Zydus Cadila to supply 1 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D to Indian govt

Zydus Cadila on Monday said it has received an order to supply 1 crore doses of its COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D to the Indian government at Rs 265 per dose.

The needle-free applicator will be offered at Rs 93 per dose, excluding GST, the company said in a release, adding that the pricing has been decided in consultation with the Government of India.

ZyCoV-D is the world's first DNA plasmid vaccine for human use. It is developed indigenously by the company against the COVID-19 virus.

ZyCoV-D is also the first COVID-19 vaccine which is needle free and administered using 'The PharmaJet', a needle-free applicator that ensures painless intradermal vaccine delivery. It also avoids any kind of major side effects.

"We are happy to support the government's vaccination programme with ZyCoV-D. The needle-free application of the vaccination, we hope, will motivate many more to vaccinate and safeguard themselves from COVID-19, especially children and young adults in the age group of 12 to 18 years," the company's managing director Sharvil Patel said.

Being a DNA plasmid vaccine, ZyCoV-D doesn't have any problem associated with vector-based immunity. The DNA Plasmid platform allows generating new constructs quickly to deal with mutations in the virus, the company said.

The thermostability of the vaccine will help in easy transportation and storage of the vaccine without any problems of fluctuations in temperature. For longer use, 2-8 temperature degrees is sufficient, it added.

ZyCoV-D is the first vaccine cleared by India's drug regulator for inoculation of those aged 12 years and above. The three doses of ZyCoV-D are to be administered 28 days apart, with each dose comprising a shot in both arms. ZyCoV-D received emergency use authorisation from the drug regulator on August 20.

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