India is about to launch the world’s first-ever DNA-based vaccine for Covid-19, named ZyCoV-D. It is a vaccine manufactured by the Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical firm Zydus Cadila.
ZyCoV-D received approval for Emergency Use Authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on Friday, August 20. ZyCoV-D is a three-dose vaccine that can be taken by every individual of 12 or more age.
Zydus developed the Covid-19 vaccine, ZyCov-D, with the support of the central government’s Department of Biotechnology and the Indian Council of Medical Research.
ZyCoV-D will have three doses with a time interval of 28 days between each shot. Every other vaccine approved by India, such as Covaxin, Covishield, Sputnik V, Pfizer, is a double-dosed vaccine.
It can be stored at 25 degrees Celcius for three months, and the price for the same has not been finalized yet. It is expected to be known by next week.
The vaccine is said to be 66% effective against the delta variant. “Post the emergency use authorization, we will now work closely with the regulatory authorities to work on the pricing and modality of delivery of the doses of our vaccine. In the next one or two weeks, we will have better clarity on the pricing,” Zydus Group Managing Director Sharvil Patel said in a virtual press conference.
It is a piece of good news for people having Trypanophobia (fear of needles) that this three-dose vaccine will be given using a needle-free applicator as opposed to a syringe. It is said that this helps reduce the side effects.
The company is set to supply around five crore doses by December 2021. With the help of a new product plan, they are expecting to increase the production of the vaccine by one crore doses per month starting this October.
