Private Sector Enterprises

COVAXIN, India’s first COVID-19 vaccine candidate, set for phase I clinical trial

A potential COVID-19 vaccine, the primary to be developed in India, has been given DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) approval for phase I clinical trial and phase II human clinical trials that are scheduled to start out across the country in July. Developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, in association with ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research), COVAXIN is an inactivated vaccine, made from a strain of the irresistible SARS-CoV-2 virus, that has indicated guarantee in preclinical investigations, demonstrating extensive safety and effective immune responses. Drug manufacturers round the world are racing to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus; a completely unique virus is one that has never previously been identified in humans, making the task of making a vaccine much harder. The proactive support and direction from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had enabled approvals for the project, Dr Krishna M Ella, Chairman & Managing Director of Bharat Biotech International Limited, said during a statement. The indigenous, inactivated vaccine has been developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s Bio-Safety Level 3 (BSL-3) High Containment facility located in Hyderbad’s Genome Valley. The company is additionally involved in the development of CoroFlu, a nasal vaccine for COVID-19, as a part of a world collaboration of virologists at the University of Wisconsin– Madison and vaccine firm FluGen.

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Sun Pharma initiates Phase II clinical trial on a phytopharmaceutical drug as potential treatment for COVID-19 patients

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd announced that it has commenced Phase II clinical trial on AQCH, a phytopharmaceutical (plant-derived) drug for treatment of COVID-19. The Company received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for conducting Phase II clinical trial. The clinical trial will be conducted across 12 centres in India in 210 patients. The treatment duration for the patients will be 10 days. The results of the clinical trial are expected by October 2020. Human safety study of AQCH has already been completed and the drug has been found to be safe at the recommended dose for Phase II study.

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Sun Pharma receives approval from DCGI to initiate clinical trial with Nafamostat in COVID-19 patients

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd has announced that it has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to initiate a clinical trial with Nafamostat Mesilate in COVID-19 patients. Nafamostat is approved in Japan for improvement of acute symptoms of pancreatitis and treatment of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). A group of scientists from the University of Tokyo, Japan and Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Germany have recently demonstrated that Nafamostat, at very low concentrations, suppresses a protein (TMPRSS2) that the COVID-19 virus uses to enter human lung cells.

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A start-up in Kochi run by children made non-contact IR thermometer and portable automatic sanitizer dispenser

Urav Advanced Learning Systems Private Limited, a company in Kochi for children, run by children, with the objective to develop useful products while learning and at the same time has loads of fun together. The company is manufacturing DIY kits where the person can assemble and learn the working of the product. For example, a non-contact thermometer and portable automatic sanitizer dispenser is necessary for a situation like the pandemic now. At the same time, due to the lockdown, children do not have an opportunity to spend their time in a worthwhile manner. So, the start-up has created a thermometer kit where children will assemble the thermometer using a video tutorial to get the finished working product and learn about electronics at the same time. Similarly, they made a portable automatic sanitizer dispenser kit which comes with USB cable, charger and can be used directly with AC supply or with a power bank to make it portable.
Contact Info: info@uralstech.in

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