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May 2020

 

Clinical courses

Recruitment for Medical Representative at Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Legacy of Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited (APL) dates back to over 100 years. Established in 1907 with an objective to develop and revolutionize the Pharmaceutical and Drug industry in the Indian subcontinent, Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited today is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in India.

Post : Medical Representative

Job for Junior Research Fellow at NII

The National Institute of Immunology (NII) is committed to advanced research addressing the basic mechanisms involved in body's defence to identify modalities for manipulation of the immune system to provide protection against diseases and understand mechanisms that can be used to target disease processes for intervention. The institute’s research thrust areas under immunology and related disciplines cluster in four main themes, namely, infection and immunity, molecular design, gene regulation and reproduction and development, where cutting edge research in modern biology is being carried out.

Post : Junior Research Fellow (Project)

Career for Pharmacy graduates as Marketing Manager at AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is an exciting global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company. We’re inspired by what science can do. Driven by the desire to meet unmet patient needs in our core therapeutic areas. Bold in our thinking. Proactive in pursuing discoveries beyond imagination. At sites across the world, we bring teams together in a spirit of collaboration to turn great ideas into life-changing medicines – strengthening our product portfolio and harnessing the potential of a pipeline across all stages of the drug development process.

Post : Marketing Manager- Frontier Markets

Vacancy for Research Assistant, Technical Expert at TUMAAS

TUMAAS is the Foundation for TB, Malnutrition and AIDs in Kandivali,  Mumbai. TUMAAS has been working in healthcare sector, awareness programs for great societal impact. Recently, TUMAAS has been awarded with Aarohan Social Innovation Award from Infosys Foundation.  TUMAAS provides suitable platform for conducting research on tuberculosis, child malnutrition and AIDS.  Presently, TUMAAS has been working in collaboration with different national and international organizations for different R & D activities on COVID-19, TB and Malnutrition.

Post : Research Assistant / Technical Expert

Opportunity for Pharmacy graduates at Covance

Covance is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive drug development services companies with more than 11,000 employees in 60 countries. Through its nonclinical, clinical and commercialization services, Covance has helped pharmaceutical and biotech companies develop one-third of all prescription medicines in the market today.

Post : Asst II PSS

Administrative Assistant require at TUMAAS

TUMAAS is the Foundation for TB, Malnutrition and AIDs in Kandivali,  Mumbai. TUMAAS has been working in healthcare sector, awareness programs for great societal impact. Recently, TUMAAS has been awarded with Aarohan Social Innovation Award from Infosys Foundation.  TUMAAS provides suitable platform for conducting research on tuberculosis, child malnutrition and AIDS.  Presently, TUMAAS has been working in collaboration with different national and international organizations for different R & D activities on COVID-19, TB and Malnutrition.

Post : Administrative Assistant

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and includes its subsidiaries and/or associate companies) has announced that it has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to initiate a clinical trial with Nafamostat Mesilate in Covid-19 patients. Nafamostat is approved in Japan for improvement of acute symptoms of pancreatitis and treatment of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC).

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has established stable cultures of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) from patients’ samples. Virologists at CCMB have isolated infectious viruses from several isolates. The ability to culture the virus in lab enables CCMB to work towards vaccine development and testing of potential drugs to fight COVID-19.

Novel coronavirus enters human cell by binding with the ACE-2 receptor on the cell surface. Not all cells have ACE-2 receptors. Human epithelial cells in the respiratory tract copiously express ACE-2 receptors, causing respiratory disease in the infected patient. However, we cannot grow human epithelial cells in lab. “Currently, primary epithelial cells generated from human origins do not grow for many generations in labs, which is key to culturing viruses continuously. At the same time, the labs that are growing the virus need an ‘immortal’ cell line”, says Dr Krishnan H Harshan, Principal Scientist, CCMB. They use Vero cells (kidney epithelial cell lines from green African monkey), which express ACE-2 proteins and carry a cell division that allows them to proliferate indefinitely.

But why cultivate a dreadful germ? If we culture a large amount of the virus and inactivate them, then it can be used as inactivated virus vaccine. Once we inject the inactivated virus, the human immune system triggers the production of germ-specific antibodies. One can inactivate the virus by heat or chemical means. The inactivated virus can trigger antibody response, but does not infect and make us sick as they cannot reproduce.


“Currently, primary epithelial cells generated from human origins do not grow for many generations in labs, which is key to culturing viruses continuously. At the same time, the labs that are growing the virus need an ‘immortal’ cell line”

For the development of antibodies or antidots, virus cultures are important. Inactivated viruses can trigger antibody response in other mammalian hosts in addition to humans. Various such hosts are currently under test for their efficiency of antibody response. Such antibodies generated in these non-human hosts can be purified, processed and collected. The antibodies can be used as therapeutic intervention for patients suffering from the infection. Such antibodies can trigger antiviral response upon injection into humans and have the potential of limiting the infection. Administering antibodies does not provide immunity like a vaccine does, but can be considered as anti-dotes against the virus.


These cultures may also be helpful in the process of drug screening. Potential drugs can be tested against the virus in a test-tube for their efficacy.

“Using the Vero cell lines to grow the coronavirus, CCMB is now in a position to isolate and maintain viral strains from different regions. We are working towards producing viruses in huge quantities that can be inactivated, and used in vaccine development and antibody production for therapeutic purposes”, says CCMB Director, Dr Rakesh Mishra. CCMB has also started testing potential drugs with other partners such as the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) using this viral culture.

“We hope that such systems are replicated at multiple research institutes and private companies to become a useful resource in the fight against this pandemic as well as for future preparedness”, said Dr Mishra.

- India Science Wire

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Roche announced European Medicines Agency (EMA) approval of a new, shorter two-hour OCREVUS® (ocrelizumab) infusion time, dosed twice yearly, for relapsing or primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The approval is based on a positive opinion from the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP).

“The approval of a shorter, two-hour infusion time for OCREVUS in Europe, dosed twice yearly, will further improve the treatment experience for patients while also increasing capacity in healthcare systems,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “With more than 160,000 people treated with OCREVUS globally, a shorter infusion may assist both patients and healthcare providers to reach the ultimate goal of slowing disease progression in MS.’’

The approval is based on data from the randomised, double-blind ENSEMBLE PLUS study, which showed comparable frequency and severity of infusion-related reactions (IRRs) for a two-hour OCREVUS infusion time vs. the conventional 3.5-hour time in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) (289 patients shorter infusion; 291 conventional infusion). The first dose was administered per the approved dosing schedule (two 300 mg intravenous (IV) infusions separated by two weeks) and the second or later doses (600 mg IV infusion) were administered over a shorter, two-hour time.


The primary endpoint of this study was the proportion of patients with IRRs following the first randomised 600 mg infusion (frequency/severity assessed during and 24-hours post infusion). The frequency of IRRs was comparable between those who received the two-hour infusion (24.6%) and those who received the 3.5-hour infusion (23.1%). The majority of IRRs were mild or moderate, and more than 98% resolved in both groups without complication. No IRRs were life-threatening, serious or fatal. No patients discontinued the study due to an IRR and no new safety signals were detected.

As previously communicated, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application for a two-hour OCREVUS infusion time and is expected to make a decision by 14 December 2020.


With rapidly growing real-world experience and more than 160,000 patients treated globally, OCREVUS has twice-yearly (six-monthly) dosing and is the first and only therapy approved for RMS (including relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and active, or relapsing, secondary progressive MS, in addition to clinically isolated syndrome in the U.S.) and primary progressive MS (PPMS). OCREVUS is approved in 90 countries across North America, South America, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, as well as in Australia, Switzerland and the European Union.

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Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced a worldwide licensing agreement on the development and commercialization of SCD-044 which is being evaluated as a potential oral treatment for atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and other auto-immune disorders. SCD-044 is entering phase 2 clinical trials.