May 07, 2021 09:08 PM IST

Can the single dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 jab be a game changer for India?

Experts say that a single dose COVID-19 vaccine will help vaccinate twice as many people in the same amount of time, but the long term protection of these vaccines remain unclear

COVID-19 Vaccines | CoWIN will have 4-digit security code from May 8 to reduce data entry errors

The ministry further added that this will “also reduce opportunities of impersonation and wrongful use of flexibilities provided in CoWIN”.

COVID-19 Vaccines | Biological E to begin producing 75-80 million doses of vaccine candidate from August 2021

The company is also starting Phase III trials of its recombinant protein vaccine candidate from August.

COVID-19 Vaccines | India to produce Russia's Sputnik Light single-shot vaccine

Interim result of the phase III trials of the new Russian vaccine candidate is expected by May end. The trials involved 7,000 and were conducted across countries including Russia and the United Arab Emirates

COVID-19 Second Wave | Supreme Court asks Centre to supply 700 MT oxygen to Delhi every day

The Centre had on May 5 moved the Supreme Court against a show-cause notice issued by the Delhi High Court over oxygen shortage in the national capital.

COVID-19 crisis | Maharashtra govt approves 100% recruitment in Health Department

The Maharashtra government will complete the process of filling a total of 16,000 posts in groups A and B within a week, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said

VACCINATION OPEN FOR ALL: THE NEED & WAY FORWARD

First human-monkey embryos created – a small step towards a huge ethical problem

We believe monkeys to have lower moral status than humans – but what about human-monkey chimeras?

Delhi makes 14-day institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

The order comes in light of reports of a virulent COVID-19 variant recently found in these states

Coronavirus India News Highlights | Finance Ministry exempts Section 269ST of IT Act for hospitals, other medical facilities providing treatment to COVID-19

Coronavirus India News Highlights: No lockdown will be imposed in Telangana, says CM K Chandrasekhar Rao

Indian pharma cos welcome patent waivers on COVID vaccines, says tech transfer needed to scale up

Experts say India has a considerable knowledge base on vaccine platforms such as whole virion vaccines (inactivated or live virus), viral vectors and recombinant proteins. Here the patent waiver may not be of much help.

Pfzier and BioNTech to donate vaccines for Olympic athletes

This is the second such deal, after the IOC in March reached an agreement with Olympic officials in China to buy and distribute Chinese vaccines ahead of the Tokyo Games and next year's Beijing Winter Games.

JBCPL launches new division offering therapies targeting kidney diseases

The new division will focus exclusively on comprehensive renal care ranging from the management of hypertension in Chronic Kidney Disease to End-stage renal disease, the company said.

In Pics | Scenes of Scotland, as it weighs its future within Britain

A centuries-old union could face its greatest test if a majority in Scotland, which joined voluntarily with England in 1707, thinks now is the time to think again. c.2021 The New York Times Company

This new COVID-19 vaccine could bring hope to the unvaccinated world

Vaccines experts are particularly curious to see CureVac’s results because its shot has an important advantage over the other RNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.

What the Gates divorce means for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

After the news on May 3, grant recipients and staff members alike wondered what would happen. But, the message from the headquarters in Seattle was clear: Bill and Melinda Gates may be splitting up, but the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation isn’t going anywhere.

Centre to start Child Protection Services scheme to aid children who lost both parents due to COVID-19

Ram Mohan Mishra, Secretary, Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry will implement the scheme in partnership with state governments and union territory administrations

Coronavirus India News Highlights | Goa suspends all permissions issued for shooting of films, serials

Coronavirus India News Highlights: Passengers entering West Bengal via long-distance trains, inter-state buses must carry RT-PCR negative report, says CM Mamata Banerjee.

Roche's COVID-19 antibody cocktail receives Emergency Use Authorisation, Cipla to distribute the drug

"The production process for this biologic medicine is very complex and Roche, as one of the largest biologics manufacturers in the world, was selected by its partner Regeneron to expand worldwide production capacity," Roche said.

How Natco Pharma put US drug giant Eli Lilly under pressure for COVID-19 drug through compulsory licensing filing

The Indian company says it has offered 7% royalty to the US drugmaker for Baricitinib. Natco has filed for compulsory licensing, arguing that Eli Lilly’s small distribution network won’t be able to serve India’s population and the 14-day, Rs 42,000 per-patient treatment regimen for the US drug is too expensive.

Social media as ‘Godsend’: In India, cries for help get results

Volunteers across India are finding ways to amplify and address queries for updated information, oxygen cylinders, medicines and transport.

Is pricing, indemnity issues holding Centre, Pfizer from striking deal on vaccine procurement?

Pricing, legal indemnity two issues possibly holding up a quick deal, sources say. The company is insisting on a liability shield that protects it from potential lawsuits relating to vaccine-related adverse events. Some countries have agreed to indemnify the vaccine makers for claims as part of the purchase pacts. India has not agreed to this so far.

E-pharmacies' business surges 25-65% amid second COVID-19 wave

EY estimates India's online pharmacy sector to grow to about $2.7 billion by 2023 from $360 million in 2019.

COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: Over 14.8 lakh people in India get jabbed on May 4, more than 16 crore shots administered so far

Everyone above 18 years of age is now eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Registration for the newly eligible population groups commenced on April 28. Potential beneficiaries can either register directly on CoWIN portal or through the Aarogya Setu app.

Coronavirus India News Live Highlights: We're preparing for third COVID-19 wave since last month, says Uddhav Thackeray

Coronavirus India News Highlights: The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India has crossed 15.71 crore, according to the Union Health Ministry.