On Friday, the Indian government authorized a needle-free Covid-19 vaccine developed by an indigenous pharmaceutical company. The regulatory thumbs up could help boost the country’s immunization rates at a time when India is expecting a third wave of Covid-19.
The vaccine was developed by Zydus Cadila, a nearly seven-decade old pharmaceutical company. Unlike Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which are based on using mRNA to train the immune system to combat the coronavirus, The Zydus vaccine, called ZyCoV-D, uses a DNA-based technology that uses the genetic code of certain viral proteins to similarly train the immune system. It is the first Covid vaccine of its kind to get authorization from a government health agency.
ZyCoV-D’s doses are made up of a ‘plasmid DNA’, small piece of circular DNA that is naturally found in bacteria. It has the SARS-COV-2’s genetic material, responsible for producing its spike protein, integrated into it. When injected, it elicits an immune response.
It is also the first vaccine to receive authorization in India for adolescents in the age group 12-18 age group. “We are particularly happy that our vaccine will contribute to this fight against Covid-19 and enable the country to vaccinate a larger population especially in the age group of 12-18 years,” Pankaj Patel, chairman of Cadila Healthcare Ltd. said in a press release.
This is the seventh vaccine authorized in India, according to Covid-19 vaccine tracker. The company had applied for authorization back on the first July, based on its data which showed 66.6% efficacy for symptomatic Covid cases. It also said that the vaccines worked against the delta variant, though it’s yet to release its full phase 3 clinical trial data.
Another interesting aspect of Zydus’ vaccine is that it doesn’t require a needle. Instead, the vaccine is delivered intradermally over a period of 56 days. It uses a needle free system called Tropis, which was developed by a Colorado-based company called Pharma Jet. Its technology uses a high velocity fluid jet that penetrates the skin to deliver the vaccine.
Zydus Cadila announced that it would start manufacturing 10 million doses by October, which is not a moment too soon. India had experienced a disastrous second wave of Covid-19 in April and May, which had led to acute shortage of medical oxygen supply leading to a surge in deaths. The country’s public health agency expects a third wave of Covid infections to start as soon as next month, and is already making preparations. Fewer than 10% of Indians are currently vaccinated, however the government is trying to ramp up the vaccination rates by five times. If the vaccination rates don’t improve, it could lead to nearly 0.6 million cases a day in the third wave, according to a report by the government’s National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).
Zydus also announced that it will soon start clinical trials for children in the the age group of three and 12 years.The NIDM report has highlighted the concern of children getting infected in the imminent third wave. “This is a cause of worry, if not panic according to health experts, since children below 18 years continue to be unvaccinated in India,” the report said. Being able to vaccinate in that age group would help alleviate the third wave’s worst effects.
“We are particularly happy that our vaccine will contribute to this fight against Covid-19,” Patel said in a statement. “And enable the country to vaccinate a larger population.”
Indian Government Authorizes Needle-Free Covid Vaccine - Forbes
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