India News | COVID-19 Vaccine by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Gets DCGI Nod for Human Clinical Trials

New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) After Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, another potential COVID-19 vaccine indigenously developed by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd got nod from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on Thursday for human clinical trials, government sources said.

The approval process was fast-tracked following recommendation by the subject expert committee on COVID-19, considering the emergency and unmet medical need during the pandemic.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir: CRPF Jawan Martyred, Terrorist Killed in Malbagh Encounter in Srinagar.

"DCGI Dr V G Somani has given approval for the phase I and II clinical trials (on humans) of the potential novel coronavirus vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila Healthcare Ltd on Thursday after its animal studies was found to be successful," a official source in the know of the developments told PTI.

The assent for human trials was given after the company submitted data of clinical trial on animals to the DCGI, in which the vaccine candidate was found to be successful with respect to safety and immunogenicity, sources said.

Also Read | COVID-19 Vaccine: Zydus Cadila, India's 2nd Candidate, Gets Permit For Phase 1 and 2 of Human Trials.

The company is likely to start enrolment of subjects soon.

"The phase I and II trials will take around three months to be completed," the source said.

A couple of days earlier, the country's 'first' indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indican Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology (NIV), had got the nod for human clinical trials from the DCGI.

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 6,04,641 on Thursday with a single-day increase of 19,148 cases, just five days after it crossed the five-lakh mark, while the death toll rose to 17,834 with 434 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)