PM Modi visits Gujarat's Zydus Cadila research centre to review Covid-19 vaccine preparation

"Visited the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad to know more about the indigenous DNA based vaccine being developed by Zydus Cadila. I compliment the team behind this effort for their work. The Government of India is actively working with them to support them in this journey," the PM posted on Twitter.

The drugmaker has announced that the first phase of the clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate, ZyCoV-D, has been completed and it commenced the second phase of clinical trials in August.

In order to get a first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India's endeavour to vaccinate its citizens, Modi is on a three-city tour to India's top vaccine hubs today, with his first stop being Gujarat.

The PM is slated to fly to Hyderabad and visit Bharat BioTech, which is working on Covaxin, India's first indigenous vaccine candidate, followed by a visit to Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune, which has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University for a Coronavirus vaccine.

Modi is expected to review the status of the vaccine, including its launch, production and distribution mechanisms during the visit.

"As India enters a decisive phase of the fight against COVID-19, PM Narendra Modi's visit to these facilities and discussions with the scientists will help him get a first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India's endeavour to vaccinate its citizens," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted Friday.