Pharma News

Experts deliberated on emerging issues in the various fields of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the fourth BRICS Working Group meeting on the subject area.

More than 60 participants, including researchers, academicians, and government officials participated from all five BRICS countries Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, participated in the online meeting organized from May 25 to May 26 2021.

In a bid to augment the vaccine production, the Government has decided to support some public sector companies with grants under the Mission COVID Suraksha. One such company is the Hyderabad based Indian Immunological limited (IIL), which a facility under the PSU, National Dairy Development Board.

Minister of State  for Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya informed that the production of Remdesivir is ramped up ten times from 33,000 vials/day on 11th April 2021 to 3,50,000 vials/day today.

The Minister further informed that the Government has also increased the number of plants producing Remdesivir from 20 to 60 plants within a month. Now the country has enough Remdesivir as the supply is much more than the demand, he added.

Lupin Limited announced the achievement of key milestones for Lupins MEK inhibitor compound (LNP3794) that is planned for development by Boehringer Ingelheim in combination as potential targeted therapy for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.

As part of the agreement, Lupin has received payment of USD 50 million from Boehringer Ingelheim
for achievement of key milestones.

Moderna, Inc a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced that the Phase 2/3 study of its COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273) in adolescents has met its primary immunogenicity endpoint, successfully bridging immune responses to the adult vaccination. In the study, no cases of COVID-19 were observed in participants who had received two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine using the primary definition.

Roche India and Cipla Limited announced that the first batch of the Antibody Cocktail (Casirivimab and Imdevimab) is now available in India while a second batch will be made available by mid-June. In total they can potentially benefit 200,000 patients as each of the 100,000 packs that will be available in India offers treatment for two patients. Cipla will distribute the product by leveraging its strong distribution strengths across the country. The drug will be available through leading hospitals and COVID treatment centers.

Zydus Cadila, a global innovation driven healthcare company, launched Trastuzumab Emtansine, the first Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) biosimilar and a highly effective drug for treating both Early and Advanced HER2 positive Breast Cancer, under the brand name Ujvira. HER2 positive Breast Cancer is considered an aggressive form and constitutes 20 to 25% of all Breast Cancers.