In news:The Drug Controller General has granted emergency approval to the Zycov-D, a COVID-19 vaccine.
This is the fifth vaccine, after Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V and Moderna to be approved for use in India.
About Zycov-D
Zycov-D is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Ahmedabad based Zydus Cadilla group and is the first vaccine in India that can be administered to adults as well as those 12 and above.
It’s also the only DNA-based vaccine in the world and can be administered without a needle, purportedly minimizing chances of reactions.
The vaccine has been developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology under the ‘Mission COVID Suraksha’.
The three-dose vaccine once administered produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and elicits an immune response.
The plug-and-play technology on which the plasmid DNA platform is based can be easily adapted to deal with mutations in the virus, such as those already occurring.
