If the world is to gain access to a vaccine for COVID-19, there’s a good chance it will pass through the doors of Serum Institute of India.
Serum Institute, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines by volume, is working on several candidates for the novel coronavirus – including potentially mass-producing the AstraZeneca/Oxford university one that has garnered global headlines – as well as developing its own.
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The efforts are partly being shepherded by Umesh Shaligram, the head of research and development. His employer is a private company but every day, shortly before midnight, he receives a WhatsApp message from the government asking for updates, and about any new hurdles he faces.
The message is usually from K VijayRaghavan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s top scientific adviser – an indication of the critical, and even strategically important, nature of the race to develop the vaccines the whole world is waiting for.
Shaligram promptly responds with a progress report and details any bottlenecks.
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“Any delays, you just tell them,” said Shaligram, adding the government has been doing everything it can to fast-track clearances, and resolve import delays and other issues.
“We have begun to see approvals come through in days, even on a Sunday night, for trials and things like that,” he said, noting some of these processes typically took 4 to 6 months.
While most of the attention regarding vaccines typically goes to the pharmaceutical developer, India quietly plays a key role in manufacturing 60%-70% of all vaccines sold globally with the Serum Institute playing a lead role, said the company’s Chief Executive Adar Poonawalla.
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At the company’s sprawling, 150-acre campus in the western Indian city of Pune, Shaligram and his team are working flat-out. Dozens of buses ferry in hundreds of workers each day to the grounds, which are buzzing with activity even as the city around it remains largely under lockdown.
The push comes as the number of cases of COVID-19, both globally and domestically, continue to surge and world leaders look to vaccines as the only real way to restart their stalled economies, even though none have yet been proven to be effective against the coronavirus.
Poonawalla, whose family owns he vaccine maker, said scientists, drugmakers and manufacturers were collaborating at an unparalleled scale to spur development and availability.
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“We are all in a race to battle the disease, there is no one-upmanship here,” he told Reuters, sitting in his office beside his family’s 74-year-old stud farm.
VACCINE CANDIDATES
Serum, founded in 1966 by Adar’s father Cyrus Poonawalla, has partnered with U.S. biotech firm Codagenix, its U.S. rival Novavax and Austria’s Themis to potentially manufacture three COVID-19 vaccine candidates that are still in development.
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Another candidate in the works is the experimental vaccine developed by a team at the University of Oxford and now licensed to drugmaker AstraZeneca, with whom Serum are in talks to mass produce the vaccine, which is now in the clinical trial stage.
The United States has secured almost a third of the first 1 billion doses planned for the potential vaccine, initially known as ChAdOx1 and now as AZD1222, by pledging up to $1.2 billion.
Poonawalla aims to initially produce 4-5 million doses a month, beginning from June, and then gradually ramp up to 350-400 million doses a year.
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“Hopefully we will build a stock of a few million doses to give to our country and other high-risk areas across the globe come October-November when the trials ought to be concluded,” the 39-year-old said, while giving Reuters rare access to tour his facilities.
He added he had been given to understand by the development team that the trials had an 80% chance of success, given that the vaccine is based on a tried-and-tested platform.
Based on the information currently available, Poonawalla also said he anticipated AZD1222 would be a single-dose vaccine and not require a booster dose.
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He sees AZD1222 potentially priced at about 1,000 rupees ($13) per dose in India, but expects it will be procured and distributed by governments without charge.
Serum is also working on developing its own in-house vaccine options to tackle the disease, Poonawalla said.
VIALS, TUBES, CHEMICALS
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Even if a vaccine does succeed, a treatment to fight COVID-19 would still be required, said Poonawalla, noting some people do not get the desired immune response, even if vaccinated.
“You may get mild symptoms, you may get severe symptoms. It depends on your system, but there is a chance,” he added. “Not all vaccines are fully effective.”
The Serum Institute produces more than 1.5 billion doses of vaccines every year, for everything from polio to measles.
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Poonawalla says that gave the company an edge in securing supplies of vials and high-quality chemicals required to make a vaccine in bulk once all approvals are in place.
“We have partnered with many of our suppliers to have one to two-year inventories of glass vials and tubing glass stocked in advance, so luckily for us that won’t be an issue.”
Any successful vaccine is however bound to be in short supply at first, he stressed.
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India recorded more than 6,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing its total to over 118,000 cases with more than 3,500 deaths, even as it gradually begins to ease its nearly two-month long nationwide lockdown.
There have been more than 5 million infections and over 330,000 deaths reported worldwide.
The Indian government stands ready to cover the costs of trials of any vaccine in the country, said Poonawalla, adding that the government had also expressed interest in placing advance orders for a potential vaccine.
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“We’ve reached out and they have been very positive,” he added. “But we’ve said hold on … as we don’t want to take government money until we are very confident we can deliver.”
UNLOCKING VALUE IN THE ‘HYPE’
Serum, one of the few companies ramping up hiring during the health crisis, is also designing a separate facility to make vaccines for pandemic-level diseases that could handle 90% of the current vaccine candidates being developed, beyond just the COVID-19 ones.
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That facility, which will be ready in the next two to three years, would be able to potentially churn out 700-800 million doses a year, according to Poonawalla.
The CEO said he considered taking the company public some years ago to fund some large acquisitions, but changed course when the deals fell through.
Now he’s considering a different approach. He is exploring creating a holding entity that will host the company’s pandemic-level technologies, including manufacturing rights, intellectual property and the sale of all of Serum’s COVID-19-related candidates, and selling a minority stake in the venture.
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“That will unlock value in the main hype,” he said.
Poonawalla said he had engaged bankers to test the waters on this, but stressed he would only consider selling a stake to ethical, long-term funds or sovereign funds that do not expect huge returns and want to “make a difference to the world”.
“After getting them onboard, I don’t want to be in a situation where I have to charge high prices to give them returns.”
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A huge update for those who were a part of COVID vaccination programs! Rare side effects of the vaccination have surfaced, questioned by numerous health experts.
The Economic Times reported that AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, has legally acknowledged that its product, Covishield, can cause certain rare side effects.
AstraZeneca developed Covishield, which was produced by the Serum Institute of India. In India, Covishield was one of the primary vaccines provided to citizens.
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AstraZeneca’s Statements
AstraZeneca is currently facing a lawsuit in a UK court. The lawsuit was filed after claims surfaced on the internet that AstraZeneca’s vaccine caused deaths. To date, 51 deaths have been reported, hence 51 cases have been filed against the company.
AstraZeneca finally admitted in one of the court papers that, “Covishield can, in very rare cases, cause TTS.” TTS stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.
Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, a medical expert, told ANI,
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“TTS is thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which is basically a clot in the blood vessels of the brain or elsewhere, along with a low platelet count. It is known to occur in very rare instances following certain types of vaccines and also from other causes. According to the WHO, adenovirus vector vaccines, in particular, have rarely been associated with this condition.”
TTS: About, Diagnosis, Treatment
TTS, or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, is a serious yet rare health condition characterized by low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) along with the formation of blood clots (thrombosis).
Various symptoms associated with TTS include neurological deficits, shortness of breath, leg swelling, abdominal pain, and severe headaches.
TTS can be diagnosed if blood tests are conducted to assess the levels of platelets in the blood. Moreover, to detect blood clots, imaging studies are required, reported the Times of India.
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TTS can be treated with a multidisciplinary approach. It includes supportive care, anticoagulation therapy to prevent blood clotting, and hospitalization.
To manage and stabilize platelet levels in the body, plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) can also be performed.
Patients with TTS are prone to severe complications like death and organ damage. Hence, close monitoring of patients by healthcare providers is a must.
The prime suspect in the murder case of a famous Punjabi singer, Goldy Brar, is alive, reported TOI.
Goldy is the infamous Canadian gangster who was earlier rumored to be dead in an alleged incident that took place at Fairmont and Holt Avenue last Tuesday.
In the incident, one of the two individuals reportedly got gunshot wound and succumbed to injuries at the hospital. You can read our story about California shooting incident in which Goldy Brar allegedly got shot here.
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As per the US police, reports of Goldy’s disappearance were circulating all over the internet on Tuesday. However, the U.S. authorities clarified the rumors of Brar’s disappearance in a California shooting incident are untrue.
The claims were refuted by the Fresno police department and labeled them as fake. William J. Dooley, the Lieutenant, debunked online speculations and announced that the victim of the California shooting was not Goldy Brar.
William J. Dooley stated,
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“If you are inquiring because of the online chatter claiming that the shooting victim is ‘Goldy Brar’, we can confirm that this is absolutely not true.”
Who is Goldy Brar?
Goldy Brar, hailing from Muktsar Sahib, Punjab, is a close ally of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. It is anticipated that he is the mastermind behind the assassination of Sidhu Moose Wala, the Punjabi pop icon.
According to The Economic Times, in January 2024, Satinderjit Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, was designated as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the anti-terror law, UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act).Â
Orders by the government-linked Goldy Brar to a listed terrorist organization under the UAPA, Babbar Khalsa International.Â
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Goldy Brar has never ceased to vanish from police’s eyes since he murdered Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. His father also was a Police Officer himself.
After completing his graduation and getting a BS degree, he has been operating from Canada remotely.
Last year Goldy’s statement, targetting Bollywood superstar Salman Khan next made huge media headlines.
The viral sex video case involving Prajwal Revanna, a member of the prominent Karnataka political family JDS, has created a storm in the Karnataka political scene.
The video, which involves a trail of deceit connected to a 16-acre ancestral property, has led to allegations of intimidation and blackmail, resulting in legal action and widespread dissemination of the tapes.
The central figure, now-suspended MP Prajwal Revanna, is the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
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The origins of this scandal trace back to an acrimonious land dispute within the inner echelons of H D Deve Gowda’s son, H D Revanna’s family. In 2023, a trusted lieutenant of the Revanna family, Kartik, went rogue and decided to challenge the family’s monopoly.
At the center of the controversy was a 16-acre piece of land located in the ancestral village of the Deve Gowda clan in Holenarsipura.
This land soon became a prestige issue and the bone of contention between Kartik and the Revanna family.
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Tensions escalated when Kartik, feeling marginalized, lodged a complaint in December 2023 accusing Prajwal and his mother of using coercive means to hand over the land.
This was followed by a series of revelations about clandestine activities within the Deve Gowda lineage.
It was also revealed that Kartik had access to Prajwal’s mobile phone, with which he recorded the incriminating videos.
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The scandalous videos were initially shared on his personal device and later used as a tool of blackmail after Kartik’s fallout with the family.
Kartik later approached prominent lawyer and BJP functionary G Devaraj Gowda, which further aggravated the situation.
This led the Revanna family to seek legal action against some media outlets and individuals, alleging a smear campaign against them.
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The courts ruled to forbid the release of the videos in any manner.
G Devarajegowda maintained silence and did not release the videos, citing concerns for privacy and dignity.
However, his political rivals did not let the opportunity slip and started a widespread dissemination of the tapes ahead of the elections.
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According to Kartik, he doesn’t know what Devaraj did with the videos.
Whenever he asked about them, Devaraj told him to wait.
It is also said that Devaraj gave the videos to the BJP high command and even asked the party not to give a ticket to Prajwal, and wrote a letter to this effect.
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Later, Kartik asked Devaraj to return the pen drive containing the videos.
Devaraj gave him a copy of the letter he had written to the BJP high command, stating that even if he did not get justice from the court, he would seek it in this way.
Later, Kartik said that Devaraj discussed the matter with the media and started ignoring him.
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Devaraj also stated to the media that he had given some copies of the videos to some friends from Congress, but this has been outrightly denied by Kartik, who added that Devaraj had cheated him.
The Karnataka Government has initiated a special probe and has formed an SIT team to investigate the matter.
Things have become even more complicated after Prajwal’s departure for Frankfurt, Germany, just a day before the formation of the SIT, leading to many unanswered questions.
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The SIT team has been tasked with investigating allegations of sexual harassment and an alleged obscene video scandal against Prajwal Revanna, the current Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Janata Dal (Secular) from Hassan.
It is not clear how many women have been victims in this high-profile sex scandal. It is alleged that a number of women were sexually harassed, and videos were made.
More than 3000 videos have gone viral on different social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit and more.
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The videos started surfacing about 5 days before the start of the second phase of the voting for the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, which occurred on 20 April.
Voting for the second phase of the elections happened on 26 April in different parts of the country, including 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
Prajwal Revanna, however, remained unfazed and even participated in the election campaigns, asking voters to support the NDA alliance, of which JD(S) is a component.
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Post-elections, he took a flight to Germany, and opposition parties have alleged that he fled the country to escape prosecution.
Amidst these developments, a woman who had worked with the Revanna family filed an FIR and made many shocking charges against both HD Revanna and Prajwal Revanna.
The woman stated that she first came in contact with the Revanna family when she was employed as a worker during their son Sooraj’s marriage.
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Later, Prajwal Revanna would often call her alone to a room.
She revealed that six women used to work for the Revanna family and all were petrified and afraid of Prajwal Revanna.
The woman also alleged that whenever the female members of the Revanna family were out, Prajwal Revanna would call her and behave in an objectionable manner.
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She also accused him of sexually molesting her.
The Holanarsipur Police have since recorded the statement of the woman and are investigating the matter, and have registered a case against both H D Revanna and Prajwal Revanna.
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