Cadila Healthcare has said it has received permission from the Indian drug regulator for conducting Phase III trials for its two-dose Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D.

The company has already received the emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for ZyCoV-D to be administered in three doses on August 20. This is India’s first vaccine for children aged above 12.

The company has got the permission for conduct of phase III trials for two-dose Covid-19 vaccine," Cadila Healthcare said in a regulatory filing.

Earlier in August, in a filing to BSE, Cadila Healthcare had said that it plans to seek approval for the two-dose regimen of the vaccine. It had also mentioned that the company plans to manufacture 10-12 crore doses of ZyCoV-D annually.

The ZyCov-D is the world’s first DNA vaccine against coronavirus disease and is given in three doses. It makes use of a portion of the genetic code – deoxyribonucleic acid or ribonucleic acid – in the SARS-CoV-2 virus to stimulate an immune response against its spike protein, according to the Ahmedabad-headquartered company.

In recent weeks there have been discussions between the Centre and the company about pricing the three-dose Covid-19 vaccine.

On September 30, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said that Zydus Cadila’s Covid-19 vaccine would be made a part of the countrywide immunisation programme soon.

Bhushan had then said that the vaccine would be priced differently than the ones being used currently. He added that this was because Zydus Cadila’s vaccine, ZyCov-D, is a three-dose needle-free vaccine.