Sotrovimab: Abu Dhabi first in the world to receive new Covid treatment drug
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The world’s newest anti-viral treatment for Covid-19, Sotrovimab, is now available for early treatment of certain categories Covid-19 patients in the UAE following a landmark agreement between the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, the country’s leading group purchasing organization (GPO) Rafed, and global innovative biopharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). With the arrival of the first shipment in Abu Dhabi airport, Abu Dhabi become the first city globally to receive this drug.
Sotrovimab is a monoclonal antibody treatment delivered through intravenous therapy. Sotrovimab can be used to treat adults and children above the age of 12 who meet certain criteria and are at risk of progressing to severe Covid-19, as per protocols that have been developed by the National Scientific Committee. Studies have shown the medicine to prevent hospitalization and death in 85 per cent of early selected treatment cases and can work on all known variations to date, a statement issued on Wednesday said.
Following USA Food and Drug Agency Emergency use authorization approval, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) issued its endorsement of the new GSK medicine following a national assessment. Abu Dhabi Department of Health & Rafed executed its agreement with the manufacturer to ensure deliveries as early as June and July, enabling patients in the UAE to be among the first in the world to access the new therapy.
Treatment protocol
The National Scientific Committee in MoHAP & Abu Dhabi Department of Health have worked on the treatment protocols that will guide doctors in defining at risk patients and ensuring that they have access to Sotrovimab according to their risk profile and eligibility criteria.
Abu Dhabi-based Rafed will facilitate the procurement, storage and distribution of Sotrovimab via the Rafed Distribution Center - the Region’s largest specialised cold-storage facility. The Center is part of the Hope Consortium, and is a milestone collaboration by healthcare, logistics and supply chain entities designed to facilitate the ongoing evolution of Abu Dhabi’s medical and life science offering to combat the pandemic, nationally and internationally
HE Dr. Jamal Mohamed Kaabi, Undersecretary for the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, said: “Abu Dhabi continues in its efforts to maintain its number one city position globally in terms of resilience and safety in Covid-19 times. This medicine is at the forefront of pharmaceutical advancement and is a powerful tool in our fight to end this pandemic.
"We look forward to implement the eligibility criteria for emergency use of Sotrovimab as part of Abu Dhabi’s commitment to lead an all-encompassing Covid -19 response in prevention, treatment and care.”
Rashed Al Qubaisi, CEO of Rafed said: “Sotrovimab represents a massive breakthrough in the fight against COVID-19."
As the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi finalises a coherent framework to determine eligibility for Sotrovimab treatment, Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group and Hope Consortium, have transported the first batch of Sotrovimab into the UAE utilizing its IATA CEIV-certified PharmaLife product.
Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “This achievement further elevates Abu Dhabi’s leading position in the fight against Covid-19, and firmly illustrates the combined capabilities of those entities at the forefront of the capital’s mission.
After receiving positive scientific opinion by the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Human Medicinal Products - GSK had submitted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application to the US Food and Drug Administration and the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention and got approval from both.
“We have been working very closely with the Department of Health and Rafed since the interim results of the clinical trials with Sotrovimab were available” said Gizem Akalin, Managing Director and Vice President, GSK Gulf. “The DOH and Rafed have been agile and passionate about accelerating patient access to promising new treatments to confront Covid-19”.
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Chamoli hydropower tunnel train collision: 88 injured, magisterial probe ordered
Gopeshwar/Dehradun (PTI): Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar on Wednesday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti hydropower project, which left 88 people injured.
Earlier in the day, Kumar said that the accident occurred around 8.30 pm on Tuesday at the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) site inside the tunnel being built by THDC (India).
A loco train carrying workers for tunnel excavation during the night shift was about two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction lost control and collided with it.
One of the trains had workers and officials on board, while the other carried material.
Upon receiving information about the collision, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered proper treatment for the injured. He spoke to the DM over the phone and instructed him to ensure that all the injured receive the best possible medical facilities.
DM Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar met the injured at the Gopeshwar District Hospital.
Kumar said 109 people were on board the loco train at the time of the accident, most of them labourers. None of the injured was serious, he said.
He said that 88 of them were injured, although none of them are in serious condition. They said that 84 workers were discharged after receiving first aid, while four are still hospitalized.
DM Kumar and SP Panwar also inspected the project site and sought detailed information about the incident from the project officials.
They instructed them to strictly implement all necessary safety standards to prevent a recurrence of such an incident in the future.
After inspection, the DM issued orders for a magisterial inquiry into the accident caused by the collision of the loco trains.
Meanwhile, the Railways said the trains involved in the collision had no connection with it.
"It is clarified that this unfortunate incident occurred in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, involving a trolley used in the local transportation system during the construction of a hydroelectric project tunnel. The train referred to in the news reports is not an Indian Railways train, but a transportation system being used locally by the project team," the government entity said in a statement.
According to officials, rail-like vehicles are used to transport workers, employees, and materials for construction work inside the tunnel.
The project, being built between Helang and Pipalkoti on the Alaknanda River, will generate 444 megawatts of electricity through four turbines. The project is targeted for completion by next year.
