Covid: hopes for Oxford nasal vaccine dealt blow after poor trial results

Researchers have been keen to develop nasal spray Covid vaccines since the earliest days of the pandemic. Photograph: Alamy

Hopes of distributing the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine as a nasal spray have been dealt a blow after researchers said it performed poorly in its first clinical trial.

The underwhelming results have led scientists to abandon plans to develop the spray in its current form, with hopes now resting on different formulations of the vaccine and more complex delivery devices, such as nebulisers that can deliver medicines deep into the lungs.