Ground Report | New Delhi: World’s first needle-free covid vaccine; India’s drug regulator has approved Zydus Cadila’s new needle-free vaccine ZyCoV-D for emergency use. It is the first vaccine approved which will be administered to the 12-8-age. DBT reported that Zycov-D is the world’s first DNA-based anti-coronavirus vaccine. According to this, when given three doses of the vaccine, it produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which plays an important role in disease and virus protection.
The Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical major had put small-scale production of the vaccine (ZyCoV-D) at risk even as it awaits emergency use authorization (EUA) from the regulator, which arrived on Friday. The vaccine is also the country’s first approved jab for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18.
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Zydus expects to achieve production of 10 million doses by October. “Due to the second wave of Covid-19, the commissioning of the new plant was delayed by about 45 days,” Patel said, adding that the earlier estimates of 5 crore doses may not be achieved by December. “But we hope that we will be able to supply 4-5 crore doses by the end of January 2022,” he said. The new plant with a capacity to manufacture 10-12 crore doses per annum has become operational and regulatory approval is awaited.
World’s first needle-free covid vaccine
The Department of Biotechnology said on Friday that the indigenously developed anti-Covid-19 vaccine of Zydus Cadila has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India for emergency use. This vaccine can be given to people 12 years of age and older.
The Prime Minister said in a tweet, ‘India is fighting Covid-19 with full force. The approval of the world’s first DNA-based Zydus Cadila’s Zycov-D vaccine is a testament to the innovative enthusiasm of scientists in India. Earlier, five vaccines have been approved in the country. These include Serum Institute’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaccine, Russia’s Sputnik V, and America’s Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
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Out of these vaccines, Covishield, Covaccine, and Sputnik V are being used in the country. With this approval, ZyCov-D will be the sixth vaccine. Covishield, Covaccine, and Sputnik-V are being given only to people who are above 18 years of age and these vaccines are being given in two doses. In contrast, ZyCov-D can be given in three doses in the age group of 12 to 18 years.
DBT reported that Zycov-D is the world’s first DNA-based anti-coronavirus vaccine. According to this, when given three doses of the vaccine, it produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which plays an important role in disease and virus protection.
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