COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in India: State of the nation and priorities for research.

BACKGROUND: Few COVID-19 vaccines were anticipated in India in early 2021. However, little was known about COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among the public. We conducted a nationwide study to understand the public's perception about COVID-19 vaccines in December 2020. METHOD: An online survey was deployed using a multi-item validated questionnaire via social media websites and networking platforms for adults in India. We asked participants about vaccination willingness, concerns about vaccination, and their sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Nationwide, 1638 participants from 27 states/union territories took the survey where the majority of the participant were males (55%), 18-30 years old (52%), urban dwellers (69%), college-educated (81%), without a history of COVID-19 infection (92%). More than a fifth were either unaware of the vaccines (20.63%) or were not sure if they will get the vaccine (27%), and 10% refused to obtain the vaccine. Almost 70% of the population had concerns regarding the vaccines. Statistically significant differences (p<0.01) in awareness about vaccine and acceptability were observed based on age, educational qualifications, and employment status. CONCLUSION: While the majority of Indians would accept the vaccine, given the large population of India, even a small proportion of hesitant individuals would translate to millions of unvaccinated individuals. Strategic measures and policy decisions to enhance the rate of COVID-19 vaccination should be continuously planned and implemented in India.

Enhanced Permeation of an Antiemetic Drug from Buccoadhesive Tablets by Using Bile Salts as Permeation Enhancers: Formulation Characterization, In Vitro, and Ex Vivo Studies.

Buccal bioadhesive bilayer tablets of prochlorperazine maleate were designed and formulated by using buccoadhesive polymers such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, Carbopol 934P, and sodium alginate. Physicochemical characteristics like the uniformity of weight, hardness, thickness, surface pH, drug content, swelling index, microenvironment pH, in vitro drug release, and in vivo buccoadhesion time of the prepared tablets were found to be dependent on the type and composition of the buccoadhesive materials used. The effect of bile salts on the permeation was studied through porcine buccal mucosa and it was found that out of three bile salts incorporated (sodium glycholate, sodium taurocholate, and sodium deoxycholate), sodium glycholate enhanced the permeation rate of prochlorperazine maleate by an enhancement factor of 1.37.