COVID DRUG - Central News Hub

Kuwait, Bahrain authorise new drug for Covid-19

The GSK and Vir Biotechnology created drug can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19…reports Asian Lite News

Kuwait and Bahrain have approved the use of Sotrovimab a monoclonal antibody drug against Covid-19, developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Vir, which claims to reduce hospitalisation and death among Coronavirus patients by 85 per cent and is also effective against the variants.

The GSK and Vir Biotechnology created drug can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, state agencies KUNA and Bahrain News Agency reported.

Research has shown the use of the drug leads to a reduction in the number of cases requiring hospitalization for more than 24 hours and a reduction in the number fatalities by 85 percent, when administered at an early stage of treatment.

Meanwhile Kuwait has also announced on Wednesday a $40 million donation to COVAX, the international program designed to help supply developing countries with vaccines against the disease, KUNA said.

Last week, the UAE became the first country to approve the emergency use of Sotrovimab.

This was after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave an emergency use authorisation to the antibody treatment.

The UAE has authorised the emergency use of the drug for the treatment of patients aged 12 years or older with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease who are at risk of progression to hospitalisation or death. In pre-clinical studies, Sotrovimab has demonstrated effectiveness as a monotherapy against widely circulating variants of the disease.

“Such a new qualitative achievement would not have been possible had it not been for the UAE leadership’s keenness to proactively address the pandemic, attract and provide innovative medicines that prove effective and efficient, and adopting them as treatment protocols,” said Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention.

“The new medicine will greatly contribute to speeding up the recovery of patients, reducing Covid-19-related deaths and hospitalization period in intensive care units. It will also support the country’s efforts being made to conduct Covid-19 tests and administer vaccines, retaining its leading position among the world’s foremost countries, dealing efficiently with the Covid-19 pandemic,” the minister said.

The drug has shown positive results among patients 65 years of age and older or individuals who have certain medical conditions and are at high risk for progression to severe Covid-19, including hospitalisation or death.

Laboratory tests have shown that Sotrovimab is able to neutralise the current circulating variants of Covid first reported in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, California, New York and India.

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Gambhir’s foundation found guilty of illegal stocking of Covid drug

The drug controller informed that action will be taken against Gambhir’s foundation, drug dealers, as well as other such cases…reports Asian Lite News

The Delhi government drug controller on Thursday informed the high court that Gautam Gambhir’s foundation has been found guilty of non-authorised stocking, procuring and distributing Fabiflu medicine used for Covid-19 patients.

The drug controller informed the Delhi High Court that action will be taken against Gambhir’s foundation, drug dealers, as well as other such cases which were brought to its notice.

The drug controller also informed the court that MLA Praveen Kumar has also been found guilty of similar offences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The court asked the drug controller to submit a status report on progress made in these cases within six weeks. The court has posted the matter for further hearing on July 29.

Gautam Gambhir Foundation(Twitter)

On May 31, the Delhi High Court had said it cannot be taken for a ride, as it pulled up the drug controller, for not properly probing the issues involved with procurement of huge quantity of Fabiflu, used in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, by BJP MP Gautam Gambhir.

A bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh had said: “You can’t take us for a ride. If you think we are so naive, we are not.”

Slamming the drug controller, the bench added, “You better do your job. If you can’t do your job, tell us, we will have you suspended and let someone else do your job.”

Rejecting the status report filed by the drug controller, the court said its confidence in the drug controller was shaken. The report was filed in connection with its probe into procurement of the medicine by cricketer-turned-politician Gambhir.

The court noted it was well-known that the essential Covid drug was in short supply.

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However, Gambhir purchased several strips of the medicine; and others, who needed it, could not get it, the bench added. “You (drug controller) are wrong to say it was not in short supply. You want us to shut our eyes. You think you would get away with this,” said the bench.

The high court did not mince words in criticizing recent statement by Gambhir stating that he will continue to do such work.

The bench said: “We have already said it is a malpractice. This tendency of people trying to take advantage and then trying to appear as a saviour when they themselves created the problem, has to be denounced.”

The court also examined the report in connection with the allegations against AAP MLAs Priti Tomar and Praveen Kumar for hoarding of medical oxygen.

The report in connection with allegations against Tomar was accepted by the court, however, it trashed the reports in connection with Gambhir and Kumar. The court gave three days to the drug controller of the Delhi government to file better reports.

The court was hearing a PIL seeking registration of a case on the allegations that politicians are able to procure in huge quantities and distribute Covid-19 medicines even as patients were running from pillar to post to get them amid a brutal second wave of the pandemic.

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