ZyCov-D: First DNA Covid-19 vaccine approved in India

On 20 August 2021, India's drug regulator has approved the world's first DNA vaccine against Covid-19 for emergency use. It works with plasmids, which are circular DNA molecules that self-replicate. The vaccine is administered in three doses, with 28 days between each dose.

ZyCov-D has been tested in 28 000 volunteers, 1 000 of whom are between the ages of 12 and 18. According to one study, the vaccine is 66% effective in the case of symptomatic disease.

Zydus Cadila, the company that developed this third-generation vaccine, expects to produce 120 million doses per year.