In view of the burden on healthcare and the cost involved inthe purchase of three doses, Zydus Cadila plans to apply for approval for the two-dose regimen of its already approved three-dose COVID-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D.

The trials for the two-dose regimen are currently being done. Each dose of the current three-dose regimen has 2mg of the vaccine, which makes it a total of 6 mg. The company is now assessing a 2-dose regime with 3mg in every dose. The vaccine has been developed on the Plasmid DNA platform.

According to the company, the vaccine produces the spike protein of the coronavirus and evokes an immune response which is mediated by the cellular and humoral arm of the immune system. Zydus Cadila aims to manufacture 10-12 crore doses of the vaccine annually. It can be stored at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius. The vaccine is also effective against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.

This needle-free vaccine is administered intradermally. Sources stated that the vaccine will likely be available by early next month. In a recent interview, Dr Sharvil Patel, Managing Director of Zydus Group, said that the vaccine supply will start from October onwards. Patel also stated that the company expects to scale up 1 crore doses per month from October and will supply 4-5 crore doses per month till January 2022.

Source: ET Healthworld