Zydus Cadila’s two-dose Covid vaccine approved for phase 3 trials by Indian drug regulator

Pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India for the phase three trials of its two-dose Covid-19 vaccine, the firm said on Tuesday.

“…we hereby confirm that we have got the permission for conduct of phase III trials for two-dose Covid vaccine,” the company said in a regulatory filing.

India’s drug regulator had granted emergency use authorisation to ZyCov-D on August 20. This is India’s first vaccine for children aged above 12.

The ZyCov-D is the world’s first DNA vaccine against the coronavirus disease and is given in three doses. It makes use of a portion of the genetic code – deoxyribonucleic acid or ribonucleic acid – in the SARS-CoV-2 virus to stimulate an immune response against its spike protein, according to the Ahmedabad-headquartered company.

In recent weeks, discussions have been underway between the Centre and Zydus Cadila about the price of the company’s three-dose Covid-19 vaccine. The company has proposed a price of Rs 1,900 with taxes for its three-dose vaccine, reported PTI.

On September 30, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said that Zydus Cadila’s Covid-19 vaccine would be made a part of the countrywide immunisation programme soon.

Bhushan had then said that the vaccine would be priced differently than the ones being used currently. He added…

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