Page 9 - Vaccine

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

Vaccines access could have prevented 50% Covid deaths globally: Research

Better access to vaccines could have prevented more than 50 per cent of Covid-19 deaths in 20 lower income countries, scientists contend in a new study

Pfizer and GSK to battle for share of new RSV vaccine market: Report

US drugmaker Pfizers and British pharma major GSK are likely to face significant competition in the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine market, according to a report on Tuesday

CoWin data leak on Telegram channel alleged; Centre says portal 'safe'

Govt terms breach reports on Telegram 'mischievous'

Diseases know no borders, Covid underlined need for joint effort: Mandaviya

Mandaviya, in his address, highlighted the importance of collaborative research in mitigating and responding effectively to global health crises

Shortage of polio vaccines leads to cancellation of nation-wide vaccination

India administers two kinds of polio vaccines to children, first is the inactive polio vaccine (IPV) and the other is the bio-oral polio vaccine (bOPV) which contains live viruses to provide immunity

Lumpy skin disease returns; over 10,000 active cases reported till May 18

Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Karnataka lead the way; 1.9 million vaccine doses administered in new cycle

US approves 1st vaccine for respiratory virus after decades of attempts

The US approved the first vaccine for RSV on Wednesday, shots to protect older adults against a respiratory virus that's most notorious for attacking babies but endangers their grandparents, too. The Food and Drug Administration decision makes GSK's shot, called Arexvy, the first of several potential vaccines in the pipeline for RSV to be licensed anywhere. The move sets the stage for adults 60 and older to get vaccinated this fall but first, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide if every senior really needs RSV protection or only those considered at high risk from the respiratory syncytial virus. CDC's advisers will debate that question in June. After decades of failure in the quest for an RSV vaccine, doctors are anxious to finally have something to offer especially after a virus surge that strained hospitals last fall. This is a great first step ... to protect older persons from serious RSV disease, said Dr. William Schaffner, medical director of the Natio

Vaccine market to reach valuation of Rs 252 bn by 2025: Jitendra Singh

Highlighting the country's strides in the pharma and biotechnology sector, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said the Indian vaccine market is expected to reach a valuation of Rs 252 billion by 2025

GSK to bring Herpes Zoster vaccine Shingrix at one-third of US price: MD

Shingrix is for the prevention of shingles or what is also known as herpes zoster and also post-herpetic neuralgia in people aged 50 and above, says GSK Pharmaceuticals MD Bhushan Akshikar

Paediatricians bat for Covid-19 vaccine for children as cases rise

Doctors say they are seeing an increase in children with Covid infection

Covid's endemic challenges

Public health policy must respond for the long term

Govt asks Maharashtra to buy vaccines to meet demand amid rising cases

Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and Haryana are some of the states to have brought back fresh Covid-19 protocol, especially the mask mandate

Serum re-starts Covishield production, seeks to despatch 6 mn Covovax doses

Initiates talks with private hospitals for dispatching existing Covovax stock; Conducts in-vitro studies on human blood samples for neutralising antibody titres against XBB in India