India Approves World’s First DNA Covid Vaccine

We are continually exposed to a wide range of viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms from birth. The immune system of the body works to protect us from illnesses.

When we are infected, our immune system initiates a series of reactions in order to neutralize the germs and minimize their detrimental consequences. 

When the bulk of the population has been immunized against a disease, there will be few people remaining to infect. This safeguards the few who have not been immunized.

Some illnesses can be completely eradicated across the world with the aid of vaccination.

The World’s First DNA Vaccination for Covid-19 has been Developed

According to preliminary studies provided by vaccine manufacturer Cadila Healthcare, the three-dose ZyCoV-D vaccine prevented clinical disease in 66 percent of those immunized.

The business plans to generate up to 120 million doses of India’s second home-grown vaccine per year. DNA vaccinations, according to scientists, are very inexpensive, safe, and stable.

India has provided for about 570 million doses of the three previously approved vaccines which are Covishield, Covaxin, and Sputnik V.

Since the start of the campaign in January, around 13% of individuals have been totally vaccinated, and 47% have gotten at least one injection.

They can also be kept at higher temperatures ranging from 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.

Cadila Healthcare says that its vaccination has proven “excellent stability” at 25 degrees Celsius for at least three months, making it easier to carry and store.

This is also the first time, according to the company, that a Covid-19 vaccination has been tested in young individuals in India – 1,000 youngsters aged 12 to 18. In this age range, the jab was determined to be “safe and well-tolerated.”

The crucial third round of clinical testing took place amid the height of the virus’s lethal second wave.

The vaccine manufacturer says this reaffirms the vaccination’s “efficacy against mutant strains,” particularly the highly contagious Delta form.

What is the mechanism?

DNA and RNA are life’s building blocks because they contain genetic information that is handed down from parents to offspring.

A DNA vaccine, like other vaccinations, educates the body’s immune system to fight the genuine virus when it is delivered.

ZyCoV-D delivers the jab between two layers of skin using plasmids, which are tiny rings of DNA that store genetic information.

Most Covid-19 vaccines operate by instructing the body to create a fragment of the spike protein, which causes the immune system to develop antibodies and educate itself to fight the virus.

Is this Vaccination Safe and Effective?

ZyCov-D has been evaluated in phases 1, 2, and 3 clinical studies, with over 28,000 people taking part in all.

A thousand of these individuals ranged in age from 12 to 18 years.

According to study results thus far, the vaccination was able to reduce symptomatic Covid-19 instances in individuals who got doses by almost 67% compared to those who did not get a vaccine.

This is based on 79 to 90 RT-PCR verified Covid-19 cases among individuals immunized in phase 3 trials. 

How Effective is this Vaccination Against the Delta variant?

The large-scale phase 3 study of ZyCov-D was performed across the country at 50 clinical trial sites “during the height of the second wave of Covid-19,”.

If necessary, the business can “update” ZyCov-D to target new variations of concern and variants of interest that become more infectious or aggressive in nature.

The business is now “making the constructs” to investigate the vaccine’s existing efficacy in neutralizing these variations.

When will this Vaccine be Accessible, and How Much will it Cost?

Zydus Cadila is constructing a new plant that will produce up to 120 million doses per year.

This means that up to 40 million individuals may be immunized with three ZyCov-D injections each year.

The new facility is anticipated to be completed by the end of this month, with production beginning in mid-August.

Is there Anything Wrong with the Vaccine?

The firm submitted data from the ZyCov-D phase 1 clinical trial, which are “nearly” ready to be published on a preprint server for peer review.

It is also preparing phase 2 data for publication, while data from the ongoing phase 3 study will take another four to six months.

Some safety concerns have been raised concerning DNA vaccinations in the past, including their theoretical ability to integrate into cellular DNA or induce auto-immune disorders.

By definition, DNA vaccines are “non-infectious.”

They do not include the use of potentially hazardous particles such as viral vectors.

What Happens Next?

Zydus Cadila’s application for restricted emergency usage approval will be reviewed by the regulator to look for any missing information. Following that, a meeting of the CDSCO’s Subject Expert Committee (SEC) will be held.

It will also look at whether there is enough data to support the use of this vaccine in teenagers aged 12 to 18, as well as if the company’s conclusions that two doses of the vaccine induce an immune response “equal” to a three-dose regimen are valid.

Bottom Line

Vaccines provide weak or inactive components of a certain organism (antigen), which induces an immune response in the body. 

Whether the vaccine is made up of the antigen itself or the blueprint for the body to produce the antigen, this weakened version will not cause the disease in the person receiving the vaccine, but it will prompt their immune system to respond in the same way that it would in its initial reaction to the actual pathogen.