Zydus Cadila's ZyCov-D: All About World’s First DNA Vaccine For Covid | 10 Points

<p><strong>New Delhi:</strong> The Drug Controller General of India has granted emergency use approval for ZyCoV-D, the Covid-19 vaccine by Zydus Cadila that is the world's first DNA shot against the coronavirus.&nbsp;</p> <p>The vaccine can be given to adults and children aged 12 years and above, reports said.</p> <p>India aims to vaccinate all eligible adults by December. And the nod to ZyCoV-D comes as a boost for the vaccination programme as India plans to administer the first shot to children under 18 now.</p> <p><strong>ALSO READ | <a title="Fully Vaccinated Yet Infected With Covid? Study Says Delta Variant Responsible For Breakthrough Infections" href="https://ift.tt/2Wbw4rJ" target="">Fully Vaccinated Yet Infected With Covid? Study Says Delta Variant Responsible For Breakthrough Infections</a></strong></p> <p>In July, the makers of the vaccine had said it was effective against the new Covid variants, especially the Delta strains.&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;This is a historic milestone with ZyCoV-D, a product of Indian innovation becoming the world&rsquo;s first DNA vaccine being offered for human use and supporting the world&rsquo;s largest immunization drive,&rdquo; Pankaj R. Patel, Chairman, Cadila Healthcare Limited, said in a statement.</p> <p>The company said this is for the first time that a technologically advanced vaccine has been successfully developed on the Plasmid DNA platform for use in humans.</p> <h3><strong>10 Things To Know About ZyCoV-D &nbsp;</strong></h3> <ul> <li>While most Covid vaccines need two doses or even a single dose, ZyCoV-D will be given in three doses &mdash; first on Day Zero, second on Day 28, and the last on the 56th day.</li> <li>The company had earlier said it also has a needle-free application system, as opposed to traditional syringes.</li> <li>According to reports, ZyCoV-D uses a section of genetic material from the Covid virus &ldquo;that gives instructions as either DNA or RNA to make the specific protein that the immune system recognises&rdquo; or responds to.</li> <li>The vaccine was the first to be tested in the adolescent population of 12-18 years age group in India.</li> <li>Cadila Healthcare aims to make 100 million to 120 million doses of ZyCoV-D annually.</li> <li>ZyCoV-D has been developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology.</li> <li>After Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, it is the second home-grown shot to get emergency authorisation in India.</li> <li>ZyCoV-D is the sixth vaccine authorised for use in India.</li> <li>While filing the application for emergency use authorisation in July, the firm had said ZyCoV-D&rsquo;s &nbsp;efficacy rate was found to be 66.6% in a late-stage trial of over 28,000 volunteers across the country.</li> <li>The company also plans to seek approval for the two dose regimen of the vaccine.</li> </ul>

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