Covid In India: Covid-19 vaccines developed by Zydus Cadila for children above 12 years is likely to get emergency use nod by India's drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
Trials have been carried out on adults as well as children above 12 years and the data has been submitted to the DCGI. If the panel is satisfied with the results, a nod for emergency use will be given this week.
The regulator’s subject expert committee (SEC) will examine data submitted by Cadila. If the SEC finds the phase 3 data of the vaccine company satisfactory, the emergency use authorisation for the vaccine can be granted this week itself, The Times of India reported.
If Zydus Cadila gets emergency approval from the DCGI, the supply of the vaccine is expected to start by August-September, an official said. “The preliminary assessment of the application submitted by the company is going on and we have sent it to the SEC for further consideration. The SEC will be meeting in the coming week, representatives of the company will be also asked to make presentations,” an official said.
Earlier, Zydus Cadila's NK Arora had said that the vaccination for children above 12 yrs will begin from September. But if DCGI gives the approval, the company will begin the process in August.
ZyCoV-D is a three-dose, intradermal vaccine which is applied using the PharmaJet needle-free system. It can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius but has shown good stability at temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius for at least 3 months
According to the World Health Organization, DNA vaccination consists of stimulating the immune system in a specific way to prevent or ameliorate diseases caused by infectious agents.