Zydus' Covid-19 vaccine shows 66.6% efficacy, seeks DCGI approval

Phase 3 trial for the vaccine had more than 28,000 volunteers-the largest such exercise in India, says company.

In what could be the world’s first approved deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-plasmid vaccine, Ahmedabad-based Cadila Healthcare’s three-dose vaccine ZyCoV-D is expecting a nod from India’s drug regulator. The vaccine has shown 66.6 per cent efficacy in interim analysis of Phase 3 trials, and can be stored at 25 degrees Celsius for three months.

No moderate case of Covid was observed in the vaccine arm after administration of the third dose, suggesting 100 per cent efficacy for moderate disease. No severe cases or deaths due to Covid occurred in the vaccine arm after administration of the second dose of the vaccine, the company