COVID-19 Plasmid DNA Vaccine Expands Production

Colorado-based PharmaJet® announced on January 4, 2022, that its partner Zydus Cadila is partnering with Enzychem Lifesciences to manufacture their COVID-19 plasmid DNA vaccine (ZyCoV-D®) in Korea.

The PharmaJet Tropis® Needle-free Injection System exclusively delivers the ZyCoV-D vaccine.

The vaccine is administered intradermally using the PharmaJet needle-free system, which can be deployed more readily, especially in resource-poor populations where these are urgently needed.

The plan is to manufacture 80+ million doses of the ZyCoV-D vaccine, which was recently granted emergency use approval (EUA) by India's national regulatory agency for those aged 12 years and above.

The vaccine will be manufactured in Korea and exported to several lower-middle-income countries in Latin America and Asian New Southern Policy member countries.

Chris Cappello, President and CEO of PharmaJet, commented in a press statement, "This manufacturing agreement will enable people in lower-middle-income countries to access a safe, well-tolerated, and efficacious vaccine, delivered by a proven delivery system."

"Our systems have been successfully used to deliver millions of doses for polio immunization initiatives in Pakistan, Somalia, The Gambia, and numerous other countries."

"We are prepared for this commercialization initiative and have scaled our operations to meet the demand driven by COVID-19 vaccinations as we continue to fulfill our company mission of improving people's lives through our needle-free delivery technology."

PharmaJet Needle-free Systems provide increased vaccine effectiveness, a preferred patient and caregiver experience, and a proven path to commercialization. They are also safe, fast, and easy to use.

• The Stratis® System has U.S. FDA 510(k) marketing clearance, CE Mark, and WHO PQS certification to deliver medications and vaccines either intramuscularly or subcutaneously.
• The Tropis® System has CE Mark and WHO PQS certification for intradermal injections.

DNA vaccines are composed of bacterial plasmids with a gene encoding for the protein of interest and transcription promoter and terminator.

The plasmid gains entry in multiple cells such as myocytes, keratinocytes, and antigen-presenting cells. It enters the nucleus as an episome without integrating into the host cell DNA. 

South Korea-based Enzychem Lifesciences and Cadila Healthcare Ltd. announced on November 26, 2021, that they had entered a Manufacturing License and Technology Transfer Agreement for the world's first plasmid DNA vaccine ZyCoV-D®.

For more information, visit www.pharmajet.com.