Budget 2018-19

  A third Chinese vaccine, produced by CanSino Biologics , has submitted clinical trial data, but no WHO review has been scheduled. The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it has approved a COVID-19 vaccine made by drugmaker Sinovac Biotech for emergency use listing, paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be used in poor countries. A WHO emergency listing is a signal to national regulators on a product’s safety and efficacy. It will also allow the shot to be included in COVAX, the global programme to provide vaccines mainly for poor countries, which faces major supply problems due to an Indian export suspension. The independent panel of experts said in a statement it recommended Sinovac’s vaccine for adults over 18, with a second dose 2-4 weeks later. There was no upper age limit as data suggested it is likely to have a protective effect in older people. The WHO’s technical advisory group, which began meeting on May 5, took the decision after reviewing the latest c...

  Banerjee lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the second COVID-19 wave in the country and its management is a “Modi-made disaster”. Addressing an election rally at Balurghat in Dakshin Dinajpur district, the TMC chief asserted that West Bengal will be run only by a “Bengal engine government” and not by “Modi’s double-engine”. “The second COVID wave is more intense. I would say this is a Modi-made disaster. There are no injections or oxygen. Vaccines and medicines are being shipped abroad even as there is a scarcity of these items in the country,” she told the rally. She claimed that this election is a fight to save  West Bengal  and “protect the honour of the Bengali mother”. “Our state will be run by a Bengal engine government and not by Modi’s double-engine government. We will not allow Gujarat to capture our state or run it from Delhi. Bengal will r...

b Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said on Friday it has initiated the process with the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for emergency use authorisation of human adenoviral vector-based platform vaccine candidate Sputnik V. As part of the review process, Dr Reddy’s will present the safety profile of phase two study and interim data of phase three study which is expected to complete by February 21. “The efficacy of Sputnik V was reported to be 91.6 per cent by the Lancet, which is an impressive development in the fight against Covid-19,” said Co-chairman and Managing Director G V Prasad. “The initiation of the emergency use authorisation process will be a critical step forward for us in ensuring speedy access to the  Sputnik V vaccine  in India,” he said in a statement. In September 2020, Dr Reddy’s partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct clinical trials of Sputnik V and for its distribution rights in India. Sputnik V has demonstrated an efficacy rate...