A big update for ZyCoV-D got clearance from the Indian regulators last month. ZyCoV-D is the world's first DNA based Coronavirus vaccine.
All children in India aged 12 or above will be eligible for the Covid vaccine shots from October, after the drugmaker Cadila Healthcare introduces its ZyCoV-D product.
Zydus Cadila from next month will manufacture around 10 million doses of Coronavirus vaccines each month.
The Zydus vaccine is the only vaccine approved for adolescents in India. The firm has already provided nearly 825.9 million shots to adults among its population of nearly 1.4 billion.
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Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D is a 'plasmid DNA' vaccine that uses a non-replicating version of a DNA molecule named a plasmid. This process helps to prepare a harmless version variant of the spike protein which is present on the SARS-COV-2 membrane. The procedure is also known as the third generation vaccine, a DNA based vaccine that uses engineered DNA to produce an immune response against the virus after it is administered to the body.
The World Health Organisation had called Zydus’s vaccine a "radical new approach" which offers several benefits over the traditional vaccines using syringes including "improved vaccine stability, the absence of any infectious agent and the relative ease of large-scale manufacture."
Zydus Cadila had received approval for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) on 20 August, which is in the third phase of the trial.
The ZyCoV-D is a needle-free vaccine that is given using a needle-free applicator, to make sure the recipient suffers less pain.
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Zydus has developed the vaccine in India by partnering with the Department of Biotechnology, making it the second homegrown shot after Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
The drugmaker in July stated that its vaccine is safe and effective against the new coronavirus mutants, especially the Delta variant that is said to be more dangerous than the original version of the virus.