Pharma News

Scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center have identified a protein that operates in tandem with a specific genetic mutation to spur lung cancer growth and could serve as a therapeutic target to treat the disease.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc the world leader in serving science, and PPD, Inc a leading global provider of clinical research services to the pharma and biotech industry announced that their boards of directors have approved a definitive agreement under which Thermo Fisher will acquire PPD for $47.50 per share for a total cash purchase price of $17.4 billion plus the assumption of approximately $3.5 billion of net debt.

Merck, a leading science and technology company, will present data from a Phase II placebo-controlled randomized trial at the 2021 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting showing that the investigational Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor evobrutinib significantly reduced blood neurofilament light chain  evels, a key biomarker of neuronal damage and inflammation, in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

The production of the vaccine should be augmented and more and more people should be covered for vaccination. The manufacturing needs to scale up and distribution needs to happen at a fast pace, mentioned Dr. D C Katoch, Chief Medical Officer, CGHS, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India in an awareness webinar organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Importance of Tika Utsav- Covid Vaccination.

Rare diseases are sometimes the most difficult to treat because of a lack of research and fewer participants to study. An example would be those who have Pompe disease, a genetic condition when a body can't make a protein that breaks down a complex sugar, called glycogen, for energy. Too much glycogen builds up and damages muscles and organs. The disease causes muscle weakness and trouble breathing and can affect the heart and muscles.

COVID-19 needs no introduction. Last year, the disease, which is caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, reached every continent across the globe. By the end of March 2021, there had been an estimated 128 million cases recorded with almost three million of these being fatal. As scientists' race to develop vaccines and politicians coordinate their distribution, fundamental research on what makes this virus so successful is also being carried out.

Some survivors of ebolavirus outbreaks make antibodies that can broadly neutralize these viruses--and now, scientists at Scripps Research have illuminated how these antibodies can disable the viruses so effectively. The insights may be helpful for developing effective therapies.

Stanford scientists saved drops of the COVID-19 vaccine destined for the garbage can, reverse engineered them, and have posted the mRNA sequence that powers the vaccine on GitHub for all to see.

Vaccine Discovery Programme supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India under the Mission COVID Suraksha- The Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission, implemented by BIRAC, moves into clinical trials. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technologyhas announced that it has approved additional funding towards clinical studies of India's'first of its kind' mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine - HGCO19, developed by Pune-based biotechnology company Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.

Pharmacist India is following a comprehensive approach to tackle COVID-19 pandemic in a proactive and pre-emptive manner. In this context, as early as May 2020, India constituted a Task Force headed by Principal Scientific Advisor to encourage R&D for vaccine manufacture & constituted in August 2020 an Expert Group headed by Member, NITI to assist in roll out of the Covid vaccination programme. It was because of these strategies that India became the first country to have two “Made in India” Covid vaccines for domestic vaccination drive.