COVID-19

In a dedicated COVID-19 workshop, organised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) under the umbrella of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA), international regulators discussed how data generated during clinical practice could complement evidence from clinical trials with potential therapeutics or vaccines against COVID-19. Participants from more than 25 countries, representing 28 medicines regulatory authorities globally and experts from the World Health Organization and the European Commission acknowledged the importance of observational studies of real world data for increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of regulatory processes and decision-making in the development, authorisation and monitoring of medicines and vaccines to prevent and treat COVID-19 and to address knowledge gaps that cannot be addressed by clinical trials.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has adopted a five-tier strategy to fight Covid-19, which is also getting wide support from the industry to implement it. This information was provided by Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Director General of CSIR. He was addressing an online zoom meeting with directors of 38 laboratories of CSIR to discuss the strategy related to Covid-19.

Our research institutions are increasingly translating their knowledge into challenging and useful applications. This product from JNCASR is a compelling example of that”- Prof Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST

Supply lines from abroad opened up today with the receipt of 1.70 lakh Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) coveralls from China which have been donated to the Government of India. Along with domestic supplies of 20,000 coveralls, a total of 1.90 lakh coveralls will now be distributed to hospitals and will add to the 3,87,473 PPEs already available in the country as of now. A total of 2.94 lakh PPE coveralls have been arranged and supplied by Government of India now.