Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadila said on Thursday it has applied to the country's drug regulator for emergency use approval of its COVID-19 vaccine and that it plans to manufacture up to 120 million doses of the shot annually.
Coronavirus cases in India dropped from a devastating peak in April and May, however, experts have warned of a third wave and reiterated that widespread vaccination remains one of the best defences against the pandemic.
An approval for Zydus' vaccine, ZyCoV-D, would make it the fifth vaccine authorized for use in India, after Moderna, AstraZeneca and partner Serum Institute of India's Covishield, Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, and Sputnik V developed by Russia's Gamaleya Institute.
ZyCoV-D showed safety and efficacy in a late-stage trial with more than 28,000 volunteers across the country, including about 1,000 subjects in the 12-18 year age group, Zydus said.
The study was carried out "during the peak of second wave of COVID-19 (in India), reaffirming the vaccine's efficacy against the new mutant strains especially the Delta variant," Zydus said in a statement to the stock exchanges.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Vaccine Trial Patient In US Sues AstraZeneca, Claiming She Was Left "Permanently Disabled" What Is TTS, A Rare Condition Caused By AstraZeneca's Covishield Vaccine Found No Proof Of Covid Vaccine Causing Sudden Death, Says Top Medical Body Election Results 2024 LIVE: Will NDA Get An Edge In Maharashtra, Jharkhand? Maharashtra, Jharkhand Counting Soon, Key Bypoll Results In 15 States "Thousand Times Better...": Delhi Lt Governor's Surprise For AAP's Atishi Mahayuti vs Maha Vikas Aghadi, Who Will Win Last Big Battle Of 2024? Budget, Debt: Donald Trump's Treasury Chief Faces Urgent Challenges Who Is Nikita Hand? Woman Wins Sexual Assault Case Against MMA Fighter Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.