Pharma & Health News Top Stories Today – HealthFirst intra-nasal COVID-19 vaccine, a glorious tribute to the call for Atmanirbhar Bharat: Mandaviya 26/01/2023The roll out of iNCOVACC, the first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine that does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandages, etc., is expected to begin in private hospitals that have placed advance orders. Initial manufacturing capacity of several million doses per annum has been established; this can be scaled up to a billion doses as required. […]World’s 1st COVID nasal vaccine by Bharat Biotech launched on R-Day 26/01/2023This vaccine has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery through nasal drops. The nasal delivery system has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low and middle-income countries. As a needleless vaccination, Bharat Biotech's iNCOVACC will be the world's first such booster dose. India will now have more options when it comes to […]Roche launches new test to detect fast spreading Omicron sub-variant 26/01/2023The new test specifically targets the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant and will help researchers closely track the virus's lineage and provide insights into the epidemiology and impact it has on public health.Vaccine against cervical cancer to begin from June: Expert 26/01/2023The Pune-based vaccine major, Serum Institute of India (SII), launched the madein-India vaccine Cervavac on January 24. It will cost about Rs 150 per dose to the Union government and around Rs 300, Rs 350 in the private market, sources in the Union health ministry said. The imported version of the vaccine available in the […]US FDA joins global regulators probing tainted overseas cough syrup 26/01/2023Earlier this week, the WHO said it had expanded its investigation into contaminated cough syrups linked to deaths from acute kidney injury in Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan to four additional countries, and called on governments more widely to ensure that medicines for sale are approved by competent authorities.Delhi doctor to be conferred Padma Shri award 25/01/2023Delhi doctor, Prof I.C. Verma, currently Advisor, Institute of Medical Genetics & Genomics, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, has become the only doctor from Delhi to be awarded the Padma Shri on the occasion of Republic Day 2023.Vaccine for cervical cancer prevention to be available in small quantity in 2023, increased next year, says Adar Poonawalla 25/01/2023Poonawalla briefed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya about the HPV vaccine in the national capital.Speaking to after the meeting, the SII CEO said, "I had come to brief the Union Health minister about it. We'll wait for the government program to roll out. Capacity is very small this year but we'll build a large capacity […]Union Budget 2023-24: Will Communicable Diseases be one of the Focal Points? 25/01/2023ETHealthworld interacted with domain experts to understand the expectations of the healthcare industry from the Union Budget 2023-24, especially in terms of communicable diseases, and affiliated healthcare departments that need increased focus on managing and containing the spread of communicable diseases.Booster dose of Covishield offers best immune response: Lancet study 25/01/2023Covishield and Covaxin are the two vaccines used in the majority of the Indian population. The four permutations for a booster dose evaluated in this study are primary immunization with Covishield followed by a homologous booster or a heterologous Covaxin booster and primary immunization with Covaxin followed by a homologous booster or a heterologous Covishield […]Sun Pharmaceutical launches phenobarbital sodium injection in US 25/01/2023SEZABY is the first and only product approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for the treatment of neonatal seizures in term and preterm infants, Sun Pharma said in a regulatory filing. Pharma & Health NewsMacleods Pharma recalls 10,000 bottles of anti-bacterial medication in US 26/01/2023The company is recalling the affected lot due to "mismatching of the embossing on the tablets with the embossing mentioned in the package insert in the distributed bottles."China needs good COVID-19 booster vaccine like Covovax, but they haven't given a positive response: Adar Poonawalla 26/01/2023NTAGI is likely to soon meet regarding the inclusion of COVID vaccine Covovax on the CoWIN portal as heterologous booster dose for adults to boost uptake of booster doses.My biz strategy was to explore non-English speaking countries with high GDP per capita: Ashish Maheshwari, Balaxi Pharmaceutical Ltd. 26/01/2023Frontier markets will provide a lot of opportunities to Indian pharma MSMEs in the next four to five years for growth in exports from India. These markets are a little challenging in terms of penetration because of language issues and regulatory compliance but in the long run they are rewarding.Pharma cos developing effective vaccines against Omicron variants will gain competitive edge in China: GlobalData 25/01/2023There are currently 19 COVID vaccines in clinical development in China, with only three candidates in Phase III trials. Most of these are mRNA vaccines (58 per cent), followed by subunit vaccines (16 per cent), inactivated vaccines (11 per cent), and others including recombinant vector vaccines, and DNA vaccines.Vaccine for cervical cancer prevention to be available in small quantity in 2023, increased next year, says Adar Poonawalla 25/01/2023Poonawalla briefed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya about the HPV vaccine in the national capital.Speaking to after the meeting, the SII CEO said, "I had come to brief the Union Health minister about it. We'll wait for the government program to roll out. Capacity is very small this year but we'll build a large capacity […]Sun Pharmaceutical launches phenobarbital sodium injection in US 25/01/2023SEZABY is the first and only product approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for the treatment of neonatal seizures in term and preterm infants, Sun Pharma said in a regulatory filing.South Africa's Clicks posts slower growth as COVID jabs drop 25/01/2023Clicks reported particularly strong growth in beauty, personal care, and baby, with customer purchasing behavior normalising post the relaxation of COVID-19 regulations: Bertina EngelbrechtParacetamol maker Granules India posts 23 per cent rise in Q3 profit 25/01/2023Consolidated profit rose to 1.24 billion rupees ($15.22 million) for the three months ended Dec. 31, from 1.01 billion rupees a year earlier.New oral antiviral drug likely to get Centre's approval for treating Covid 25/01/2023The combination two-tablet oral drug therapy is likely to be recommended in India for use in patients with mild to moderate Covid, who are at risk of developing severe illness, a Union health ministry official statedDCGI approves Keytruda for treatment of cervical cancer: MSD 25/01/2023According to MSD, Keytruda is the first cancer immunotherapy to be approved in India for the treatment of cervical cancer and the first immunotherapy to be approved as a first-line treatment for a significant sub-group of patients, who otherwise only had the option of chemotherapy as their treatment for oesophagal cancer.Serum Institute of India launches first made-in-India HPV vaccine for cervical cancer 25/01/2023The indigenously developed vaccine, "CERVAVAC" launch took place in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, Adar Poonawalla, and the Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India, Prakash K Singh. 'CERVAVAC' is an outcome of a partnership of DBT and BIRAC with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum […]Eli Lilly to invest $450 mln to expand diabetes drug plant capacity 24/01/2023the drugmaker has committed around $4 billion to new manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, including $1.7 billion for the development and expansion of its site at Research Triangle Park since 2020.Pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan struggling to replenish supplies amid economic crisis: Report 24/01/2023The crisis comes as Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves touched an eight-year low of USD 4.3 billion and talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) hang in balance. Due to the ongoing economic crisis, Pakistan is unable to buy basic imports, including medicine and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), several vaccines and biological products for the treatment […]J&J forecasts strong 2023 profit on pharma boost 24/01/2023J&J's large pharmaceuticals business is its major profit engine and the company is betting on it and the devices unit as it prepares to spinoff its consumer health business. Pharmaceutical sales came in at $13.16 billion for the fourth quarter, above analysts' average estimates of $13.14 billion.Granules gets USFDA's nod for Amphetamine capsules 24/01/2023Amphetamine is bioequivalent to the reference listed drug product (RLD), Adderall XR extended-release capsules of Takeda Pharmaceuticals. This product will be manufactured at Granules manufacturing facility in Chantilly, Virginia, and is expected to be launched shortly, according to a company statement shared with stock exchanges.WHO investigating links among cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents 24/01/2023The WHO is considering whether to advise families globally to reassess the use of cough syrups for children in general while questions over the safety of some of these products are unresolved. WHO experts are evaluating the evidence for whether, or when, such products are medically necessary for children.Cuba working on cancer vaccines: Aleida Guevara 24/01/2023Cuba was coming up with vaccines for deadly diseases which are in the final stages of manufacturing: Aleida GuevaraCVS names new pharmacy services, consumer product chiefs 24/01/2023David Joyner will take on the role at the company from Jan. 30 and replace Alan Lotvin, who plans to retire in April.WHO urges 'immediate action' after cough syrup deaths 24/01/2023The WHO reiterated its call for the products flagged above to be removed from circulation, and called more widely for countries to ensure that any medicines for sale are approved by competent authorities. It also asked governments and regulators to assign resources to inspect manufacturers, increase market surveillance and take action where required.'No substantial proof to link Gambia deaths with syrup' 24/01/2023A committee set up by India to investigate the "mysterious deaths" of children in Gambia blamed on cough syrups made by an Indian company has not found any "substantial evidence" for establishing causality between the medicine and the deaths, people in the know told ET. WHO newsSmall Island Developing States accelerate action to tackle biggest killers 18/01/2023The Government of Barbados, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization are holding a high-level technical meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health with Small Island Developing States (SIDS).WHO announces plans to establish a TB Vaccine Accelerator council 16/01/2023The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) services has brought the urgency of vaccine development efforts into sharp focus. Speaking earlier today at a high-level panel on TB at the World Economic Forum, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, announced plans to establish a new TB Vaccine Accelerator […]WHO welcomes data on COVID-19 in China, meeting with Minister 14/01/2023Earlier today, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke with Minister Ma Xiaowei, director of China’s National Health Commission, about the COVID-19 situation in the country. WHO appreciates this meeting, as well as the public release of information on the overall situation. Chinese officials provided information to WHO and in a press conference on a range […]WHO updates COVID-19 guidelines on masks, treatments and patient care 13/01/2023WHO has updated its guidelines on mask wearing in community settings, COVID-19 treatments, and clinical management. This is part of a continuous process of reviewing such materials, working with guideline development groups composed of independent, international experts who consider the latest available evidence and the changing epidemiology.Masks continue to be a key tool against COVID-19WHO […]Urgent action needed as acute malnutrition threatens the lives of millions of vulnerable children 12/01/2023United Nations agencies are calling for urgent action to protect the most vulnerable children in the 15 countries hardest hit by an unprecedented food and nutrition crisis.A child or youth died once every 4.4 seconds in 2021 – UN report 09/01/2023An estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).TAG-VE statement on the meeting of 3 January on the COVID-19 situation in China 04/01/2023The Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) meets regularly to review the latest scientific evidence on circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and advises WHO on whether a change in public health strategies are warranted. The TAG-VE met on 3 January 2023 to discuss the COVID-19 situation in mainland China.WHO meets with Chinese officials on current COVID-19 situation 30/12/2022A high-level meeting took place on 30 December between WHO and China about the current surge in COVID-19 cases, to seek further information on the situation, and to offer WHO's expertise and further support.High-level officials from China's National Health Commission and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration briefed WHO on China's evolving strategy and […]Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Afghanistan: Women’s participation in aid delivery must continue 29/12/2022 The decision by Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to ban women from working in humanitarian nongovernmental organizations is a major blow for vulnerable communities, for women, for children, and for the entire country. Female staff are key to every aspect of the humanitarian response in Afghanistan. They are teachers, nutrition experts, team leaders, community health workers, […]World Health Organization names Sir Jeremy Farrar as Chief Scientist, Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu as Chief Nursing Officer 13/12/2022WHO announced that Dr Jeremy Farrar will become its new Chief Scientist. Currently, Director of the Wellcome Trust, Dr Farrar will join WHO in the second quarter of 2023.Dr Amelia Latu Afuhaamango Tuipulotu will become WHO's Chief Nursing Officer. Previously Minister for Health of the Kingdom of Tonga, and before that Tonga’s Chief Nursing Officer, […]