Heena Sharma Blog

Eli Lilly and Co could have a drug specifically designed to treat COVID-19 authorized for use as early as September if all goes well with either of two antibody therapies it is testing, its chief scientist told Reuters on Wednesday. Lilly is also doing preclinical studies of a third antibody treatment for the illness caused by the new coronavirus that could enter human clinical trials in the coming weeks, Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Skovronsky said in an interview. Lilly has already launched human trials with two of the experimental therapies. The drugs belong to a class of biotech medicines called monoclonal antibodies widely used to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and many other conditions. A monoclonal antibody drug developed against COVID-19 is likely to be more effective than repurposed medicines currently being tested against the virus. Read More

The latest offering of Norton , the security solution provider best known for its antivirus and internet security solutions, the Norton 360, doubles up as a service to safeguard privacy on the internet and also neutralise viruses and protect data. The Norton 360 suite includes device protection from viruses and internet security, access to secure virtual private network (VPN), cloud storage for backup, password manager and parental controls. Moreover, it is a single-security solution that covers computers (Windows and Mac) and mobile devices (iOS and Android). Being a subscription-based offering, the product comes in three yearly plans – Standard, Deluxe 3 Devices and Deluxe. In the standard plan it offers a single-device support, in Deluxe 3 three devices, and in Deluxe five devices. We used the Deluxe subscription and tested the product on Android smartphone and Windows-based notebook. Read More

V Ravi, Senior Professor and Head of Neurovirology who founded the department at The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (Nimhans) was recently appointed to a committee to analyse Covid-19 data, study the epidemiology of the cases reported in the state, assess how infections are moving, suggest strategies for disrupting infection, and analyse treatment. Ravi, who has fought to prevent serious viral-infection diseases such as encephalitis and H1NI, spoke to Pavan Lall about the progression of the novel Coronavirus in India, its likely impact and the worst-case scenario. How fast is Covid-19 spreading in India in your view? India isn't one country. It's like a continent with 25 different countries, so 10,000 for a large country is not scary but you have to see the rate of progression by state. For example, in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat the spread is alarming. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar saw early lockdowns and hence the spread is not currently alarming. Ke...