ZyCoV-D is a first of its kind DNA vaccine that produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 to elicit an immune response.(Reuters file photo. Representative image)

Zydus Cadila's 3-dose, needle-free vaccine gets emergency use approval in India

If approved, ZyCoV-D will be India’s second indigenous coronavirus vaccine after Covaxin, and the sixth vaccine to be approved in the country so far

By hindustantimes.com | Written by Ayshee Bhaduri | Edited by Poulomi Ghosh, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

PUBLISHED ON AUG 20, 2021 06:22 PM IST

Indian central drug regulator's subject expert committee (SEC) has recommended granting emergency use approval (EUA) to Zydus Cadila's three-dose Covid-19 vaccine, the ministry of science and technology said on Friday, citing sources. The expert committee has also asked the manufacturer to submit additional data for the 2-dose regimen of its vaccine.

Cadila Healthcare Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based generic drug maker, had applied for EUA of its vaccine ZyCoV-D on July 1, based on an efficacy rate of 66.6% in a late-stage trial conducted on more than 27,000 volunteers nationwide, in over 50 trial centres. This vaccine has also been tested on 1,000 children above the age of 12. The company had said earlier that the two-dose regime works as well as the three-dose regime, and has submitted relevant data on this for further scrutiny.

ZyCoV-D is a first of its kind DNA vaccine that produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 to elicit an immune response. It is an intradermal vaccine that has to be applied using a ‘needle-free injector’, which the manufacturer says will help in reducing side effects.

Also Read: Covid vaccine for children in India by September, says ICMR-NIV director

If approved, ZyCoV-D will be India’s second indigenous coronavirus vaccine after Covaxin, and the sixth vaccine to be approved in the country so far, joining the leagues of Serum Institute's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V and the US-made Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Sharvil Patel, managing director, Cadila Healthcare, said that if approved the vaccine can be used to inoculate not only adults but also adolescents between the ages of 12-18.

The SEC might also deliberate on the Russian-made single-dose vaccine, Sputnik V, called Sputnik Light, Hindustan Times had reported on August 17. To fast-track quality checks of Covid-19 vaccine batches, the Centre has approved the setting up of another lab National Institute of Animal Biotechnology in Hyderabad.

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