India's Zydus Cadila seeks for emergency use nod for Covid-19 vaccine

Bengaluru - ZyCoV-D showed safety and efficacy in trial with more than 28,000 volunteers, including about 1,000 subjects in the 12-18 year age group.

Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadila said on Thursday it has applied to the country’s drug regulator for emergency use approval of its Covid-19 vaccine and that it plans to manufacture up to 120 million doses of the shot annually.

Coronavirus cases in India dropped from a devastating peak in April and May, however, experts have warned of a third wave and reiterated that widespread vaccination remains one of the best defences against the pandemic.

An approval for Zydus’ vaccine, ZyCoV-D, would make it the fifth vaccine authorized for use in India, after Moderna, AstraZeneca and partner Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, and Sputnik V developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Institute.