Scientists, regulators do double shifts to keep up

MANY OF THE PROJECTS WERE IN THE PIPELINE MUCH BEFORE THE PANDEMIC BUT COVID-19 HAS FORCED THEM OUT INTO PRODUCTION, AN EXPERT SAID

NEW DELHI: In February, a small team of 24 people in the R&D division of Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions started working 24x7 to develop a kit to test for Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19), when it became obvious that no country would escape unscathed.

“We started work six weeks ago and worked in two shifts, with a focus on creating a product that didn’t miss diagnosis even when the viral load was low,” said Hasmukh Rawal, managing director, Mylab Discovery Solutions, which was the first Indian company to get the nod for manufacturing testing kits to test for Sars-Cov-2.

As for the requisite government approval, it came in a matter of days, he added.

The Covid-19 research consortium, under the department of biotechnology, announced it would fast-track research in early March. Since then, approvals for research, manufacturing and marketing of everything related to Covid-19, including vaccine candidates, have been given in days.

On Friday, Bharat Biotech announced its plans to develop a unique intranasal vaccine for coronavirus called ‘CoroFlu’ in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the vaccine manufacturer, FluGen.

“Anything related to Covid-19 is getting approved very quickly, “said Krishna Ella, the founder of Bharat Biotech.

“An approval that would usually take three to four months is getting approved in less than 48 hours”.

In addition, the newly established Centre for Augmenting WAR with Covid-19 health crisis (CAWACH) has been given ₹56 crore to scout, evaluate and support innovations and start-ups that address Covid-19 challenges.