Zydus Cadila's needle-free Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D gets approval in India

India tonight got the world's first DNA-based Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by indigenous pharma company Zydus Cadila as the needle-free jab received emergency use authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

The vaccine called ZyCoV-D will be administered to people 12 years and above and is the first Covid-19 vaccine to be given to children, India's Ministry of Science and Technology said, according to our New Delhi correspondent.

The Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on Covid-19 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) deliberated on the application given by Zydus Cadila on Thursday and recommended granting emergency use authorisation to its needle-free three-dose coronavirus vaccine ZyCoV-D.

ZyCoV-D became the sixth vaccine to be approved for use in India after Serum Institute's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Russia's Sputnik V and the US-based Moderna and Johnson and Johnson.

In a statement, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced that the "world's first and India's indigenously developed DNA-based vaccine for Covid-19" will be administered not only in adults but also in children between 12 and 17 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the approval of the ZyCoV-D vaccine as a "momentous feat" and said "India is fighting Covid-19 with full vigour. "

Taking to his official Twitter handle, he said the approval for the world's first DNA based 'ZyCoV-D' vaccine "is a testimony to the innovative zeal of India's scientists."