Zydus Cadila jab approved for 12 and above: Efficacy, dosage and pricing

New Delhi, Aug 21: Zydus Cadila, India's indigenously developed DNA based vaccine for COVID-19 was granted the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) by the drug regulator on Friday, making it the first vaccine to be administered for 12 years and above.

Developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India under the 'Mission COVID Suraksha' and implemented by BIRAC, ZyCoV-D has been supported under COVID-19 Research Consortia through National Biopharma Mission for Preclinical studies, Phase I and Phase II Clinical Trials and under the Mission COVID Suraksha for Phase III Clinical Trial.

Who is eligible to take Zydus vaccine?

Zydus Cadila is approved for adults and adolescents above the age of 12. When injected, the vaccine produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and elicits an immune response, which plays a vital role in protection from disease as well as viral clearance.

How many doses?

Zydus Cadila is a 3-dose vaccine. After the first dose, you can have a second dosein 28 days and then on the 56th day. The dose gap depends on the availability of the vaccine and the patient's health.

Is Zydus Cadila vaccine effective against delta variant of covid?

Zydus Cadila has claimed that it's vaccine works against newer virus strains, including the highly infectious Delta variant. The plug-and-play technology on which the plasmid DNA platform is based can be easily adapted to deal with mutations in the virus, such as those already occurring.

Vaccine efficacy

Zydus Cadila has completed Phase I and Phase II Clinical Trials and under the Mission COVID Suraksha for Phase III Clinical Trial.

Interim results from Phase-III Clinical Trials, in over 28,000 volunteers, showed primary efficacy of 66.6 per cent for symptomatic RT-PCR positive cases. This has been the largest vaccine trial so far in India for COVID-19. This vaccine had already exhibited robust immunogenicity and tolerability and safety profile in the adaptive Phase I/II clinical trials carried out earlier. Both the Phase I/II and Phase III clinical trials have been monitored by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB).

How to store vaccine?

The vaccine should be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius and has shown good stability at temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius for at least three months.

What is the orice of Zydus Cadila vaccine?

Zydus Group is in talks with the government over the pricing of the vaccine. Next week, we will get clarity on the price of the ZyCOV-D vaccine.

When will Zydus Cadila vaccine be available in market?

Zydus Cadila vaccine will be in market by 15 September. 1 crore doses expected by October. Production will be ramped up at 3-4 crore doses by December.