Zydus has started dosing participants in the Phase I/II clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, ZyCoV-D, following the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approval earlier this month.

In preclinical studies, the vaccine candidate was able to induce a ‘strong immune response’ in different animal species, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The antibodies generated were observed to neutralise the wild type virus when tested in virus neutralisation assay. This is said to indicate the protective potential of the product.

In repeat dose toxicology studies, no safety concerns were reported for the vaccine candidate administrated via intramuscular and intradermal routes.

According to the company, up to three times the intended human dose was observed to be safe, well tolerated and immunogenic in rabbits.

The adaptive, dose escalation, multi-centric Phase I/II trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of ZyCoV-D in more than 1,000 volunteers. It will be performed at several sites across the country.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Zydus Cadila chairman Pankaj Patel said: “We acknowledge the support of National Biopharma Mission, BIRAC, Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India and regulatory agencies ICMR and DCGI in the development of ZyCoV-D vaccine candidate.

“We look forward to the adaptive Phase I/II clinical studies and gathering important data on ZyCoV-D in the months ahead.”

The company has already produced clinical batches of ZyCoV-D for the human trials. Zydus developed the Covid-19 vaccine candidate at its Vaccine Technology Centre in Ahmedabad, India.

Earlier this month, Zydus received approval from the Mexican regulatory authority, COFEPRIS, to assess Desidustat as a potential Covid-19 treatment.

Zydus will conduct a multi-centre, open-label, randomised, comparator-controlled Phase IIb trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the desidustat tablet for managing the disease.

Clinical Trials Arena Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Clinical Trials Arena Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Recognised with 2025 Excellence Awards for Research and Development and Marketing , Novotech converted FDA/EMA fast track designations into faster HDV trial timelines while translating complex HBV science into sponsor ready insights. Discover how this dual strength in execution and communication is reshaping liver disease clinical development.

Discover the Impact