Drug firm Cadila Healthcare on 24 September said it has entered into an agreement with Shilpa Medicare for the production of its COVID-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D.

For our comprehensive coverage and latest updates on COVID-19 click here.

The company has, "entered into a definitive agreement with Shilpa Medicare, via its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shilpa Biologicals for production-supply of the ZyCoV-D vaccine drug substance from its integrated biologics R&D cum manufacturing center at Dharwad, Karnataka," Cadila Healthcare said in a regulatory filing.

The targeted production of the ZyCoV-D vaccine from this facility will be mutually agreed upon by both parties, it added. "The company will transfer the ZyCoV-D technology to Shilpa Biologicals Pvt Ltd (SBPL). Under the agreement, SBPL will be responsible for the manufacture of the drug substance of the vaccine, while the company is responsible for filling/packaging/distribution/marketing of the vaccine in its marketing territories," Cadila Healthcare said.

ZyCoV-D is the first DNA plasmid vaccine in the world for human use, developed indigenously by the company against the COVID-19 virus, it added. The vaccine was granted the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) by the Indian drug regulator on August 20.