Positive Phase III data for Zydus plasmid COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D

Zydus Lifesciences (NSE: ZYDUSLIFE), previously called Cadila Healthcare, has announced that safety and efficacy analysis data from Phase III clinical trial of its Plasmid DNA COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D has been peer reviewed and published in prestigious journal The Lancet.

The double blind, placebo controlled, randomized Phase III clinical trial of the world’s first plasmid DNA vaccine, ZyCoV-D was one of the largest trials for a COVID-19 vaccine in India and was conducted on over 28,000 healthy adult volunteers in over 50 sites across the country. The trial was carried out during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 infection. The efficacy of the vaccine stood at 66.6% at a time when Delta Variant of the SARS COV-2 virus was the prevalent strain across India.

ZyCoV-D is a three-dose intradermal vaccine administered using a needle-free applicator. The plug-and-play technology of vaccine equips it to adapt to the rapidly mutating SARS COV-2 virus. The results of the Phase I part of the Phase I/II clinical trial have already been published in the EClinical Medicine Journal of The Lancet.