Pharmacy Daily | COVAX patch beats jab

INITIAL research suggests a COVID-19 vaccine (COVAX) patch may provide better protection against variants of the virus than needle-based shots.

A University of Queensland (UQ) study tested the Hexapro SARS-CoV-2 spike vaccine using Brisbane-based biotech firm, Vaxxas's high-density microarray patch technology, with the results showing the patch was significantly more effective against new COVID variants.

UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biology Research Officer, Dr Chris McMillan, said the patch delivered the vaccine into the layers of the skin "which are rich in immune cells".

"We found that vaccination via a patch was approximately 11-times more effective at combatting the Omicron variant when compared with the same vaccine administered via a needle," he said.

"So far, every vaccine type we have tested through the patch, including subunit, DNA, inactivated virus and conjugate produces superior immune responses compared to traditional needle vaccination methods."

McMillan's colleague, UQ School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences Advance Research Fellow, Dr David Muller, said the patch technology offered "a new - and more effective - weapon... at a time where new variants are mutating at a rapid rate".

"The patches are not only more effective against emerging variants but are also far easier to administer than needle-based vaccines," he said.

"But, it is important to stress that existing vaccines are still an effective way of combatting serious illness and disease from this virus and it is not the time to drop our guard."