The surging second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has been placing great pressure on the healthcare amenities in each the private and non-private sector with scores of sufferers lining up for admission. This has additionally had an impact on the continued scientific trials for numerous drugs and vaccine candidates whilst hospitals and employees stay busy with affected person care.
CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has lined up not less than three potential repurposed drugs — Niclosamide, Colchicine and Chlorpromazine — in affiliation with different CSIR labs for scientific trials. “While this is the time to initiate clinical trials with many patients being admitted in hospitals, we are conscious that it will also put pressure on doctors partnering for clinical trials because, they have to monitor these patients much more closely and record many more parameters,” identified IICT director S. Chandrasekhar.
The institute has pioneered the method expertise of Favipiravir and Remdesivir, repurposed for remedy of COVID-19 and can also be working carefully with indigenous pharmaceutical industries for growth of the subsequent era of antivirals and different drugs.
“CSIR is open to providing non-exclusive licence to the processes we develop so that drugs are available in quantities at affordable cost. A challenge with Favipiravir and Remdesivir long storage is the shelf life. Currently, companies have data for less than one year and if more data is available, the production can be ramped up,” he defined.
Drug companies needed to shed the manufacturing traces by December final 12 months attributable to diminished demand and now the sudden enhance has led to panic-buying and absence. “We expect the firms to ramp up production during these months and the situation could ease up in the coming days once the regulatory approvals come in for infrastructure upgrade of the existing facilities for more production,” he added.
IICT has additionally been instrumental in growing an important adjuvant for Bharat Biotech International Limited for bringing out Covaxin in affiliation with Indian Council of Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology. “We are further improving the process so that the scale up is easier to provide more adjuvants to Bharat Biotech as they enhance the vaccine production to meet the demand within the country and internationally in a more cost-effective manner,” stated Dr. Chandrasekhar.
