Zydus Cadila’s vaccine: Zydus approval this week for kids
The drug regulators in India are planning to provide emergency approval for ZyCov-D. ZyCov-D is a new vaccine developed by the Zydus. Although ZyCov-D is for kids above 12, the regulator’s (SEC) will examine the data submitted by Zydus. 
According to an official, “The preliminary assessment test submitted by Zydus is currently in progress. It has been further sent to the (SEC) subject expert committee. The SEC will be holding a meeting in the coming week, representatives of the company will make presentations,”
If the (SEC) subject expert committee finds the phase 3 data submitted by the Zydus company satisfactory, it can authorise ZyCov-D for emergency use this week itself.
After SEC approval, the supply of the ZyCov-D can start anywhere between August and September.
If ZyCov-D gets approved, the DNA vaccine candidate, which is locally developed, will become the fifth vaccine against COVID to get EUA approval in India. Currently, three vaccines, Covishield, Sputnik V and Covaxin, are being administered by the national Covid-19 immunisation programme.
The locally developed vaccine (ZyCov-D) is a three-dose intradermal, and the vaccine is storable between the temperature of 2° to 8° Celsius, and it has shown good stability at temperatures of 25° Celsius for three months. It can be applied by using the PharmaJet needle-free system.
Zydus Cadila will initially manufacture more than one crore doses per month and later increase its production. The vaccine’s availability will add a boost to supplies. It will also offer coverage to children of 12-18 years, particularly concerns of a potential third wave as children can be vulnerable to the virus.
