Second Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Approved For Human Trials

A COVID-19 vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila Healthcare from Ahmedabad has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India to conduct human trials.

With this approval, Zydus will carry out Phase I and II of human clinical trials for “ZyCoV-D,” its COVID-19 vaccine.

In its animal studies, the potential vaccine showed to have a “strong immune response.” The produced antibodies could completely neutralize the virus, according to Zydus in a statement.

Zydus got its approval days after Bharat Biotech got a green light to put its vaccine called Covaxin through human trials.

Zydus’ human trials will begin this month with more than 1,000 participants in different locations in India. The company also has plans to boost its production capacity for the COVID-19 vaccine to serve not only Indian but also global demand.

The data from the vaccine’s animal trial has been submitted to DCGI. Mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs were used for the studies. After being injected with the vaccine, these animals developed antibodies that can tackle the virus.

A senior government official said that the DCGI had inspected Zydus’ animal trial data thoroughly and had been satisfied with it before granting the company permission to carry out the Phase I and II clinical trials.

Although there are more than 100 COVID-19 vaccines being tested in humans, none has received permission for commercial use yet.

>>> COVAXIN, Indian COVID-19 Vaccine To Start Human Trials In July