Oxford COVID-19 vaccine: Panel recommends that DCGI grant Serum Institute permission for human trials

New Delhi: A subject expert committee on COVID-19 on Friday recommended to the country's drug regulator that permission be granted to Serum Institute of India (SII) for conducting the second and third phases of human clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine candidate.

The recommendations of the committee at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) have been sent to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for approval, highly-placed sources told PTI.

They said that the SII had submitted a revised proposal on Wednesday after the expert panel on Tuesday, following deliberations over its application, had asked it to revise its protocol for the trials besides seeking some additional information.

"An urgent meeting was held by the subject expert committee on COVID-19 on Friday to consider SII's application. Following deliberation, it has recommended that permission be granted for the phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials of the potential vaccine developed by the Oxford University - Covishield," an official source said.

According to the revised proposal, 1,600 people aged above 18 will participate in the trials across 17 selected sites including AIIMS Delhi, BJ Medical College, Pune, Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) Patna, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, AIIMS Jodhpur, Nehru Hospital in Gorakhpur, Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatnam and JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research in Mysuru.

"According to the application, it would conduct an observer-blind, randomised controlled study to determine the safety and immunogenicity of Covishield in healthy Indian adults," the source said.

The DCGI on Tuesday had asked SII to clearly define Phase 2 and Phase 3 part of the protocol and resubmit their application for the evaluation by the committee.

The panel has also recommended that the clinical trial sites which have been proposed for the study be distributed pan-India.

SII, which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the Oxford vaccine candidate for COVID-19, had submitted its first application to the DCGI on Friday seeking permission for conducting phase 2 and 3 trials of Covishield.

Initial results of the first two-phase trials of the vaccine conducted in five trial sites in the UK showed it has an acceptable safety profile and homologous boosting increased antibody responses, the source said.

To introduce the vaccine, SII, the world's largest vaccine maker by number of doses produced and sold, has signed an agreement to manufacture the potential vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute (Oxford University) in collaboration with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca.

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Sushant Singh Rajput death: Bihar police records statements of six persons, including Ankita Lokhande

The Bihar police team, which is in Mumbai to investigate an "abetment to suicide" case related to the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, has so far recorded the statements of six persons, an official said on Saturday.

The four-member Bihar police team arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday to probe the 'abetment to suicide' case registered against Rajput's friend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, and others in Patna.

"Till now, the police team from Bihar has met the late actor's friends, colleagues, and relatives. They have recorded the statements of six persons- Rajput's sister, who stays in Versova, former girlfriend Ankita Lokhande, a cook, his friends, and colleagues," the official said.

The police team is also likely to question the members of Rajput's staff, he said, adding that some of them had been changed.

"They also gathered information about Rajput's various bank accounts and also visited the banks to look into the financial transactions," he said.

The visiting team had on Friday gone to the Crime Branch office to submit an application seeking assistance from the Mumbai Police in probing the case.

Sushant Singh Rajput. File image

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on 5 August a plea filed by Chakraborty, who has sought transfer of the FIR lodged against her.

The actress has said in her plea that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajput and has been in deep trauma due to the death of the actor and moreover getting rape and death threats.

"It is pertinent to mention that the deceased and petitioner were in a live-in relationship since a year up till 8 June, 2020 when the petitioner had temporarily shifted to her own residence in Mumbai," she has said in her plea.

Chakraborty has also said in her plea that, "The deceased (Rajput) was suffering from depression for some time and was also on anti-depressants and he committed suicide on the morning of 14 June, 2020 at his Bandra residence by hanging himself."

She has said in her plea that it becomes abundantly clear that the commencement of investigation in Patna is erroneous in absence of any cause of action having arisen at Patna.

Krishna Kumar Singh (74), Rajput's father, had lodged a complaint against Chakraborty and six others, including her family members, for alleged abetment to suicide, in Patna on Tuesday.

The Patna case was registered under various IPC sections including 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 306 (abetment of suicide).

Singh accused Chakraborty, a budding TV and film actor, of having befriended his son in May 2019 with the intention of furthering her own career.

Singh has also filed a caveat in the apex court seeking to be heard before any order is passed on Chakraborty's plea.

A caveat is a pre-emptive legal measure taken to ensure that a party does not get any favourable order without a notice or a hearing accorded to the opponent.

Rajput was found hanging in his suburban Bandra apartment on 14 June. The Mumbai police, who are already investigating the alleged suicide by the actor, have questioned several people from the film industry in connection with the case.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)

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A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022 2754 6669

 

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Two people killed, three injured in Noida building collapse; authorities yet to ascertain cause

Noida: Two people were killed and three injured after a portion of a multi-storey building collapsed in Uttar Pradesh's Noida on Friday, police said.

The under-construction building is located in Sector 11 and belongs to a private firm. The incident took place around 7.30 pm, they said.

A large number of police personnel along with senior officers and teams of the fire department and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were present on the spot for rescue operations.

"Five people have been rescued from the building. Two of them have died while three others have been hospitalised with injuries but they are out of danger," the district police said in a statement.

Taking cognisance of the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Alok Singh to reach the spot. He also asked Singh to ensure all victims are rescued and given proper treatment, according to an official statement released in Lucknow.

Singh said information was received this evening that a part of the building had collapsed during construction work.

"Teams of firefighters, police, district administration and ambulances reached the spot swiftly. The chief minister himself is monitoring the situation and a team of the NDRF has also been deployed for rescue work on his instructions," he told reporters after inspecting the incident site.

"Those rescued have been sent to hospital and the NDRF team is continuing the rescue operation. The NDRF has teams of (sniffer) dogs and technical squads on the ground and is highly equipped for the work. They are looking for survivors, if any," he added.

On the cause of the collapse, Singh said engineers and technical teams from the Noida Authority have reached the spot to ascertain the reason.

The front portion of the building collapsed due to the construction work. The office of a solar panel manufacturing firm is located on the floor on which the work was going on, according to senior officials at the site.

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AP Inter Results 2020: BIEAP Inter 1st, 2nd year short marks memos released; check results at bie.ap.gov.in

The Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education (BIEAP) has declared the intermediate 1st year, 2nd year short marks memos on its website — bieap.gov.in and apbie.apcfss.in.

According to a report by The Indian Express, apart from the official website, candidates can check their score on educationandhra.com, manabadi.com and manabadi.co.in.

The report said the intermediate 1st, 2nd year results were earlier announced in June.

Of the total 5.07 lakh students who took the AP inter first year, or Class 11 exam, more than 3 lakh have cleared it. The pass percentage was 59, a decline from 60 percent in 2019. For Class 12, of the total 4.35 lakh students, 2.76 lakh have passed.

A report by Jagran mentions that the marks memo has been made available for download to candidates who had failed in the exams and re-appeared via supplementary mode.

The state government has passed these students without holding exams and provided them grace marks.

As per a report by The Times of India, Andhra Pradesh Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh on 21 June announced that the Intermediate supplementary examinations have been cancelled and declared all the students who have failed the exams passed.

The state government had also cancelled the SSC or Class 10 examinations and declared that all the students have been promoted to next class.

Steps to check AP Inter short marks memos 2020

Step 1: Go to websites - bieap.gov.in, apbie.apcfss.in, educationandhra.com, manabadi.com, or manabadi.co.in

Step 2: Click on link for Short Marks Memo

Step 3: You will be directed to a new page, where you will have to enter your roll number, date of birth and then click submit

Step 4: The mark sheet will be displayed on the screen

 

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CIPET JEE 2020: Admit card released on eadmission.cipet.gov.in, entrance exam to be held on 5 August

The Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) released the admit card for CIPET JEE 2020 on eadmission.cipet.gov.in.

Candidates who have applied for the CIPET Joint Entrance Examination can get their admit cards by providing their mobile numbers and date of birth. The admit card can be downloaded till the date of the entrance examination, which is scheduled to be held on 5 August.

The admit card mentions the name, roll number and other details of the candidate. It also states the information about the examination centre as well as the date and time of the test.

The last date to register for the exam is August 3. The entrance exam is conducted for admission to different courses offered by CIPET at 37 locations across India. CIPET was set up to train manpower in various disciplines of Plastics Engineering and Technology.

Steps to download CIPET JEE 2020 admit card:

Step 1: Visit the official website of CIPET JEE 2020 - eadmission.cipet.gov.in
Step 2: Enter your mobile number and date of birth and click Login
Step 3: Your CIPET JEE 2020 admit card will be displayed on the screen
Step 4: Download and take a printout for future reference.

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IGNOU Admission 2020: Deadline for admission and re-registration extended to 16 August

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has extended the deadline for the submission of admission and re-registration application forms till 16 August. Candidates can apply for admission process online through the official site ignou.ac.in.

According to a report in NDTV, the last date of admission to the programmes earlier was 31 July. The deadline has been extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The programmes that have been included for the July 2020 session are MA in English, BA in Hindi, PGD in Rural Development, PG Certificate in Adult Education, Awareness Programme on Value Added Products from Fruits and Vegetables and Dairy Farming.

A report in Times Now mentioned that IGNOU is also offering admission to a number of online programs and SWAYAM courses.

The University is offering 13 courses that are to be taught online and has also added another 24 courses on the SWAYAM Portal taking the total number to 45 courses.

Here's a direct link to register - https://ift.tt/37dbiIB

Meanwhile, IGNOU will be conducting Term End Examination (TEE) June 2020 for final year/final semester students from the first week of September.

The examinations are being organised as per the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines.

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Gurugram: Police watch as cow vigilantes assault man on suspicion of transporting beef; one arrested

One person has been arrested the day after a video of police watching a man being assaulted, allegedly by cow vigilantes, in Gurugram went viral on social media on Friday, according to several media reports.

Lukman, a 25-year-old meat seller, assaulted over the suspicion of transporting cow meat, is undergoing treatment for several fractures at a hospital but is reportedly stable as per The Hindu.

One person, identified as 26-year-old Pradeep Yadav, has been arrested, as per Indian Express.  “So far, Yadav does not appear to be linked to any fringe elements or political party. Investigation is on to nab the other accused,” Gurugram police spokesperson Subhash Boken told the newspaper.

Boken told The Hindu that the motive behind the attack is not clear, but it could be prompted by suspicion over transportation of beef. The assailants have been booked for rioting, unlawful assembly, causing grievous hurt and wrongful confinement, among others, as per the newspaper.

Lukman, hailing from Mewat, reached Gurugram’s Sector 4-5 chowk at 9 am with a shipment of buffalo meat when youths on five two-wheelers began chasing him,as per The Times of India.

“There were eight to 10 men. They shouted at me to stop my vehicle. Fearing for my safety, I sped up. I had just stopped my vehicle in Sadar Bazar when the men reached me and pulled me out of the truck. They thrashed me with iron rods saying that I was transporting cow meat,” Lukman told police, as per The Times of India.

 

Lukman was chased for around eight kilometres before being stopped and beaten as police and onlookers watched, according to NDTV. Lukman was then bundled back into his truck, taken to Haryana’s Badshahpur village and further beaten as per the report.

He, however, managed to call the man who owned the Jama Masjid market shop where the meat was to be delivered. While Lukman was being beaten by sticks and hammers, the shop owner Tahir Qureshi called the police four times but to no avail, The Hindu reported.

Soon after, a police team followed the truck to the village and rescued Lukman even as the assailants damaged their vehicle, attacked the police and fled.

As per NDTV, the samples of the meat have been sent to a forensic lab for examination. The owner of the vehicle told NDTV that he has been in the business for 50 years and that the meat is buffalo.

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