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Tag: Harsh Vardhan

  • Rajnath Singh, Harsh Vardhan release first batch of DRDO’s anti-COVID drug 2-DG

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday released the first batch of the DRDO-developed anti-COVID drug 2DG here in the national capital. Singh expressed hope that the medicine would be beneficial in the fight against the pandemic.

    “I thank all those who are associated in the research and development of this drug, including DRDO. 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) drug would be helpful in containing the virus. This is an example of our country’s scientific prowess,” Singh said after releasing the drug.

    From Monday onwards, hospitals will receive the supplies. A total of 10,000 sachets of the drug will be supplied to several hospitals in Delhi.

    Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the Anti-COVID drug 2DG to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan (in pic 1). Dr Harsh Vardhan handed over the Anti-COVID drug 2DG to Delhi AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria (in pic 2) pic.twitter.com/4Pl6aBxprw
    — ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2021

    The drug comes in a powder form in a sachet, which is taken orally by dissolving it in water. It accumulates in the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally infected cells makes this drug unique.

    Not only has the drug been found assisting in oxygen dependency, it also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients, said the Defence Minister.

    “I have been informed that people who have been treated with this drug got well two-and-a-half days earlier. We have got to see that dependency on oxygen is reduced by 40 per cent. The best thing is it is in powder form which people can easily mix with water and use,” Rajnath said.

    The drug 2-DG was developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab of DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad. It was given approval by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on May 8 for emergency use in moderate to severe cases of COVID-19. It was put through three phases of trials.

    While assuring that the government is doing its best in dealing with the crisis across the country, the Defence Minister said there would be no impact on the borders. “Our soldiers are full of energy and enthusiasm, guarding the borders. We all know how much bigger the challenges are, we will overcome them,” he said.

    DRDO Chairman G Sateesh Reddy and AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria were also present on the occasion.

  • First batch of anti-COVID drug 2-DG to be released on Monday

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The first batch of anti-COVID drug 2-DG, developed by the DRDO, will be released on Monday by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, officials said.

    The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) has approved the oral drug for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe coronavirus patients, the defence ministry said earlier this month.

    The officials said the first batch of the drug will be released by the two ministers at an event at the headquarters of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) here.

    The ministry, on May 8, said the clinical trials of the drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), showed that it helps in a faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.

    The approval of the drug has come at a time when India is grappling with a record-breaking wave of the coronavirus pandemic that has stretched the country’s healthcare infrastructure to its limit.

    “In the ongoing second COVID-19 wave, a large number of patients are facing severe oxygen dependency and need hospitalisation. The drug is expected to save precious lives due to the mechanism of its operation in the infected cells. This also reduces the hospital stay of COVID-19 patients,” the ministry had said.

    The anti-COVID therapeutic application of the drug has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a leading laboratory of the DRDO, in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) in Hyderabad.

    The drug comes in a powder form in a sachet and is taken orally by dissolving it in water, the ministry said.

    In efficacy trends, it said, patients treated with 2-DG showed a faster symptomatic cure than the standard of care (SoC) on various endpoints.

  • India to administer 51.6 crore COVID vaccine doses by July: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The number of vaccine doses administered in India will reach 51.6 crore by the end of July, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.

    India has so far administered over 18 crore jabs to eligible beneficiaries.

    Vardhan, during his discussion with the health ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, said vaccine production was being ramped up to cater to the increased demand.

    “Production of vaccines is being steadily ramped up to cater to increased demand while vaccines that are being produced now continue to be equitably apportioned and swiftly sent to States/Union Territories.

    “We will have 51.6 crore vaccine doses by the end of July including the 18 crore doses already administered. Sputnik has been approved.

    This along with the slated approval of the new vaccine of Zydus Cadila, Serum Institute of India- Novavax vaccine, Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine, and the Genova mRNA vaccine will push the availability of COVID vaccines to 216 crore doses in the August-December period,” he said.

    During his interaction with the state health ministers and principal secretaries/additional chief secretaries of the four states in the presence of Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Vardhan highlighted the challenges faced by the states.

    He said that Gujarat has displayed a gradual increase in the positivity rate since April and the recovery rate stands at 79 per cent, which is lower than the national average.

    He noted that nearly 100 per cent ICU beds in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Mehsana and 97 per cent and 96 per cent of oxygen beds in Ahmedabad and Vadodara, respectively, stood occupied indicating saturation.

    Andhra Pradesh has had an increasing positivity rate since early April and the weekly growth rate was as high as 30.3 per cent, he said, adding that Chittoor, East Godavari, Guntur, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam were flagged as districts of concern in the state.

    Uttar Pradesh saw an exponential growth in cases in a six-week period (5,500 to 31,000 cases and two per cent to 14 per cent positivity rate) with Lucknow and Meerut having more than 14,000 active cases with all categories of bed showing more than 90 per cent occupancy.

    In Madhya Pradesh, 10 districts have more than 20 per cent positivity with over one lakh active cases all over the state.

    Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior and Jabalpur were flagged as districts of concern, the minister said.

    During the meeting, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat were cautioned for having a high proportion of deaths in the age group 18-45 years.

    Vardhan also expressed a strong view that the present plateauing of COVID cases should not be taken as a sign for complacency but as a breathing space to expand, revamp and improve health infrastructure.

    State health administrators were advised to increase ICU and oxygen-supported beds, undertake oxygen audits, take stock of availability of medicines in the states and strengthen their medical workforce.

    Dr Sujeet K Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), presented the epidemiological findings and a granular analysis of the COVID trajectory in the states.

    He suggested continuing focus on the health infrastructure in small cities as people from nearby towns and villages would rush there in case of surge.

    He also urged the states to keep a tab on the variants of COVID through the INSACOG consortium.

    States were advised to ensure complete utilisation of available vaccination slots for 45+ age-group/healthcare workers/frontline workers with awareness campaigns for conveying the importance of completing the second dose of vaccine.

    It was reiterated that States need to focus on reduction of vaccine wastage as that will be factored in subsequent allocations to that State.

    States were advised to constitute a 2/3-member team at State level on the lines of the dedicated team at Union Health Ministry to regularly coordinate with manufacturers for timely supplies of vaccine through ‘Other than Govt. of India channel’ and also to coordinate with private hospitals for their procurement.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • Maharashtra requests Centre float common global tender for vaccines, cut down prices of black fungus medicines

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday demanded that the Union government float a single global tender for coronavirus vaccines on behalf of all the states to avoid “unhealthy competition”.

    He made the suggestion during a video conference between Union health minister Harsh Vardhan and his counterparts from six states which have been severely affected by the pandemic, Tope told reporters here.

    “If every state starts floating global tender, vaccine manufacturers will benefit. The Union government should review the total vaccine requirement in the country and float a common tender,” he said.

    “There should not be any unhealthy competition between states. It would not look good,” Tope added.

    The Centre last month asked the states to buy vaccines directly from the market for the inoculation of people in the 18-44 years age group.

    It will buy 50 percent production of Indian vaccine manufacturers and distribute it to states for inoculation of the above 45 age group, the Centre said.

    Talking about the current status of vaccination in the state, Tope said, “Some 20-22 lakh vials are required to complete the second dose of people (in the above 45 category). By diverting the stock procured for 18-44 age group, we can only arrange up to 10 lakh vials.”

    The Centre should provide remaining 10 lakh vials immediately, he said.

    Tope said he also raised the issue of Remdesivir imports with Harsh Vardhan.

    “Maharashtra government has given purchase order for three lakh vials of Remdesivir, but the import permission is still stuck with the Drug Controller General of India. The Centre should expedite the procedure,” he said.

    Tope also said the Centre should bring down the prices of medicines used to treat black fungus, a serious but rare fungal infection now affecting coronavirus patients, and increase their quota for the state.

    Symptoms of Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, include headache, fever, pain under the eyes, nasal or sinus congestion and partial loss of vision.

    Tope was speaking to reporters after attending a video conference meeting with Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, who interacted with health ministers from six states with high COVID-19 caseload.

    Tope said there are 1,500 cases of black fungus among COVID-19 patients in the state.

    Patients with suppressed immune system, diabetic and those with high iron levels in the blood are vulnerable to contract the disease which has high mortality rate, he said.

    Tope said, “Amphotericin-B, a key medicine used for treating the black fungus infection, is expensive. One injection costs around Rs 6,000 and requires a number of doses, from 20 to 60, in many cases. The Union government needs to bring down the MRP of this drug and other medicines to avoid their black-marketing. I have already written a letter to the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority regarding the same as states can not decide on pricing of these medicines,” he said.

    The Centre has asked domestic pharma companies to increase the production of medicines required to treat Mucormycosis, the minister said.

  • Demands by states for increasing vaccine quota arouse ‘narrow political passion among masses’: Vardhan

    He made these remarks during his interaction with health ministers and principal secretaries or additional chief secretaries of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Delhi.

  • All possible support to be provided to West Bengal to deal with Covid crisis: Harsh Vardhan

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying that the Narendra Modi government stands resolute to provide all support to the state in order to help it effectively fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

    He however also urged Banerjee, who also holds the health portfolio in the state, to ramp up testing, mainly in districts reporting over 40% test positivity rate.

    His response comes in the wake of the West Bengal CM shooting a letter to the PM in which she requested him to allow free of cost Covid-19 vaccination for all and also pleaded for the adequate supply of essential drugs and hiking medical oxygen to her state.

    Vardhan said in his letter that the state has been supplied with over 1.18 crore doses so far while 2 lakh more doses are lined up for immediate supply.

    It was stated in the letter that the quantity of doses available for “other than government of India channel” was worked out on a state wise population of 18-44 years pro rata and it had already been conveyed to the state at the end of April.

    The letter also said that the state had been allocated 308 MT of oxygen from April 25 and out of 1, 27,000 oxygen cylinders that the Centre will procure, 700 will be delivered to Bengal this month.

    The Centre, according to the letter, has sanctioned 5 PSA oxygen plants for the state out of which 2 are already functional.

  • COVID situation going from bad to worse; PM, Health Minister refuse to own responsibility: Chidambaram

    His remarks came after the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday showed a record 4,14,188 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day in India, raising the country #39;s tally to 2,14,91,598

  • Health Minister, EAM bringing disrepute to country, should be sacked immediately: Congress

    Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the government has got its priorities wrong as it is interested in managing headlines and image-building.

  • Will Harsh Vardhan resign if people are turned away without vaccine on May 1: Chidambaram

    He also claimed that no state is ready for the rollout of the next phase of vaccination for all adults from May 1.

  • Lowest COVID mortality rates in world but each death painful, says Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: There has been a sudden jump in the number of coronavirus cases in the last one month but the figure of recoveries is also increasing at the same speed, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday while highlighting that India has one of the lowest COVID mortality rates in the world.

    After his visit to the Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) here to take a comprehensive review of the COVID facilities available at the hospital, Vardhan said India has one of the lowest COVID mortality rates in the world but each and every death is tragic and painful, according to a statement issued by the health ministry.

    The National Mortality Rate has been falling and currently stands at 1.11 per cent, he added.

    India saw the highest single-day rise of 3,79,257 COVID-19 cases and a record 3,645 deaths caused by the viral disease in a span of 24 hours, according to the health ministry’s data updated at 8 am.

    Vardhan asserted that the biggest weapon against the viral disease is following COVID-appropriate behaviour.

    “There is no bigger weapon than wearing a mask, regularly washing hands with soap and maintaining social distancing,” he said.

    The health minister said from the beginning of the pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been exhorting people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour as it is essential in the fight against the disease.

    He assured people that just as the number of active cases was reduced to less than 10,000 in February with a graded response from the government, it will again be brought down, the statement said.

    Vardhan said no one knew about the coronavirus last year, but now, the government is better informed about how to deal with the menace and is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to fight the pandemic.

    He appreciated that the testing capacity in the country is continuously improving and that over 17 lakh COVID tests were conducted on Wednesday.

    Cumulatively, 28,44,71,979 COVID tests have so far been conducted across the country, including 17,68,190 on Wednesday.

    The minister urged people with symptoms to get themselves tested at the earliest and not to panic.

    He stressed on working towards improving diagnosis and helping people through tele-consultations to provide the right advice to the patients recovering at home.

    The minister appreciated the Centre’s vaccination efforts and said more than 15 crore doses of the anti-COVID vaccine have been administered till date to healthcare workers, frontline workers and people above the age of 45 years.

    He said the new phase of the vaccination drive will start from May 1, when the inoculation of those above the age of 18 years will start.

    Lauding the Co-WIN portal, Vardhan said a seamless registration process for vaccination is being carried out through the digitally and technologically sound portal, the statement said.

    The portal witnessed more than 80 lakh people registering themselves within three hours from 4 pm to 7 pm on Wednesday.

    The minister further stated that vaccination is a critical component of the containment-and-management strategy of the government.

    The fight against the pandemic is ongoing and the government is using all its experience to tackle the situation, he added.

    Vardhan visited the LHMC to take a comprehensive review of the COVID facilities available at the hospital and further strengthen those.

    He first visited the IPD block, where a 240-bed facility is being set up, which will be operational within two weeks, the statement said.

    Following Vardhan’s instructions, the academic activities of the college were shifted to the new academic block, resulting in further enhancement of the bed capacity at the Kalawati Saran Children Hospital and Smt.

    Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, which are attached to the LHMC.

    The bed capacity at the Kalawati Saran Children Hospital has been increased by 30 and that of Smt.

    Sucheta Kriplani Hospital by 112, the statement said.

    The minister dedicated the new academic block to the COVID warriors, appreciating their untiring efforts in fighting the pandemic and working tirelessly and dedicatedly for helping people in these challenging times.

    He also praised the doctors, nurses and staff of the LHMC for their dedication in fighting the pandemic.

    He directed that further expansion of the facilities at the hospital should continue.