‘The Lancet’ publishes phase-III data of ZyCoV-D

Zydus Lifesciences has announced that the safety and efficacy analysis data from phase-III clinical trial of its plasmid DNA COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D has been peer-reviewed and published in The Lancet.

In a statement, the company said that the double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised phase-III clinical trial of the world’s first plasmid DNA vaccine, ZyCoV-D, was one of the largest trials for a COVID-19 vaccine in India, and was conducted on more than 28,000 healthy adult volunteers in over 50 sites across the country.

The trial was carried out during the peak of the second wave of COVID-19 infection. The efficacy of the vaccine stood at 66.6 per cent at a time when Delta variant of the SARS COV-2 virus was the prevalent strain across India, added the statement.

It also said that ZyCoV-D is a three-dose intradermal vaccine administered using a needle-free applicator. The plug-and-play technology of the vaccine equips it to adapt to the rapidly mutating SARS COV-2 virus. The results of the phase-I part of the phase-I/II clinical trial have already been published in the e-Clinical Medicine Journal of The Lancet.