Pharma News Update – 17 September 2020

1.Aurobindo Pharma collaborates with BIRAC for the development of Covid-19 vaccine :

Pharma news – 17 September: On 15 September 2020, Aurobindo Pharma announced its collaboration with BIRAC^[1], set up by the Department of Biotechnology. This tie-up was done to develop a Covid-19 vaccine in the country.

The company has claimed that BIRAC supported it by assisting in the set-up of the ‘r-VSV vaccine’ manufacturing platform. It further added that it is working together with its subsidiary, Auro Vaccines for the development of the Covid-19. Auro Vaccines is a wholly-owned US^[2]subsidiary of the drug firm. The drug firm has also claimed that the manufacturing plant will comply with global standards.

Many Indian Pharma firms are also racing ahead to develop a potent Covid-19 vaccine. This includes Bharath Biotech, Serum Institute, Zydus Cadila, Panacea Biotec, Indian Immunologicals, Mynvax and Biological E.

Abbreviation : 1. Biotechnology Industry ResearchAssistance Council.

US – United States

2. Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine trial loses out on volunteers due to Oxford vaccine scare :

Pharma news – 17 September: The appearance of a serious illness in one of the volunteers enrolled for the Oxford vaccine trial has been creating chaos everywhere. This chaotic situation started on 6 September 2020 in the UK^[1]. Following this, the trials were temporarily suspended but now these have resumed. Except for the US^[2], other countries have already restarted their trials.

This sudden scare has instilled fear in the minds of volunteers making them reluctant to go on with the trial. This has caused a few participants in Spain to drop out since 15 September 2020. Many, however, remained rational and enquired the researchers to provide additional information on the risks of the vaccine. Despite this fluctuation, the company has claimed that number of volunteers needed for the clinical trials is still sufficient.

Abbreviation : 1. United Kingdom

United States

3.Brinton Pharma gets Rs.10 crore debt funding from BlackSoil Capitals :

Pharma news – 17 September: Brinton Pharma has recently received the DCGI’s^[1] approval for selling Favipiravir 400 mg in India. This medication is being launched under the brand name “Faviton”. This company has also raised around Rs.10 crores in debt funding from BlackSoil Capital.

Favipiravir is an antiviral agent that is being used for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of Covid-19 in India. Brinton is the second country to launch the drug in India. Starting from May 2020, this drug was being exported to Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and Vietnam. This drug was made for Brinton pharma by its Hyderabad-based Optimus Pharma.

The company is also manufacturing PPE^[2] kits and RT-PCR^[3] kits since the beginning of the pandemic. Despite being a seven-years-old company, Brinton Pharma’s response to the current pandemic was clearly impressive and this was appreciated by many in the field.

The drug firm’s investor BlackSoil Capital also praised the company. It claimed that the company was successful in increasing its revenue during the pandemic and also proved itself competent. It also added that Brinton Pharma is one of the few companies that have turned EBITDA^[4] positive during the last few months. Apart from this, this investment is also expected to increase the market reach of the company and proliferate its business.

Abbreviation : 1. Drugs Controller General of India

2. Personal Protective Equipment

3. Reverse Transcriptase – Polymerase Chain Reaction

Earnings Before Investment, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization

4. Experimental Covid-19 plasma therapy by Takeda Pharma to enter clinical trial :

Pharma news – 17 September: Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and its partners are working on an experimental Covid-19 therapy blood plasma. This therapy is expected to undergo a late stage clinical trial after some delays.

This study is sponsored by the NIAID^[1] located in the United States. As per a posting found on the website of NIH^[2], around 500 participants are to be recruited for this trial. The participants are expected to be from the United States, Britain, Denmark and Argentina.

The study is expected to begin in September 2020 albeit many speculating that it would begin in July 2020. It aims to compare the efficacy of the plasma product with that of Remdesivirand placebo.

This group is also known as the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance and includes Biotest AG, CSL Behring, Octapharma Plasma and Takeda Pharma. It is currently working on a hyperimmune globulin therapy obtained from convalescent plasma. The dose of the antibodies is standardized in this and there is no limitation especially with regard to the matching blood types.

The clinical supplies needed for this trial were given to the Takeda’s facility in the U.S State of Georgia and CSL Behring’s facility in Bern, Switzerland.

Abbreviation : 1. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases