Zydus Cadila's Vaccine for Children Above 12 Gets Green Signal

Pharmaceutical giant Zydus Cadila's vaccine ZyCoV-D has been given approval for emergency use in India. People of 12 years and above will be inoculated with the jab.

Informing about this, the Department of Biotechnology said Zydus Cadila has been given approval for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for ZyCoV-D on August 20, 2021. It is the world's first and India's indigenously developed DNA-based vaccine for COVID-19 to be administered in humans including children and adults 12 years and above, the department of biotechnology (DBT) said.

There are now six approved vaccines in India. Among them, AstraZeneca Plc and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd are already in use in the government's vaccination drive across the nation. Russia's Sputnik V has been given in small numbers, while Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc are in the stage of negotiations for legal indemnity.

Here are some of the key points about ZyCoV-D:

1. ZyCoV-D is a three-dose vaccine. After being injected, it results in the production of the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

2. According to Zydus Cadila, its vaccine works against newer virus strains, including the highly infectious Delta variant.

3. ZyCoV-D will be administered in three phases. First on day zero, then on the 28th day and finally on the 56th day.

4. It brings out an immune response, which plays an important role in keeping the body safe from the disease as well as viral clearance.

5. Zydus Cadila said the vaccine is delivered via a "painless" intradermal applicator. It also said that it is planning to seek approval for a two-dose regimen of the vaccine.

6. The vaccine has been developed in collaboration with the department under Mission COVID Suraksha.

7. The vaccine has been supported under the Covid-19 Research Consortia through National Biopharma Mission for preclinical studies.

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