The subject expert committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has reportedly recommended grant of emergency use authorisation for Zydus Cadila’s Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D.
Zydus Cadila today announced that it has received the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for ZyCoV-D the world’s first Plasmid DNA Vaccine for COVID-19.
ZyCoV-D is a three dose vaccine which will be administered first on day zero, day 28th and then on the 56th day.
With this approval, India now has its first COVID-19 vaccine for the adolescents in the 12-18 age group, besides the adult population.
ZyCoV-D is a plasmid product that involves injecting a small part of the virus’s genetic code (DNA or RNA) to stimulate immune response in the recipient.
Cadila had applied for authorisation of the vaccine on July 1, citing an efficacy rate of 66.6% in the third phase of trials, which covered more than 28,000 volunteers.
Cadila had started producing the vaccine in mid-April and is currently producing around 1 crore doses per month. It is looking to increase production to 2-3 crore doses a month, managing director Sharvil Patel had said earlier.
The vaccine’s success is vital for the country as it seeks to ramp up production and speed up the vaccination drive. According to Co-Win data, the country has administered 56.69 crore vaccine doses so far, including 12.55 crore people who have received both doses.