Lupin’s plans for a US generic to GSK’s Advair Diskus have turned awry as its contract with Celon Pharma is close to being terminated. The company has focused on other respiratory drugs like generic ProAir and Fostair even as the revenue potential for Advair has been shrinking post Mylan’s launch.

Lupin’s plans for a US generic to GSK’s Advair Diskus have turned awry as its contract with Celon Pharma is close to being terminated. The company has focused on other respiratory drugs like generic ProAir and Fostair even as the revenue potential for Advair has been shrinking post Mylan’s launch.

As a new Delta plus variant is identified, India’s exemption of bridging trials for imported COVID-19 vaccines could help speed up immunization efforts. The urgency to fully immunize individuals could also prompt a reduction in the interval between Serum/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine doses

A recent study says a cohort of unvaccinated individuals aged under 16 years in Israel showed a nearly two-fold decrease in COVID-19 positivity for each 20 percentage points of individuals vaccinated overall. As Pfizer, Moderna and Bharat Biotech develop pediatric vaccines, should they consider if herd immunity might make such vaccines redundant?

Strides will consider making RDIF’s Sputnik Light vaccine after filling orders for Sputnik V, which it expects to launch in October. The COVID-19 portfolio is being expanded and the Indian company is set to make a Para IV filing for a diabetes product in December, CEO R Ananthanarayanan tells Scrip.

Unless Pfizer or Moderna beat the company to it, Zydus Cadila’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate could be India’s first such jab approved for children. With superior thermostability and proposed economical pricing, it will be one to watch, though a three-dose regimen could be a dampener. Meanwhile, saroglitazar sees slow progress.