Monthly Archives: May 2020

Bollywood stars perform for ‘I FOR India’ concert online, raise Rs.3.75 cr

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The online concert ‘I for India’, organized to raise funds for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic in India, has brought together both Hollywood and Bollywood stars to perform from their homes and engage their viewers across the continents. The benefit reportedly raised Rs. 3.75 crore ($496,025).

Lakhs of people on Sunday watched more than 70 of the country’s biggest celebrities – including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and cricket team captain Virat Kohli – in the “I for India” show, broadcast on Facebook Live.

Indian celebrities were joined by international stars such as actor Will Smith and rock legend Mick Jagger for the five-hour online concert to raise funds for people affected by the novel coronavirus, which has affected almost 3.5 million people globally. India has reported over 42,000 COVID-19 cases so far and is looking to ease lockdown measures.

During the concert, Will Smith and Mick Jagger spoke about the problems faced by rural migrant workers, who have been stranded without work in cities following the sudden nationwide lockdown imposed since March 24 to contain COVID-19.

“They and their families may be going hungry. Please give what you can,” said Jagger. Shah Rukh Khan, who was in the forefront, sang for the fundraiser, while Priyanka Chopra urged fans to donate to the fund,which has been the initiative undertaken by some of the biggest names in Indian entertainment and Facebook to put together a home-to-home fundraiser GiveIndia.

GiveIndia is India’s largest giving platform with reach across 23 states. It is associated with over 100 NGOs, working on-ground to support the required interventions with prevention, healthcare infrastructure, livelihood support and essentials for people in need.

The four-hour long concert will be live globally on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Facebookindiapp) on Sunday, 3rd May 2020 at 7:30pm IST featured performances and personal messages from more than 85 Indian and global stars. I for India’s Fundraiser is active on Facebook and people can donate via https://fb me/IforIndiaFundraiser.

In the long and eminent list of personalities from the Indian film industry such as Aamir Khan, A R Rahman, Farhan Akhtar, Zoya Akhtar, Aishwairya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Ustad Amjad Ali Bangash, Russell Peters and others.

Aamir Khan, A R Rahman, Aishwairya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Russell Peters join for ‘I FOR INDIA’ concert to help fight COVID-19

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Bollywood actors Aamir Khan, A R Rahman, Aishwairya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, filmmaker Zoya Akhtar are all set to be a part of a fundraiser concert, I For India, of which, the entire proceeds would go to the India COVID Response Fund managed by GiveIndia, to support on-ground relief efforts.

The vision for the concert by leaders from the entertainment industry is three-pronged: to entertain those locked down in their homes, to pay tribute to those who are working on the frontlines and to raise funds for those who have no work and no home and do not know where their next meal is coming from.

The initiative comes to life as Facebook has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Indian entertainment, including Zoya Akhtar and others to put together a home-to-home fundraiser.

GiveIndia is India’s largest giving platform with reach across 23 states. It is associated with over 100 NGOs, working on-ground to support the required interventions with prevention, healthcare infrastructure, livelihood support and essentials for people in need.

The four-hour long concert will be live globally on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Facebookindiapp) on Sunday, 3rd May 2020 at 7:30pm IST and will feature performances and personal messages from 85+ Indian and global stars.

I for India’s Fundraiser is already active on Facebook and people can donate via https://fb me/IforIndiaFundraiser.

In the long and eminent list of personalities from the Indian film industry and other walks of life along with Zoya Akhar are Aamir Khan, A R Rahman, Farhan Akhtar and band, Aishwairya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Ustad Amjad Ali Bangash, Russell Peters and the list continues as it promises to be a starry philanthropic effort.

AstraZeneca UK to produce vaccine after tie-up with Oxford University

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AstraZeneca Plc agreed to make an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University researchers as the race for vaccine heats up. In India, the Serum Institute, the world’s largest maker of vaccines by volume, has already started producing millions of doses of the Oxford University shot and it remains to be seen whether market share will be entered at a later stage depending on the availability of the vaccine.

Astra has a capacity to produce 100 million doses by the end of the year, said the company, which is gearing up for a tough competition with a dozen other competitors across the world. UK-based AstraZeneca announced partnership with the University of Oxford on Thursday to help develop, produce and distribute a potential COVID-19 vaccine as a solution to the deadly disease.

UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma welcomed the tie-up as a vital step while a team of British scientists last week administered first vaccine doses to volunteers. “Our hope is that, by joining forces, we can accelerate the globalisation of a vaccine to combat the virus and protect people from the deadliest pandemic in a generation,” AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said.

The vaccine “ChAdOx1 nCoV-19” is being developed by the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group. The AstraZeneca-Oxford partnership is looking to provide vaccine inside the UK by the end of the year. Cambridge-based AstraZeneca is also testing two other treatments for coronavirus that has so far infected over 3 million people and killed more than 215,000 worldwide.

The shares of the company rose 2% on London’s FTSE by 9:30 am Friday, outpacing rival GSK. Apart from AstraZeneca. GSK and Sanofi are the other major players working on their own vaccine. Other major drugmakers testing possible COVID-19 vaccines include Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. Nearly, 100 vaccines are in the pipeline at various stages of initial trials around the world and scientists say it may take another year for the right vaccine to emerge successfully.

The Indian vaccine being developed by the Serum Institute is a recombinant viral vector vaccine using a weakened version of the common-cold virus spiked with proteins from the novel coronavirus to trigger a response from the body’s immune system.

India ramps up hydroxychloroquine production, exports 50 mln tablets to US

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India has ramped up its exports of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) amidst demand from the US and Europe as it is being touted one of the treatment drugs for coronavirus, though severalside-effects have been noticed over its usage among patients. After allowing 60 drug makers in Uttarakhand to produce HCQ, an Indian source with direct knowledge of the exports said 50 million tablets have been exported to the US.

India’s export of the drug follows a request by US President Donald Trump for New Delhi to release supplies of hydroxychloroquine in March, despite restrictions and even sparking off a diplomatic embarrassment for New Delhi. Trump in his briefings warned that halting shipments would result in diplomatic retaliation. India eased restrictions and clarified that shipments would be sent as per the agreement.

Nearly 60 pharma companies in Uttarakhand and 68 companies in Gujarat have gone into HCQ production, easing the requirements all over the globe. Majority of these licences are for exports, said H.G. Koshia, commissioner, Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat.

“It amounts to 50 million tablets… Commercial companies are pursuing. It’s ongoing,” reports Reuters quoting a source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of discussions with the United States. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, IPCA Laboratories and Cadila Healthcare are among India’s leading suppliers of hydroxychloroquine. Cadila alone has ramped up production tenfold to 30 metric tonnes per month to meet the demand.

However, the US Food and Drug Administration, the European Union’s drug regulator and the Canadian health department have cited side effects of the drug including abnormal heart rhythms and a dangerously rapid heart rate, which have done little to the US, which is using the drug for the treatment of COVID-19 as no other drug is available. Already, the US coronavirus death toll has reached 63,746 as of Thursday – the highest in the world.

“There is high demand for hydroxychloroquine in the international market including US,” Viranchi Shah, senior vice-president, Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA). Ever since Trump touted the drug as a “game changer” and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send supplies, sales of the decades-old treatment had soared overnight despite medical reasoning not to use the drug for every case of coronavirus.

The foreign ministry said India was continuing to supply hydroxychloroquine and other essential medicines both on humanitarian grounds and for commercial ties.