Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Zydus plasmid DNA vaccine wins EUA in India

Known as ZyCoV-D, the ‘needle-free’ vaccine is the first such vaccine to win emergency use authorization in the world.

By Brian Buntz | August 23, 2021

ZyCov-DFor all of the varied work on COVID-19 vaccine candidates, the majority of vaccines to win emergency use authorization have fallen into a handful of categories, including mRNA, viral vector and inactivated vaccines.

Zydus Cadila (NSE: CADILAHC) is adding more diversity to the pool with its ZyCoV-D vaccine, which recently received emergency use authorization (EUA) in India. The vaccine will be available for people 12 and older.

Healthcare workers can administer the plasmid DNA vaccine with a needle-free applicator. Zydus is using the PharmaJet (Golden, Colo.) Tropis needle-free injection system for this purpose. Zydus claims that the needle-free system can reduce side effects.

Tropis

The PharmaJet Tropus needle-free delivery system.

The vaccine is also unique in that it requires three doses rather than one or two. The last two doses are administered 28 and 56 days after the first.

The need for three doses could “affect its overall penetration,” said Prashant Khadayate, pharma analyst at GlobalData.

Ahmedabad, India–based Zydus plans to seek authorization for a two-dose regimen of the vaccine.

In a Phase 3 interim analysis, the vaccine was 66.6% effective in a studying involving 28,000 volunteers. It was 100% effective against moderate to severe disease. The interim efficacy trailed that of other available COVID-19 vaccines, including Covaxin, the first indigenous vaccine to win an EUA in India.

The plasmid DNA platform has advantages in terms of manufacturability and, unlike viral vector vaccines, does not lead to vector-based immunity.

The company aims to produce between 100 and 120 million doses of the vaccine annually.


Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery
Tagged With: coronavirus, covid-19, COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine trial, COVID-19 vaccines, ZyCoV-D, Zydus Cadila
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

Korean team reports all-in-one cancer nanomedicine in pre-clinical studies
Nektar’s Phase 2b atopic dermatitis win triggers 1,746% analyst target surge, but legal tussle with ex-partner Lilly could complicate path forward
Dupixent approved to treat bullous pemphigoid
EVEREST lead investigator on why Dupixent sets a new bar for treating coexisting CRSwNP and asthma
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Views
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE