Health

Union minister of health and family welfare, science & technology and earth sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan advised people on the early detection and management of Mucormycosis – commonly known as Black Fungus. He took to twitter to advice people on black fungus, its symptoms and required action once someone contracts the infection.

The COVID Working Group chaired by Dr N K Arora had recommended extension of the gap between the first and second doses of COVISHIELD vaccine to 12-16 weeks. This has been accepted by Government of India on 13th May 2021.

India is helping state run firms—Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL) and Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Ltd (BIBCOL)— to gear up for manufacturing Covaxin to help meet the vaccine shortage in the country.

India will have enough doses to inoculate all citizens by December, the head of the national task force on Covid-19 vaccines said on Thursday, dangling the prospect of a final victory against a virus that is now devastating homes and families across the country.

A sudden increase in demand has been observed in some states for Amphotericin B which is being actively prescribed by the physicians to patients suffering from Mucormycosis, a post COVID-19 complication. The Government of India is therefore engaging with the manufacturers to ramp up production of the drug. The supply position is expected to improve with extra imports of this drug and increase in its production domestically.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Reuters: SUN.BO, Bloomberg: SUNP IN, NSE: SUNPHARMA, BSE: 524715, “Sun Pharma” and includes its subsidiaries and/or associate companies) today announced that it has entered into a royalty-free, non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”) for expanding access to Lilly’s drug, baricitinib in India. Sun Pharma will manufacture and distribute the drug in India.