Ahmedabad-based pharma company Zydus Cadila has started the supply of the world’s first Plasmid DNA based and needle-free COVID vaccine named ZyCoV-D. The highlight of this vaccine is that this vaccine is needle-free, which means one doesn’t need to bear the pain of needle prick during vaccination. However, unlike other corona vaccines, this is a three-dose vaccine.
From Wednesday, the company started its supply to the central government. At present, the central government has ordered 1 crore doses of it. This vaccine will be administered to those people who have not received a single dose of any vaccine so far.
Apart from the union government, the company has started supplying ZyCOV-D vaccine to seven states. These states include Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Punjab and Jharkhand.
Price:
The company will soon launch it for sale at medical stores in the open market as well. Its price has been kept at Rs 265, while the applicator will have to be purchased separately for Rs 93. So, its effective price for the first dose will be Rs 358.
Will be applied to people above 12:
This is the first such vaccine, which has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India for the age group above 12. So far, only COVAXIN has been administered to people under 18. DCGI approved ZyCOV-D’s emergency use in August 2021 as the first anti-coronavirus vaccine for children aged 12 to 18 years in the country.
Efficacy:
Zydus had tested this vaccine on 28 thousand volunteers. Based on the results of this test, the company claims that the effect of this vaccine against coronavirus has been 66.60%.
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The gap between the doses:
ZyCoV-D is a three-dose vaccine. These three doses will be administered at an interval of 28 days each. So, there will be a gap of 56 days between the first dose and the third dose.
Production and logistics:
The company says that this vaccine can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius temperature. If we talk about manufacturing capacity, the company plans to produce 10 to 12 crore doses annually. Zydus has a contract with Shilpa Medicare to produce ZyCoV-D.
How does this needle-free vaccine work?
The dose of ZyCoV-D will be applied using a disposable jet applicator or pharma jet injector system called Tropis instead of the usual vaccine syringe. However, this is not a novel technique and many developed countries have been using this method for years.
A jet injector allows the vaccine to be injected intra-dermally or in people’s skin under high pressure. In a conventional needle injection fluid or medicine goes into the muscles. Whereas, in this compressed gas or spring is used for pressure in jet injectors.
Why is it better?
The biggest advantage of using this vaccine is, it reduces the pain that people feel in a needle-based injection. Besides, it minimises the risk of spreading the infection that often takes place due to the usage of the same syringe.
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