HONG KONG – India’s conditional approval on Jan. 3 of a COVID-19 vaccine developed domestically by Bharat Biotech International Ltd. but still in phase III trials has sparked concerns about its safety. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) gave emergency authorization to the product, Covaxin, along with the Astrazeneca plc and Oxford University vaccine Covishield. The DCGI said the conditional approval granting “restricted use in emergency situation” for Covaxin was done in “clinical trial mode” to account for the fact that the shot is still being tested. But the rush to approve it has created controversy and confusion.
HONG KONG – Votis Subdermal Imaging Technologies Ltd. is developing a diagnostics solution that could prevent the loss of feet among India’s impoverished due to affects of peripheral artery disease (PAD). The company has entered an agreement with India’s Ii Ventures Pte. Ltd. (iiV) to develop a system to screen the largely rural Indian population for PAD.
NEW DELHI – The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted its first emergency conditional approvals Jan. 3 for a pair of COVID-19 vaccines, including Covishield, developed abroad by Astrazeneca plc and Oxford University and manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). The DCGI also approved Covaxin, which was developed locally by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd. in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, and is still in phase III trials.
NEW DELHI – Recent changes to India’s rules on medical devices have evoked mixed reaction among industry and legal experts with concerns over their impact on patenting of innovations tinged with a welcome reception of a new clause for mandatory registration and licensing of medical devices in the country to improve adherence to quality requirements.
NEW DELHI – Indian health care technology startups have gained ‘significant momentum’ over the last five years, fueled by a government push towards digitization, the uptake of technological advances and a spurt in health care apps. “The Indian health tech startup landscape has now come of age and includes a robust pipeline of ventures across both ends of the spectrum,” Sathguru director Pushpa Vijayaraghavan told BioWorld.
NEW DELHI – India’s digital health market is poised to grow rapidly over the next five years propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to two new reports.
KARACHI, Pakistan – Faced with lockdowns and massive disruptions to supply chains, distributors and manufacturers of surgical equipment in countries across South Asia like Pakistan, Indian, Bangladesh and Nepal are struggling to find a way forward but also looking for opportunities to expand their share of the global market while reducing their existing reliance on imports of basic supplies.
A new randomized controlled trial (RCT) of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) treatment for moderately ill COVID-19 patients run at 39 Indian hospitals found no association between CCP therapy and reduced mortality or progression to severe disease.
HONG KONG – Telangana, India-based Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. has launched Avigan (favipiravir), Fujifilm Holdings Corp.’s potential COVID-19 treatment, in India.
NEW DELHI – A COVID-19 diagnostic test kit developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi is the latest to join a growing pool of low-cost kits domestically developed in a country where the number of cases topped 2 million in August and continues to rise. The push to develop test kits domestically is part of a national effort to shake off a heavy dependence on imports of medical devices, including diagnostic kits.
