The government of India seems to have realized a key fact in the fight against COVID-19: Allowing the virus to circulate freely — even if it doesn’t lead to deaths — is poor strategy when it comes to controlling the pandemic. Addressing a meeting of chief ministers today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the need […]
Indian Pharmaceutical major Zydus Cadila has become the world’s first to seek approval for a DNA-based vaccine against COVID-19, with trials indicating 100% efficacy in adolescents against moderate disease after three doses. The vaccine, which is likely to be approved by Indian authorities, also promises relief for those afraid of needles, as it can be […]
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, one of India’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, commercially launched 2DG COVID-19 treatment today, starting with the bigger cities. The drug, formulated by DRDO’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s, is supposed to reduce the viral load in patients suffering from COVID-19. The drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose, is supposed to […]
Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers Cipla and Glenmark Pharma said they received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to launch a generic version of Sunovion Pharma’s inhaler therapy Brovana. The drug has substantial sales in the US of around $438 million in the 15 mcg dose and is approved for long-term, twice daily usage for […]
Lupin Ltd, one of the world’s largest generic drug makers, today said it received a warning letter from the US Food and Drug Administration relating to its US-based manufacturing plant located in Somerset, New Jersey. “We wish to inform you that the Company has received a warning letter from the US FDA for the company’s […]
Mumbai-based pharmaceuticals manufacturer Wockhardt officially confirmed that it is indeed in negotiations with multiple companies to explore the option of manufacturing their COVID-19 vaccines. The confirmation comes in the wake of recent media reports quoting government sources that the company had suggested to the government that it can divert some of its manufacturing capacities for […]
AstraZeneca India, which entered into a licensing deal with Sun Pharma for a key diabetes drug, said that it had terminated a distribution agreement for the same drug with Abbott Healthcare. The drug, dapagliflozin, was being supplied to Abbott Healthcare by the Indian unit of the British-Swedish company under a distribution agreement, which has now […]
AstraZeneca Pharma India, the local unit of the global pharmaceuticals giant, said it has decided to end its marketing agreement with Indian pharmaceutical giant Sun Pharma for two diabetes medications after the Indian company acquired a license to manufacture the same locally. In a separate statement, Sun Pharma said it has acquired the patent license […]
Zydus Cadila, the pharmaceutical arm of the Zydus group, said it has launched a next-generation breast cancer drug in India at a fraction of its existing cost. The drug, Trastuzumab Emtansine, is considered the first targeted chemotherapy drug for breast cancer as it directs the cytotoxic activity at cancer cells by using a known biomarker. […]
Less than a month after it approved for clinical trial approval, Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma said it has begun dosing patients in its phase III clinical trial for molnupiravir, a promising candidate for treating COVID-19 that is being studied across the world. Phase III trial data can be submitted to regulatory agencies for seeking approval of […]
Aarti Drugs, one of the biggest manufacturers of ingredients for the pharmaceuticals industry in India, reported a strong performance for the fourth quarter and full year 2020-21. All three of the Mumbai-based company’s business divisions — APIs or pharmaceutical ingredients, formulations or medicines, and specialty chemicals — contributed to a strong peformance, resulting in an […]
A week after Natco Pharma sought a compulsory license from government of India to manufacture COVID treatment drug Baricitinib, the US firm holding the rights to the drug — Eli Lilly — seems to have agreed to let several companies to manufacture and sell the drug. Baricitinib is used for treating joint inflammation in rheumatoid […]
Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma said it has decided to seek a compulsory license from the government of India to manufacture Baricitinib tablets to treat COVID-19 patients. Compulsory licensing is an internationally recognized patent provision under which the government of a country can give permission to a company to manufacture a patent-protected product for emergency use if […]
Faced with a supply squeeze for COVID-19 vaccines, the Kerala government has virtually stopped taking new registration COVID-19 vaccinations on the Cowin website, and is reserving most of the stocks for providing the second dose to those who have already taken the first. The state has been forced to more or less abandon the central-government’s […]
Modi Govt’s decision not to offer free COVID vaccines increases chances of repeated global pandemics in the future
Pharmaceuticals manufacturer Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd said it received permission from India’s drug regulator to import and supply the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in India. Like the other two vaccines approved in India, the nod for Sputnik V is also an ’emergency use authorization’, meaning that it cannot be sold to anyone and everyone, but […]
Indian Railways converted 5,601 railway coaches into emergency COVID-19 isolation wards to deal with an expected surge in critical COVID-19 cases, but only 135 of these were ever put to use, data from the ministry of railways reveals. Indian Railways spent a total of 38.30 cr — or about 68,380 per coach — to equip […]
Gufic Lifesciences Ltd, one of the oldest pharma companies in India, today said it has won the last pending regulatory approval for the amalgamation of its injectables unit with itself. It said it won approval from National Company Law Tribunal Mumbai for the merger last week. Since the transaction has a date of Jan 1, […]
India-based pharmaceuticals maker Glenmark Pharma has launched a generic version of a popular kidney cancer drug priced 96% lower than the branded version in India. Pfizer is the innovator of Sunitinib. Glenmark said its drug is launched at a price that is approximately 96% lower than the MRP of the innovator brand. Glenmark’s prices are […]
Alembic Pharmaceuticals said a new chemical developed by one of its joint ventures has become the first new chemical entity designed by Indian scientists to win approval from the US Food & Drug Administration. Umbralisib, created by its 50% JV Rhizen Pharma, is an anti-cancer drug that works by inhibiting phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) delta […]
