Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D vaccine, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced on August 20.
ZyCoV-D will be administered to children above 12 years and adults. The vaccine was developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India under the ‘Mission COVID Suraksha’.
The new vaccine is a one-of-a-kind DNA vaccine which when injected produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and elicits an immune response, which plays a vital role in protection from disease as well as viral clearance.
According to the manufacturer, the phase 3 trials of the vaccine showed an efficacy rate of 66.6 per cent for symptomatic RT-PCR positive cases.
Speaking on the development, Chairman of the Zydus Group, Mr Pankaj R. Patel said, “We are extremely happy that our efforts to put out a safe, well-tolerated, and efficacious vaccine to fight COVID-19 has become a reality with ZyCoV-D. To create the world’s first DNA vaccine at such a crucial juncture and despite all the challenges, is a tribute to the Indian research scientists and their spirit of innovation.”
According to Hindustan Times, 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.
