News Roundup

Sworning in of Mansukh Mandaviya, Health Minister of India Mansukh Mandaviya sworn in as Union Health Minister

Mansukh Mandaviya is the new health minister of India, replacing Dr Harsh Vardhan. Mandaviya’s portfolio assumes utmost significance as the country is amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mandaviya is among the seven ministers of states who have been promoted and given a cabinet rank in today’s cabinet rejig by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat. Mandaviya will also be in charge of the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers. He earlier served as minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways and minister of state for chemical and fertilisers.

Mandaviya is born in a middle-class farmer family in a village called Hanol, Palitana taluka of Saurashtra’s region Bhavnagar district. He became the youngest MLA at the age of 28 years in 2002. He studied veterinary science at the Gujarat Agricultural University’s Dantiwada and later completed his masters in political science.

Takeda, Frazier Healthcare partner to launch HilleVax

Takeda has granted a license to HilleVax for the exclusive development and commercialisation rights to its norovirus vaccine candidate Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (Takeda) and Frazier Healthcare Partners (Frazier) announced a collaboration to launch HilleVax, a biopharmaceutical company to develop and commercialise Takeda’s norovirus vaccine candidate. Takeda has granted a license to HilleVax for the exclusive development and commercialisation rights to its norovirus vaccine candidate, HIL-214 (formerly TAK-214), worldwide outside of Japan. Takeda will retain commercialisation rights in Japan and HilleVax will integrate certain Japan development activities into its global development. Takeda remains committed to vaccines and this collaboration allows Takeda to focus primarily on dengue, COVID-19, pandemic influenza and Zika.

CII, SII to expand vaccination across small towns, rural areas

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has partnered with Serum Institute of India (SII) to accelerate vaccination in partnership with industry, including healthcare providers. The vaccine drive will target communities in India’s small towns and rural areas to ensure wide coverage. As part of the pan-India vaccine demand aggregation exercise, CII surveyed with a response from over 3000 companies in 196 cities. This identified a requirement of over seven million single-dose vaccines. CII is now mapping the vaccination need requirement state-wise and setting up vaccination camps along with its members focusing on reaching Tier II / III cities and rural areas.

Lupin’s subsidiary Generic Health in tie up with Southern Cross Pharma

Generic Health, an Australia-based whollyowned subsidiary of global pharma major

Lupin announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Lupin will acquire 100 per cent of the shares of Southern Cross Pharma (SCP). Incorporated in Melbourne, Australia, SCP is engaged in developing, registering, and distributing generic products. As a part of the transaction, Generic Health will gain access to over 60 registered products having sales of over AUD 30 million (approximately $22 million). This will significantly increase Lupin’s value proposition and market share in the Australian market.

HMD launches 3-Way Stop Cock – Dispoway

Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices (HMD) has introduced 3-way Stop Cock – Dispoway for infusing more than one fluid at a single time. This new and advanced Stop Cock is made with medicalgrade polycarbonate, polypropylene and polyethylene. Dispoway by HMD comes with some modifications that make it an easy-to-use leak-proof product and give healthcare workers better control while infusing fluids. The Stop cock has one male Luer lock with a rotator and two female ports. As a result, the flow of liquids is smooth and the fit is secure. The low dead space design prevents any kind of leakage from occurring.

3-Way Stop Cock – Dispoway

Evrysdi, oral therapy drug Roche launches Evrysdi, oral therapy drug to treat SMA

Roche announced the launch of Evrysdi (risdiplam), the first and only approved treatment in India for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) patients. Evrysdi was first approved by the US FDA in August 2020 and is available in India within 11 months of US approval. Since its launch, over 4,000 SMA patients across 50+ countries have benefitted from Evrysdi.

Evrysdi is administered daily at home orally (it is supplied as a powder which is constituted into a liquid solution and taken once daily by mouth or feeding tube if required) and is designed to treat SMA by increasing production of the Survival Motor Neuron (SMN) protein. It is approved for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in adults and children 2 months of age and older.

GE Healthcare’s India Edison Accelerator unveils Cohort 3

Recognising the emergent need for nextgeneration technologies and diagnostic solutions in oncology, cardiology, genomics and remote patient monitoring, GE Healthcare’s India Edison Accelerator has announced its Cohort 3 comprising six start-up companies from these areas. Based out of India and Singapore, these companies- 4basecare, Haystack Analytics, zMed Healthcare Technologies, Tricog, AIRA Matrix and Qritive – will spend six months with healthcare industry experts from within and outside GE who will help them build and scale up their solutions for new market segments. Applications from startups for Cohort 3 were shortlisted using evaluation criteria such as the strength of the business idea, maturity of product and team capabilities, among others. The India Edison Accelerator provides startups with mentorship, skill development programmes, commercial and regulatory guidance as well as data provisioning.

MoH&FW backs reservation in UG, PG medical/dental courses

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) has taken a historic and landmark decision for providing 27 per cent reservation for OBCs and 10 per cent reservation for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) in the All India Quota (AIQ) Scheme for undergraduate and postgraduate medical/ dental courses (MBBS / MD / MS / Diploma / BDS / MDS) from the current academic year 2021-22 onwards. AIQ consists of 15 per cent of total available UG seats and 50 per cent of total available PG seats in government medical colleges. Initially, there was no reservation in AIQ Scheme up to 2007. In 2007, the Supreme Court introduced a reservation of 15 per cent for SCs and

7.5 per cent for STs in the AIQ Scheme. When the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Act became effective in 2007 providing for uniform 27 per cent reservation to OBCs, the same was implemented in all the Central Educational Institutions viz. Safdarjung Hospital, Lady Harding Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University and Banaras Hindu University etc. However, this was not extended to the AIQ seats of State medical and dental colleges.

Sathyalok Charitable Trust Dialysis Centre opens in Chennai

Sathyalok Charitable Trust Dialysis Centre – Porur, established jointly by Rotary Club of Chennai Capital, Madras West Round Table 10 and Sathyalok Charitable Trust was inaugurated in Chennai. The Tamilnad Kidney Research Foundation (TANKER Foundation) is roped in to provide dialysis services and operate the centre. Among the major donors include Sanjay Lulla, an industrialist. The centre is set to offer it at a subsidised rate of Rs 375 per session. It is also exploring ways to offer the service free of cost in future.

Constructed at the cost of Rs 3 crore, the 20-bed dialysis centre, houses a 5,000 sq ft building, well-equipped with 20 modern dialysis equipment. It will function from 8 am to 4 pm every day, including Sundays. The centre is expected to cater to 40 patients a day, impacting in a year close to 15,000 lives who suffer from kidneyrelated issues.

Biocon Biologics, Viatris receive US FDA nod for Semglee

Biocon Biologics and Viatris announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn injection) as the first interchangeable biosimilar product under the 351(k) regulatory pathway. Biocon Biologics, Executive Chairperson, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said, “We are proud to be the first to obtain approval of an interchangeable biosimilar product in the US. It is a milestone achievement for both Biocon Biologics and our partner Viatris. This will allow pharmacy level substitution and thereby provide convenient and affordable access to Semglee, a quality Biosimilar Insulin Glargine.”

Partners with Adagio Therapeutics

Biocon Biologics announced that the USbased Adagio Therapeutics has granted an exclusive license to Biocon Biologics to manufacture and commercialise an antibody treatment based on ADG20 for India and select emerging markets. ADG20, a novel monoclonal antibody targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses, is in global clinical development by Adagio as a single agent for both the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, its variants, as well as future variants that may emerge.

Apollo Hospitals Group, Microsoft India launch Enterprise Solution

Apollo 24|7, the digital arm of the Apollo Hospitals Group and Microsoft India have joined hands to launch Enterprise Solution that can be utilised by organisations to provide their employees access to a holistic health and wellness solution within the Microsoft work suite. The Enterprise Solution – as integrated by Apollo 24|7 – has been tested in a pilot programme for Microsoft India employees for three months.

As part of the pilot programme, 5000 Microsoft employees were given access to this enterprise platform and over 50 per cent of them chose to take virtual

Sathyalok Charitable Trust Dialysis Centre, Chennai

consultations with an Apollo doctor during April–June. In addition to virtual consultations, over 2,600 medicine orders were also placed using the App, which was delivered at the doorsteps of the consumers in record time. Each of the registered Microsoft employees had access to over 7,000 doctors and specialists across the Apollo network.

Lung transplant pioneer Jnanesh Thacker joins Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad

Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad recently announced the joining of Dr Jnanesh Thacker, who will now lead the Institute of Heart and Lung Transplantation for the group. As a Program and Surgical Director of the Yashoda Institute of Heart & Lung Transplantations and Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS), Dr Thacker will be focusing on the Yashoda Lung Transplant Program. He will have additional practice in heart transplantation, pulmonary endarterectomy and artificial heart implantation (Ventricular Assist Devices) for patients with end-stage heart and lung diseases. Dr Thacker is globally renowned for his mastery in lung transplantation, having been the first surgeon in India to have done a successful lung transplant for an Indian patient in 2012. He was also the first in India to do a successful Minimally Invasive Lung Transplantation in 2013. His special interests lie in minimally invasive lung transplantations done on a beating heart.

Dr Jnanesh Thacker Crystal Hearing Solutions centre in Mumbai inauguration Crystal Hearing Solutions launches centre in Mumbai

Hearing aid specialist Crystal Hearing Solutions inaugurated a new exclusive sound centre in Chembur, Mumbai, marking its foray into the Western region. With this foray into the Mumbai market, the company plans to target a large number of the population across the city. So far, Crystal Hearing Solutions had been present in the south and suburbs of Mumbai. An authorised platinum partner with Sivantos India (erstwhile Siemens Hearing Instruments ) and brand Signia, Crystal Hearing Solutions is a leading company in the hearing aids segment.

Mastercard, AIF launch portable hospital in Jalna

Mastercard and the American India Foundation (AIF) launched the first 100bed mobile hospital in Civil hospital, Samarth Nagar, Jalna district, Maharashtra. The facility has been installed by AIF as part of philanthropic efforts delivered through the Mastercard Impact Fund. The newly upgraded facility in Civil hospital, Samarth Nagar, Jalna district, Maharashtra includes triage and treatment centres, of which 92 general ward beds are in isolation units and eight are in the intensive care unit (ICU). The addition of 100 new beds increases the hospital’s current 350-bed capacity by almost 30 per cent, boosting its ability to treat and care for those affected by COVID-19. Due to the portable nature of the facility, after the urgent need for beds subsides, each unit can easily be deconstructed or repurposed as extra space for various community needs.

Axio Biosolutions raises $6 M in Series B2 equity round

MedTech company Axio Biosolutions announced a $6 million Series B2 equity raise led by TrueScale Capital, with participation from existing investors Omidyar Network India, University of California–Ratan Tata Fund, and Accel. Axio Biosolutions, India (Axio), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boston-based Advamedica is a leading developer of hemostatic and advanced wound care products. With this round of funding, Axio has raised over $20 million to date and plans to build out its commercial presence in the US and EU, as well as strengthen its India operations. The company is well-positioned to grow in developed markets on the back of its intellectual property, regulatory approvals and clinical data.

NephroPlus ‘Dialysis on Call’ vehicle NephroPlus launches Dialysis on Call service in Hyderabad Patki Hospital, Lilac Insights, Mumbai in tie up for IVF treatment

NephroPlus has launched ‘Dialysis on Call’ service in Hyderabad. In Dialysis on Call, a specialised vehicle carries the dialysis machine, consumables, RO water tank, and an expert technician to the patient’s home. After ensuring the pre-requisites, the dialysis is conducted and the vehicle returns to its base location. The overall process is much more comfortable for the patient as they do not need to travel and can get dialysis within the comfort of their homes. One major advantage of this service over regular home hemodialysis services (which NephroPlus already offers) is that the machine and other equipment do not need to be stationed in the patient’s home.

The process can also help nursing homes and hospitals which do not have dialysis centres for admitted patients who require dialysis. Instead of making these patients travel to another hospital in an ambulance, the Dialysis on Call service team can travel to the hospital/nursing home and conduct the dialysis under the observation of the hospital team.

Patients who wish to avail of this service at their doorstep can call the NephroPlus number (1800120001001) or visit the website. Dr Satish Patki, Senior IVF consultant of Patki Hospital based out of Kolhapur and Dr Sam Balu, Head of Genomics Department at Lilac Insights, a genetic diagnostic testing company jointly announced the success of the path-breaking technology in IVF (test tube baby) treatment called NonInvasive Chromosomal Screening (NICS) of the pre-implantation blastocyst embryos. A technology that is offered at very few IVF centres across the world.

Patki Hospital in collaboration with Genomics Department of Lilac Insights is carrying out NICS analysis of many blastocysts. Microphotograph of each blastocyst is taken and the correlation of the morphology and the chromosomal make-up of the blastocyst is done.

Aster Hospitals launches digital campaign on strokes

Aster Hospitals has launched the #FasterWithAster initiative, a digital campaign set against the backdrop of a popular acronym ‘FAST’- which is exercised to recall the symptoms of a stroke and thus help a person seek prompt treatment. Conceptualised by Wunderman Thomson, the creative partner for Aster Hospitals, Kathakali, a popular classical dance form was selected as the medium to communicate the message. A trained Kathakali performer choreographed the performance basis the symptoms to watch for in a stroke patient which was finally woven together in the video by the digital team which included supporting copy.

SpiceHealth launches mobile testing laboratory in Guwahati

SpiceHealth has launched its first mobile testing laboratory in Guwahati to conduct Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and Rapid Antigen tests. The company’s mobile lab will be stationed at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium whereas the sample collection set-up will be at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. The company has partnered with National Health Mission, Assam to set up the facility in Guwahati and will conduct testing at the airport and nearby districts. SpiceHealth operates 23 labs and collection centres spread across ten cities in India. The company operates seven vaccination centres in five states.

Sun Pharma in tie-up with Cassiopea for acne drug in US and Canada

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Cassiopea, a speciality pharmaceutical company developing and preparing to commercialise prescription drugs with novel mechanisms of action (MOA) to address long-standing essential dermatological conditions announced the signing of License and Supply Agreements for Winlevi (clascoterone cream 1 per cent) in the US and Canada. Winlevi has been approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as a novel drug with a unique mechanism of action for the topical treatment of acne in patients 12 years and older. Under the terms of the above-referred agreements, Sun Pharma will have the exclusive right to commercialise Winlevi in the US and Canada, and Cassiopea will be the exclusive supplier of the product. Cassiopea will receive an upfront payment

of $45 million, potential commercial milestones totalling up to $190 million and customary double-digit royalties. The agreements will close upon the expiration of the HSR waiting period.

Sanaag Specialty Hospital opens in Somaliland

doTERRA announced the opening of Sanaag Specialty Hospital, located in Erigavo, the heart of Somaliland’s Frankincense resin harvesting region. The hospital provides quality, accessible healthcare in a region with over 600,000 people. Working with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Planning, ResponseMed, and various NGOs over the last four years, doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation and local partners, Jibriil Foundation and Asli-Maydi, funded the construction of the hospital to bring primary and secondary healthcare services to the remote region. The Sanaag Specialty Hospital provides services, including accident and emergency care, maternity and neonatal care, operating theatre (C-sections and surgical procedures), pediatric care, inpatient and out-patient care, diagnostic services (laboratory and radiology), and community outreach. Part of the hospital’s community outreach will include training of maternal-child health and health outpost personnel, regular health day clinics offering maternal and child health checks, as well as the ambulatory response for emergencies.

SERB, GE India in collaboration to promote tech research

Soon academic institutes, labs and industries across the country can jointly apply for funds to work on innovations in areas of healthcare, energy and aviation. This will be facilitated by a collaboration between the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India and GE’s John F Welch Technology Centre (JFWTC), Bengaluru, which was launched on July 23, 2021, to promote synergy between academic institutes, labs and industries for research and development in technology across energy, healthcare and aviation sectors. Undertaken as part of the Fund for Industrial Research Engagement (SERBFIRE), the programme aims at supporting research and development to solve critical national and global problems across these key industries. The collaboration will help drive impetus to create a transformative research mindset to foster a novel and impactful research ecosystem in the country.

Rossari to acquire Tristar Intermediates

Rossari Biotech, a speciality chemicals manufacturer that provides intelligent and sustainable solutions for customers across industries, announced that its Board of Directors has approved the acquisition of Tristar Intermediates (Tristar Intermediates, company). As per the agreement and subject to customary closing conditions, Rossari will be acquiring 100 per cent of the equity share capital of Tristar Intermediates. 76 per cent of the equity share capital will be acquired upon closure of the transaction, and the balance 24 per cent over the next three years. The total enterprise value of the transaction is Rs 120 crores. Rossari plans to fund the investment through cash on the balance sheet and doesn’t intend to raise any debt for this acquisition.

Sanaag Specialty Hospital Somaliland inauguration

Dozee raises Rs 44 crores in Series A funding

Dozee, which is in Contactless Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solutions, has raised Rs 44 crore in Series A funding. The funding was led by existing investor Prime Venture Partners, with participation from YourNest Venture Capital and 3one4 Capital. The startup will use the fresh capital in R&D to launch new products and enhance its platform capabilities. It will also use the funds to increase its presence in HDU ward monitoring, home monitoring, and to deliver a cloud-enabled continuum of care. Dozee has set a goal of partnering with over 1,000 hospitals across India to help them upgrade critical care infrastructure through remote patient monitoring. It plans to install its platform in more than 50,000 step-down ICUs and set up 24×7 Central Monitoring Cells in these hospitals, enabling them to quickly augment the critical HDUs and ICUs and save more than 1 million nursing hours per month.

314e Corporation appoints Dr Sivakumaran Raman as Chief Product Officer

314e Corporation announced clinical informatics expert Dr Sivakumaran ‘Siv’ Raman as the newest member of its leadership team as their Chief Product Officer. Dr Raman last ran an independent Health IT Consultancy named Lumilla. Before Lumilla he was the Chief Analytics

Dr Sivakumaran Raman Officer at ZeOmega and served as the Staff Vice-President of Data Integration and Clinical Informatics at Anthem, and functioned as Vice President of Clinical Informatics at Optum. Dr Raman was also previously a part of the Institute for Health Informatics’ core faculty at the University of Minnesota.

314e has built an extensive analytics and integration offering under the brand Muspell. Dr Siv Raman will lead the development of offerings under the Muspell umbrella.

PyraMed launches telemedicine platform for joint video consultation

PyraMed has launched a telemedicine platform for joint video consultation. The application aims to empower all doctors with specialist/super-specialist medical advice. This will help provide quality medical opinion even in the remotest parts of India at an affordable cost. The ease and capability of accessing specialist opinions will enable the local doctors to make quick and timely decisions for their patients. The patient has only to visit his regular primary doctor. As and when the ailment needs an opinion of a specialist, this primary doctor can video-consult with the relevant specialist, upload all relevant information, and seek an opinion from the specialist in the presence of the patient.

With PyraMed, the primary doctor can bridge the vital gap in telemedicine – inform the physical examination of the specialist, resulting in better diagnosis, reduced investigations, and improved quality of care. The auto-generation of an electronic healthcare record which is available to both doctors as well as the patient improves collaboration and transparency.

Intas in exclusive licensing agreement with Meiji and Dong-A ST

Intas Pharmaceuticals has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Meiji and Dong-A Socio Holdings (a parent company of Dong-A ST) to commercialise DMB-3115, a proposed biosimilar to ustekinumab, a recombinant monoclonal antibody for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Under the terms of the agreement, Intas has been granted exclusive license rights to commercialise DMB-3115 worldwide, excluding Japan, Korea and certain countries in Asia. Meiji and Dong-A ST will develop and manufacture DMB3115 and supply the product to Intas and its worldwide affiliates. sessions, have blogs written by experts, a knowledge section and a Q&A page where people can post queries to be answered by experts.

Ministry of Home Affairs to set up Central Armed Forces Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi

Ministry of Home Affairs will set up a Central Armed Forces Institute of Medical Sciences (CAPFIMS) in Maidan Garhi, New Delhi. The ministry has invited online submission of Expression of Interest (EoI) from Indian consulting firms/ consultants in healthcare management for rendering consultancy services as Project Development Consultant in the PPP model for operation and maintenance of the medical college. The medical college spread across a 51-acre campus will have a 500bed general hospital, a 300-bed superspeciality hospital, a medical college, a nursing college, a school of paramedics, a 700-seater auditorium, 440 residential quarters for staff, RMOs and doctors, and students’ hostel with recreational facilities.

Oasis Fertility launches online portal

Oasis Fertility has launched www. worldivfday.in, an exclusive one-stop destination to create awareness, increase knowledge, dispel myths and change mindsets. The site will hold awareness

Freudenberg Medical adds support team in India for customer sales and service

Freudenberg Medical, part of the Freudenberg Group and a global contract

launch of online portal

manufacturing partner to the medical device and pharmaceutical industry, has added a support team in India for customer sales and service to the region. Freudenberg is committed to serving medical device and pharmaceutical customers also present in the Asia Pacific region with local operations in China and Singapore. Freudenberg Medical designs and manufactures the HelixMark and PharmaFocus Premium brands of silicone tubing for vaccine and drug processing, as well as custom tubing for oxygen concentrators, ventilators, catheters, and other medical devices. The company also provides contract design and manufacturing for medical devices, moulded components, and diagnostic test kits for customers worldwide.

IIT Ropar develops oxygen device AMLEX

The Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has developed a first-of-its-kind oxygen rationing device – AMLEX that supplies a required volume of oxygen to the patient during inhalation and trips when the patient exhales CO2. This process saves oxygen which otherwise unnecessarily get wasted. “The device can operate on both portable power supply (battery) as well as line supply (220V-50Hz)”, said Director, IIT, Ropar, Prof Rajeev Ahuja. It has been developed by PhD students of Biomedical Engineering Department of the institution – Mohit Kumar, Ravinder Kumar and Amanpreet Chander under the guidance of Dr Ashish Sahani, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering. It has been developed by PhD students of Biomedical Engineering Department of the institution – Mohit Kumar, Ravinder Kumar and Amanpreet Chander under the guidance of Dr Ashish Sahani, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Novo Nordisk Education Foundation launches diabetes education chatbot Mishti

Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF) launched a WhatsApp Chatbot, Mishti as a one-stop solution for diabetes education in India. NNEF’s Mishti aims to provide easy and quick access to important information to effectively manage diabetes.

Some of the key information services offered by Mishti include insulin device demos, customised diet plans for each patient with exercise guidance based on publicly available information, and scientifically backed research papers. It is customised in seven different languages (English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, and Tamil) so that a greater number of people can access the information in their preferred language.

AMLEX oxygen device

Medikabazaar strengthens leadership team

Medikabazaar has appointed four seniors to strengthen its leadership team across the country. RK Narayanan joins Medikabazaar as the Vice PresidentBusiness Partner for its VPO (Value Purchase Organization) business. Narayanan brings with him 30 years of rich experience in expanding the business and has previously worked with Boston Scientific handling upstream marketing & CTO programmes. He has also been associated with companies like Philips Healthcare, GE Healthcare, and Indchem Electronics. At Medikabazaar, he will be responsible for supporting the creation of product segments in equipment and devices and expand customer offerings across the VPO business.

Another addition in the VPO business, Manu Dixit joins Medikabazaar as the Business Head for the South and West regions. Dixit will be responsible for OEM tie-ups and will address the procurement needs of all medium and small-size hospitals across the region.

The other two Business Heads who have joined Medikabazaar are Rakesh Gurkha and Chaitanya Sapkal. Gurkha who has joined the dental vertical comes with over 22 years of experience in sales and has been associated with companies like Cortex Dental Implant Industries, Acteon, Danaher and the Kavo Group. He will be leading the business along with the current dental sales team across regions. While Sapkal will be responsible for spearheading and expanding the diagnostic business across India. He brings with him over 20 years of experience in handling sales in the West and South regions and has worked with brands like Abbott Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Roche Diagnostics, and Trivitron Diagnostics.

Veeda Clinical Research acquires majority stake in Bioneeds

Veeda Clinical Research, a full-service clinical research organisation (CRO) in India, has acquired a controlling 50.1 per cent stake in Bioneeds India (Bioneeds), after acquiring a significant minority

stake earlier in March. Earlier in June this year, Veeda had also received an equity investment of $16 million led by private equity fund, Sabre Partners and distinguished HNIs like Pranabh Mody (of JB Chemicals), Havells family office, Nikhil Vora (founder of Sixth Sense Ventures), Arjun Bhartia (of Jubilant), amongst others.

Growing R&D budgets of global pharmaceutical companies is the opportunity that Veeda and Bioneeds expect to capitalise on. As per the “Clinical Research Organization (CRO) Market Report” dated May 2021 prepared and released by Frost & Sullivan (India), India is becoming an attractive destination for clinical and preclinical research outsourcing supported by quality scientific capability, the emergence of the biosimilars industry, increased demand for complex generics and availability of a large number of patient volunteers.

Masina Hospital launches certification courses in geriatric care

Masina Hospital has launched certification courses in association with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and MahaArogya Kaushalya Vikas Prashikshan Karyakram. The courses are directed towards a multibenefit approach of enabling employment amongst the masses and at the same time filling the healthcare staff employment gap. A webinar was organised in the presence of Dr Vispi Jokhi, CEO, Masina Hospital, Tanmay Nayak, Project Director, NUSSD (National University Students’ Skill Development Programme), Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Vijaykumar Ayyer – Project Advisor for NGO (HWARF, Mumbai) & Managing Partner, Sparsh Consultants.

Metropolis opens testing centre in Palakkad

Metropolis Healthcare has launched a new centre in Palakkad, Kerala. The 1,000 sq ft laboratory can conduct more than 60,000 sample testing per month. Sudharma Metropolis Laboratory, Palakkad will offer 4,500 different tests ranging from basic pathology tests to high-end molecular diagnostics tests and can evaluate over 1,000 samples per day. Earlier this year Metropolis Healthcare had launched their second laboratory in the state at Kochi. Launch of post-graduate diploma in Robotics Process Automation MIT FuSE introduces PG Diploma in Robotics Process Automation

Lupin launches onychomycosis topical solution in US market

MIT Centre for Future Skills Excellence (MIT FuSE), MIT Art, Design & Technology University Pune has introduced a new post-graduate diploma in Robotics Process Automation from August 2021, academic session. MIT Art, Design and Technology University Pune recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CiTiS Infotech & InnoWise Global to jointly offer a PG diploma programme in Robotics Process Automation (RPA). It may be noted that the adoption of RPA across multiple global industries viz. healthcare, transport and logistics is rising at a breakneck speed. Any graduate with mathematics at Class XII or equivalent is eligible for the eleven-month programme, which is divided into three trimesters with unique internship opportunities for better exposure. The admission announcement with details is available on its official website. MIT-FuSE is also unique in its approach, as it incorporates the greatest industry techniques and technologies into all parts of learning pedagogy, resulting in a genuinely exceptional online learning experience. All programmes will be delivered through the LMS and can be accessed via a web-based learning app. In July 2021, the next cohort of SAP, AI/ML, Cloud Computing, and Cybersecurity will begin. Lupin announced the US launch of Tavaborole Topical Solution, 5 per cent having received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The product will be manufactured at Lupin’s facility in Pithampur. Tavaborole Topical Solution, 5 per cent, is the generic equivalent of Kerydin Topical Solution, 5 per cent, of Anacor Pharmaceuticals, and is an oxaborole antifungal indicated for the topical treatment of onychomycosis of the toenails due to Trichophyton rubrum or Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Tavaborole Topical Solution (RLD: Kerydin), 5 per cent has an estimated annual sales of $53 million in the US.

Schneider Electric partners with Kewaunee International for new-age labs

Schneider Electric announced a strategic alliance with Kewaunee Scientific Corporation’s International Division. The alliance will embolden Schneider Electric’s advancements in digital transformation and the integration of new-age technologies in the life sciences, healthcare, diagnostic and other segments requiring top-performing laboratories. Schneider Electric and Kewaunee International will commence their operations to traverse across the complete lifecycle of laboratories from

design, build, operation, and maintenance to allow the effective management of smart labs throughout their entire lifecycle. The collaboration will further streamline data analytics, monitoring and laboratory management to create secure networks and mitigate risks to bolster business function.

IIT Madras develops algorithm to identify cancer-causing alterations

Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Madras has developed an artificial intelligence-based mathematical model to identify cancer-causing alterations in cells. The algorithm uses a relatively unexplored technique of leveraging DNA composition to pinpoint genetic alterations responsible for cancer progression.

The research was led by Prof B Ravindran, Head, RBCDSAI, and Mindtree Faculty Fellow IIT Madras and Dr Karthik Raman, Faculty Member, Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science and AI (RBCDSAI), IIT Madras, and also the Coordinator, Centre for Integrative Biology and Systems Medicine (IBSE), IIT Madras. Shayantan Banerjee, a Master’s Student at IIT Madras, performed the experiments and analysed the data. The results have been recently published in the reputed peer-reviewed International Journal Cancers. in the Google Play and Apple app store. The app offers a simple and streamlined process of self-registration, automatic reading of results and easy reporting as per ICMR guidelines. Panbio Self-Tests will be available via retail pharmacies and through e-commerce platforms, as well as through organisations and institutions.

Abbott launches Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test

Abbott has launched Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in adults and children with or without symptoms. Self-test kits are offered in packages of one, four, 10 and 20 tests. With results in just 15 minutes, the Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test enables people who test positive to immediately isolate so that they do not infect others, rather than waiting days for results. Abbott will deliver millions of Panbio COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests available for self-use to ease the burden on healthcare systems in urban and rural India. The test is to be used along with Abbott’s NAVICA mobile app, available Abbott Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test kit

Metropolis Healthcare launches NEXTGEN TB

Metropolis Healthcare has launched NEXTGEN TB, whole-genome sequencing of tuberculosis utilising the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platform for rapid identification of drug resistance in TB patients and providing genotypic level information on drug-resistant genes for up to 18 Anti – TB antibiotics. Partnering with HaystackAnalytics (start-up incubated at SINE, IIT Bombay), Metropolis Healthcare plans to offer this test in Sri Lanka, Mauritius, the UAE, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, Tanzania as well as three other African countries to help their fight against tuberculosis.

The 18 drugs covered are Streptomycin, Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol, Pyrazinamide, Kanamycin, Amikacin, Capreomycin, Ofloxacin, Moxifloxacin, Gatifloxacin, Ethionamide, Para-amino salicylic acid, Linezolid, Clofazimine, Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, and Delaminid.

IPSC opens centre in Bengaluru

Interventional Pain and Spine Centre (IPSC) has launched its first centre in Bengaluru on Bellary Road at Shahkara Nagar. The new facility, equipped with modular operating theatres, is staffed with pain specialists skilled in minimally invasive techniques for the management of chronic pain of all types, including joint pain (knee, shoulder, neck, etc.), low back pain, slipped disc, spondylitis/sciatica, neurology pain, migraine, facial pain, rheumatic pain, and cancer-related pain. It also offers capabilities in the prevention and management of sports-related injuries. The centre’s regenerative department uses natural cells of the body to repair damaged tissues.

DBT-NIBMG creates database of genomic variants of oral cancer

DBT-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani an Autonomous Institute funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India has created a database of genomic variations in oral cancer; the first-of-its-kind in the world. NIBMG has made this database publicly accessible. dbGENVOC is a browsable online database of GENomic Variants of oral cancer and is a free resource. The first release of dbGENVOC contains (i) ~24 million somatic and germline variants derived from wholeexome sequences of 100 Indian oral cancer patients and whole-genome sequences of 5 oral cancer patients from India, (ii) somatic variation data from 220 patient samples drawn from the US and analysed by TCGA-HNSCC project and (iii) manually curated variation data of 118 patients from recently published peer-reviewed publications. Variants were identified by the community approved best practice protocol and annotated using multiple analytic pipelines.

Naveen Soni

Naveen Soni joins Emcure Pharma as Director – Corp Comm

Emcure Pharmaceuticals has appointed Naveen Soni as Director – Corporate Communications & Public Relations. His responsibilities include overseeing communications for Emcure Pharmaceuticals. Soni will be working closely with the management at Emcure Pharmaceuticals. Soni comes with over two decades of multi-sector experience in corporate communications, strategic business advocacy, marketing and business journalism. Formerly, Soni has also held communication portfolios in leadership positions with leading Indian MNCs such as UPL, Welspun Group, Wadia Group, Hubtown, and PUG India wherein he was responsible for driving strategic communications and crafting internal and external stakeholder engagement programmes.

Before foraying into the corporate side, he has been an award-winning anchorJournalist with India’s leading business channels including CNBC TV18 and Zee Business. During his media stint, he was responsible for planning, conceptualising and hosting popular shows on stock markets and personal finance.

Thermo Fisher Scientific expands corporate leadership team

Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that Alan Sachs, who has served as chief (L-R) Alan Sachs and Karen E Nelson

scientific officer (CSO) since 2016, will assume the newly established role of chief medical officer (CMO) and will be succeeded by Karen E Nelson, previously president of the J Craig Venter Institute. Both will join the company leadership team in August 2021.

Alan Sachs is a physician-scientist who earned his medical and Ph D degrees from Stanford Medical School and has decades of experience supporting product development and clinical research in both therapeutics and diagnostics. In his new role, he will help identify and promote the adoption of new technologies that benefit customers in the clinical space, and he will lead the company’s medical affairs programme.

Karen E Nelson recently joined Thermo Fisher. Nelson who pioneered the human microbiome field received her Ph D from Cornell University. She has authored or coauthored more than 220 peer-reviewed publications, edited three books and is currently editor-in-chief of the journals Microbial Ecology and the newly formed PNAS Nexus. Nelson is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Healthium buys VitalCare Group in UK

Healthium, a global player in medical devices, has acquired VitalCare Group, a manufacturer of urology consumable care products, through its subsidiary Clinisupplies. This acquisition will help Healthium expand its urology franchise in Europe and other developed markets. With the acquisition of VitalCare, Healthium adds to its manufacturing capabilities in urology and boosts its in-house R&D, which will strengthen its presence in the urology segment in Europe and the US. Lewis Calcutt, MD, VitalCare will continue with the company, building on its global presence and creating a truly differentiated product portfolio.

Healthium has a diverse portfolio of medical devices and consumables, which includes surgical sutures, needles, a patented arthroscopy portfolio, urology portfolio, hernia meshes, haemostats, gloves, ligation clips, surgical staplers and other wound closure devices. The company holds 60 patents in India and the US (including those under process).

Mankind Pharma partners with Ace Turtle

Mankind Pharma has partnered with Ace Turtle, a leading omnichannel platform company to accelerate its omnichannel transformation in India. Ace Turtle will enable Mankind Pharma with a Unified Commerce Platform that supports various omnichannel use cases and drive seamless customer experience at scale across digital channels. Powered by machine learning, Ace Turtle’s Unified Commerce Platform, Rubicon 3.0 supports various omnichannel use cases such as inventory lying anywhere can be sold across channels, fulfilling orders from any stock points (retail stores, warehouses, and distributors) and a

single view of the product, inventory, and customer through a single platform.

PLUSS to provide storage solution to Dr Reddy’s for Sputnik V vaccine

Pluss Advanced Technologies (PLUSS) will supply its Celsure COVID SURAKSHA box to Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, for optimal temperature-controlled transport and storage for the Sputnik V vaccine, in India. PLUSS’ patented Celsure box with ‘Phase Change Material (PCM)’ technology will control and maintain the temperature, currently minus 18 degree centigrade (-18°C), required to ensure the efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine. A separate specialised conditioning centre has been set up locally in Hyderabad with a fleet of Rapid PCM Recharging Stations and mechanisms built for Track and Trace. This model meets the highest standard of coldchain supply management and is highly scalable to meet the country’s demand for vaccine doses in a short period of time. The Celsure COVID SURAKSHA box can maintain inside temperature passively, without electricity, at desired levels for more than 100 hours and serve as an energy-efficient and safer alternative to refrigerated containers, conventional ice-packs or even dry ice, which are considered hazardous, unsustainable and unsafe for carrying in airlines.

Tech Mahindra Foundation, Wipro GE Healthcare partners

Tech Mahindra Foundation and Wipro GE Healthcare have partnered to offer skilling and upskilling courses to students and healthcare technicians. This partnership will upskill existing paramedics and students pursuing radiology technician, operation theatre technician, critical care technician and emergency care technician courses. The courses designed and developed by Wipro GE Healthcare will be delivered online, followed by interactive sessions with leading practising industry experts, along with exposure to immersive techniques and hands-on training on simulators/equipment. Tech Mahindra Foundation (TMF) will join hands in offering the training to beginners as well

PLUSS - Sputnik V vaccine as working technicians. The partnership aims to provide gainful employment opportunities for the unemployed youth as well as career progression for working paramedics.

Ramesh Subrahmanian joins Everlife Board

Everlife Holdings, a leading manufacturer and distributor of medical devices and laboratory equipment and consumables in Asia, has appointed Ramesh Subrahmanian to the company’s board of directors. Subrahmanian currently serves on the board of directors at Healthium, a fastgrowing global medical devices company, while also managing his advisory firm Alchemy Advisors, which helps global clients optimise their growth strategies and organisation models to deliver superior performance.

In his new role as a member of the board at Everlife, Subrahmanian will work closely with the company’s Board, CEO, and leadership team to support the development of the company’s strategic plan including defining the key growth levers, acquisitions, digital footprint, and organisational construct to extend Everlife’s current leadership position in the markets and product segments in which it operates.

Takeda, Frazier Healthcare partner to launch HilleVax

Takeda has granted a license to HilleVax for the exclusive development and commercialisation rights to its norovirus vaccine candidate Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (Takeda) and Frazier Healthcare Partners (Frazier) announced a collaboration to launch HilleVax, a biopharmaceutical company to develop and commercialise Takeda’s norovirus vaccine candidate. Takeda has granted a license to HilleVax for the exclusive development and commercialisation rights to its norovirus vaccine candidate, HIL-214 (formerly TAK-214), worldwide outside of Japan.

Takeda will retain commercialisation rights

in Japan and HilleVax will integrate certain Japan development activities into its global development. Takeda remains committed to vaccines and this collaboration allows Takeda to focus primarily on dengue, COVID-19, pandemic influenza and Zika.

Adroit Biomed launches immunity-enhancing tablets Glutone MD

Left to right - Dr. Shampa Brahmachari, Sister Beena, Dr. Susan Sodder, Sister Sneha and Sister Sheela from Holy Spirit hospital

Mumbai-based Adroit Biomed has launched its immunity enhancing tablets Glutone MD, an orally dissolving effervescent tablet formulated with Setria Glutathione from Japan.

Known as The Pocket Warrior, Glutone MD immunity booster tablets have been designed using an Orally Dissolving (ODEff) technology. Glutone MD is an innovative solution and a perfect defence mechanism that acts in two ways and helps prevent COVID-19 infection by strengthening immunity and reducing inflammation and muscle fatigue that aids in recovery from post covid symptoms. Glutone MD is being manufactured in a US FDA Food as well as ANSI National Accreditation Board registered and BSI GMP certified facility and is FSSAI compliant. It is produced at state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities ensuring the highest quality and purity standards. Glutone MD provides potent antioxidant activity, liver protection, immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory and reducing muscle fatigue.

Adroit Biomed - Glutone MD tablets

Fujifilm India ties up with Holy Spirit Hospital, Mumbai

Fujifilm India has installed Amulet Innovality — a breast cancer diagnostic machine at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Mumbai. AMULET Innovality works towards making early detection of breast cancer a reality for women by achieving optimum image quality at a very low patient dose. It combines Hexagonal Close Pattern (HCP) image capture technology, and intelligent image processing, optimising contrast, and dose based on breast density which results in exceptional imaging, optimised contrast, low dose, and fast acquisition time. The Innovality utilises Fujifilm’s unique a-Se direct conversion flat panel detector (FPD)*1 to produce clear images with a low X-ray dose. This system makes use of intelligent AEC (i-AEC) combined with an image analysis technology to automatically adjust the X-ray dosage for each breast type. It is a highly advanced mammography system, which offers an extremely fast image interval of just 15 seconds.

Keeping Covid at Bay With Proper Sanitation of Hospital Beds

An insight on how proper cleaning process alone annihilates most virus particles on surfaces and keeps in check the spread of infection to a major extent

Team IMT The organisation and sanitation of healthcare equipment have always been an essential element in the management of any health institute. A great deal of emphasis needs to be given to this especially after the coronavirus pandemic hit the world last year. With the aggressive spread of the highly contagious virus, cleaning of high touch surfaces and maintenance of reusable pieces of medical apparatus has become exceedingly vital. A proper cleaning process alone annihilates most virus particles on surfaces and keeps in check the spread of infection to a major extent. This is especially indispensable for hospital beds that come in close contact with the patients for extended periods. Hospital beds are also frequently handled by medical personnel, thus multiplying the chances of contamination. The transmission of pathogens from one patient to another, or medical faculty and others can form a vicious cycle of transfer of infection causing the numbers of those infected to multiply rapidly. If this facet is taken care of, the contagion can be impeded on various levels.

The virus is known to be disseminated through immediate contact with respiratory drops of an infected individual or by physical contact with contaminated surfaces. Albeit confirmed and comprehensive research is yet to

be done, it is assumed that the survival period of viruses on these surfaces is a few hours to several days. The high level of communicability of SARS-CoV-2 makes it even riskier to be left untreated on surfaces. The longer it stays on the surface, the more individuals come in contact with it and are infected. This makes it integral to decontaminate these high-touch surfaces as quickly as possible. The procedure of cleaning infirmary apparatus authorised by the World Health Organisation includes an initial rinsing with soap or detergent and water, followed by an intricate use of an alcohol-based disinfectant. Application of disinfectants on water sensitive objects should be done after the articles are cleaned with a sterile cloth. If there is the unavailability of such disinfectants, diluted bleach solutions can be used as an alternative. Bed rails, headboards, other objects on and near beds should be judiciously cleaned following this standard procedure. Other home-based or self-invented products are not advised because such solutions on uninformed usage can result in detrimental consequences. When using such solutions, it is advisable to read and heed the instructions given by the manufacturer and use specific products suitable for specific surfaces accordingly. Chemicals shouldn't be mixed unless the label on the product explicitly instructs to do so. Wipeable or disposable covers are suggested for as many items as possible, particularly electronics and other equipment that cannot be washed to make disinfection an easy and comparatively hassle-free process. Any trivial belonging of the patient left unattended on or around the bed should be carefully discarded with other hospital waste. Since a lot of research is still in process and plenty of facts have not yet been ascertained, caution and sensibility become imperative when handling medical equipment and other supplies that have come in contact with covid patients. During this cleansing procedure, use disposable gloves, double masks and other protective gear, avoid touching your nose or mouth and practice adequate personal hygiene to prevent yourself from catching the virus. Ample ventilation throughout the cleaning process should be ensured. Since mattresses are exposed to heavy amounts of bodily fluids and secretions, medicines, and other sources of infection, it requires exceedingly meticulous cleaning. Launder mattresses and other related items in warm water with soap or detergent. Usage of a disposable, nonporous cover over mattresses is highly suggested. Dry all the items completely before reassembling the bed. Once the whole process of disassembling the bed is done, cleaning and sterilising the items and putting black everything

in place, hands need to be washed instantly. Hands should be scrubbed thoroughly for 20 seconds followed by a proper rinse under clean water to get rid of the deadly virus particles completely, and dried with a clean cloth immediately after. Though there is an introduction of automated cleaning systems lately, they are not suitable for all kinds of surfaces and carry the risk of damaging certain items. Even the heightened efficiency of these automated techniques, manual cleaning and disinfection are relied upon due to the lack of large scale accessibility and availability of these modern technologies. This reliance makes it mandatory to have good knowledge of how to manually clean hospital beds to inhibit the spread of infection. Thus, the health workforce should be well trained to be able to perform this adequately. Workshops and training programmes should be held for the same.

The rampant spread of the virus during the second wave of the pandemic in India caught the poorly developed health infrastructure off-guarded. As the number of patients increased and infirmaries were crowded with patients, there was a shortage of resources, including beds. New patients were given beds as soon as the previous patients emptied them. Much heed wasn’t given to the sanitation of beds resulting in the virus proliferating rapidly. This instance highlights the importance of on-time sanitation of the hospital equipment and resources, especially beds. The hospital authorities should, thus, be extra cautious with this aspect to prevent the spread of infection. Mattresses should be entirely cleansed each time the patients are switched, whereas other components of the bed including metallic extensions and other items should be cleaned more frequently, preferably daily. In these trying times, taking responsible steps forward to mitigate the ongoing global crisis becomes incredibly important. Routine cleaning and disinfection of beds is one such primal step. It should be given heed to by both individuals getting admitted in hospitals and authorities present there. Raising awareness on this subject should be of major concern as it won't only make hospitals more patient-centric, but will also help save multiple lives. These simple measures, when carried out with diligence, can boost the prevention and control of the COVID-19 virus drastically.

The Last Pandemic

Source: The Independent Panel

Can reform of pandemic prevention and response systems prevent the next pandemic?

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response has called on the global community to end the COVID-19 pandemic and adopt a series of bold and essential reforms to prevent the next crisis

Recently, a global panel of leading experts called to end the COVID-19 pandemic by immediately implementing a series of bold recommendations to redistribute, fund, and increase the availability of and manufacturing capacity for vaccines, and to apply proven public health measures urgently and consistently in every country.

“Our message is simple and clear: the current system failed to protect us from the COVID-19 pandemic. And if we do not act to change it now, it will not protect us from the next pandemic threat, which could happen at any time,” panel Co-Chair and former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stressed. “The shelves of storage rooms in the UN and national capitals are full of reports and reviews of previous health crises. Had their warnings been heeded, we would have avoided the catastrophe we are in today. This time must be different,” she added.

The Panel

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (The Independent Panel) was appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General in response to a World Health Assembly resolution, 73.1 issued in May 2020, calling for an independent, impartial, and comprehensive review of experiences gained and lessons to be learned from the current pandemic. They were also asked to provide recommendations to improve capacity for global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The Panel released its findings and recommendations in its main report: COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic which was released in May 2021.

The Panel, co-chaired by the Rt Hon Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, has spent the past eight months rigorously reviewing the evidence on how a disease outbreak became a pandemic, and on global and national responses.

The Independent Panel has a total of 13 members, selected by the Co-Chairs. The Panelists have a substantial mix of skills and expertise in infectious disease, global and national health policy and financing, outbreaks and emergencies, economics, youth advocacy, and the wellbeing of women and girls. They also share knowledge of the international system, including of WHO, and experience from similar international processes.

The mission of the Independent Panel is to provide an evidence-based path for the future, grounded in lessons of the present and the past to ensure countries and global institutions, including specifically WHO, effectively address health threats. They have spent the last eight months independently, impartially, and rigorously reviewing evidence of the spread, actions, and responses to

the COVID-19 pandemic. They have conducted numerous literature reviews, original research and have learned from dozens of experts in roundtable discussions and in-depth interviews. The Panel has also heard directly from people working on the front-line of the pandemic in town-hall-style meetings and has invited contributions from anyone wishing to make one.

Failure to Respond

The report demonstrates that the current system—at both national and international levels— was not adequate to protect people from COVID-19. The time it took from the reporting of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown origin in mid-late December 2019 to a Public Health Emergency of International Concern being declared was too long. February 2020 was also a lost month when many more countries could have taken steps to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and forestall the global health, the social, and economic catastrophe that continues its grip. The Panel found that the system as it stands now is unfit to prevent another novel and highly infectious pathogen, which could emerge at any time, from developing into a pandemic.

“A key finding of the Panel is that accountability for pandemic preparedness and response has been lacking across the system. National governments are the primary dutybearer in pandemic response, and the lack of accountability has been accompanied by a failure to learn from mistakes and take up the opportunity for learning between countries,” the report said.

Key Recommendations

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate communities across the world, the Independent Panel is making a series of immediate recommendations to halt its spread. It recommends that:

High-income countries with a vaccine pipeline for adequate coverage should, alongside their scale-up, commit to provide to the 92 low and middleincome countries in the COVAX Gavi Advance Market Commitment with at least one billion vaccine doses by September 2021.

Major vaccine-producing countries and manufacturers should convene, under the joint auspices of the WHO and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to agree to voluntary licensing and technology transfer. If actions on this don’t occur within three months, a waiver of intellectual property rights under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights should come into force immediately.

The G7 should immediately commit to providing 60 per cent of the $19 billion required for the Access to COVID-19

Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) in 2021 for vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and strengthening of health systems, and a burden-sharing formula should be adopted to fund such global public goods on an ongoing basis.

Every country should apply proven public health measures at the scale required to curb the pandemic. Leadership from heads of state and government to achieve this is crucial.

“Given the scale of devastation from this pandemic and its continuing impact on people across the globe, the Panel resolved to document fully what happened and why, and to make bold recommendations for change,” Panel Co-Chair Rt Hon. Helen Clark, said.

“The tools are available to put an end to the severe illnesses, deaths, and socioeconomic damage caused by COVID-19. Leaders have no choice but to act and stop this happening again,” she added.

The report also shared recommendations for individual countries, including that heads of state and government should appoint national pandemic coordinators who are accountable to them, and who have a mandate to drive whole-ofgovernment coordination for pandemic preparedness and response.

The Panel also released the report and recommendations together, with a range of background papers which include the authoritative chronology of what happened. This is the culmination of multiple literature reviews, original research, discussions with experts in roundtables and in-depth interviews, and dialogue with those working on the front-line, with women and youth in town hall-style meetings. It also received online contributions to its work.

The Panel has consistently raised its deep concern that the burden of the current pandemic is being unevenly shared. It has had devastating social and financial consequences for those already disadvantaged. Up to 125 million more people are estimated to have been pushed into extreme poverty, while 72 million more primary school-age children are now at risk of being unable to read or understand a simple text because of school closures. Women have borne a disproportionate burden. Gender-based violence is at record levels, and child marriages have increased. In addition, the world lost $7 trillion in GDP in 2020 – more than the 2019 GDP of the entire African continent ($6.7 trillion). The pandemic has caused the deepest shock to the global economy since World War II.

Prevention Strategies

The world must also urgently prepare to prevent a future outbreak from becoming a pandemic. To this end, the Independent Panel calls for the engagement of heads of state and government to lead efforts to transform the existing system. The Panel calls for a series of bold and forward-looking reforms, including:

• Establishing a Global Health

Threats Council that will maintain a political commitment to pandemic preparedness and response and hold actors accountable, including through peer recognition and scrutiny. Countries should also adopt a Pandemic Framework Convention within the next six months.

• Establish a new global system for surveillance based on full transparency. This system would provide the WHO with the authority to publish information about outbreaks with pandemic potential on an immediate basis without needing to seek approval and to dispatch experts to investigate at the shortest possible notice.

• Invest in national preparedness now as it will be too late when the next crisis hits. All governments should review their preparedness plans and allocate the necessary funds and people required to be prepared for another health crisis.

• Transform the current ACT-A into a truly global platform aimed at delivering global public goods including vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and supplies that can be distributed swiftly and equitably worldwide—shifting from a market model to one aimed at delivering global public goods.

• Focus and strengthen the authority and financing of the WHO, including by developing a new funding model to end earmarked funds and to increase Member State fees.

• Create an International Pandemic

Financing Facility, which would have the capacity to mobilise long term (10-15 year) contributions of approximately $5-10B per year to finance ongoing readiness. It would also be ready to disburse from $50-100B at short notice by frontloading future commitments in the event of a pandemic declaration. The

Global Health Threats Council would allocate and monitor the funding to institutions that can support the development of preparedness and response capacities.

• Heads of state and government should at a global summit adopt a political declaration under the auspices of the UN General Assembly to commit to these transformative reforms.

Hospital Construction Cost

Cost control in construction with tech is the new normal

Akhil Ganatra, Managing Director, Clancy Global

The pandemic has impacted most industries globally. As it is, the annual productivity growth in construction averaged barely 1per cent over the previous two decades, compared to 3.6 per cent for the manufacturing sector and 2.8 per cent for the global economy, respectively and COVID is only going to worsen this.

While many sectors have been able to sustain productivity, thanks to the ability to function remotely, productivity in the construction industry witnesses further challenges, due to resource availability, raw material costs and accuracy of remote visibility. What’s more, it is pushing promoters to miss project deadlines, have fluctuating cash flow, tackle statutory requirements, affect time to revenue and related stunted mitigation opportunities.

Considering this scenario there is a need to adopt technologies that enable agile yet sound construction practices more than ever before.

Today, we are the first to have 2D interactive technology to facilitate quick, easy and accurate assessment of on-ground activities. A single source of truth across design quantification, recording day-to-day progress and bill certification.

This significantly optimises effort, input costs and alignment across stakeholders. Impact on cash flow, mandays and variation to design quantity is pinpointed. Pre-construction stage

We see that planning is one of the most critical aspects and a cost control framework is to be set from the schematic stage. With our cost control platform, design stage quantification is done 6 to 10 times faster than 3D BIM. As mandated, 3D BIM is also achieved 2 to 3 times faster. The 2D interactive form ensures continuity of information for day-to-day progress reporting and bill verifications.

Collapsed timelines translate to, savings in overhead, shorter time-frame, online cash flow and high predictability of resources. Construction Stage

Another crucial aspect of project execution is to continuously monitor the cost and progress to avoid budget and time over-runs. As opposed to the conventional monitoring tools, the digital platforms not only enable multilevel resource control daily but also facilitates work progress measurements on a unified platform.

The platform also offers a convenient visualization option for remote visibility and a progressive audit via 3D scanners. While the construction industry, traditionally has been resistant to tech adoption, the mounting pressure to cut costs and meet stringent market demands will propel technologies to ensure project transparency, enhance customer experience, streamline overheads and deliver value.

Annual productivity growth in construction averaged barely 1per cent over the previous two decades

A Tribute to Nobel Laureate Richard Ernst

Team IMT

Swiss physical chemist Richard Ernst who was known for his contribution to the development of high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), recently died at the age of 87. Ernst received the 1991 chemistry Nobel prize for his work in NMR.

Born in Winterthur, Switzerland on August 14, 1933, Ernst earned his PhD in physical chemistry in 1962 from ETH Zurich and completed his dissertation was on nuclear magnetic resonance in the field of physical chemistry.

He worked as a research chemist for Varian Associates in California, US, one of Silicon Valley’s first high-tech companies. Ernst joined ETH Zurich in 1970 as an assistant chemistry professor. There he met famous scientists, like Weston A Anderson, Ray Freeman, Jim Hyde, Martin Packard, and Harry Weaver.

Still in Varian, one of major importance for the success of more advanced experiments and measurement techniques in NMR was the availability of small laboratory computers that could be hooked up directly to the spectrometer. During his last years at Varian (1966-68), Ernst developed numerous computer applications in spectroscopy for automated experiments and improved data processing (Source: www.nobelprize. org). Back in Switzerland, Ernst had a chance to take over the lead of the NMR research group at the Laboratorium für Physikalische Chemie of ETH-Z. Despite an initial lack of suitable instrumentation, he continued to work on methodological improvements of time-domain NMR with repetitive pulse experiments and Fourier double resonance. In addition, he along with other scientists performed the first pulsed time-domain chemically-induced dynamic nuclear polarisation (CIDNP) experiments. Ernst also developed stochastic resonance as an alternative to pulse FT spectroscopy employing binary pseudorandom noise sequences for broadband excitation, correlating input and output noise.

Photo Source: https://chab.ethz.ch/en/

Richard Ernst

In 1968 Ernst returned to Switzerland after an extensive trip through Asia. A brief visit to Nepal made him turn toward Asian art, especially towards Tibetan scroll paintings, the so-called thangkas, a unique and most exciting form of religious art. He invested a large part of the prize money into his Tibetan art collection.

Ernst retired in 1998 after having been associated at ETH Zurich for nearly three decades and a full professor for more than 20 years. He headed a research group at the university and focussed on magnetic resonance spectroscopy and served at one point as director of the physical chemistry lab. ETH Zurich even named a lecture series after him in 2009.

According to www.nobelprize.org, Ernst mentioned, “A book from which I learned a lot at that time was Theoretical Chemistry by S Glasstone. It revealed to me the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, statistical mechanics, and statistical thermodynamics, subjects that were never even mentioned in lectures, except in a voluntary and excellent lecture course given by the young enthusiastic Professor Hans H Günthard who had studied chemistry and physics in parallel.”

Ernst also served as the President of ETH Zurich’s Research Council, as a member of the Swiss Science Council and also sat on the editorial boards of 10 scientific journals. He also belonged to the US National Academy of Sciences, the UK’s Royal Society, the German National Academy of Natural Sciences Leopoldina, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Korean Academy of Science and Technology.

Post his retirement from ETH Zurich, Ernst delivered lectures on magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the historical development of spectroscopy and the analysis of pigments in paintings using Raman spectroscopy.

Ernst apart from receiving the Nobel Prize was awarded seven honorary doctorates. He also received the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 1991 for ‘revolutionary contributions to NMR spectroscopy, especially Fouriertransform and two-dimensional NMR’. Besides this, he received the Horwitz Prize (1991), and the Marcel Benoist Prize (1986). He received more than a dozen honorary doctors degrees, among them degrees from ETH Lausanne, Technische Universität Munich, Universität Zurich, University Bern, University Antwerpen, BabesBolyai University Cluj-Napoca, Charles University Prague, and University Montpellier. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, of the Royal Academy of Sciences, London, of the Deutsche Akademie Leopoldina, of the Russian Academy of Sciences, of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and an honorary member of many further societies.

Ernst is survived by his wife and three children, the Swiss news agency ATS.

Photo Source: https://new.in-24.com/News/5538.htm)

Richard Ernst

Effective Diagnostics Strategies for Corona Pandemic Mitigation

With an array of ICMR-approved tests available in the market, it will be offer better time efficiencies by reducing the turnaround time

Jatin Mahajan, Managing Director, J Mitra & Company The corona pandemic has globally disrupted lives and livelihood. We have already had two strong waves in India, causing widespread agony, suffering, deaths, and mental trauma.

While lockdown, movement curbs, and social distancing/masks are effective in mitigating the risk of communicability and preventing the spread of the virus, a more effective strategy is required for testing and monitoring to counter the third wave.

India's current testing strategy rests on rapid antibody tests and RT-PCR tests. Unfortunately, both these testing strategies have limitations – the rapid antibody tests are stop-gap tests in nature. An RT-PCR test must follow them in case of a negative result. But in an estimated 90 per cent of the cases, this SOP is not followed. As a result, these people continue to intermingle in markets, offices, and homes, and invariably the false-negative patients end up infecting others as well.

Although the RT-PCR test is the gold standard in COVID-19 testing, it is relatively expensive and out of reach for much of the financially challenged populace. Also, RT-PCR requires highend equipment, which is not available in rural and semi-urban India, making this form of testing unviable for most of the rural population in the country.

There are far more effective techniques available in the market and already approved by ICMR. The COVID-19 Ag Microlisa Elisa Antigen Test is one of the best known and viable alternatives. The Elisa Antigen Test is ideal for contact tracing and is as reliable as the RTPCR tests, yet cost significantly less. They don't need extensive equipment or a high-cost workforce and can be deployed even in rural areas. Their cost-effectiveness makes them a more preferred choice for the masses. The Elisa Antigen Tests are also more timeefficient, and results are available at a fraction of time as needed for the RTPCR test.

The Elisa Antigen test can provide an impetus to India's fight against COVID-19 by significantly bringing down the overall cost of testing. These tests also offer better time efficiencies by reducing the turnaround time between testing and results to just two hours. India already has thousands of Elisa readers with laboratories across the country to read the test results. Positive patients can be quickly isolated. This test will minimise uncertainty and confusion for the masses due to prolonged test results – to ascertain whether it is safe to interact or isolate and quarantine.

Another critical aspect of the corona pandemic mitigation strategy is the need for monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccination and the development of antibodies within our citizens.

The COVID-19 Neutralizing Antibody Microlisa test is critical to India's fight against the corona pandemic because it showcases how effective the vaccination has been for creating neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Virus neutralisation is the gold standard for deciding antibody efficacy, and neutralising antibodies help form an individual's passive immunity. It provides short-term immunity to a healthy individual against disease. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) is responsible for defending cells from pathogens, which cause disease (in this case, SARS-CoV-2). NAb are produced naturally by the body as part of its immune response, and infections and vaccinations against infections trigger their production.

Testing of antibodies is ideal for serosurveillance and seroprevalence.

Many countries are now testing for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at the population level or in specific groups, such as health workers, close contacts of known cases, or within households, and taking necessary corrective actions. These antibodies (in High Titer) determine if the individual has good humoral immunity, donate convalescent plasma, and if the vaccination is successful. In addition, these antibodies help in segregating patients between mild, moderate, and severe categories. Hence they act as an advanced diagnostic marker against the resurgence of COVID infections.

WHO supports these studies as they are critical for understanding the extent of and risk factors associated with infection. Some of the countries that have implemented SARS-CoV-2 antibodies testing for monitoring the development of herd immunity include – the US, the UK, Australia, China, Thailand, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Brazil, Iceland, Spain, amongst others. This strategy should be immediately implemented in India as well to counter the threat of the third wave.

The fight against the corona pandemic is a long and tedious one. These two are robust solutions for the diagnostic labs to fast-pace India's comprehensive monitoring and detection process. We must wake up to the challenge and include these aspects mentioned above as an integral part of the country's

strategy to counter the pandemic. If we do, we will emerge through the crisis with far fewer losses, agony, and financial burden.

Healthcare innovations for post-pandemic world

Architects and healthcare professionals need to relook at the design of healthcare facilities

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the definition of the normal for most of us. Hospitals around the world have crumbled under the weight of the virus. The uncertainty has altered the way we live, travel, work and our perceptions about health and safety. Technology has changed care, efficiency and improvement in healthcare, and it’s time that architects and healthcare professionals relook at the design of these healthcare facilities.

Today, healthcare practitioners and designers worldwide are working in tandem to bring about fundamental changes in healthcare design and its implementation. At CDA, we believe that the probable future road map of changes will revamp the medical service sector in the most accurate meaning of the word. As architects, we refute the argument that the inevitable solution to a collapsing healthcare system is to build more infrastructure, like metaphorical crutches holding up a dilapidated entity. Health futurists and researchers are now focused on orienting the healthcare system towards a more digitally seamless care delivery model that attempts to retain the innate essence of care through technology.

Two possible stages anticipate major reorientation of the system’s antiques. The first one being, the hospital-centric model, which will employ tools like AI and Big Data to comprehend patterns out of the already existing profile of patients and use them for creating dynamic, iterative design layouts for hospitals. This model will look to inform itself from the ever-growing pool of healthcare statistics and data to develop digitally transformable floor plans within the hospital. This system will be aided by app-based scheduling and

consultation for each patient, which will smartly manage the masses that would wait in endless queues. The dependence on care providers such as nurses can be eased with the help of advanced logistic support mechanisms to cut down on unnecessary displacement to provide for medicines, linens, testing samples, etc.

After boosting the efficiency of the healthcare system, the second stage will move a step further and reduce the dependency on the hospital facility itself. The hospital building will dwindle in size, cut down on consultation, diagnostic, and in-patient departments, and retain only intensive care units and critical care. A patient’s health will be monitored by smart infrastructure linked via the cloud to the hospital, which will provide remote healthcare while in the comfort of one’s own home.

There will be a facility for virtual nursing and online interactions with the caregivers for enhanced support. The architecture of such ‘Smart Infrastructure’ would have to be completely cloud-collaborated, optimisable, and friendly to autonomous mobility such as drones, etc., allowing for interior access, movement, unloading, and parking; suggests the paper. This will reduce healthcare costs and be a giant leap towards ensuring accessible care and medical service to all.

From a healthcare design standpoint, architects need to look beyond functionality. In a post-pandemic world, healthcare designers need to set forth innovative solutions that seamlessly blend altruism with technology to create a robust ecosystem, the benefit of which is bifold. These solutions will render high-quality medical care to those in need and focus on patient safety, satisfaction, and comfort at present. Additionally, it will streamline future care delivery by constantly collecting and analysing patient data through tech-enabled infrastructure. To augment a seamless transition to digital and smart care delivery, healthcare designers should incorporate research in care delivery and equipment technology and analysis in the planning stages to result in flexible infrastructure.

As architects at CDA, we understand the criticality of designing adaptable, sustainable, and responsive hospitals, focusing on patient care and experience. With a commitment to improving the healthcare scenario in India, we are optimistic that with architects working in partnership with doctors, researchers, policymakers and tech giants, an evolved healthcare ecosystem awaits.