Is the ZyCov-D vaccine India’s new hope? With the worsening situation pertaining to COVID 19, India continues its fight against the pandemic, there is some news to cheer. India is close to approving its fourth vaccine, ’ZyCov-D’. Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical company, Zydus Cadila, claims that this vaccine will be approved by the Government by the month of May, with plans to produce one crore doses of its ‘painless’ Covid-19 vaccine per month and is currently undergoing its third stage trial.
“We have almost completed all our recruitment for the clinical trials. We have, by far, recruited the largest number of patients for a Covid vaccine trial in India. The number of volunteers who have been vaccinated as a part of the trial is 28,000,” says Dr. Sharvil Patel, the Managing Director at Zydus Group.
How is ZyCov-D different from the other vaccinations in India?
Dr. Patel talks about how all resources used by Cadila were being sourced domestically, unlike the other drugmakers. The DNA plasmid product (virus’ genetic code) is currently meant to be given in three doses but trials for a two dose regimen have begun. Furthermore, research also states that despite a vaccine ideally being stored between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, ZyCov-D remains stable even at room temperature conditions at 25 degrees celsius.
A new beacon of hope for India, the vaccination is the new topic of medical discussion and if approved, production for the same will begin in July. The company has already started speaking with manufacturers.
