Biotechnology company Bharat Biotech will launch its intranasal coronavirus vaccine iNCOVACC on January 26, its chairperson Krishna Ella said on Saturday, according to PTI.

“Our nasal vaccine will be officially launched on January 26, on Republic Day,” Ella said during the ongoing India International Science Festival in Bhopal.

On August 15, Bharat Biotech said that the vaccine was proven to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in the Phase-3 clinical trials. The nasal delivery system has been designed to be cost-effective for low and middle-income countries, the vaccine maker said in a press release.

The Drugs Controller General of India granted emergency use authorisation to the vaccine in September. This was the first intranasal vaccine to get the authority’s approval for primary immunisation of adults against Covid-19, the Union government said.

India has administered 2,20,24,21,113 coronavirus vaccines since the nationwide inoculation drive began in January 2021. Out of these, 2,07,067 vaccines were administered in the past 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry.