Page 8 - Vaccine

Bharat Biotech, University of Sydney ink MoU for vaccine research

The international agreement aims to foster strong collaborations between sectors and organisations to develop innovative methods for tackling future epidemics and infectious diseases

Underdeveloped nations fighting drugmakers over access to TB, HIV drugs

South Africa, Colombia and other countries that lost out in the global race for coronavirus vaccines are taking a more combative approach towards drugmakers and pushing back on policies that deny cheap treatment to millions of people with tuberculosis and HIV. Experts see it as a shift in how such countries deal with pharmaceutical behemoths and say it could trigger more efforts to make lifesaving medicines more widely available. In the COVID-19 pandemic, rich countries bought most of the world's vaccines early, leaving few shots for poor countries and creating a disparity the World Health Organization called a catastrophic moral failure. Now, poorer countries are trying to become more self-reliant because they've realized after COVID they can't count on anyone else, said Brook Baker, who studies treatment-access issues at Northeastern University. One of the targets is a drug, bedaquiline, that is used for treating people with drug-resistant versions of tuberculosis. The pills are

First chikungunya vaccine, Ixchiq, approved by US FDA for people above 18

Ixchiq, the first chikungunya vaccine, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for individuals 18 years of age and older who are at increased risk of exposure to mosquito-borne virus. Containing a live, weakened version of the chikungunya-causing virus, Ixchiq is administered as a single dose by injection into the muscle and may cause symptoms in the recipient similar to those experienced by people having the viral disease, the FDA said in a statement. "Infection with chikungunya virus can lead to severe disease and prolonged health problems, particularly for older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions," said Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. "Today's approval addresses an unmet medical need and is an important advancement in the prevention of a potentially debilitating disease with limited treatment options," said Marks. The effectiveness of the vaccine was determined through a clinical study

Covid vaccination didn't increase risk of deaths among young adults: Study

COVID-19 vaccination did not increase the risk of sudden deaths among young adults in India, according to a study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Factors that did increase such chances included being in the hospital for Covid in the past and certain behaviours like binge drinking and intense physical activity shortly before death, the study said. The study, titled "Factors associated with sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India -- a multicentric matched case-control study", is under peer review and yet to be published. It was completed earlier this month, official sources said on Monday. Citing the ICMR study, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said at Gujarat's Bhavnagar on Sunday that those who had earlier suffered a severe bout of Covid must not overexert themselves for a year or two to avoid heart attacks and cardiac arrests. Anecdotal reports of sudden deaths among healthy young adults in India led the researchers to conduct the ..

Excess vaccine-making capacity may get utilised in 3-5 years: Merck Life

Some 40-50 firms in India are getting into mRNA technology, says Aditya Sharma, senior executive of the German company

Gates Foundation funding $40 mn to help develop mRNA vaccines in Africa

A USD 40 million investment will help several African manufacturers produce new messenger RNA vaccines on the continent where people were last in line to receive jabs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced Monday. While it could still take at least three more years before any of the vaccines are approved and on the market, the foundation said that its mRNA investment marks an important step forward in improving vaccine equity. Whether it's for local diseases in Africa like Rift Valley (fever) or for global diseases like TB, mRNA looks like a very promising approach, Bill Gates told The Associated Press on Sunday after visiting one of the facilities involved, the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal. And so it allows us to bring in lots of African capabilities to work on these vaccines, and then this can be scaled up. The announcement comes as the foundation opens its annual three-day Grand Challenges event, which brings together scientists and .

Top vaccine maker SII seeks growth by selling shots to globetrotters

Over the next three years, Pune-based Serum plans to start production of yellow fever and dengue shots for European and American travelers to countries where those diseases are endemic

Pakistan launches anti-polio vaccine drive targeting 44 mn children

Pakistan launched its second nationwide anti-polio campaign of the year Monday in an effort to inoculate 44 million children under the age of 5 amid signs the country was close to eradicating the disease. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar launched the five-day vaccination campaign in the capital, Islamabad, and urged parents in a televised address to cooperate with the 350,000 health workers who are going door-to-door to administer vaccine drops to children. The campaign was taking place under heavy security. The government deployed police and security forces to ensure the safety of the inoculation drive workers. Vaccine providers and the police assigned to protect them have been attacked during past anti-polio campaigns, which militants falsely claimed were a Western conspiracy to sterilise children. Pakistan has registered two new polio cases since January, a blow to the goal of eradicating a disease that affects the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis in ...

We have one of the best TB vaccines in the world: Bharat Bio's Krishna Ella

'We are working on the TB vaccine as the Prime Minister's view is also to eradicate TB from the country'

In century of existence, BCG vaccine has given protection against TB

Revaccination can be considered as a low-cost and globally acceptable future pandemic preparedness plan

S Africa keen on collaborating with BRICS partners in vaccine manufacturing

South Africa is keen on strengthening collaboration with BRICS nations in the field of vaccine manufacturing, the hydrogen economy as well as the marine sciences, a minister said. We are already working with the World Health Organisation through South Africa's hosting of mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub, but are also eager to work with BRICS partners, notably leveraging opportunities of our BRICS Vaccine R and D Centre, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Blade Nzimande, said at the 2023 BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting hosted in the coastal city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The minister said at the meeting, one of several taking place ahead of the 15th BRICS Summit later in August, that South Africa had made excellent progress in developing new hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and was keen on joining forces with BRICS partners in this enterprise. Cooperation with partners in the Global South and strengthening ...

You may not need fourth shot of Covid-19 vaccine, but a flu shot might help

As flu cases rise in cities, health experts advise the annual flu shot for the vulnerable

SII manufactured BCG vaccine gets export nod to treat bladder cancer

The government has approved the export of BCG vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India to Canada for immunotherapy to treat bladder cancer, official sources said on Monday. The permission was granted after Prakash Kumar Singh, director, Serum Institute, wrote to the Drugs Controller of India (DCGI) seeking approval to export BCG for immunotherapy to Canada, they said. BCG as immunotherapy is a live freeze-dried preparation derived from attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis (Bacillus Calmette Guerin). The product is for intravesical instillation and is available from the Serum Institute in 40 mg and 80 mg presentations, the sources said. As part of the therapy, the vaccine is administered into the bladder through a catheter where it stays in the lining of the bladder for a specific duration affecting the cells and fighting cancer without impacting other body parts.

ICMR to explore vaccine against 'WHO Blueprint Priority Pathogens': Govt

The ICMR has collaborated with two global institutions to explore available vaccine candidates against "WHO Blueprint Priority Pathogens", the government told Lok Sabha on Friday. Minister of State for Health SP Singh Baghel was replying to a question on the steps being taken by the government to speed up the development of vaccines for "emerging/reemerging pathogens". The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has collaborated with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the International Vaccine Institute, Korea, for exploration of available vaccine candidates against "WHO Blueprint Priority Pathogens" and the feasibility of bringing available technology to India, he said. On the steps being taken by the government to promote development and production of vaccines for diseases such as polio, smallpox and measles, Baghel said the ICMR has been designated as the secretariat for the National authority for Containment (NAC) of polio viruses. The ICMR has approved .

WHO urges members to intensify efforts towards childhood immunisation

The World Health Organization on Tuesday called for intensified efforts towards childhood immunization with a focus on reaching the 2.3 million unvaccinated and 650,000 partially vaccinated children. The WHO's South-East Asia Region complimented member countries for scaling up childhood immunization coverage to pre-pandemic level. Every child deserves to be protected against life-threatening diseases with routine immunization, said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the regional director of WHO's South-East Asia region. "The momentum built with impressive efforts and immunization service recoveries must continue to benefit every child for a healthy and productive life," she said. The WHO and UNICEF estimates for national immunization coverage for 2022, released on Tuesday, show that in WHO's south-east Asia region the coverage rate for DPT3, third dose of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccines reached 91 per cent of the pre-pandemic level, a sharp increase from 82 per cent recorded in

Serum meningococcal meningitis vaccine achieves WHO prequalification

Serum Institute of India (SII) on Wednesday said its vaccine to protect against the five predominant causes of meningococcal meningitis in Africa has been prequalified by the World Health Organisation. MenFive has been developed through a 13-year collaboration between Serum and PATH, a global nonprofit, with crucial funding from the UK government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. WHO prequalification, which ensures a vaccine meets strict international quality, safety, and efficacy standards, was supported by extensive clinical studies in The Gambia, India, and Mali. Importantly, prequalification allows MenFive to be procured by United Nations agencies and Gavi, the vaccine alliance. "As the first conjugate vaccine to safeguard against the five predominant causes of this deadly disease, MenFive offers hope for a future free from annual outbreaks and epidemics in the African meningitis belt," SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a statement. The vaccine protects against ...

Moderna to invest $1 billion in China to manufacture mRNA vaccines: Report

The company's chief executive officer Stephane Bancel is in China and the deal is expected to be signed on Wednesday

Diabetes a pandemic, needs vaccines, efficacious medication for control

It is estimated that 101 million people in India - around 10 per cent of the country's population - are suffering from diabetes

India's 1st mRNA Omicron booster vax gets DCGI nod, to launch in 2-3 weeks

DCGI has granted Emergency Use Authorisation to India's first mRNA-based Omicron booster vaccine and it is likely to be rolled out in 2-3 weeks, Gennova Biopharmaceuticals announced on Tuesday

Equitable access to vaccines could have prevented half of Covid deaths

A more equitable access to Covid vaccines could have prevented more than 50 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in 20 lower income countries, according to a new study. Scientists from the Northeastern University, US, have estimated 518,000 deaths could have been averted if the 20 countries in the study had received the vaccines at the same time as the US and other high income countries and in comparable quantities, using a computational epidemic model. The countries included in the study were Angola, Kenya, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Egypt, Morocco, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Bolivia, El Salvador, Honduras, Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications. The estimation that "thousands and thousands" of lives were lost to vaccine inequity was a "punch in the stomach," said Alessandro Vespignani, director of Northeastern's Network Science Institute and the study's co-author. "We need to hav