Zydus Cadilla Seeks Nod For 'Needle-Free' ZyCoV-D: 2nd Homegrown Vaccine?

Zydus Cadila on Thursday said it has applied for emergency use authorisation (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for its needle-free Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D.

The ZyCoV-D vaccine has a three-dose regimen and it can be administered through a needle-free system.

The company said it has conducted the largest clinical trial for its Covid-19 vaccine in India so far in over 50 centres.

"The company has applied for EUA to the office of DCGI for ZyCoV-D - its Plasmid DNA vaccine against Covid-19," Zydus Cadila said in a statement.

Dr. Sharvil Patel, Managing Director, Cadila Healthcare, said the vaccine when approved will help not only adults but also adolescents in the 12 to 18 years age group.

The company said it has also evaluated a two dose regimen for ZyCoV-D vaccine using a 3 mg dose per visit and the immunogenicity results had been found to be equivalent to the current three dose regimen.

This will further help in reducing the full course duration of vaccination while maintaining the high safety profile of the vaccine in the future, the company added.

(PTI inputs)