After evaluation of interim Phase III clinical trial results in consultation with Subject Expert Committee, CDSCO has approved DNA COVID-19 vaccine (ZyCoV-D) of M/s Cadila Healthcare for restricted use in an emergency situation in India for 12 years and above.
Some features of ZyCov-D are:
- No needle is used while administrating ZyCov-D vaccine, instead a spring-powered device delivers the shot as a narrow precise stream of fluid that penetrates the skin. It is also called as Pharmajet
2. ZyCoV-D is to be administered in children above 12 years of age
3. This is the fifth vaccine, after Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V, and Moderna to be approved for use in India.
4. over 28,000 volunteers, showed a primary efficacy of 66.6 % for symptomatic RT-PCR positive cases. “This has been the largest vaccine trial so far in India for COVID-19.
5. over 1000 volunteers were between 12 to 18 years old
6. Zydus has invested Rs 400-500 crore in developing the ZyCoV-D, which includes setting up manufacturing plants.
7. The vaccine will be given in a 3 dose regime each dose after 28 days of interval
8. Zydus Cadila planning to do trials on 5 yrs-plus
9. Two doses of ZyCov-D also shows a good response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus
10. ZyCov-D is the world’s first DNA vaccine against infection with SARS-CoV-2
11. Zydus Cadila has the capacity to make 10 mn doses per month from August
“Four batches of the new DNA vaccine by Zydus Cadila have been released from the laboratory for commercial use,” a senior official said, adding that the four batches would contain about 150,000 doses in total.
The three-dose, needle-free ZyCoV-D, manufactured by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, is the first Covid-19 vaccine approved for the 12 to 18 years age group in India.
Cadila healthcare share price was @ 556 today only a 4 % increase from the date of its vaccine news.
