30 November 2020
The Russian Direct Investment Fund and pharma company Hetero have entered into an agreement to produce more than 100 million doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine per year in India. The partners have agreed to start production of Sputnik V in 2021.
Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat gout, is due to be tested as a possible treatment for Covid-19 in one the world’s largest clinical trials, reports suggest. The University of Oxford-based RECOVERY trial will be conducted on hospitalised Covid-19 patients and will randomly allot approximately 2,500 patients to be administered with Colchicine.
Wayne State University (WSU) and John Hopkins University have collaborated to determine the potential benefits of convalescent blood plasma from Covid-19-infected donors on diagnosed and exposed individuals, as well as to understand if the antibodies can help fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The WSU researchers conducted outpatient clinical trials, which are being sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University.
Malaysia and pharma giant Pfizer have entered into an agreement for the supply of 12.8 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. This makes the Southeast Asian country the first to strike a deal with the US drug maker. Although Pfizer’s vaccine final trial data showed 95% effective, Asian countries are not betting on it due to the tropical climate, remote island communities and also the need for ultra-cold freezers in the region.