Tag: Indian Council of Medical Research

  • Avoid antibiotics unless in case of bacterial infection: ICMR’s revised Covid-19 guidelines  

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued revised guidelines for Covid-19 in the wake of the surge of cases in the past week across the country.

    “@ICMRDELHI COVID19 National Task Force, @aiims_newdelhi & Dte.GHS revised clinical guidance for management of adult #COVID19 patients. Guideline does not advice use of Lopinavir-ritonavir, HCQ, Ivermectin, Convalescent plasma, Molnupiravir, Favipiravir, Azithromycin, Doxycycline,” Dr Lokesh Sharma, Heath informatics researcher, ICMR tweeted.

    “Antibiotics should not be used unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial infection. The possibility of coinfection of COVID-19 with other endemic infections must be considered. Systemic corticosteroids are not indicated in mild disease,” revised guidelines said.

    As per the revised Ccovid-19 guidelines, maintain “Physical distancing, indoor mask use, hand hygiene, Symptomatic management (hydration, anti-pyretics, antitussive) Monitor temperature and oxygen saturation (by applying a SpO probe to fingers) Stay in contact with treating physician.

    “Seek immediate medical attention if difficulty breathing, High-grade fever/ severe cough, particularly if lasting for more than 5 days. A low threshold is to be kept for those with any of the high-risk features,” guidelines discussed and prepared in January said.

    Additionally, in moderate or severe diseases at high risk of progression, the guidelines recommend, “Consider Remdesivir for up to 5 days (200 mg IV on day 1 followed by 100 mg IV OD for the next 4 days)”.

    Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Thursday wrote to the State governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka to follow a five-fold strategy of test, track, treat and vaccinations as these states witness a rise in Covid-19 cases.

    India has observed a significant decline in the number of Covid-19 cases during the past few months. However, in the past few weeks a rise in cases has been noted specifically in certain parts of the country with a total of 2,082 cases reported in the week ending March 8, 2023, which rose to 3,264 cases in the week ending March 15, said the Union Home Ministry’s letter.

    There are few States which are reporting a higher number of cases indicating the possible localized spread of infection and there is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach to prevent and contain the infection, without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic, said the Union Health Ministry.

    Gujarat has reported an increase in weekly cases from 105 in the week ending March 8, 2023, to 279 in the week ending March 15. Further, the State reported a positivity rate of 1.11 per cent in the week ending March 15 which is higher than India’s positivity rate of 0.61 per cent during the same period, the letter said. 

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued revised guidelines for Covid-19 in the wake of the surge of cases in the past week across the country.

    “@ICMRDELHI COVID19 National Task Force, @aiims_newdelhi & Dte.GHS revised clinical guidance for management of adult #COVID19 patients. Guideline does not advice use of Lopinavir-ritonavir, HCQ, Ivermectin, Convalescent plasma, Molnupiravir, Favipiravir, Azithromycin, Doxycycline,” Dr Lokesh Sharma, Heath informatics researcher, ICMR tweeted.

    “Antibiotics should not be used unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial infection. The possibility of coinfection of COVID-19 with other endemic infections must be considered. Systemic corticosteroids are not indicated in mild disease,” revised guidelines said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    As per the revised Ccovid-19 guidelines, maintain “Physical distancing, indoor mask use, hand hygiene, Symptomatic management (hydration, anti-pyretics, antitussive) Monitor temperature and oxygen saturation (by applying a SpO probe to fingers) Stay in contact with treating physician.

    “Seek immediate medical attention if difficulty breathing, High-grade fever/ severe cough, particularly if lasting for more than 5 days. A low threshold is to be kept for those with any of the high-risk features,” guidelines discussed and prepared in January said.

    Additionally, in moderate or severe diseases at high risk of progression, the guidelines recommend, “Consider Remdesivir for up to 5 days (200 mg IV on day 1 followed by 100 mg IV OD for the next 4 days)”.

    Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Thursday wrote to the State governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka to follow a five-fold strategy of test, track, treat and vaccinations as these states witness a rise in Covid-19 cases.

    India has observed a significant decline in the number of Covid-19 cases during the past few months. However, in the past few weeks a rise in cases has been noted specifically in certain parts of the country with a total of 2,082 cases reported in the week ending March 8, 2023, which rose to 3,264 cases in the week ending March 15, said the Union Home Ministry’s letter.

    There are few States which are reporting a higher number of cases indicating the possible localized spread of infection and there is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach to prevent and contain the infection, without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic, said the Union Health Ministry.

    Gujarat has reported an increase in weekly cases from 105 in the week ending March 8, 2023, to 279 in the week ending March 15. Further, the State reported a positivity rate of 1.11 per cent in the week ending March 15 which is higher than India’s positivity rate of 0.61 per cent during the same period, the letter said. 

  • Dr. Rajiv Bahl appointed as ICMR Director General 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Dr Rajiv Bahl was on Friday appointed as Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Secretary of the Department of Health Research for a period of three years.

    Bahl is currently the Head of Research on Maternal, Newborn Child and Adolescent Health cum-Newborn Unit Head, Department of Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.

    “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr Rajiv Bahl to the post of Director General, ICMR-cum-Secretary Department of Health Research for a period of three years, with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.

    His predecessor, Dr Balram Bhargava’s extended tenure as Director General of ICMR and Secretary of the Department of Health Research ended in July.

    Bhargava was appointed to the post on April 16, 2018 for four years.

    NEW DELHI: Dr Rajiv Bahl was on Friday appointed as Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Secretary of the Department of Health Research for a period of three years.

    Bahl is currently the Head of Research on Maternal, Newborn Child and Adolescent Health cum-Newborn Unit Head, Department of Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.

    “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr Rajiv Bahl to the post of Director General, ICMR-cum-Secretary Department of Health Research for a period of three years, with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training.

    His predecessor, Dr Balram Bhargava’s extended tenure as Director General of ICMR and Secretary of the Department of Health Research ended in July.

    Bhargava was appointed to the post on April 16, 2018 for four years.

  • National hospital-based registry to identify risks of blood clot in veins

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday launched a hospital-based registry to identify risks, treatment and the prevalence of Venous Thromboembolic (VTE) Disorder, also known as blood clots in veins, a potentially life-threatening condition, in the country.

    The exercise will help plan a quick response to VTE and strengthen the healthcare facilities, said Dr Nabendu Chatterjee, head of the Basic Medical Sciences Division and National Coordinator of the registry.

    According to ICMR, without treatment, VTE can restrict or block blood flow and oxygen, which can damage the body’s tissue or organs.  It is quoted as a significant health problem and one of the most common preventable causes of hospital deaths.

    It is the third leading vascular diagnosis after heart attack and stroke. The most common triggers for VTE are surgery, cancer, immobilisation and hospitalisation.

    As VTE has rarely evoked much consideration in India, it continues to be under-diagnosed and undertreated, Chatterjee said.

    “There is no national registry which captures the national data on VTE. If we have to do better management, we need to know the background, the reason a patient suffered from the disease,” he said.

    Chatterjee said the aim is to establish a nationwide surveillance network through selected 16 tertiary government hospitals in the country and collect data for generating evidence on VTE prevalence.

    The data will help in planning responses and help in strengthening healthcare facilities for treating the disease.

    Said Dr Heena Tabassum, Scientist D and Principal Investigator of the project, that apart from identifying the risk factors for VTE disease, the registry will help in guiding policy on the disease.

    “There is no uniform strategy of diagnosis and treatment available for VTE. We have come up with this data portal,” she said, adding, “We will then be able to come out with a uniform guideline on management of this condition.”

    “There is no data at the moment, but VTE is happening significantly. So it will help us understand what steps can be taken at the hospital level to minimise it.”

  • ICMR projects export of 62 crore COVID-19 testing kits between July and September

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday projected an export of 62 crore COVID-19 testing kits between July and September.

    “The ICMR/DHR (Department of Health Research) supports the manufacturers to export surplus quantities of the COVID-19 diagnostic kits after meeting the in-country demands. The projected export till September 2021 is a cumulative total of 62 crore test kits of RT-PCR, Viral Transport Media (VTM), RNA extraction and rapid antigen tests,” the ICMR stated in a tweet.

    It further said the production capacity of COVID-19 testing kits has been substantially enhanced, “making India atmanirbhar (self-reliant)”.

    This has resulted in significant reduction in cost and improved availability.

    The India manufacturers have substantially ramped up their production capacity to meet the in-country requirements and surplus quantities can be exported, the apex research body said.

  • Covaxin third phase clinical trials results out, 77.8 per cent effective against Covid-19

    By Express News Service
    HYDERABAD: Covaxin, the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has been found to be 77.8 percent effective in the Phase-III clinical trials. 

    Also, Covaxin has been found to be 93.4% effective against severe symptomatic form of Covid-19 and 63.6 percent effective against asymptomatic Covid-19. 

    Covaxin has also been found to be 65.2 percent effective against the dreaded Delta variant of Coronavirus, which is becoming the dominant strain of the virus across the world. 

    ALSO READ | Despite claims of ramping up manufacturing, Covaxin laggard in vaccine pool, shows affidavit

    Bharat Biotech announced the results in a press release during the wee hours of Saturday. 

    Bharat Biotech informed that the phase-III clinical trials of Covaxin was an event driven analysis of 130 symptomatic cases, reported at least two weeks after the 2nd dose, conducted at 25 sites across India. 

    It said that the safety analysis of Covaxin demonstrates that the adverse events reported after vaccination with it were similar to placebo, with 12 percent of the subjects experiencing commonly known side effects and less than 0.5 percent of subjects feeling serious adverse events

    It also said that Covaxin was well tolerated, the Data Safety Monitoring Board has not reported any safety concerns related to the vaccine and the overall rate of adverse events observed in Covaxin was lower than that seen in other Covid-19 vaccines. 

    Bharat Biotech highlighted that no licensed Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer has reported efficacy results against asymptomatic infection in a randomised controlled trial, based on qPCR testing and that it is the first too publish such data. 

    ALSO READ | Congress raises questions over Covaxin supply deal with Brazil, seeks probe

    Dr. Krishna Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said, “The successful safety and efficacy readouts of Covaxin as a result of conducting the largest ever COVID Vaccines trials in India establishes the ability of India and developing world countries to focus towards innovation and novel product development. We are proud to state that Innovation from India will now be available to protect global populations.”  

    Dr Balram Bhargava, Secretary Department of Health Research & Director General Indian Council of Medical Research, said, “I am delighted to note that Covaxin, developed by ICMR and BBIL under an effective public private partnership, has demonstrated an overall efficacy of 77.8% in India’s largest Covid phase 3 clinical trial thus far. Our scientists at ICMR and BBIL have worked tirelessly to deliver a truly effective vaccine of highest international standards. Covaxin will not only benefit the Indian citizens but would also immensely contribute to protect the global community against the deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus. I am also pleased to see that Covaxin works well against all variant strains of SARS-CoV-2. The successful development of Covaxin has consolidated the position of Indian academia and Industry in the global arena.” Bharat Biotech also said that continued improvement of Covaxin is well under way with additional clinical trials to establish safety and efficacy in children between 2-18 years of age. 

    A clinical trial to determine the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose is also in process. 

    Several research activities are being carried out to study variants of concern and to assess their suitability for follow up booster doses.    

    Covaxin has been evaluated through neutralizing antibody responses against several variants of concern, namely B.1.617.2 (Delta), B.1.617.1 (Kappa), B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P2- B.1.1.28 (Gamma). The data from these studies have been published in peer reviewed journals and available for review in the public domain.  

    ALSO READ | Covaxin effectively neutralises Delta variant of Covid, says top US health institute Dr Priya Abraham, Director of the ICMR National Institute of Virology, said, “The overall efficacy of 77.8 percent following the phase-III clinical trial of Covaxin is wonderful news. Sera from Covaxin recipients have also been evaluated against viral variants detected in India i.e., the Alpha, Beta, Zeta, Kappa and Delta. The making of this vaccine entirely on Indian soil is a matter of great pride to every Indian” Covaxin has now received emergency use authorizations in 16 countries including, Brazil, India, Philippines, Iran, Mexico, etc. with EUA’s in process in 50 countries worldwide. 

    The company is in discussions with WHO to obtain emergency Use Listing for Covaxin.  Bharat Biotech has established Covaxin manufacturing at four facilities within India, further expansions are in process to reach an annualized capacity of 1 billion doses by the end of 2021. Technology transfer activities are in progress to companies in United States, and other countries.

  • Maybe re-look advisory barring repeat of RTPCR on COVID positive patients: HC to ICMR

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday suggested to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that it may need to re-look its recent advisory which said RTPCR must not be repeated on an individual who tested positive by either Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) or RTPCR.

    Justice Rekha Palli asked the counsel for ICMR to take instructions on the issue saying “maybe you need to re-look your advisory”.

    The suggestion by the court came while hearing a plea by a lawyer who has challenged the advisory as due to it, neither he nor his family members could get tested again after spending more than 17 days in quarantine from April 28 when they first tested positive.

    The lawyer told the court that without a COVID negative report the civil defense guards outside his residence were not permitting him to go out for even basic essential items and when he tried to get tested at a lab, they declined to test him due to the May 4 advisory of ICMR.

    During the hearing, the counsel for Delhi government said things should improve by tonight as the restrictions are expected to be relaxed.

    The Delhi government lawyer said that the petitioner’s area at Sultanpuri here was a containment zone and that was also a reason why people were not being allowed to move out.

    The petitioner has contended that the May 4 advisory was “arbitrary, discriminatory and creates a paradoxical situation since a negative RTPCR report is compulsorily required by several other notifications issued by the respondents (Centre, ICMR and Delhi government)”.

    He has sought striking down of the clause in the advisory which bars repeating of an RTPCR test on someone who has already tested positive.

    The petition also seeks directions to the Delhi government to permit testing of the petitioner and his parents.

  • Districts with over 10 per cent positivity rate should remain under lockdown: ICMR

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Lockdown restrictions should remain in place in all districts where the rate of infection is above 10% of those tested, said Balram Bhargava, head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

    “The high positivity districts should remain (shut). If they come to 5% from 10% (positivity rate) we can open them, but that has to happen. That won’t happen in six-eight weeks, clearly,” Bhargava said in an interview to Reuters.

    Bhargava did not criticise the Modi government but conceded that there had been a delay in responding to the crisis.

    “I think the only discontent we have was there was a slight delay accepting the 10% (recommendation), but that did happen,” he said.

    The majority of states in the country is under lockdown for the past few weeks.

    On if the mass gatherings and political events could be held responsible for the Covid surge, Bhargava denied there was any discontent within the ICMR and added the agency was on the same page with policymakers.