After Covishield and Covaxin, these Covid-19 vaccine candidates in the race

The top 3 candidates that are in line for approval in India are Sputnik V, Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D and Novavax's NVX-CoV2373

India's drug regulator DCGI approved two Covid-19 vaccines on Sunday for emergency use, the first being Covishield, developed by a partnership between the University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca, manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune, and the other, Covaxin, made by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).

After these vaccines, here are the other candidates that are likely to be approved in the coming weeks and months.

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Zydus Cadila's ZyCov-D

On Sunday, alongside the two vaccine approvals, DCGI also gave its nod for Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila's ZyCov-D to start phase-3 trials.

"The nation's first indigenously developed DNA vaccine candidate against Covid-19, ZyCoV-D, by M/s Zydus Cadila, has been approved by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), for the conduct of the Phase III clinical trials," the Department of Biotechnology said.

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The indigenously-made ZyCov-D is being developed on a DNA platform by using a non-replicating and non-integrating plasmid carrying the novel coronavirus gene which makes it very safe. The DNA platform is known to have better vaccine stability and lower cold chain requirements, which would make it easier to store and transport to remote parts of the country.

Gamaleya's Sputnik V

Sputnik V is a viral two-vector vaccine based on two human adenoviruses, a common cold virus, containing the gene that encodes the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 to stimulate an immune response.

"India will produce about 300 million doses or more of the vaccine for us next year(2021)," Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund said in December 2020.

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Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd is conducting clinical trials of the vaccine in India and will also distribute the vaccine once approved. Earlier, Sputnik V's approval in Russia was mired in controversy over lack of data for approval. It was the first Covid-19 vaccine to be registered.

Novavax's NVX-CoV2373

Novavax, a biotechnology company is developing the NVX‑CoV2373 vaccine candidate to be manufactured starting mid-2021. "NVX‑CoV2373 is a vaccine candidate engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS‑CoV‑2," the company said in a statement.

"In preclinical trials, NVX‑CoV2373 demonstrated indication of antibodies that block binding of spike protein to receptors targeted by the virus, a critical aspect for effective vaccine protection," the company said.

(With inputs from PTI)