Zydus Cadila’s 3-dose Covid Vaccine ZyCoV-D will be the world’s first DNA vaccine against COVID-19
Bangalore:
India’s drug regulator today approved Zydus Cadila’s three-dose COVID-19 DNA vaccine for emergency use in adults and children aged 12 years and above, making it the sixth vaccine authorized for use in the country.
The company said it plans to make 100 million to 120 million doses of ZyCoV-D annually and has started stocking the vaccine.
The generic drugmaker listed as Cadila Healthcare Ltd applied for authorization of ZyCoV-D on July 1, based on an efficacy rate of 66.6 per cent in a late trial of over 28,000 volunteers across the country.
ZyCoV-D is the world’s first plasmid DNA vaccine against coronavirus. It uses a portion of the genetic material from the virus to give instructions in the form of DNA or RNA to make specific proteins that the immune system recognizes and responds to.
The Zydus Cadila vaccine, developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, is the second home shot to receive emergency authorization in India after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
The drugmaker said in July that its COVID-19 vaccine was effective against new coronavirus mutants, particularly the delta variant, and that the shot is administered using a needle-free applicator, unlike conventional syringes.
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