India Rolls Out World's First Needle-Free COVID-19 Vaccine, Plasmid-DNA Shot

The world's first needle-free COVID-19 vaccination, ZyCov-D, has been rolled out in India. The vaccine can be administered into the dermis, the inner layer of the skin, and is painless.

ZyCov-D vaccine, India's second indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, is also the world's first plasmid DNA vaccine and employs the PharmaJet needle-free system called Tropis. The vaccine was first administered to three people in the Indian state of Bihar on Friday, reports ANI. It is a three-dose vaccine on day 0, day 28 and day 56, respectively.

According to the World Health Organization, plasmid vaccines involve the direct introduction of a plasmid containing the DNA sequence encoding the antigen(s) against which an immune response is sought, into the tissue. ZyCov-D also employs the plug-and-play technology on which the plasmid DNA platform can be easily adapted to mutations in the coronavirus.

ZyCov-D is manufactured by the Indian company Cadila Healthcare Ltd (Zydus Cadila). The firm began developing the plasmid DNA vaccine in February 2020, and the three-dose vaccination received the regulatory nod for Emergency Use in the adolescent (above 12 years of age) and adult population in India last August.

According to the Indian Government, the interim results from the vaccine's Phase-III clinical trials conducted in 28,000 volunteers showed primary efficacy of 66.6 percent for symptomatic RT-PCR positive cases.

"This has been the largest vaccine trial so far in India for COVID-19. This vaccine had already exhibited robust immunogenicity and tolerability and safety profile in the adaptive Phase I/II clinical trials carried out earlier. Both the Phase I/II and Phase III clinical trials have been monitored by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)," the reports quoted the health ministry.

India is known as the vaccine powerhouse of the world, with the country making 60 percent of the world's vaccines. The country is also home to half a dozen major manufacturers, including the biggest in the world, Serum Institute Of India.

As for administration, the vaccine is administered into the skin using the PharmaJet needle-free application. The total vaccine dosage is 6mg, given in three doses of 2 mg each. Each dose is to be administered at "two sites" (both arms.) This means a single dose involves two shots of 1 mg each on both arms.

Currently, the vaccine is being procured by the Indian Government at the cost of ₹358 per dose ($4.79), which includes both the cost of the vaccine and the needle-free applicator.

The needle-free technology, which is beneficial for people who have fear of needles, is also under trial at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. The DIOS-CoVax is administered through a jet of air, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, a COVID vaccine that can be administered through the nose has been developed by the BioMAP team at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment.