Government lab releases first batch of Zydus Cadila's covid vaccine ZyCoV-D

The Central Drug Laboratory in Kasauli on Friday released the first few batches of Zydus Cadila's Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D, which are likely to be introduced in the government's vaccination drive this month.

"Four batches of the new DNA vaccine by Zydus Cadila have been released from the laboratory for commercial use," a senior official said, adding that the four batches would contain about 150,000 doses in total.

The three-dose, needle-free ZyCoV-D, manufactured by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, is the first Covid-19 vaccine approved for the 12 to 18 years age group in India.


The Centre is currently working with Zydus Cadila to decide on the price of the vaccine. Experts are looking at a price range of ₹250-300, people in the know told ET. The government has been buying AstraZeneca's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin at ₹157.50 and ₹225.75 per dose, respectively.

"We are in conversation with the manufacturer for its rollout. Since it is a three-dose vaccine and needs a needle-free injecting system, it will have a differential pricing in comparison to other available vaccines," said health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.