of response to non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus(es) (or clearly plan to).
You can keep up with my work at my newsletter, Living With Evidence. And I’m active on Mastodon: @hildabast@mastodon.online and less so on BlueSky (hildabast.bsky.social).
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For details on how I track Covid vaccine progress, see my background post. Notes on my collection of studies are here. The collection is in a public Zotero library you can dig into here.
Previous update posts specifically on next generation Covid vaccines prior to this monthly series (beginning May 2023):
- Mucosal vaccines (March 2022)
- Pan-SARS-Cov-2 and pancoronavirus (July 2022)
- Mucosal vaccines (July 2022)
- Mucosal vaccines (September 2022)
- Mucosal vaccines (April 2023)
- Pancoronavirus vaccines (April 2023)
All my posts on Covid vaccines, beginning from March 2020, are tagged here.
All previous Covid-19 posts at Absolutely Maybe
My posts at The Atlantic and at WIRED.
Disclosures: My interest in Covid-19 vaccine trials began as a person worried about the virus, as my son was immunocompromised: I have no financial or professional interest in the vaccines. I have worked for an institute of the NIH in the past, but not one working on vaccines. More about me.
The cartoon is my own (CC BY-NC-ND license). (More cartoons at Statistically Funny.)