Pharma News

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Glenmark), a research-led global integrated pharmaceutical company, today announced the launch of a Single Inhaler Triple Therapy AIRZ-FF - a combination of two bronchodilators, Glycopyrronium & Formoterol and the inhalation corticosteroid Fluticasone propionate, for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

To urgently develop safe and effective Biomedical solutions against SARS CoV-2, Department of Biotechnology and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) had invited applications for COVID-19 Research Consortium. In addition, BIRAC has also created a provision to fund COVID-19 solutions that are ready for immediate deployment under a ‘Fast Track Review Process’.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Institute of Virology (NIV) at Pune has developed and validated the indigenous IgG ELISA test “COVID KAVACH ELISA” for antibody detection for COVID-19.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) have partnered to develop a fully indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 using the virus strain isolated at ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

Zydus Cadila, a global innovation driven healthcare company, announced that it is launching Enzalutamide, a highly effective drug for the treatment of Prostate Cancer, under the brand name ‘Obnyx’ in India. In a step that can significantly reduce treatment cost by almost 70%, the drug is priced at Rs 5995 (weekly therapy) reducing the monthly treatment cost to less than Rs. 27000. The current MRP of Enzalutamide drug ranges from Rs. 70000 to Rs 80000 for a monthly therapy and can be a huge financial burden for the elderly patients as they need to continue the therapy for a long period of time. This price reduction will benefit many prostate cancer patients to adhere to the treatment.

A two-week course of antiviral therapy with interferon beta-1b plus lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin, started within 7 days of showing COVID-19 symptoms, is safe and more effective at reducing the duration of viral shedding than lopinavir-ritonavir alone in patients with mild to moderate illness, according to the first randomised trial of this triple combination therapy involving 127 adults (aged 18 and older) from six public hospitals in Hong Kong.

According to many observations, certain virus infections may play a part in the autoimmune attack that leads to type 1 diabetes. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and their Finnish colleagues have now produced a vaccine for these viruses in the hope that it could provide protection against the disease. The study is published today in the scientific journal Science Advances.

Pharma major Lupin Limited (Lupin) announced the successful close out of the inspection carried out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the regulatory agency of the United Kingdom (UK), at its three manufacturing units in Pithampur (India). The inspection for the three units at Pithampur (Unit I, Unit II and Unit III) was conducted in January 2020.

The PM took a detailed review of the current status of India’s efforts in vaccine development, drug discovery, diagnosis and testing. Indian vaccine companies are well known for their quality, manufacturing capacity and global presence. Today in addition, they have come across as innovators in early stage vaccine development research. Similarly, Indian academia and start-ups have also pioneered in this area. Over 30 Indian vaccines are in different stages of corona vaccine development, with a few going on to the trial stages.

Health Minister Sh. Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for AYUSH  Sh. Shripad Yesso Naik jointly launched clinical research studies on Ayurveda interventions as an add-on to standard care to COVID 19 situation and Ayush Sanjivani application today at New Delhi. AYUSH Minister was participating in the programme through Video Conferencing from Goa.