Author: Biotech Express

by Shrikant Nema Affiliations: Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, ICMR-National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, PO Garha, Nagpur Road, Jabalpur-482003, Madhya Pradesh, India and School of Biotechnology, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidhalya (State Technological University of Madhya Pradesh), Bhopal, 462 023, Madhya Pradesh, India Correspondence: shrikantnema2014@gmail.com Abstract India along with 25 other countries has set the goal of malaria elimination by 2030. Out of these 26 countries, 22 are affected with COVID-19. We propose herewith that such countries, e.g., India must plan and manage the COVID-19 situations in a way not to hinder targeted malaria elimination goal. Keywords: COVID-19, Malaria elimination,…

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Narendra Modi government has fielded three scientists to brief the media and the public at large. They are principal scientific adviser K. VijayRaghavan; NITI Aayog member and chief of national expert group on vaccines V.K. Paul; and Indian Council of Medical Research director-general Balram Bhargava. Individually and collectively, they, along with various bureaucrats and ministers who purportedly have sought to inform and guide the public, have been far less forthcoming in handling questions than their counterparts in other democracies reeling from COVID-19, especially the UK and the US. Here are…

The Panel Discussion on “Pharma and Biopharma Industries in India: Challenges and Opportunities in Innovative Drug Discovery and Development” was conducted as a part of the concluding session of the virtual workshop on “Drug Discovery and Development” from 15th March to 4th April 2021 by the Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA) (biofaba.org.in), the Science Gurus (sciencegurus.org) and the University of Hyderabad (uohyd.ac.in). The workshop participants included undergraduate students, postgraduates, research and postdoctoral scholars, and research scientists from universities, research institutions and Pharma/biotech industries across India, Bangladesh, Israel and Iran. The highlights of the workshop were the exceptional speakers who…

Kamal Pratap Singh Abstract: The COVID- 19 is in existence since more than a year and still no one, not even Anthony Fauci himself is sure to answer that how much time it will take to come to normal. Scientific claims and political scenarios have made the situation worst in some parts of the world and thus common man has been suffering from all of this. In this article, the author has been trying to understand various aspects that can clear our doubts about coronavirus and handling of future activities in regard to this or any other similar biological pandemic.…

As the 65-year-old freelance journalist’s complaint went viral on Twitter, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s media advisor responded to him next afternoon, asking for more details. By then, Srivastava’s oxygen levels had fallen to 31. At 4.20 pm on Saturday, his son, Harshit Srivastava, tweeted to say his father had died – waiting for an ambulance. “We did not get anything,” he told Scroll.in on the phone. “I called every number for an oxygen cylinder but no one picked up.” It took eight months to invite bids for over 150 oxygen generation plants costing just Rs 200 crore. Six months…

The finance ministry has given in-principle nod for advance payment of Rs 4,567.50 crore to Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII) to boost the production of the vaccines in India. This constitutes 100 per cent advance to two of India’s Covid vaccine manufacturers till July. While Rs 3,000 crore has been approved for Pune-based SII—the manufacturer of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine Covishield, Rs 1567.50 crore has been granted to Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech to boost the production of Covaxin. The finance ministry has reportedly relaxed the general financial rules to allow the advance payment against future supplies…

The alarming surge in Covid-19 cases in India can be blamed largely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, and their reckless messaging through overcrowded, unmasked election rallies as well as the Kumbh Mela. With the two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders addressing ‘massive’ rallies and roadshows without masks, an illusion of normality was created. A message was sent to the masses that Covid is a nightmare of the past. The virus loves crowds, as the saying goes, but it particularly adores crowds that don’t bother with masks or physical distancing. And the crowds at mega rallies in Assam…

Jordan he repeatedly asked National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci when Americans will “get their freedoms back.” “Fifteen days to slow the spread turned into one year of lost liberty,” Jordan said before asking Fauci: “What metrics, what measures, what has to happen before Americans get more freedoms?” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questions Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, during a House Select Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 15, 2021, on the coronavirus crisis. Ohio’s Rep. Jim Jordan got into a shouting match at a Wednesday hearing of…

As on March 29, a total of 180 deaths (29.2%) have been reported following vaccination across the country. Complete documentation is available only for 236 (38.3%) cases. According to a presentation made to the National AEFI Committee during a meeting held on March 31, there have been 617 severe and serious (including deaths) adverse events following immunisation (AEFI). In all, 492 severe and serious AEFI have been classified by the AEFI Secretariat of the Immunisation Technical Support Unit (ITSU) at the Health Ministry. Classification has been completed for 124 deaths, 305 serious events that required hospitalisation, and 63 severe events…

Given all the information shared by European Union and U.K. regulators, there is a reasonable chance that the AstraZeneca vaccine is associated with an increased risk of a rare condition that is characterized by blood clotting coupled with a fall in platelet counts. These divergent symptoms are what makes this a serious and difficult-to-treat reaction. The reported number in the EU calculates to about 1 per 100,000 vaccinations. Several European countries suspended use of the AstraZeneca Plc COVID-19 vaccine amid safety concerns after some blood-clotting events that regulators feared might be tied to the shot.Australia and the Philippines also limited…