Tuesday Brief

1 As India is about to start the use of Covid vaccine very shortly. As usual various controversy has already started mushrooming across the country.. The country has approved vaccines manufactured by 2 companies Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and  Astra Zenaaca-Oxford University’s  Covishield. Now on one side PM Modi is praising Indian scientists who have developed the vaccine, and we are indebted to all the scientists and technicians . But number of opposition leaders from Samajwadi Party & Congress and other parties had raised the concern over completion of trials and efficacy of Covaxin. Congress leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, Jairam Ramesh and Anand Sharma have raised the concern over Covaxin, saying its phase three trials are not completed. Akhilesh Yadav has termed, Covaxin as BJP’s vaccine and said he will not take it.

Now there is war of words between the spoke persons of Bharat Biotech and Astra Zenaca. Where as Bharat Biotech is questioning the approval given to Astra Zenaca,as EU and USA have refused to give approval to Covishield, but our regulator has given the no in public interest. Why is nobody questioning the UK trials?. Covaxin spoke person further added that Covishild people had given paracetamol to the people for testing the vaccine on them. Now this has been denied by Aztra Zenaca people. Even the director All India Institute of Medical Sciences have  questioned the completion of trials before asking the approval. But as per Bharat Biotech’s claim “ The law allows us to seek approval if the vaccine platform is well established and safe-that is why we asked for approval”

Now the CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII) in a interview said that “ only three vaccine- those of Pfizer, Moderna and Aztra Zenaca have demonstrated efficacy, and rest of vaccines are safe..as water”. This was really uncalled for, as this statement is totally biased because SII is the local manufacture in India for Covishield.

What Bharat Biotech says about its vaccine Covaxin-

• Its vaccine has shown good immune response in animal studies using ferrets and monkeys.
• Interim analysis has not been finished as Company is yet to hit the 140-infection mark
• Company has published five articles on its trials, while others developing vaccines in India have not published any results.
• Covaxin has less than 10% adverse reaction where as Aztra Zenaca suppressing adverse reactions by giving paracetomol.

On the question of whether the 2 vaccines can be used for same immunisation drive, the experts say “ yes and it has happened earlier also”.

On what is the debate, of the use of 2 vaccines in the country- the experts response is “ Phase three trials of Covishild is complete and its data released. Covaxin has crossed the phase three trial stage. Now how the govt is going to keep track of which vaccine is administrated for 10 million health workers”. On this govt has clarified that Covishield will be used in first phase and Covaxin will be kept as back up or reserve.

The Health Minister Harsh vardhan has clarified that emergency use authorisation for Covaxin is different from Covishield’s “ because its use will bbe in clinical trial mode”. All Covaxin recipients are to be “ tracked, monitored as if they are in trial”. This approval ensures India has an additional vaccine shield in its arsenal.

So let us keep our fingers crossed, and hope when the time comes for us to take the vaccine, we are administrated the proven one.

2 You all must have read Saurav Ganguly( Ex Indian cricket captain and opening batsman, and currently Chairman BCCI) recently had angioplasty performed on him for treating the blockages of his heart arteries. This has become a big problem for the company manufacturing Fortune Rice Bran oil, as Saurav Ganguly was their brand ambassador and featuring in their ad campaign across all medias. Now all ads featuring Saurav Ganguly are being taken off from all the media, with immediate effect. . Ogilvy & Mather (O & M), creative agency for the brand, is looking into the issue and is working on a fresh redressal campaign. Ad featuring Ganguly were promoting good healthy heart, with the use of this cooking oil. The brand will need to turn around the situation very quickly, to regain consumer trust. Now PM Modi’s detractors will have one more issue to raise against Modi, as this oil company is owned by Gautam Adani, and whom they dub as friend of Modi.

Awaiting for your feed backs/comments.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

5^th January 2021.