Category:

Health

India drug regulator approves AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, country’s first

Cheaper and easier to distribute than rival shots, the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine could be a game-changer for global immunisation.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization is also considering emergency-use authorisation applications for vaccines made by Pfizer Inc with Germany’s BioNTech, and by India’s Bharat Biotech.
India wants to start administering the vaccine soon, most likely by Wednesday, said one of the sources, both of whom declined to be named ahead of an official announcement expected later in the day.

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WHO emergency COVID-19 vaccine listing aims to lift access in poor countries

The United Nations health agency said it will work with regional partners to tell national health authorities about the two-dose shot and its anticipated benefits.

The WHO established its emergency use listing (EUL) process to help poorer countries without their own regulatory resources quickly approve medicines new diseases like COVID-19, which otherwise could lead to delays.

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Drugmakers to hike prices for 2021 as pandemic, political pressure put revenues at risk

President-elect Biden has also vowed to reduce drug costs and to allow Medicare, a U.S. government health insurance program, to negotiate drug prices. He has support from Congressional Democrats to pass such legislation, which the Congressional Budget Office has said could cost the industry more than $300 billion by 2029.

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Coronavirus vaccines could have potential allergic reactions, assures new studyBoston

The study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, in response to accounts of potential allergic reactions in some people following COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom, that country’s medical regulatory agency advised that individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to medicine or food should avoid COVID-19 vaccination.

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U.S. COVID-19 cases surpass 20 million as deaths mount  

A total of 345,000 have died of COVID-19, or one out of every 950 U.S. residents, since the virus first emerged in China late in 2019. 
An analysis of Reuters data shows it took 200 days to reach the first 5 million cases, 93 days to go from 5 million cases to 10 million, 31 days from 10 million to 15 million cases and only 25 days to go from 15 million to 20 million cases.

California has the most total cases of any state, with about 2.28 million infections followed by Texas with 1.76 million cases and Florida with 1.32 million cases.

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Govt selects Milliman Advisors to ascertain LIC’s embedded value ahead of IPO

LIC needs to develop an Indian Embedded Value (IEV) reporting framework for necessary disclosures for the proposed IPO.
”Government has selected Milliman Advisors LLP India as the Reporting Actuary for the Embedded Value of LIC. Work to start soon,” Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said.
It has already appointed Deloitte and SBI Caps as pre-IPO transaction advisors. 

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China’s Bottled Water King Dethrones Mukesh Ambani As Asia’s Richest Person

Zhong’s net worth has surged $70.9 billion this year to $77.8 billion, making him the 11th-richest person on the planet, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. It’s one of the fastest accumulations of wealth in history, and all the more remarkable considering that until this year he was little known outside of China.
after an improbable career spanning journalism, mushroom farming and health care, he’s become Asia’s richest person, eclipsing India’s Mukesh Ambani and a group of Chinese tech titans including Jack Ma.

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Health ministry releases communication strategy to support Covid-19 vaccine rollout

“The communication strategy that supports the Covid-19 vaccines rollout in India seeks to disseminate timely, accurate and transparent information about the vaccine(s) to alleviate apprehensions about the vaccine, ensure its acceptance and encourage uptake,” it said.

According to the document, the strategy aims at managing and mitigating any potential disappointment expressed by unmet demand for the vaccine or ‘eagerness’ amongst people and addressing vaccine ‘hesitancy’ that could arise because of apprehensions around vaccine safety, efficacy apart from any other myths and misconceptions.

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Our mantra for 2021 is ‘dawai bhi aur kadaai bhi’: PM Modi

“We started working holistically in the health sector. While we stressed on preventive care, on one hand, we also gave priority to modern treatment facilities,” he added. In the last six years, 31,000 new seats have been added in MBBS and 24,000 new seats have been added in post-graduate courses. India is moving towards wholesome changes in the health sector, the Prime Minister stated.

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