Zydus Lifesciences, on Tuesday, informed that the company’s plasmid DNA Covid vaccine, ZyCoV-D, has received Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) as a two-dose vaccine.

With this approval, the vaccine will now be administered on day 0 and day 28.

Earlier, the vaccine was approved in a three-dose regimen to be administered on day 0, day 28 and day 56.

Commenting on the development, Sharvil Patel, Managing Director, Zydus Lifesciences, said: “This will increase the compliance for the vaccine and reduce the overall time required for vaccination to improve immunity against the virus. It will also help in administering the vaccine in a larger population in a shorter time which is always desirable in the midst of a pandemic.”

The two-dose regimen for ZyCoV-D was tested on 3,100 healthy volunteers aged above more than 12.

Earlier, the safety and efficacy analysis data from Phase III clinical trial of its Plasmid DNA Covid vaccine, ZyCoV-D (three-dose regimen), was peer reviewed and published in The Lancet. The published data showed that the vaccine has efficacy of 66.6 per cent against Covid, and is found to be "efficacious, safe and immunogenic".