Zydus Cadila to produce 1 crore doses of COVID vaccine by October

Zydus Cadila, whose Covid vaccine ZyCoV-D for adults and children aged 12 and up was approved yesterday, announced on Saturday that it intends to produce one million doses per month by October. The company stated that it would manufacture 3-5 crore pills by December-January, but it will not achieve the government's August pledge of 5 crore doses. It is in discussions with certain third-party firms about forming a production partnership and transferring technologies.

According to the firm, the vaccination pricing will take into account new technologies and delivery mechanisms. Dr Sharvil Patel, Managing Director of Zydus Cadila, stated that the firm would clarify the pricing of the ZyCOV-D vaccine by mid-September and that vaccine supply would begin.
He stated that the COVID vaccine's effectiveness is greater than 66 per cent, with a similar efficacy against the Delta version. Patel said that ZYCOV-D is a three-dose vaccination administered on day zero, day 28th, and day 56th.

Also Read | India gets needle-free Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D, first of its kind for kids above 12 years

The three-dose vaccination, produced in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology, is India's second home-grown shot at receiving emergency approval, following Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. Overall, it is the country's sixth vaccination that has been approved for use. 

In July, the pharmaceutical announced that their vaccine is effective against the new coronavirus mutations, particularly the highly transmissible Delta form. According to the company, the injection is given with a needle-free applicator rather than standard syringes.
The Indian government has approved five vaccinations for Covid-19: Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V, Moderna's vaccine, and J&J's single-dose vaccine.

• Zydus Cadila
• COVID
• Coronavirus