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The <keyword id="6364555" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="indian-council-of-medical-research" source="Orion">Indian Council of Medical Research</keyword> (<keyword id="6364396" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="icmr" source="Orion">ICMR</keyword>) has sought proposals in <keyword id="619017" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="stillbirths" source="Orion">stillbirths</keyword> under the <keyword id="15545302" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="icmr-task-force-programme" source="Orion">ICMR Task Force Programme</keyword> for research funding. The concept proposals with specific objectives and scientific questions should be submitted online by December 30, 2022, by 5 pm, it said. "<keyword id="113952" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="stillbirth" source="Orion">Stillbirth</keyword>s are a hidden tragedy that impacts millions of women and families across the globe daily. The stillbirth rate may be one of the indicators of the quality of a country's medical system. Stillbirth has multifactorial etiologies. Early identification of risk factors for stillbirth and appropriate antenatal management may reduce preventable stillbirths and improve the pregnancy outcomes," the ICMR said in a release. The ICMR Call for Proposals in Stillbirths, under the ICMR Task Force Programme, further states that the initiative is in line with the government's aim of bringing the number of stillbirths in the country down to single digits by 2030. "The INAP by the Government of India now plans to bring down stillbirths to single digits by 2030. There is a need for research into the causes of stillbirth and effective prevention and treatment of these causes identifying research challenges. The ICMR expert group on Still Births has identified three key thematic areas to prioritise and articulate research challenges," the ICMR said. "The concept proposal can be submitted for financial support through online mode only by scientists/ professionals, who have regular employment in medical institutes/research institutes/ universities/colleges/recognised research and development laboratories/government and semi-government organisations and NGOs (documentary evidence of their recognition including DSIR certificate should be enclosed with the proposal)," the ICMR release further stated. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/cervical-cancer-4th-most-common-among-women-policymakers-should-urgently-move-to-eliminate-who/articleshow/95580233.cms">Cervical cancer 4th most common among women, policymakers should urgently move to eliminate: WHO</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/covid-19-infection-may-reactivate-several-latent-viruses-in-body-study/articleshow/95581176.cms">Covid-19 can reactivate latent viruses lurking in the body's cells</a>

Stillbirths are a hidden tragedy says ICMR as it seeks research funding

The Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl on Monday criticised a recently published study on the long-term safety analysis of the <keyword id="9485939" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="covaxin" source="Orion">Covaxin</keyword> in adults and adolescents for its poor methodology and design, and clarified the article misleadingly and erroneously "acknowledges" <keyword id="19918794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR" source="keywords">ICMR</keyword>. Dr Bahl said the study had no control arm of unvaccinated individuals for comparing the rates of events between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Hence, the reported events in the study cannot be linked or attributed to COVID-19 vaccination. He added that the ICMR is not associated with the study and has not provided any financial or technical support for the research. The ICMR DG has written a letter to the authors of the paper and Editor of the journal to immediately remove the acknowledgement to ICMR and publish an erratum. A research paper, titled 'Long-Term Safety Analysis of the BBVl52 <keyword id="21730391" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus-vaccine" source="keywords">Coronavirus Vaccine</keyword> in Adolescents and Adults: Findings from a l-Year Prospective Study in North India' stated that nearly one-third of the 926 participants in the study who received Bharat Biotech's anti-Covid vaccine Covaxin reported 'adverse events of special interest,' or AESI. Dr Bahl said that ICMR was acknowledged for research support without any prior approval of or intimation to ICMR, which is inappropriate and unacceptable. He stated that ICMR cannot be associated with this poorly designed study which purports to present a "safety analysis" of Covaxin due to several critical flaws. He said the study does not even provide background rates of observed events in the population, making it impossible to assess the change in incidence of observed events in the post-vaccination period. Baseline information of study participants is missing. The study tool used is inconsistent with 'Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI)' as defined in the reference provided in the paper for AESI. The method of data collection has a high risk of bias, he said. Study participants were contacted telephonically one year after vaccination and their responses were recorded without any confirmation with clinical records or by physician examination, he pointed out. Dr Bahl also noted that similar acknowledgements to ICMR have been made in previous papers without permission, raising concerns about the authors' practices. "The authors have been urged to immediately rectify the acknowledgment to ICMR and publish an erratum. Additionally, they are asked to address the methodological concerns raised. Failure to do so may prompt ICMR to consider legal and administrative action," he said. The Editor has been asked to retract the paper which implicitly makes conclusions on <keyword id="21495684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vaccine-safety" source="keywords">vaccine safety</keyword> which are not supported by evidence. The study, conducted by researchers from the Banaras Hindu University from January 2022 to August 2023, stated that nearly 50 per cent of 926 study participants in the study complained of infections during the follow-up period, predominated by viral upper respiratory tract infections. Serious AESI, which included stroke and Guillain-Barre syndrome, were reported in one per cent of individuals, the study, which looked at long-term safety of the BBV152 (Covaxin) vaccine in adolescents and adults, claimed. The study involved 635 adolescents and 291 adults, who received the BBV152 vaccine.

BHU study on Covaxin side effects poorly designed, critically flawed: ICMR Director General

Indian Council of Medical Research (<keyword id="6364396" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR">ICMR</keyword>) said on Monday <keyword id="8904563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">Covid-19 vaccine</keyword> <keyword id="9485939" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="covaxin">Covaxin</keyword> neutralises <keyword id="9380721" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="multiple-variants">multiple variants</keyword> of SARS-CoV-2 and effectively neutralises the double mutant strain as well. ICMR cited the findings of a study carried out by them. Covaxin is developed locally by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Ltd. in collaboration with the ICMR -- the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research. ICMR-National Institute of Virology has successfully isolated and cultured multiple variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2 virus: B.1.1.7 (the UK variant), B.1.1.28 (Brazil variant ) and B.1.351 (South Africa variant), said the apex health research body. "ICMR study shows Covaxin neutralises against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 and effectively neutralises the double mutant strain as well," the ICMR said in a tweet. They have also demonstrated the neutralisation potential of Covaxin against the UK variant and Brazil variant. ICMR-NIV recently has been successful in isolating and culturing the double mutant strain B.1.617 SARS-CoV-2 identified in certain regions of India and several other countries. "Covaxin has been found to effectively neutralise the double mutant strain as well," it said. The study was published in the Journal for Travel Medicine in March where it highlighted that Covaxin is effective against the UK variants as well as other strains of Covid-19. "It was reassuring from the PRNT50 data generated in our laboratory that the indigenous BBV152/ COVAXIN, following its roll out in vaccination program, could be expected to work against the new UK-variant," the study said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/facebook-in-the-crosshairs-yet-again-this-time-indias-cybersecurity-agency-issues-an-advisory-to-indian-users/articleshow/82177573.cms">Facebook in the crosshairs yet again – this time, India’s cybersecurity agency issues an advisory to Indian users</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covishield-vaccine-priced-at-400-and-600-for-state-hospitals-and-private-hospitals-respectively/articleshow/82176762.cms">Covishield vaccine priced at ₹400 and ₹600 for state hospitals and private hospitals respectively, to be available in medical stores after 4-5 months</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-privacy-oriented-ios-14-5-update-can-impact-on-facebook-ad-revenue/articleshow/82176041.cms">Apple will roll out the privacy-oriented iOS 14.5 update next week that has Facebook worried</a>

COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' is effective against double mutant strain found in India, says ICMR

The Indian Council of Medical Research (<keyword id="6364396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="icmr" source="Orion">ICMR</keyword>) has come up with the country's first Ethical Guidelines for the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Research and <keyword id="6354525" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="healthcare" source="Orion">Healthcare</keyword> to provide an ethical framework for the development of <keyword id="6355999" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ai" source="Orion">AI</keyword>-based tools which will benefit all stakeholders. According to a document drafted by the Department of Health Research and ICMR's Artificial Intelligence Cell, AI for health, to a large extent, depends on data obtained from human participants and invokes additional concerns related to potential biases, data handling, interpretation, autonomy, risk minimization, professional competence, data sharing, and confidentiality. "It is therefore imperative to have an ethical framework that addresses issues specific to AI for biomedical research and healthcare," the guidelines stated. The adoption of AI technology in healthcare is growing in India. However, AI as data-driven technology has many potential ethical challenges which include algorithmic transparency and explainability, clarity on liability, accountability and oversight, bias and discrimination, said ICMR Director General Dr Rajiv Behl. "The DHR-ICMR AI Cell has identified the need to develop these guiding ethical principles concerning artificial intelligence and machine learning-based tools. "These guidelines will provide the ethical framework for the development of AI-based tools which will benefit all stakeholders, including innovators, developers, patients, technologists, researchers, healthcare professionals, ethics committees, sponsors and funding agencies involved in research related to AI in biomedical research and healthcare," he said. NTAGI chief Dr N K Arora said the purpose of the guideline is to provide an ethical framework which can assist in the development, deployment, and adoption of AI-based solutions for biomedical research and healthcare delivery. The guidelines are intended for all stakeholders involved in research on artificial intelligence in healthcare, including creators, developers, technicians, researchers, clinicians, ethics committees, institutions, sponsors, and funding organizations. It includes separate sections addressing ethical principles for AI in health, guiding principles for stakeholders, the ethics review process, governance of artificial intelligence for healthcare and research, and the informed consent process involving human participants and their data. The guideline has been formulated after extensive discussions with subject experts, researchers and ethicists, said Dr Arora. The induction of AI into healthcare has the potential to be the solution for significant challenges like diagnosis and screening, therapeutics, preventive treatments, clinical decision-making, public health surveillance, complex data analysis, and predicting disease outcomes. This list is likely to grow in the future, the document said. The purpose of these guidelines is not to limit innovation or recommend any disease-specific diagnostic or therapeutic approach but to guide effective yet safe development, deployment and adoption of AI-based technologies in biomedical research and healthcare delivery, it said. These guidelines will be used by experts and ethics committees reviewing research proposals involving the use of AI-based tools and technologies. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ashneer-grovers-new-startup-crickpe-is-a-fantasy-sports-app-that-will-also-reward-cricketers/articleshow/98964195.cms">Ashneer Grover's new startup CrickPe is a fantasy sports app that will also reward cricketers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/you-will-soon-lose-your-legacy-blue-tick-on-twitter-heres-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/98960333.cms">You will soon lose your legacy blue tick on Twitter – here’s everything you need to know</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/three-out-of-four-premium-smartphones-sold-in-2022-were-an-iphone/articleshow/98855033.cms">Three out of four premium smartphones sold in 2022 were an iPhone</a>

ICMR comes up with first ethical guidelines for application of AI in biomedical research, healthcare

A big chunk of patients in India may no longer benefit from carbapenem, a powerful <keyword id="6369335" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="antibiotic" source="Orion">antibiotic</keyword> administered mainly in ICU settings to treat pneumonia and septicemia, as they have developed <keyword id="2005077" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="antimicrobial" source="Orion">antimicrobial</keyword> resistance to it, an <keyword id="6364396" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="icmr" source="Orion">ICMR</keyword> study has found. The data analysis done between January 1 and December 31, 2021 pointed towards a sustained increase in drug-resistant pathogens, resulting in difficulty to treat certain infections with available medicines, senior Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist Dr Kamini Walia, who led the study, said. "Antibiotic resistance has the potential of taking the form of a pandemic in the near future if corrective measures are not taken immediately," she said. The ICMR study report was released on Friday. The data collected from the network has enabled compilation of drug resistance data on six pathogenic groups on antimicrobial resistance from the country. Data collected from the network is used to track resistance trends and to better understand mechanisms of resistance in the key priority pathogens using genotypic characterisation and whole genome sequencing (WGS). This is the fifth detailed report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) trends and patterns from the country published by the ICMR. This year's report also carries hospital-acquired surveillance data. According to the ICMR report, resistance to Imipenem, which is used to treat infections caused by bacteria E coli, has increased from 14 per cent in 2016 to 36 per cent in 2021. The trend of decreasing susceptibility of bacteria to specific antibiotics was also observed with Klebsiella pneumoniae as it came down from 65 per cent in 2016 to 45 per cent in 2020 and 43 per cent in 2021. The susceptibility term here is used to describe the vulnerability of the bacteria to the antibiotic. Carbapenem resistance isolates of E coli and K pneumoniae are also resistant to other antimicrobials making it very challenging to treat carbapenem-resistant infections. The resistance to broad-spectrum antibiotic carbapenem in respect to infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria was recorded in 87.5 per cent of the patients who were part of the study, limiting the availability of treatment options, the ICMR report said. Susceptibility of the same bacteria to minocycline is close to 50 per cent, making it the most susceptible antibiotic after colistin for Acinetobacter baumannii, it stated. In <keyword id="401096" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pseudomonas" source="Orion">Pseudomonas</keyword> aeruginosa, another bacteria which causes infections in the blood, lungs (pneumonia), or other parts of the body after surgery, there is a consistent increase in susceptibility to all the major antipseudomonal drugs in the last few years, Dr Walia said. "There is a need to strengthen and improve diagnostic labs to promote rational use of antibiotics. Antimicrobial prescriptions should be based on definitive diagnosis and not on presumptive diagnosis. Several broad-spectrum antimicrobials are being used for syndrome management," Dr Walia said. "The resistance level is increasing to 5 to 10 per cent every year for broad-spectrum antimicrobials which are highly misused. With no new antimicrobials in the pipeline to treat drug-resistant infections, it is very important that we use judiciously what we have. There is also increasing levels of resistance of antifungals. Previously not many labs were doing fungal cultures and antifungal susceptibility. "The ICMR AMR network has developed this over the last few years and now many labs are reporting antifungal susceptibility rates giving an idea on antifungal resistance rates. The use of antifungals was particularly high during the Covid pandemic," she said. According to the ICMR report, in Staphylococcus aureus, which causes a wide variety of clinical diseases such as skin infections like abscesses and boils and sometimes pneumonia, endocarditis and osteomyelitis, susceptibility to erythromycin, clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole and high-level mupirocin was more evident in MSSA (Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus Aureus) when compared to multi-drug resistant strains such as MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus). MRSA rates are increasing each year from 2016 to 2021 (28.4 per cent to 42.6 per cent). Enterococci is another important pathogen which is quickly evolving and drug susceptibility has changed considerably in the last few years. Several fungal pathogens like C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata are showing increasing resistance to commonly available antifungal medicines such as fluconazole, thus requiring close monitoring in the next few years. Among diarrheal pathogens like Diarrheagenic E. coli, Shigella spp. and Salmonella that cause large proportions of diarrhoea cases in India, norfloxacin susceptibility was very poor. Empirical use of norfloxacin for the treatment of bacterial diarhhoea is strongly discouraged, Dr Walia said. There has been no significant change in the overall antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Salmonella Typhi or S Paratyphi A from India with the pattern remaining uniform across all the participating centres in the AMR network. S. Typhi is 100 per cent susceptible to cephalosporins and azithromycin. Other drugs which retained good susceptibility for Salmonella Typhi or S. Paratyphi A are ampicillin, chloramphenicol and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Drug resistance sets in for a powerful pneumonia antibiotic: ICMR

An affordable <keyword id="9107118" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tuberculosis-testing" source="Orion">tuberculosis testing</keyword> technology that can detect the disease using a patient's sputum for just Rs 35 has been developed by apex medical research body <keyword id="19918794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR" source="keywords">ICMR</keyword>'s regional centre in Assam's Dibrugarh. The 'A <keyword id="19986036" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CRISPR" source="keywords">CRISPR</keyword> case-based TB detection system' is light, portable and involves three steps of testing. Over 1,500 samples can be tested in one single run in around two-and-half hours, ICMR sources said. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture, which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. An official said, "<keyword id="19992404" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tuberculosis" source="keywords">Tuberculosis</keyword> (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current <keyword id="22921102" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diagnostic-methods" source="keywords">diagnostic methods</keyword> often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches". Additionally, some molecular diagnostic methods, while offering improved sensitivity, may lack the desired specificity or face challenges associated with cost and ease of handling. "Considering these problems, the CRISPR-Cas12a-based molecular diagnostic system 'GlowTBPCRKit' coupled with an amplification step (using thermal cycler) and the '<keyword id="22921103" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RapidGlow-device" source="keywords">RapidGlow device</keyword>' provides a promising solution," the official said. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has now invited Expression of Interest (EoI) from eligible organisations, companies, manufacturers for undertaking 'Transfer of Technology' for commercialisation of the 'A CRISPR case-based TB detection system' for the detection of <keyword id="20115212" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mycobacterium-tuberculosis" source="keywords">Mycobacterium tuberculosis</keyword>. The ICMR-RMRCNE institute will provide expert guidance and technical support for the production of 'A CRISPR Cas based TB detection system' in all phases. Such technical oversight by the institute would accelerate the development of the product and its commercialisation. The ICMR would also provide technical support through its team of experienced scientists in study, planning, product development, development of study protocol, results or data analysis, outcome assessment, safety and efficacy assessment, product improvement, etc., if deemed fit upon the mutual understanding between ICMR and collaborative company. The apex health research body through its institutes would provide support and facilitation to conduct the research and development or clinical study of new technology or product in India through its affiliates or institutes, in collaboration with the company and institutions in a professional and mutually agreed upon manner and timelines.

ICMR's regional centre develops technology that can test for tuberculosis in just Rupees 35!

The <keyword id="6355166" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-meteorological-department">India Meteorological Department</keyword> (<keyword id="6366970" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="imd">IMD</keyword>) and the <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>n Council of Medical Research (<keyword id="6364396" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR">ICMR</keyword>) on Monday partnered with Malaria No More, a non-governmental organisation, to launch an expert committee that will explore and advance climate-based solutions for eliminating malaria in India. The India Interagency Expert Committee on Malaria and Climate (IEC) will consist of leading experts and researchers from health, climate and technology fields who will help define and operationalise sophisticated climate-based malaria prediction tools that will be tailored to the Indian context to further propel progress toward the country's goal of eliminating malaria by 2030. "We are excited to identify a new, multidisciplinary application for our high-quality climate data services. Malaria is one of India's most pressing health concerns. By combining meteorological information with the information from the health sector, we can examine micro-trends and predict malaria patterns, and accelerate our national progress towards its elimination. The Interagency Expert Committee announced today will function as a highly effective platform to accomplish this objective," said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD, Government of India, in a statement. The ICMR will provide the scientific rigour quintessential to develop robust and scalable use cases to combat the vector borne diseases. "The impact of climate change has emerged as a major threat to the very existence of the human race. At the ICMR, we are working to combat the climate-sensitive diseases through a concerted national strategic action focused on climate and health. Vector borne diseases like Malaria are priority targets for action in the health-climate agenda. The relations between these disease and the climate variables have been extensively studied in the past, and it is time to apply these evidences to design programmatic solutions to accelerate India's progress against these diseases," added Manju Rahi, Scientist F and Deputy Director General of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, ICMR, Government of India. The IEC's launch is part of a global initiative -- Forecasting Healthy Futures -- to develop weather data-informed strategies and policies to improve health outcomes and accelerate progress against malaria and other deadly mosquito-borne diseases. The IEC will focus on improving models like the one Malaria No More developed in <keyword id="6357961" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="odisha">Odisha</keyword> state, which uses a multi-stakeholders and interdisciplinary approach to identify and prioritise areas of scalable and sustainable impact to improve malaria control and prevention. Malaria No More's weather-based prediction model is designed to produce data-driven solutions to guide planning of national malaria prevention campaigns, test and treatment interventions, advanced positioning of medical products, and the deployment of community health workers. The forecasting model uses advanced weather data, health information, and deep learning algorithms, and produces practical visualisation outputs for local decision-making in the pilot districts of Koraput and Malkangiri in Odisha. SEE ALSO <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-group-under-sebi-scanner-on-market-manipulation/articleshow/83501698.cms">Gautam Adani loses over $7 billion in net worth after questions over the meteoric rise in group stocks</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/adani-group-pnb-coal-india-tcs-and-other-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-june-14/slidelist/83499937.cms">Adani group, PNB, Coal India, TCS and other stocks to watch out for on June 14</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/weekly-crypto-roundup-wazirx-under-scrutiny-el-salvador-makes-bitcoin-legal-tender-and-more/slidelist/83478577.cms">Weekly crypto roundup: WazirX under scrutiny, El Salvador makes Bitcoin legal tender and more</a>

IMD and ICMR collaborate with an NGO to explore climate-based solutions in eliminating malaria in India

<ul><li>The Indian Council of Medical Research (<keyword id="6364396" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ICMR">ICMR</keyword>) is working to launch the first made-in-India <keyword id="8624004" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccine</keyword> by August 15 in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL).</li><li>The indigenous COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ is currently under clinical trials. </li><li>The ICMR has selected 12 institutes, including one from Odisha, for the clinical trial of ‘COVAXIN’.</li></ul>While the world still awaits a vaccine for coronavirus and trials are underway, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has set a deadline for as soon as August 15 to make its vaccine – Covaxin available for all. Even the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine may hit the Indian market <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/oxford-covid-19-vaccine-may-hit-the-indian-market-by-the-end-of-the-year-if-successful-says-ceo-of-worlds-largest-vaccine-manufacturer/articleshow/76763833.cms">only by the end of the year</a>, if successful. ICMR’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine (BBV152 COVID vaccine) or ‘Covaxin’ is currently under clinical trials. ICMR is working in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to develop this vaccine. According to reports, this is one of the top priority projects which is being monitored at the topmost level of the government. If successful, this will be the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India. “The vaccine is being derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine,” ICMR Director General Balram Bhargava wrote in a letter to the heads of the selected institutions. Bharat Biotech’s track record in developing vero cell culture platform technologies has been proven in several vaccines for Polio, Rabies, Rotavirus, Japanese Encephalitis, Chikungunya and Zika. “It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by August 15, 2020, after completion of all clinical trials. BBIL is working expeditiously to meet the target. However, the final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project,” reads the letter dated July 2. Informing the institutions of their selection as clinical trials sites for the vaccine the IMCR director-general strictly advised them to fast track all approvals related to the initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrollment is initiated no later July 7, 2020. ICMR’s COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t sound convincing to experts However, the letter of ICMR received much criticism from experts on social media for its tone. Some even questioned ICMR for deciding the efficacy of the vaccine even before the clinical trials. <div type="twitter" handle="AnantBhan" handlename="Anant Bhan" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1017714876964171776/_Qri-OTb_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1510" retweetcount="904" status="This is a letter which has been sent out by the ICMR DG yesterday. Now that multiple folks have confirmed genuinene… https://t.co/uaj5aMgUyV" createdat="1593748686000" id="1278900800530472960"></div> Earlier in May, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/biocon-chairperson-kiran-mazumdar-shaw-says-indias-covid-19-vaccines-will-enter-clinical-trial-in-9-months/articleshow/75591805.cms">Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, founder and executive chairperson at Biocon told Business Insider</a> that vaccine development takes a lot of time because several phases are involved in it. In the first phase, a dose escalation is done to see what the ideal dose for an optimal immune response is. In the second phase, it is tested if the immune response can be done in all age groups. This is important as the first phase is conducted with young, healthy volunteers who are at minimal risk. In the third phase, the vaccine is given to a larger population to ensure that the same immune response is given by everyone who is vaccinated. “One of the most important things of this phase is to check how long the immunity stays. This allows us to determine how often a person will have to get revaccinated,” Shaw further noted. Speaking about the production capacity, Shaw said that even after the vaccine is approved, India may not be able to produce more than 10-20 million doses in the first year, which is a negligible amount considering India’s population. ICMR selects 12 institutes for clinical trial The ICMR has selected 12 institutes, including one from Odisha, for the clinical trial of ‘COVAXIN’. Bhubaneswar-based Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital under the SOA Deemed to be University, has been chosen by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for undertaking human clinical trials of India’s first coronavirus vaccine. In view of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic and urgency to launch the vaccine, the selected institutes are strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to the initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated during the first week of July. Apart from IMS and SUM Hospital, the other institutes selected for the clinical trial are located in Visakhapatnam, Rohtak, New Delhi, Patna, Belgaum (Karnataka), Nagpur, Gorakhpur, Kattankulathur (Tamil Nadu), Hyderabad, Arya Nagar, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Goa. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/these-are-the-companies-manufacturing-covid-19-remdesivir-medicine-in-india/articleshow/76747405.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"> These are the companies manufacturing COVID-19 drug Remdesivir in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-narendra-modi-reaches-leh-with-general-bipin-rawat-and-general-mm-naravane-after-the-galwan-valley-standoff-with-china/articleshow/76763940.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">PM Narendra Modi visits Ladakh – two weeks after the Galwan valley standoff with China</a>

You Searched For "ICMR" and got 8 results

Stillbirths are a hidden tragedy says ICMR as it seeks research funding

ANI

BHU study on Covaxin side effects poorly designed, critically flawed: ICMR Director General

PTI

COVID-19 vaccine 'Covaxin' is effective against double mutant strain found in India, says ICMR

IANS

ICMR comes up with first ethical guidelines for application of AI in biomedical research, healthcare

PTI

Drug resistance sets in for a powerful pneumonia antibiotic: ICMR

PTI

ICMR's regional centre develops technology that can test for tuberculosis in just Rupees 35!

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