Covid Vaccine For Kids | DCGI Gives Nod To Corbevax, ZyCoV-D And Covaxin For Different Children Age Groups

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday granted EUA to Covid-19 vaccines Corbevax, ZycovD and Covaxin for inoculation in children belonging to different age groups.

New Delhi: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Tuesday granted emergency use authorisation (EUA) to Covid-19 vaccines Corbevax, ZyCoV-D and Covaxin for inoculation in children belonging to different age groups.

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said on Twitter that India's fight with COVID is now stronger. 

Hyderabad based-pharmaceutical firm Biological E’s Corbevax has been given EUA for inoculation in children aged between five to 12 years.

Ahmedabad based-pharmaceutical company Cadila Healthcare’s Zydus Cadila vaccine (ZyCoV-D) has been granted EUA for inoculation in children above 12 years of age.

Hyderabad based-pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has been granted restricted EUA for inoculation in children aged between six to 12 years, ABP News reported.

Earlier this month, the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the DCGI had asked Bharat Biotech to provide additional data on Covaxin, for inoculation in children aged between two to 12 years. 

In February 2022, the DCGI granted emergency use approval to Corbevax for inoculating adolescents aged 12-18 years. Biological E said in a statement that Corbevax has received emergency EUA from the DCGI for the 12-to-18 age group, under certain conditions.

Last year, on December 28, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had approved Corbevax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults.

Corbevax is India’s first indigenously developed receptor-binding domain (RBD) protein sub-unit vaccine against Covid-19. The RBD is a part of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. The virus uses the spike protein to attach itself to host cells. An RBD protein sub-unit vaccine, like Corbebax, helps the immune system recognise the S proteins and create antibodies. 

It is India's third indigenous Covid-19 vaccine after Covaxin and ZyCoV-D. 

ZyCoV-D is the world's first DNA-based Covid-19 vaccine. The DCGI granted EUA to ZyCoV-D for use in adults, and children above 12 years of age, in August 2021.

Covaxin, or BBV152, is India's first indigenous, whole-virion, inactivated vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV) for the treatment of Covid-19. Last year, BBV152, the research name for Covaxin, received emergency use approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) for people aged 18 and older.

It is Vero cell derived, which means it is obtained from vero cells from the kidney of an African green monkey. The fact that it is an inactivated whole virion vaccine means that it contains viruses whose genetic material has been destroyed by heat, chemicals or radiation, so that they cause no disease, but provide a good immune response.