Hyderabad, Jan 28 : Bharat Biotech (BB), a global leader in vaccine innovation and developer of vaccines for infectious diseases, Today  said it has got approval from India’s drug regulator for the phase-3 clinical trials for its BBV154 (Nasal covid vaccine). Covaxin maker BB had earlier applied to Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking permission to conduct Phase-3 clinical trials of its Covid-19 intranasal vaccine candidate BBV154 as a booster dose. The company has already completed phase-2 with Covaxin and BBV154. The trials will evaluate BBV154 nasal vaccine for both the 2 dose primary schedule and booster dose schedule, Hyderabad-based vaccine maker said in a statement here. Intra nasal vaccines are easier to administer in mass immunization campaigns and help reduce / stop transmission. Bharat Biotech founder Krishnsa Ella had earlier said the nasal vaccine could be a game changer in the fight against the virus and more effective, since it is expected to generate an immune response at the site of infection (respiratory mucosa). It would also deliver benefits in terms of ease of administration and production. The company had last year entered into a licensing agreement with Washington University School of Medicine in St.Louis for the ‘ novel chimp adenovirus’ intranasal vaccine.(UNI)