Bharat biotech acknowledges oversight, promises to include ICMR in Covaxin patent filings
New Delhi: Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited, the manufacturer behind India's Covaxin, issued a statement addressing an "inadvertent mistake" in its patent filings related to the COVID-19 vaccine. The company admitted to not crediting the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as a co-owner in patent applications filed in India, the United States, and Europe. This development contradicted earlier claims by the Union health ministry that intellectual property rights to Covaxin were jointly owned.
In response to a report by The Hindu, which highlighted the omission, Bharat Biotech clarified that it holds great respect for ICMR and values their ongoing support. The company assured that steps were immediately taken to rectify the oversight by preparing to include ICMR as a co-owner in fresh patent filings.
According to Bharat Biotech, challenges during the vaccine's development led to rushed filings to secure patents ahead of competitors and data publications. The company cited these circumstances as contributing factors to the initial exclusion of ICMR from the patent applications.
Despite earlier explanations suggesting a different ownership structure, Bharat Biotech emphasized that the necessary legal documents are being prepared to acknowledge ICMR's role accurately.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
