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Cadila Healthcare (Zydus Cadila) which 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, said it is planning to launch the vaccine in September.

"We are making all efforts to roll it out as quickly as possible," said Sharvil Patel, Managing Director - Zydus Cadila, speaking to the media.

On pricing - Sharvil Patel, Managing Director of Zydus Cadila said the company was working with the regulatory authorities and expected clarity emerging on pricing in next one-two weeks.

"Pricing will depend on technology, delivery and volumes, and also we have a benchmark pricing," Patel said.

Patel said the company is targeting to supply four crore doses of ZyCoV-D by the end of December, and possibly five crore by the end of January. Zydus has capacity to manufacture 10-12 crore doses of ZyCoV-D annually.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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Zydus Cadila to launch ZyCoV-D in September, clarity on pricing in 1-2 weeks

Patel said the company is targeting to supply 4 crore doses of ZyCoV-D by end of December, and possibly 5 crore by end of January. Zydus has capacity to manufacture 10-12 crore doses of ZyCoV-D annually.

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