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At the summit of world leaders next week, the Group of Seven (G7) rich countries are expected to decide to launch a new program to provide vaccines to developing nations, according to a report on Saturday in Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper. The World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank, and G20 countries like India will also join, it was stated, citing sources from the Japanese government. The COVAX facility, supported by WHO and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), provided emerging nations with over 2 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVAX faced challenges in guaranteeing fair access, however, as wealthy countries prioritised vaccinations for their citizens, while insufficient storage facilities in poorer countries resulted in supply delays and the disposal of millions of doses that were close to expiration. According to the publication, the new program aims to pool rainy-day funds for vaccine manufacturing and purchases, as well as investments in low-temperature storages and training of healthcare professionals in preparation for the next pandemic. In order to counter the rising power of China and Russia, Japan, this year’s G7 summit chair, seeks to gain support from emerging nations on a variety of topics, including supply chains, food security, and climate change.

The World Bank has approved $82 million in funding to support the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases in India. Zoonotic diseases are illnesses that can be transmitted from animals to humans, such as rabies, avian influenza, and leptospirosis. The project aims to strengthen India’s health systems and surveillance mechanisms to better detect and respond to zoonotic diseases. This will include the development of a national One Health platform, which will bring together experts in human, animal, and environmental health to better understand and prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases. “In India, around 68 per cent of the workforce relies on farming and remains in close contact with domestic animals and poultry, thereby becoming frequently exposed to sick or infected animals,” said Hikuepi Katjiuongua, Adarsh Kumar and Anupam Joshi, the Task Team Leaders for the program. The project will also support the development of rapid response teams, laboratory networks, and community-based surveillance systems. The funding will be provided over a period of five years and will be implemented by the Indian government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals has been granted a Certificate of Suitability by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare (EDQM) to export paracetamol to the European market. One of the top pharmaceutical (APIs) firms and a prominent player in the market for specialty chemicals, a listed company was established in 1986. Paracetamol is widely used in medications prescribed for pain relief and fever treatment. The pharma firm informed stock exchanges on Monday that, “The certification issued by the EDQM verifies the compliance of pharmaceutical substances and with this backing, IOL will now be able to export paracetamol to the European continent.” In 2022, the company’s Punjab-based factory will begin commercial production of paracetamol. It can currently produce 3,600 tonnes of paracetamol in total. The UK, Belgium, Hungary, Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Ireland, the United States, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Bangladesh, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong, and Egypt are the nations where it has consumers abroad.

At a meeting on May 16, the government plans to reopen discussions with industry stakeholders on the divisive subject of trade margin rationalisation (TMR) on drugs and medical devices. Members of pharmaceutical associations and makers of medical devices were invited to the meeting in this respect by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), who also requested suggestions by Friday. “The DoP and NPPA have been receiving various suggestions from the industry for amendments in DPCO, 2013 and National Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy. Hence, it has been decided to organise a workshop with industry stakeholders with the participation of the associations of pharma and the medical device sector,” said the invite. The lobby group members are anticipated to start the conversation of implementing TMR on pharmaceutical formulations. The government should implement the “one-molecule, one-price” formula, according to several small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies.

The World Health Organisation released its updated COVID-19 strategy on Wednesday in an effort to assist nations in transitioning from emergency mode to a long-term preventive and control strategy. The publication precedes a meeting of the COVID-19 emergency committee of the WHO, where it will be decided whether the pandemic still requires the highest degree of alert, which was instituted in January 2020 at the beginning of the outbreak. The final decision, which belongs to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, might not be made public until a few days after that meeting. Since the first cases were reported in late 2019 in the Wuhan region of China, the WHO has released a fourth strategic plan for dealing with COVID-19 for the years 2023–2025. The aim is “to support countries as they transition from an emergency response to longer-term sustained COVID-19 disease prevention, control, and management,” the head of the WHO stated in the report. The WHO warned last week that although COVID-19 mortality had decreased by 95% since the year’s beginning, the virus was still actively spreading. According to the World Health Organisation, COVID-19 is a persistent condition, and nations must learn how to handle its ongoing non-emergency impacts, including the Long COVID condition that followed COVID-19. The previous strategy’s two objectives—to stop COVID from spreading and to treat the virus to lessen mortality, morbidity, and long-term effects—will be upheld by the new approach. The updated strategy, however, includes a third objective: “to support countries as they transition from an emergency response to longer-term sustained COVID-19 disease prevention, control, and management.” According to Tedros, Long COVID appears to be present in 6% of symptomatic cases, and it is strongly addressed in the WHO report. According to the organization, “This is why we urge countries to maintain sufficient capacity, operational readiness and flexibility to scale up during surges of COVID-19, while maintaining other essential health services and preparing for the emergence of new variants with increased severity or capacity.” Source: AFP

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi is getting ready to open its cutting-edge robotics training facility on May 2 with the goal of giving doctors the finest possible training in robotic-assisted surgery. According to officials, the facility would begin operations in the convergence block, wet lab, and SET (skills, e-learning, telemedicine) facility at AIIMS New Delhi on May 2. This is done in collaboration with India Medtronic Private Limited, according to AIIMS Delhi. This institute will offer surgeons the greatest possible training in robotic-assisted surgery, including wet lab and simulation training. The agreement to establish a robotic training centre in any government or public body is the first of its kind. It went on to say that such training is essential for surgeons and will open the door to providing patients with more advantages and surgical solutions. In order to train surgeons nationwide and increase access to the advantages of robotic-assisted surgery, the partnership combines cutting-edge technology and decades of surgical expertise. Surgeons must receive training and education on cutting-edge technologies like robotics, which will help the entire medical community develop in providing patients with more advantages and surgical options, according to a statement from AIIMS.

Shingrix (Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted) was launched in India on Monday by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd. The vaccine is aimed to prevent post-herpetic neuralgia and shingles (herpes zoster) in individuals 50 years of age and older. According to a statement from the company, Shingrix is the first non-live, recombinant subunit vaccination to be administered intramuscularly in two doses. According to the manufacturer, the vaccine Shingrix can guard against shingles, which is brought on by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), which also causes chickenpox, for at least 10 years. Managing Director of GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bhushan Akshikar, commented on the launch, saying, “GSK is pleased to bring Shingrix to protect India’s 260 million adults above 50 years of age from shingles and its complications. Existing treatment options may not give complete relief from this pain. Vaccination is the only effective preventive option. We are pleased to add Shingrix to our adult vaccination portfolio and make it available across the nation.” According to the statement, the vaccine has a proven efficacy rate of over 90% against shingles. In 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Shingrix for the treatment of persons 50 years of age or older who are at risk of developing shingles. Shingrix received approval from the European Commission in 2018 to be used in individuals 50 years of age or older as shingles prevention. More than 90% of Indian participants in a seroprevalence study had this virus in their bodies by the age of 40, making them susceptible to developing shingles. A painful rash result from shingles. In every case, the rash goes away, but the pain frequently lasts for months or years. Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the medical term for this pain. Due to decreased immunity, people over 50 and those with long-term illnesses such diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease are more likely to develop shingles. In elderly folks, shingles can also result in consequences like hearing loss and vision loss. Shingrix is a non-live vaccine, according to the company, so it can be given to anyone over 50 who are immunosuppressed or weakened and may be at an increased risk of developing Shingles.  

According to data published on Friday by the Union Health Ministry, India has recorded 11,692 new coronavirus infections, with 66,170 active cases. The death toll has risen to 5,31,258 with 28 deaths, including nine confirmed by Kerala, according to data updated at 8 a.m. The number of COVID cases is 4.48 crore (4,48,69,684). According to the ministry, the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.67%, and the active cases currently make up 0.15 percent of all infections. A record 4,42,72,256 people have been cured of the disease, while the case fatality rate is 1.18 percent.According to the ministry’s website, 220.66 crore doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered throughout the country so far as part of the nationwide vaccination drive.  

The AIIMS administration has made the decision to start a recruiting drive in order to meet the goal of having almost “zero vacancies” by September 2023. According to a recent TOI report, the institute has 1,055 paramedical staff positions open against 8,225 sanctioned posts and 363 doctor and faculty positions open against 1,207 sanctioned positions in several departments. A recruitment drive will be started at the institute, according to an office memorandum released by director M Srinivas on Wednesday, in order to improve cooperation between the examination section, recruitment cell, and faculty cell and to ensure that open positions are filled promptly. In order to make this process easier, Prof. Rajiv Narang has been appointed the “chief coordinating officer” and is in charge of closely monitoring the number of vacancies and the actions being done to fill them with the faculty cell, recruitment cell, and examination section. Every week, a report on actions taken will be sent to the director’s office. The major departments with vacancies, according to the information, are cardiology, general surgery, liver transplant, obstetrics and gynaecology, as well as the institutions Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, Dr BRA Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, and National Cancer Institute on the campus of AIIMS Jhajjar. In order to solve the workforce shortage at these institutions, the Union Health Ministry is also considering the introduction of centralised recruiting for faculty and non-faculty at various AIIMS throughout India. In this regard, a committee has also been established. Only 2,259 of the 4,026 sanctioned positions have been filled in the 18 new AIIMS, according to ministry data.

The inclusion of Covovax from Serum Institute as a heterologous booster dose for adults on the CoWIN portal is reportedly approved by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in light of the rising COVID-19 cases in various regions of the nation, according to official sources on Monday. A price of Rs 225 per dose plus any relevant GST would probably be listed for Covovax on the portal in a few days. The action follows a letter that Prakash Kumar Singh, head of the Serum Institute of India (SII), sent to the Union health ministry on March 27, according to the sources. Singh had stated in his letter to the ministry that Covovax is a top-notch vaccine that has been approved by the DCGI, WHO, and USFDA and that it should be listed on the CoWIN portal as a heterologous booster dose for adults, according to an official source. After receiving Covishield or Covaxin vaccinations, individuals can receive Covovax. The COVID-19 Working Group, led by Dr. NK Arora, also suggested this month that the vaccine be added to the portal as a heterologous booster dose for adults who have received two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin. The market authorization for Covovax for people who have received two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin was granted by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on January 16. The WHO and USFDA have both given Covovax their approval. The DCGI had approved Covovax for limited use in emergency situations for adults on December 28, 2021, for the 12–17 age group on March 9, and for children aged 7–11 on June 28, 2022, subject to specified criteria. Covovax is produced using technology that was transferred from Novavax. It has received conditional marketing authorization from the European Medicines Agency. The World Health Organization (WHO) authorised its listing for emergency use on December 17, 2021. With NVX-CoV2373, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being developed and commercialised in India and low- and middle-income countries, US-based vaccine manufacturer Novavax Inc. signed a licence deal with the SII in August 2020.