A decision on the approval of Zydus Cadila‘s Covid-19 vaccine is likely this week. “The vaccine has been tested on adults as well as children above 12, and if the governing committee is happy with the submitted data and documents, the vaccine will be approved for emergency use soon,” officials said.

One more official said that the initial assessment of the emergency use authorisation application submitted by the corporation is going on. “The SEC will be meeting in the coming week; representatives of the company will also be asked to make presentations,” an official said.

The company said its Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D confirmed 66.6 per cent efficacy against symptomatic RT-PCR positive cases in the interim analysis. The company has also proved to the DGCI that ZyCoV-D is safe for children aged 12 to 18.

The Centre on June 27 said in a statement to the Supreme Court that Zydus Cadila’s covid vaccine “will be available for 12-18 age group soon, subject to the legal permissions”. ZyCoV-D is a three-dose, intradermal vaccine which is given using the PharmaJet needle-free system. It can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius but has shown good stability at temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius for at least three months.