Tag: vaccine

Centre ‘forcefully stopped Pfizer’s COVID vaccine: KCR hits out at Modi-govt

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Nanded: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has alleged that the Central government did everything possible to “forcefully” prevent import of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, especially when people were ready to get the best vaccine.
Rao claimed that he and several other Chief Ministers had lobbied for Pfizer in India, but the PM Modi Government stalled the entry of the US pharmaceutical giant into India.
The Chief Minister’s remark at his recent rally in Maharashtra’s Nanded came days after Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed that Pfizer had “tried to bully the Indian government into accepting an indemnity clause for supplying its mRNA COVID vaccine”.
MoS Chandrasekhar, shared a tweet of Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the World Economic Forum in Davos in which the pharma company official stated that senior leaders in the Opposition had put pressure on the Centre to procure foreign-made vaccines during the pandemic rather than choosing Made in India vaccines.
Addressing a press conference in Maharashtra’s Nanded on Sunday, KCR said that “Make in India” has become a “Joke in India.”
“Today many multinational companies are leaving China, but why are we not able to attract them? Why are those companies not turning towards us? If Make in India would have been right, ease of doing would have been right, if they were feasible, then why were not allowed to come to India?
“There is a company namely Pfizer, which manufactures vaccines, it was stopped from entering India during COVID-19. No matter how hard the company tried but they (the Centre) did not allow them to come here. What was the reason?” questioned the Telangana chief minister.
“While the public wanted to get the best vaccine, people also wanted to buy it, yet the company was stopped forcefully. We also tried, many Chief Ministers also had talks with PMO and Niti Aayog but they (Govt) did not allow them (Pfizer) to come,” KCR said.

KCR claimed that several multinational companies which were leaving China, like Pfizer, were being prevented from entering India and the Central government was promoting slogans of ‘Make in India’ to encourage crony capitalism and mislead people.
“Where is the environment in India? Do we have an environment of Make in India like the slogans they are giving? Do we have ease of doing business? Are we provided with the facilities? If there is, then why are we are not able to get international companies?” he asked.
Taking a dig at the Centre, KCR further alleged, “They will work for those who are their friends. Will inflate their stock market, why will they let others to come?”
But the Central government had said that they will not buy the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and Moderna because indigenous vaccines will be more affordable and easier to store.
India was in discussions with US companies Pfizer and Moderna in 2021 for the supply of these international vaccines but their terms and conditions were not accepted ultimately by India. The Centre declined to meet the requests by the US pharma firms for legal protection over any side effects from the use of their vaccines, which are widely used in the United States and Europe.
However, India successfully vaccinated its citizens, with “Made in India” vaccines under its nationwide vaccination drive, under which over 220.16 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the two years since its launch.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently tweeted that India’s feat was the “world’s largest and most successful vaccination drive.” He saluted the efforts of doctors and other healthcare workers on the front line who made this achievement possible.
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#Centre #forcefully #stopped #Pfizers #COVID #vaccine #KCR #hits #Modigovt
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 8, 2023
Lawyers for U.S., Navy Seals battle over revoked Covid-19 vaccine mandate

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The appeals court issued no immediate rulings Monday.
Justice Department attorney Casen Ross urged the appeals court to set aside as moot preliminary injunctions a federal judge in Texas issued early last year against the Biden administration policy requiring service members to receive a coronavirus vaccine unless granted a religious exemption.
Ross said the National Defense Authorization Act passed in December effectively reversed that policy and rendered the injunctions against the policy moot. Lawmakers acted to nix the military vaccine mandate over the opposition of President Joe Biden, who signed the broader defense measure anyway. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin formally repealed the orders related to the policy last month.
“This court should accordingly follow its routine practice and vacate those injunctions because these appeals have become moot,” Ross said.
The Supreme Court stepped in last March to block a portion of the injunctions, essentially giving the military unfettered authority to make deployment decisions. The Biden administration did not ask the high court to disturb portions of the injunctions prohibiting discipline or removal of service members who refused to get vaccinated or said it violated their religious beliefs.
Three conservative justices dissented from that decision. However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh backed it, saying it was in keeping with a tradition of giving the president broad authority over the military.
However, at Monday’s arguments, Judge James Ho said he didn’t think the policy was about military needs at all.
“It was about a vaccine policy for the entire country or at least a large percentage. … So, this was not a military decision. This was a social policy decision,” declared Ho, an appointee of President Donald Trump. “There’s no discussion of military readiness or anything. It’s a perhaps debatable or worthy vaccine mandate policy discussion we can have, but it doesn’t sound in military necessity or military readiness. It sounds in social policy.”

Ho also suggested that Biden’s stated desire to maintain the policy meant it was possible it could return in the future.
“This change is a policy you all vociferously oppose. So, it sort of seems weird to say that there’s no controversy anymore,” the judge said.
While Ho sounded inclined to leave the injunctions in place, another judge on the panel, James Graves, seemed to be considering wiping them out while letting the litigation continue in the district court. Graves, an appointee of President Barack Obama, asked repeatedly whether the injunctions were actually blocking any policy that is currently in effect.
Judge Kyle Duncan, a Trump appointee, expressed concern that the Navy seemed to have abandoned the religious exemption process it had put in place when the mandate was in effect.
Ho and Duncan pressed Ross about whether the Justice Department contends the case is completely moot or whether the service members can continue to press their legal battle in the lower court. Ross took the unusual tack of declining to say, even though a filing addressing that issue is due in the district court later Monday.
“The government hasn’t made a filing yet in that case, and, so, I think it would be premature for me to make any representation to this court,” Ross said. “We have a number of hours before it’s actually due. So, I don’t want to get in front of those litigators.”
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#Lawyers #U.S #Navy #Seals #battle #revoked #Covid19 #vaccine #mandate
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 7, 2023
3 lakh doses of intranasal Covid vaccine sent to hospitals: Bharat Biotech’s Krishna Ella

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New Delhi: Bharat Biotech dispatched three lakh doses of its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to some hospitals two days ago, the company’s executive chairman Krishna Ella said on Sunday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an event here at which a bilateral agreement was signed between the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Global Health Institute (GHI) and the Ella Foundation for the establishment of the first-ever UW-Madison One Health Centre in Bengaluru.
iNCOVACC, the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, was launched on January 26. The vaccine is now available on CoWIN and priced at Rs 800 for private markets and Rs 325 for the government of India and state governments.
“We dispatched three lakh doses of the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to some hospitals two days ago,” Ella said.
On whether Bharat Biotech is looking at exporting the vaccine, he said some countries and international agencies are approaching the company for the intra-nasal vaccine.
Innova is also the world’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine to receive approval for the primary 2-dose schedule, and as a heterologous booster dose for adults.
Ella said the UW-Madison One Health Centre in Bengaluru is expected to be operational by the end of 2023.
It will advance the development and production of new vaccines for India. Furthermore, the partnership will enable collaboration across disciplines and geographic boundaries, provide Indian students and researchers access to UW expertise and training, and build research capacity in India, he said.

“Both Ella Foundation and UW-Madison GHI share a common vision to advance innovation in science, research, and knowledge sharing. Establishing the UW-Madison Global One Health Centre holds great significance as it will advance global health through research, education, and community engagement by facilitating student, and faculty exchanges, research and education,” he added.
UW-Madison GHI director Jorge Osorio said, “We are energised by the opportunity to partner with the Ella Foundation to bring UW knowledge and expertise to expand innovative and impactful health initiatives outside Wisconsin to India.”
The India One Health Centre joins a global network that includes Africa and Latin America and will open new opportunities for research, education, and provide actionable outcomes to benefit humans, animals, and ecosystems that advance equitable and sustainable health across India and the world.
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#lakh #doses #intranasal #Covid #vaccine #hospitals #Bharat #Biotechs #Krishna #Ella
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 5, 2023
Change to Covid vaccine formulation signals start of FDA pivot in immunization strategy

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Recent evidence suggests that the current bivalent provides protection against severe disease and death from the XBB.1 variant that is dominant in the U.S. right now.
“As we’ve turned the corner from a pandemic phase to an endemic phase,” said Ofer Levy, staff physician at Boston Children’s Hospital, professor at Harvard Medical School and a member of the FDA panel. “Today’s vote marks a big practical win for the American people.”
According to the CDC, roughly 69 percent of adults living in the U.S. have completed their primary vaccination series. More than 80 percent have received at least one shot, but 20 percent remain completely unvaccinated. Only about 15 percent of Americans, or 50 million people, have received bivalent boosters so far.
Advisers stressed that this update would simplify immunizations going forward, which could result in more vaccinations.
“I think anything that results in better public communication, to get more of the unvaccinated vaccinated would be extremely valuable,” said Henry Bernstein, a professor of pediatrics at Hofstra University and a member of the advisory committee.
The recommendation still needs to be adopted by the FDA and the CDC before all vaccines are updated. Although the FDA doesn’t have to agree with its advisory committee, it often does.
“We think that simplification of the vaccination regimen would contribute to easier vaccine deployment and better communication and improved vaccine coverage,” said Jerry Weir, director of the division of viral products in the office of vaccines research and review at FDA.
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#Change #Covid #vaccine #formulation #signals #start #FDA #pivot #immunization #strategy
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

January 27, 2023
India’s first intranasal COVID-19 vaccine iNNCOVACC launched

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New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday unveiled the COVID-19 vaccine, iNNCOVACC in the presence of Union Minister of State (IC) for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh.
iNNCOVACC is the world’s first intranasal Covid-19 vaccine to receive approval for the primary 2-dose schedule, and as a heterologous booster dose. It is developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) in collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a PSU under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
Expressing his elation at the event, Mandaviya said that over 65 per cent of vaccines supplied in the world are from India.
Congratulating the BBIL team and the Department of Biotech for bringing about the world’s first nasal vaccine, he stated that “being the world’s first intra-nasal Covid-19 vaccine, this marks a glorious tribute to the call for Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
The Union Health Minister added that India’s vaccine manufacturing and innovation capability is appreciated all over the world as it has made a mark in producing quality and affordable medicines.
Congratulating BBIL for innovating another vaccine in collaboration with BIRAC, Jitendra Singh said that “India has taken a lead in developing vaccines and medicines for diseases common in the developing world.”
He also stated that ZyCoV-D, the world’s first and India’s indigenously developed DNA based vaccine for Covid-19 to be administered in humans including children and adults 12 years and above, was also developed in partnership with the Department of Biotechnology in the Ministry of Science & Technology under ‘Mission Covid Suraksha’ through BIRAC.
iNCOVACC is a cost effective Covid-19 vaccine which does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandage, etc, saving costs related to procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, that is routinely required for injectable vaccines.

It utilises a vector-based platform, which can be easily updated with emerging variants leading to large scale production, within a few months. These rapid response timelines combined with the ability of cost effective and easy intranasal delivery, makes it an ideal vaccine to address future infectious diseases.
A rollout of iNCOVACC is expected to begin in private hospitals that have placed advance orders. Initial manufacturing capacity of several million doses per annum has been established, this can be scaled up to a billion doses as required. iNCOVACC is priced at Rs 325 per dose for large volume procurement by State Governments and Government of India.
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#Indias #intranasal #COVID19 #vaccine #iNNCOVACC #launched
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 26, 2023
Serum Institute launches 1st made-in-India HPV vaccine for cervical cancer

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New Delhi: Chief Executive Officer of Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla, on Tuesday announced the launch of the first made-in-India Human Papillomavirus (HPV) “CERVAVAC” vaccine, for the prevention of cervical cancer.
The launch took place in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, Adar Poonawalla, and the Director of Government & Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India, Prakash K Singh.
“On the occasion of India’s National Girl Child Day and Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, @SerumInstIndia is pleased to launch the first made-in-India HPV vaccine by the hands of our Hon’ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji. @PrakashKsingh7,” tweeted Adar Poonawalla.
‘CERVAVAC’ is an outcome of a partnership of DBT and BIRAC with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supported by Serum Institute of India Private Limited for the indigenous development of quadrivalent vaccine through its partnership programme ‘Grand Challenges India’.
Earlier in December last, Dr NK Arora, chairman of the Covid working group, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) had said that it is expected India to get the HPV vaccine, by April at one-tenth cost.
Speaking to ANI, Dr Arora said, “There are two or three companies which are in the process (of manufacturing the vaccine in India) but the Serum Institute of India (SII) has already got the regulators’ clearance and the vaccine should be available for our patients by April or May 2023.”
“The vaccine should be available soon. I don’t know the exact cost yet but am given to understand that the cost of the vaccine will be one-tenth of the internationally-branded vaccine currently available,” he added.
Dr Arora further informed that almost 80,000 cases of cervical cancer occur in India every year.

“During the last 24 hours, our country lost 95-100 women due to cervical cancer. India accounts for the bulk of deaths from cervical cancer in the world. Almost 80,000 cases are reportedly worldwide every year. What is important to note here is that cervical cancer is entirely preventable through vaccination. The Human Papilloma Virus or HPV causes cervical cancer and a vaccine is available which can prevent it,” he added.
He said the Union government will be able to roll out the HPV vaccine as part of its national health programme for girls aged between 9 and 14 years.
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#Serum #Institute #launches #1st #madeinIndia #HPV #vaccine #cervical #cancer
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 24, 2023
Pfizer Vaccine side effects mistaken for Earthquake Tremors

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A number of Americans reported felt tremors and posted about the same on social media. However, the US Center for Seismology (UCS) clarified that there’s been no earthquake recently and so many people feeling tremor at once must be a coincidence.
All the people who complained of tremor had one thing common – Pfizer. It was learned that all these people mistook Pfizer side effect of body part tremor for earthquake.
According to Pfizer spokesperson Johnson, the tremors are a “rare but manageable” side effect of the drug, and should not deter patients from taking it.
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#Pfizer #Vaccine #side #effects #mistaken #Earthquake #Tremors
[ Disclaimer: With inputs from The Fauxy, an entertainment portal. The content is purely for entertainment purpose and readers are advised not to confuse the articles as genuine and true, these Articles are Fictitious meant only for entertainment purposes. ]

January 24, 2023
Pfizer CEO avoids question on ineffectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine

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The chief executive officer (CEO) of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Albert Bourla ignored questions regarding the ineffectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine when confronted by Rebel News at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Friday.
In a video, the CEO is bombarded with questions such as, “Mr Bourla, can I ask you – when did you know the vaccines did not stop transmission? How long did you know that before saying it publicly?”. He responds by saying, “Thank you very much.”
When the reporter questions Bourla on why the latter did not disclose that vaccines cannot stop transmission, Bourla remained mum.
“You said it was 100% effective, then 90%, then 80%, then 70%, but we now know that the vaccines do not stop transmission. Why do you keep that secret?” asked the reporter to which Bourla replied, “Have a nice day.”
When asked how much money he made from the vaccine, Bourla kept quiet.
According to a report by the news agency AFP, Pfizer offered 23 of its patented drugs to poor countries during the peak of the pandemic. It was offered on a no-profit basis. Last year Pfizer announced its new initiative – An Accord for a Healthier World – that would include off-patent drugs, a total of 500 products.
“The Accord portfolio offering now includes both patented and off-patent medicines and vaccines that treat or prevent many of the greatest infectious and non-communicable disease threats faced today in lower-income countries,” Pfizer said.

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#Pfizer #CEO #avoids #question #ineffectiveness #COVID19 #vaccine
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 22, 2023