New Delhi, Mar 31 (IANS): The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), which functions under the Ministry of Science and Technology, on Tuesday informed Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan that research on therapeutic and drug development has already started to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.
"Vaccine development is being supported with three Indian industries. Research on therapeutic and drug development has started," DBT said in a statement.
Harsh Vardhan reviewed the sampling and testing strategy for COVID-19 at a meeting held at the Indian Council of Medical Research in the capital.
Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT, told the Union Minister that the department has formed a consortium to support the development of medical equipment, diagnostics, therapeutics, drugs and vaccines to meet the healthcare challenges.
She stated that the manufacturing capacity of the first indigenous kit developed by a Start-up in Pune is being scaled up to nearly one lakh kits per week.
"A manufacturing facility for indigenous development of ventilators, testing kits, imaging equipment and ultrasound and high end radiology equipment has been set up in Visakhapatnam where manufacturing will start in the first week of April.
"DBT along with Drug Controller General of India has developed and notified a Rapid Response Regulatory Framework to provide expedited regulatory approvals for all diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. Vaccine development is being supported with three Indian industries. Research on therapeutic and drug development has started." said Swaroop.
During the meeting, Balram Bhargava, DG of ICMR, told Harsh Vardhan that 129 government laboratories are functional with a capacity of 13,000 tests per day along with 49 NABL accredited private labs.
"The private chains have around 16,000 collection centres and adequate test kits have been procured and disseminated across the States for any eventualities," said Bhargava, adding that rapid antibody test kits have also been ordered.
"As of now 38,442 tests have been done with 1,334 tests in private labs across the country", Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of the Department of Science & Technology, said. He informed the Health Minister that through mapping of the COVID-19 related technology capabilities in start-ups, academia, R&D Labs and industry, over 500 entities in the areas of diagnostics, drugs, ventilators, protection gear, disinfecting systems, etc. have been identified.
"Over 200 proposals have been received in the last one week against the funding calls of DST, from which over 20 entities are under active consideration for support in the first phase, taking into account the relevance, cost, speed and scale of solutions to manage COVID-19," he said.
Harsh Vardhan directed the officials to give extra support to those States/UTs who are not having any laboratories/testing facilities as well as to the north-eastern states and the UT of Ladakh.