Ahmedabad: Today, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has permitted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for the Zydus Cadila vaccine for Covid-19 as a double-dose vaccine for children above 12 years ago. As it received this approval, the vaccine will now be administered from day 0 to day 28.
Prior to this, the vaccine was approved in a three-dose format to be administered on day 0, day 28, and day 56. The Managing director of Zydus Lifesciences, Dr. Sharvil Patel said, “The approval of a two-dose regimen for ZycovD is a welcome department. This will elevate the compliance with the vaccine and reduce the whole time needed for vaccination to improve immunity against the virus. It will also aid in administering the vaccine to a larger population in a shorter time which is always desirable amid pandemic.”
Trials were already performed with two doses on more than 12 years aged 3,100 volunteers. As per a renowned medical journal, the safety and efficacy analysis data from the phase III clinical trial of its Plasmid DNA Covid-19 vaccine ZycovD has been reassessed. On the work front, the Corbevax is being administered to children in the 12-14 age groups. At present, India is administering two Covid vaccines for children above 12 years of age.