Zydus Cadila's vaccine for kids soon to be included in India's vaccination programme, says govt

NEW DELHI: Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday said Zydus Cadila's Covid-19 vaccine will soon be introduced in the national vaccination programme. He was speaking at a briefing held by the government on actions taken, preparedness and other Covid-related updates in India.

The needle-free ZyCoV-D vaccine is manufactured by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila. The vaccine has received emergency use authorisation (EUA) to be administered to children belonging to the age group of 12 to 18.

"The Zydus Cadila vaccine will not be brought in the market in the short run, but will be part of India's Covid-19 vaccination programme," the health secretary said on Thursday.

"As far as the price of the (Zydus Cadila) vaccine at which it will be procured is concerned, we are in conversation with the makers," Bhushan said, adding: "Since this is a three-dose vaccine and involves a needle-less delivery system, it will have a different pricing system than the existing vaccines in India's Covid vaccination programme."

India is presently administering Serum Institute of India's Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, apart from Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines to its people.

The three-dose Zydus Cadila vaccine has to be administered in a gap of 28 days between each dose.

Earlier this month, NITI Aayog member (health) V K Paul had said that ZyCoV-D could be made available under national vaccination programme as early as October.