Coronavirus Vaccine

In relief for investors, Pfizer 2025 profit forecast in line with estimates

Shares of the drugmaker rose nearly 3 per cent to $25.98 in premarket trading after the company also said it was expecting 2025 sales of its Covid-19 vaccine and drug to be consistent

Trump nominees should 'steer clear' of undermining polio vaccine: McConnell

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, said any of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees seeking confirmation should steer clear of efforts to discredit the polio vaccine. Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed they're dangerous, McConnell said in a Friday statement. Anyone seeking the Senate's consent to serve in the incoming Administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts. The 82-year-old lawmaker's statement appeared to be directed at Trump's nominee for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after a report that one of his advisors filed a petition to revoke approval for the polio vaccine in 2022. It was a sign that Kennedy, who has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism, could face resistance in the soon-to-be GOP-controlled Senate. Mr. Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly .

ICMR study concluded Covid vaccine didn't increase death risk: Nadda to RS

An ICMR study has conclusively documented that Covid vaccination did not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death among young adults in India, instead lowering their odds, Union Health Minister J P Nadda told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Past COVID-19 hospitalization, family history of sudden death and certain lifestyle behaviours increased the likelihood of unexplained sudden death, he said responding to a question. He said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology conducted a study titled 'Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India' -- a 'multicentric matched case-control study' -- at 47 tertiary care hospitals in 19 states and Union Territories during May-August last year. The cases were apparently healthy individuals without any known co-morbidity, who suddenly (less than 24 hours of hospitalisation or seen apparently healthy 24 hours before death) died of ...

Covid a disaster like no other, vaccination saved lives: Centre to SC

The Centre on Tuesday stated in the Supreme Court that the Covid 19 pandemic was "a disaster like no other" and vaccination saved people's lives. The submission was made when a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and P B Varale was hearing a plea over the alleged vaccine-induced deaths of two women. After additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre, said Covid was a disaster like no other, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the women's parents, responded, "We are not contesting that. We do not dispute." The plea, filed by the parents of the two women, claimed after the first dose of their Covishield vaccination, the women suffered severe adverse effects following immunisation (AEFI). Bhati said the apex court had holistically looked into the aspect of Covid vaccination and delivered a verdict dealing with the aspect of AEFI. "Ultimately, it is a question of balancing the equities. Covid was a disaster like no other," she said, "covid vaccination has

Leading docs sign petition for suspension of all Covid-19 mRNA vaccines

Several doctors and healthcare professionals have signed a petition calling for the immediate suspension of all COVID-19 mRNA products because they fear the jabs could be contributing to an alarming rise in excess deaths. A petition known as the HOPE Accord attracting signatures from around the world went online recently to alert the international community on the continued use of the COVID mRNA vaccines. These vaccines, using gene-based technology, were given emergency use authorisation as one of the tools to address the coronavirus pandemic. A growing body of evidence suggests that the widespread rollout of the novel Covid-19 mRNA vaccine products is contributing to an alarming rise in disability and excess deaths, reads the Hope Accord petition. This new technology was granted emergency use authorisation to address a situation that no longer exists. Going forward, the burden of proof falls on those still advocating for these products to compellingly demonstrate that they aren't .

India became 'Pharmacy of the World' during Covid-19: JP Nadda

Union Minister JP Nadda highlights India's commitment to improving global healthcare standards and highlighted the country's contributions to global healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic

What is the new XEC Covid variant? Symptoms, spread, vaccine and prevention

The new Covid variant was initially detected in Germany in June, according to the BBC. Since then, it has been found in several other countries, including the UK, US, Denmark, and more

Bharat Biotech partners with Alopexx to develop anti-microbial vaccine

Bharat Biotech on Wednesday announced a collaboration with Alopexx Inc for development and commercialisation of the latter's broad-spectrum anti-microbial vaccine in India and other low income countries. As part of the collaboration, the companies will co-develop and commercialise the vaccine -- AV0328, in India and other licensed territories, Bharat Biotech said in a statement. Alopexx would be entitled to a one-time upfront payment and milestone payments, as well as royalties on future sales of AV0328 in the licensed territories, it added. "Our goal is to develop solutions to reduce anti-microbial resistance through vaccination. This collaboration aligns with our mission to provide safe, affordable, and high-quality vaccines to combat infectious diseases globally," Bharat Biotech Executive Chairman Krishna Ella said. Alopexx CEO Daniel Vlock said, this collaboration brings the company one step closer to addressing the critical need for affordable, broad-spectrum antimicrobial ..

IIL develops live-attenuated, needle-free intranasal Covid-19 vaccine

The contagion still killing 1,700 people every week across the world, says WHO

Shutting down vaccine PSUs will erode capabilities further, says Congress

The Congress on Friday hit out at the government over the Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Limited (BIBCOL) reportedly facing a "grim future", and said shutting down vaccine PSUs will only erode the country's capabilities further. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that the BIBCOL factory in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, that was at the forefront of India's fight against polio before, hasn't produced a single vaccine since December 2022. "Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation (BIBCOL) was set up in the late 1980s, at the personal initiative of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, to make India self-sufficient in the production of oral polio vaccines. It was my good fortune to have been associated with its establishment at Bulandshahr in UP as part of the technology mission on immunisation," Ramesh said in a post on X. But BIBCOL now faces a "grim future in the era of the non-biological PM", h

1.1 mn excess deaths during Covid-19, 8 times more than govt figure: Study

In India, 11.9 lakh excess deaths occurred in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, 17 per cent higher compared to 2019, an international study has found. The estimate is about eight times higher than the official COVID-19 deaths in India, and 1.5 times the World Health Organization's estimates, researchers, including those from the University of Oxford, UK, said. Using data of over 7.65 lakh individuals, the study estimated changes in life expectancy at birth, by gender and social group between 2019 and 2020 in India, a country where one-third of global pandemic excess deaths are thought to have occurred, according to the authors. The data was taken from the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5). The life expectancy in women fell by 3.1 years, while it fell by 2.1 years in men, the authors said. Gender inequalities in healthcare and resource distribution within households could be possible reasons, they said. The patterns contrast with those seen in high-income countries, where .

Risk of developing Long Covid falls, but remains substantial, shows study

The World Health Organization says tens of thousands of Covid cases are being reported globally. The actual number of infections is likely to be significantly higher

EU court criticises Commission over handling of Covid vaccine contracts

The Commission signed deals with COVID vaccine supplies AstraZeneca, Sanofi, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, BioNTech, Pfizer, Moderna and others at the height of the pandemic

Pan India rollout of U-WIN to track routine vaccinations likely by Aug end

The U-WIN portal, a replication of the Covid-19 vaccine management system Co-WIN, is set for a pan-India launch likely by the end of August, aiming to maintain an electronic registry of routine immunisations, official sources said. Currently, U-WIN is in pilot mode across all states and Union Territories, except for West Bengal, which is yet to start uploading data, the sources told PTI, adding that it is still under consideration in the state. The U-WIN platform captures every vaccination event for pregnant women and children under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in the interim Budget for 2024-2025 that U-WIN, along with intensified efforts under Mission Indradhanush, will be rolled out nationwide for managing immunisation. "The U-WIN will ensure timely administration of vaccine doses by digitally recording every vaccination event under the Universal Immunisation Programme among all pregnant women and children aged 0

Pfizer, Moderna Covid vaccine patents battle to continue after UK ruling

Moderna had argued Pfizer and BioNTech copied mRNA advances it had pioneered and patented well before the Covid-19 pandemic began in late 2019

As Covid-19 ticks up, US advisers recommend a fall vaccination campaign

With fresh COVID-19 cases bubbling up in some parts of the country, health officials are setting course for a fall vaccination campaign. An influential government advisory panel on Thursday recommended new shots for all Americans this fall. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must endorse the recommendation. Officials acknowledged the need for vaccinations is not as dire as it was only a few years ago. Most Americans have some degree of immunity from being infected, from past vaccinations or both. COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations last month were at about their lowest point since the pandemic first hit the United States in 2020. But immunity wanes, new coronavirus variants keep emerging and there are still hundreds of COVID-19-associated deaths and thousands of hospitalizations reported each week. What's more, health officials have reported upticks this month in COVID-19-associated emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and a pronounced increase i

Macron, African leaders push for vaccines after Covid exposed inequalities

French President Emmanuel Macron is joining several African leaders on Thursday to kick off a planned $1 billion project to accelerate the rollout of vaccines in Africa, after the coronavirus pandemic exposed gaping inequalities in access to them. The launch of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which will provide financial incentives to vaccine manufacturers, offered a momentary break for Macron from domestic political concerns as legislative elections loom on June 30 and July 7. Many African leaders and advocacy groups say Africa was unfairly locked out of access to COVID-19 treatment tools, vaccines and testing equipment that many richer countries bought up in huge quantities after the pandemic swept the world starting in 2020. WHO, advocacy groups and others want to help Africa get better prepared for the next pandemic, which many health experts say is inevitable. When the coronavirus pandemic began, South Africa was the only country in Africa with any ability to .

Vaccine group Gavi seeks $11.9 bn to immunise world's poorest children

The amount will be finalised at a meeting on Thursday in Paris, where donors will make pledges for the organisation's plan for 2026-2030

US' Kansas sues Pfizer for hiding Covid vaccine risks, making false claims

The lawsuit filed by Kansas, a US state, alleged that Pfizer promoted its vaccine's safety while hiding evidence linking it to pregnancy complications, such as miscarriages, and heart inflammations

Recovery in overseas travel by Chinese lags due to costs, visa snags

The Chinese currency has fallen more than 2% against the dollar since the start of the year, raising costs in yuan terms for Chinese travellers abroad