Workshop report: Opportunities in needle-free formulation

This workshop report explores key challenges in vaccine formulation, particularly for needle-free administration routes, and considers how the Vax-Hub should address these challenges.

On 31 May 2022, the Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub (the ‘Vax-Hub) held an online sandpit workshop to discuss needle-free administration routes for vaccines, the potential benefits that these might offer, and how the Vax-Hub should prioritise formulation studies in the next phase of their research. The workshop brought together the Vax-Hub team with a range of national and international stakeholders involved in vaccine development, manufacturing, delivery, and policy.

Key points

Adopting needle-free technologies such as tablets, inhalers, and microarray patches could lead to greater-shelf life and better temperature stability vaccines that are easy to administer.
Although needle-free administration routes are promising, there remain challenges to be overcome in efficacy, regulation, cost and manufacturability.
To have the largest impact on global supply chains and vaccine availability, a primary goal for vaccine formulation should be achieving better thermostability for storage at ambient temperatures.

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