Marking a huge breakthrough in the Indian vaccine success story, the Drug Controller General yesterday (August 20) granted emergency approval Zycov-D, a COVID-19 vaccine developed indigenously by the home-grown Ahmedabad based Zydus Cadila group. Moreover, unlike other vaccines available across the globe, which either uses the live virus (Bharat Biotech) or viral vector (AstraZeneca/ Serum and J&J) or the messenger RNA (Pfizer and Moderna) platform, Zycov-D uses a DNA platform making it the world’s first DNA-based vaccine to be administered in humans, including children and adults 12 years and above.
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Department of Biotechnology, under the Ministry of Science and Technology in its press release, stated “The Zydus Cadila has received approval for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for ZyCoV-D today i.e 20/08/2021, the world’s first and India’s indigenously developed DNA-based vaccine for COVID-19 to be administered in humans including adults and children 12 years and above.”
After evaluation of interim Phase III clinical trial results in consultation with Subject Expert Committee, CDSCO has approved DNA COVID-19 vaccine (ZyCoV-D) of M/s Cadila Healthcare for restricted use in emergency situation in India for 12 years and above.
— CDSCO_INDIA_INFO (@CDSCO_INDIA_INF) August 20, 2021
According to reports, Zycov-D is a three-dose vaccine that will be administered first on day zero, day 28th and then the 56th day. The company stated Zycov-D as a needle-free vaccine administered using a special device, `Pharma Jet’, which ensures painless intradermal vaccine delivery.
The press release further read, “This three-dose vaccine which when injected 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. 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,”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whose leadership India has managed to develop six vaccines, took to Twitter to congratulate Zydus for its momentous achievement. He wrote, “India is fighting COVID-19 with full vigour. The approval for the world’s first DNA based ‘ZyCov-D’ vaccine of @ZydusUniverse is a testimony to the innovative zeal of India’s scientists,”
India is fighting COVID-19 with full vigour. The approval for world’s first DNA based ‘ZyCov-D’ vaccine of @ZydusUniverse is a testimony to the innovative zeal of India’s scientists. A momentous feat indeed. https://t.co/kD3t7c3Waz
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 20, 2021
While the US is reporting over 1000 deaths daily since the last few days and Israel continuing to raise concerns over the rising COVID cases, despite the majority of the populace being vaccinated, questions have been raised on the efficacy of mRNA based vaccines, in specific Pfizer.
As reported by TFI, back in March, Israel thought it had flattened the Covdi-19 curve, as more than half of the country’s 9.3 million population had received two jabs of Pfizer vaccine. However, things have quickly gone downhill ever since.
With over 70 per cent population inoculated, countries are still tagging Israel as a high-risk destination for travellers. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per day (on a rolling 7-day average), started to rise around July 16, when daily infections were just 19.29. By August 16, the average was 5,950.43 infections a day.
However, India has administered nearly 57 crore doses since January. Now India is expected to give another stroke to its mass vaccination program with the introduction of Zydus. It will also release some pressure from Covishield and Covaxin, which have formed the fulcrum of India’s vaccination program, up until now, contributing 90 per cent to the total doses.