“Not all heroes wear capes”, this saying was realized when Indian Logistics companies started pitching in to meet the shortage of oxygen during the Covid crisis. It is not possible to set up new oxygen plants or expand the old ones in a limited time. That’s why the focus had to be shifted to logistics.
During the first wave, the demand for oxygen went north from 700 MTPD (Metric tonnes per day) to 2,800 MTPD. The second wave launched it even higher to 5000 MTPD. This puts immense pressure on local bodies to deliver the requirement on time.
In this case, logistics entrepreneurs have come out as saviours. They are working were both solely and in collaboration with government bodies and international firms to meet the rising demand.
Below is the List of logistics companies that are helping deliver oxygen cylinders in this oxygen crisis:
Gurugram based unicorn startup, Delhivery has been contributing to meet the supply of oxygen cylinders. The CEO of Delhivery, Sahil Barua, seeks help from international firms while he plans to import oxygen from countries like China. The company is reaching out to people through social media to provide logistics support.
Chartered flights brought in oxygen cylinders on April 28 and April 30 from Shanghai to Delhi. Nitin Goyal promises to provide end-to-end support to anyone who asks for it. He provided his email, i.e., nitin.goyal@delhivery.com, where the requester can provide the details of volume and address
“We are flying charters into India with oxygen concentrators and other essential supplies and can build more capacity on demand.” – Sahil Barua, CEO Delhivery
A group of Gurugram based startup founders launched, “Mission Oxygen”, to meet the oxygen demand. They managed to raise 4.60 crores and aim to reach the target of 5 crore INR to deliver 3000 oxygen cylinders. The mission was funded by many businessmen and Bollywood celebrities.
The situation has gone so bad that patients and even doctors have resorted to social media to ask for help. In the scenario, government bodies have been proved to be unprepared. The startups on the other hand are well equipped with their advanced technology and measures that can provide valuable solutions. They gather funds and quickly put them to use.
Amidst the havoc, Mahindra Logistics has emerged as another saviour as it launched, “Oxygen on Wheels” (O2W). They aim to deliver oxygen all around Mumbai to meet the shortage of oxygen.
Maharashtra is among the topmost affected states where the oxygen demand has sky-rocketed. Mahindra deployed over 100 vehicles in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Pimpri Chichwad, Chakan, Nasik, and Nagpur.
The company has partnered with administration and local government bodies to fight this battle. Mahindra plans to supply oxygen in Delhi too. Since the condition is worsening and effective distribution becomes crucial, it is also planning to deliver oxygen directly to the homes of the patients where the condition is critical.
Loginext is Mumbai based logistics startup that has also pitched in the meet the demand. It plans on collaborating with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to deliver oxygen cylinders to the needy. It has also collaborated with over 50 delivery platforms to launch an oxygen-delivering service.
Dhruvil Sanghvi, CEO of Loginext understands that the bigger problem lies in distribution rather than the supply. That’s why they are working with local government bodies to ease the distribution.
Indian Air Force has also been lifting and delivering oxygen cylinders and other medical supplies. They are even lifting medical staff from different places and bringing them to required locations. Till now they’ve managed to lift cylinders from Bangkok, China, Singapore, and UAE to help the country in this crisis.
FAQ
How is oxygen delivered at home?
Oxygen is usually delivered to home as compressed oxygen gas or as Liquid oxygen.
Do oxygen concentrators run out of oxygen?
Oxygen concentrators does not run out of oxygen.
Can I import oxygen concentrator to India?
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the finance ministry to consider exempting oxygen concentrators imported by individuals for personal use from integrated goods and services tax.
Conclusion
As India battles with the second Covid wave, we are faced with an ever-present logistics problem. But these companies with the help of others have proved that where there’s a will, there’s a way. While they continue to distribute oxygen, we can contribute by staying at home and following guidelines.
The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India has led to the significant growth of online pharmacies. The lockdown being implemented in various states and the strict restrictions have led to the surge in for medical devices and PPE kits by the consumers through e-pharmacies. Let’s look at the growth of e-pharmacies in India.
The growth of the e-pharmacy sector has increased by up to 35 % compared to last year according to Industry trackers which is almost 3 times the expansion in the number of consumers ordering medicines and the essential substances for Covid-19 online. They claim that the sector is expected to witness much more growth in the current year as well.
Ankur Pahwa who is the Partner and National leader for the E-commerce and Consumer Internet sector of EY India had said that since the base is much more larger, they expect the growth to slow down. He added that the sector will not be able to see a growth of 40-45 % this year, but is still expected to remain high because of the increase of digitalization in the country.
EY has an estimation that the online pharmacy sector in India will grow to around USD 2.7 billion by the year 2023 from USD 360 million in 2019.
1mg is one of the top 3 e-pharmacy firm in the country. The company has said that there has been an increase in the medicines such as Fabiflu and Doxzee which is said to treat the mild cases of Covid-19. The company said that there was an increase of around 40x to 50x in the month of April 2021 compared to March 2021.
The company said that the sales of these drugs would have been higher if they wouldn’t have faced challenges regarding the supply of the drugs. 1mg reported that the demand for the Covid-19 related products was 5 times more in the month of April 2021 compared to the previous month March 2021.
Wellness Forever Medicare
Wellness Forever which is an omnichannel pharmacy chain has said that their orders have increased due to the second wave by around 25 %. The company has said that they have seen an increased demand for medical devices such as thermometers and oximeters, medicines and FMCG products.
Gulshan Bhaktiani who is the co-founder of Wellness Forever Medicare said that the company has seen a similar rise in order over different mediums such as walk-ins, app and calls. The company’s revenue had seen an increase of around 25 % for the year ended March 2021.
Indian pharmaceutical sector growth
Other E-pharmacy companies
Pharmeasy which is backed by Prosus and the leader of the online pharmacy market in India said that the company is looking forward to provide vaccination for around 30 million people. The company wants to become the largest private player in the vaccination drive in India.
It is planning to work with Corporates, healthcare providers and resident welfare associations.
Even the healthcare booking platform Practo has said that it is planning to largely work with corporates in order to provide vaccination to around 10 million people. The company has already confirmed that around 500 corporates have shown interest and have an employee strength of 1 million.
The company said that it is looking forward to work with around 1,000 companies for the first round of the vaccination drive.
The increase in the cases due to the second wave in most of the metro cities and this leading to lockdown and strict curfews have made the consumers to order the medicines and the Covid related items online rather than visiting offline pharmacies and diagnostic centers.
According to the company executives and industry experts, this is the major reason for the increase in sales by up to 25 – 65 % for online pharmacies.
Demand for Covid-19 related products
Prashant Tandon who is the co-founder of 1mg said that there is an unlimited need by the consumers currently and the company is investing on an active basis to ensure the supply chains can reach the demand of the consumers.
He added that the consumers are very anxious and fearful about exposure as they get their lab tests and medicines.
The demand for Covid-19 related products such as pulse oximeters, oxygen cans, masks, PPE kits, supplements such as Zincovit and Limcee is similar in all the major online pharmacies according to experts.
Customer requests for products on an online platform. The request is sent to an off line brick and mortar store. The prescription is validated and verified by pharmacists and only then the order is accepted for fulfilment.
Does online pharmacy require drug license?
Yes, online pharmacy businesses require drug license.
What is an online prescription?
Online prescription enables people to compare treatment prices, find a healthcare provider, and schedule an appointment all in the comfort of their own home.
Conclusion
The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is the main reason for the growth of the e-pharmacy business around the country. We may be able to see an increase in the growth of industries in the coming years.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved byPanacea Biotec.
Since the pandemic began, India has recorded more than 19 million cases, second only to the United States. Over 200,000 deaths have also been recorded. A total of 150 million vaccine shots were given out, covering 11.5 percent of India’s population of 1.3 billion people. Panacea Biotec is a pharmaceutical and vaccine company based in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Lalru in India.
Panacea Drugs Pvt. Ltd. was established in 1984 and became Panacea Biotec Ltd. in 1995. India’s second largest vaccine manufacturer, Panacea Biotec, offers a highly advanced prescription product range in essential therapeutic areas such as pain control, diabetes care, renal-disease management, anti-osteoporosis, anti-tubercular gastro-intestinal care drugs, and vaccines.
Know the entire Company Profile of Panacea Biotec in the post ahead! Also get a glance on Panacea Biotec vaccine news, its business model, how it started, Panacea Biotec products and more…
As of April 2021, the stock of Panacea Biotech has risen to levels not seen in more than a decade.
“The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), and Panacea Biotec announced cooperation to produce 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus,” the company said in a press release on April 4.
Production of Sputnik V at Panacea Biotec sites would aid in RDIF’s foreign partners’ global supply of Sputnik V. Sputnik V has been registered in fifty-nine countries with a total population of more than 1.5 billion people around the globe. Data published in the Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and most respected medical journals, shows that Sputnik V has around ninety-two percent efficacy score.
“The vaccine is based on a proven and well-studied platform of human adenoviral vectors and uses two different vectors for the two shots in a course of vaccination, providing immunity with a longer duration than vaccines using the same delivery mechanism for both shots,” it said.
About Panacea Biotec and How it Works?
On February 2, 1984, Panacea Drug was incorporated as Panacea Biotec Limited, India’s leading science-based health management company with established research manufacturing and marketing expertise.
India’s second largest vaccine manufacturer, Panacea Biotec, offers a highly advanced prescription product range in essential therapeutic areas such as pain control, diabetes care, renal-disease management, anti-osteoporosis, anti-tubercular gastro-intestinal care drugs, and vaccines.
The business has collaborated with established national and international research businesses and organizations. PBL has four research and development centers and ultra-modern state-of-the-art production facilities in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Delhi for manufacturing vaccines and pharmaceutical formulations that meet US-FDA, UK-MHRA SAMCC, and WHO-cGMP requirements.
In addition, the company owns 24 product patents that are valid in over 60 countries around the world. Radicura Pharma, a vaccine manufacturing plant opened in 1988, and Panacea Drug, a pharmaceutical formulations plant opened in 1989, in New Delhi.
Panacea Biotec’ s mission is derived by its core values:
Innovation
Pioneer
Integrity
Humane
Panacea Biotec was established in 1984 as Panacea Drugs Private Limited, with the aim of making innovative products affordable and available to the general public.
Panacea Biotec – Founder and History
Panacea Biotec Ltd was established in 1993 as a result of a merger between Panacea Drugs (P) Ltd and Radicura Pharma. Panacea Biotec built a state-of-the-art Drug Delivery R&D center in Lalru in 1995, the same year it launched its initial public offering. The company received its first product patent in many countries in 1997.
In 2001, PBL’s Research & Development formed a partnership with a European MNC, and in 2002, an in-licensing agreement with the Biotechnology Consortium of India was signed for the development and commercialization of the anthrax vaccine. The company also opened a Recombinant Vaccine Manufacturing Plant in the same year, 2002.
In 2004, PBL signed an in-licensing agreement for the marketing of Japanese Encephalitis Candidate Vaccines with the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi, and a collaboration with Cambridge Bio-stability UK for Thermo Stable Vaccines.
Key People/Executive Directors of Panacea Biotec –
Panacea Biotec product range includes highly advanced pharmaceutical drugs in specialty clinical fields like Pain Management, Diabetes & Cardiovascular Management, Oncology, Renal Disease Management, Osteoporosis Management, Anti-tubercular, Gastro-intestinal Care Products, and Vaccines.
Panacea Biotec’s current business is focused on its leadership positions in India, which include Transplant, Nephrology, Diabetes, and Pain, as well as some unique products based on proprietary Drug Delivery Systems. Its first Nanotechnology-based medicine, PacliAll (Paclitaxel in protein-bound particles), was introduced in 2011 and was the world’s first generic for Abraxane, produced by Celgene USA.
Panacea Biotec – Name, Logo, and Tagline
Panacea Biotec Private Limited was established in 1993 as a result of a merger between Panacea Drugs and Radicura Pharma.
Panacea Biotec’ s tagline is “Innovation in support of life,” which implies the company is India’s leading science-based health management company with established research manufacturing and marketing expertise.
Company Logo of Panacea Biotec
Panacea Biotec – Business Model
Panacea Biotec is a pharmaceutical and vaccine company. Panacea Biotec’s product range includes highly advanced pharmaceutical drugs in specialty clinical fields
Oncotrust, Critical Care, Diacar, Procare, and Growcare are the five strategic business units (SBUs) that Panacea Biotec has created to sell and market pharmaceutical formulations.
Panacea Biotec has entered the Contract Research & Manufacturing Services (CRAMS) market with the aim of expanding its knowledge and experience in on-time and high-quality delivery to clients.
The Company has built a strong portfolio in the fast-growing, multi-million dollar CRAMS market, based on its strong capabilities and state-of-the-art facilities, and powered by the enthusiasm of its experienced and skilled people. From sourcing to production, packaging to growth, the Company’s CRAMS portfolio covers the entire spectrum of processes and services.
The table below highlights some of the key financial metrics of Panacea Biotec extracted from the company’s annual reports.
Financial Metric
2019-20
2018-19
Total Income
5335.83
4522.83
PAT
(1530.7)
265.7
PAT Margin (%)
(31.70)
6.04
Equity Share Capital
61.25
61.25
Net Fixed Assets
5667.47
8232.42
Panacea Biotec – Funding and Investors
Panacea Biotec is a publicly traded company listed in stock exchanges. It has also received investments from India Resurgent Fund and more .
Date
Round
Amount
Lead Investors
Dec 21, 2019
Grant
$24.3M
–
Apr 8, 2019
Venture Round
$144M
India Resurgent Fund
Panacea Biotec – Competitors
Glenmark, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited., Ranbaxy, Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s, Lupin, Aurobindo, Sun Pharma, Zydus Cadila, Cadila Pharmaceuticals are the top ten competitors in Panacea Biotec’s competitive set.
Panacea Biotec Ltd.’s stock plummeted after the US Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to its Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, unit, prohibiting new approvals.
Following an inspection on February 10, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration released a warning letter outlining major violations of existing good manufacturing practice legislation for finished pharmaceuticals.
“Until you correct all violations completely and we confirm your compliance with CGMP (current good manufacturing practice), FDA may withhold approval of any new drug applications or supplements listing your firm as a drug manufacturer,” it said in the statement.
The company failed to develop laboratory controls, such as scientifically sound and acceptable requirements, guidelines, sampling plans, and test procedures, to ensure that materials, drug product containers, closures, in-process content, labelling, and drug products meet appropriate identification, power, consistency, and purity standards.
To guide long-term development, Panacea Biotec plans to scale up its vaccine and pharmaceutical verticals. According to a company spokesperson, Panacea Biotec’s long-term growth ambitions include scaling up its current product range, developing new drugs, and expanding into new markets.
The company transferred its pharmaceutical formulations business, as well as related research and development and natural products extraction activities, to its wholly-owned subsidiary Panacea Biotec Pharma Limited during the year under review.
In June 2020, the company announced the formation of a joint venture company in Ireland with Refana Inc of the United States to produce a COVID-19 vaccine. Panacea Biotec will be in charge of product production and industrial manufacturing, while the JV agency will be in charge of clinical development and regulatory submissions all over the world, according to the agreement. In their respective territories, Panacea and Refana will sell and distribute the vaccine.
Panacea Biotech – FAQs
What does Panacea Biotech do?
Panacea Biotec is an Indian pharmaceutical and vaccine company with headquarters in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Lalru, in India.
What is Panacea Biotec Vaccine News?
Panacea Biotec is India’s second largest vaccine manufacturer. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Panacea Biotec announced cooperation to produce 100 million doses per year of Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus (April 2021)
How Panacea Biotec Started?
Panacea Biotec Ltd was established in 1993 as a result of a merger between Panacea Drugs (P) Ltd and Radicura Pharma.
What are Panacea Biotec Products?
Panacea Biotec product range includes highly advanced pharmaceutical drugs in specialty clinical fields like Pain Management, Diabetes & Cardiovascular Management, Oncology, Vaccines among others. Its first Nanotechnology-based medicine, PacliAll was the world’s first generic for Abraxane.
Who are the competitors of Panacea Biotec?
Glenmark, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited., Ranbaxy, Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s, Lupin, Aurobindo, Sun Pharma, Zydus Cadila, Cadila Pharmaceuticals are the top ten competitors of Panacea Biotec
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved bySerum Institute of India.
India has reported more than 19 million cases since the pandemic started, second only to the United States. There have also been over 200,000 deaths recorded. A total of 150 million vaccine shots have been administered, covering 11.5 percent of India’s 1.3 billion population. Serum Institute of India is India’s leading biotechnology firm, producing highly advanced life-saving biologicals such as vaccines, antisera, and other medical specialties using cutting-edge genetic and cell-based technologies. Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla established the Serum Institute of India in 1966 with the aim of producing life-saving immuno-biologicals
Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, with more than 1.5 billion doses manufactured and distributed worldwide.
Know the complete Success story of Serum Institute and get a glance on on how Serum Institute started, its revenue, business model, its role in Covid-19 vaccine development, competitors & more…
May 2021 – CEO Adar Poonawalla, who has been in the United Kingdom on an extended stay to avoid alleged threats in India over rising demand for COVID-19 vaccines, has announced that he will return in a few days.
Had an excellent meeting with all our partners & stakeholders in the U.K. Meanwhile, pleased to state that COVISHIELD’s production is in full swing in Pune. I look forward to reviewing operations upon my return in a few days.
Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, with more than 1.5 billion doses manufactured and distributed worldwide, including Polio vaccine, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccines.
Serum Institute vaccines are administered to approximately 65 percent of the world’s children. The Serum Institute’s vaccines are approved by the World Health Organization in Geneva and are used in over 170 countries around the world as part of their national immunization programmes, saving millions of lives.
The Serum Institute of India uses cutting-edge technology to scan its goods for minute particles that are undetectable by the naked eye. The inspection is completely automated, with high resolution CCD cameras and an electronic monitored panel, reducing the margins of human error.
Tetanus antitoxin, snake antivenom, DPT vaccine, and MMR vaccine were among the first drugs manufactured in large quantities by the Serum Institute of India. Vaccines against bacterial and viral infections, combined vaccines, influenza vaccine, and meningococcal vaccine were added to the company’s product line.
Serum Institute’s mission is to develop high-quality vaccines and make them affordable to a wide range of countries, allowing them to increase their Health Index. The Serum Institute was founded to ensure that vaccines are no longer a privilege for Indian children.
Serum Institute began supplying high-quality, but affordable vaccines to many countries around the world after achieving this aim. International agencies such as the WHO, PATH, NIH, NVI/RIVM, and CBER/USFDA have collaborated with Serum Institute to produce vaccines against Meningococcal A, H1N1 Influenza, Rotavirus, and other diseases.
Serum Institute of India – Name, Logo and Tagline
Serum Institute of India’s tagline says, “Serum – Protection from birth onwards”. The company is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and produces vaccines(including Polio vaccine, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccines) that protect people from birth onwards.
Serum Institute Logo
Serum Institute of India – Founder and History
Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla established the Serum Institute of India in 1966 with the aim of producing life-saving immuno-biologicals that were in short supply in India and had to be imported at a high cost.
Founder of SII – Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla
Following that, many life-saving biologicals were produced at reasonable prices and in large quantities, resulting in the country being self-sufficient in Tetanus Anti-toxin and Anti-snake Venom serum, then DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis) vaccines, and finally MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccines.
Vaccines against bacterial and viral infections, combined vaccines, influenza vaccine, and meningococcal vaccine were added to the company’s product line. Apart from vaccines, the company also produces antisera, blood plasma, and hormones. The Serum Institute of India’s vaccines has been used in international vaccination programs run by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the Pan American Health Organization as of 2014. (PAHO). The Poonawalla Group now runs the Serum Institute of India, which is involved in research, production, and manufacturing.
In 2009, the company started working on a swine flu vaccine that would be administered intranasally. Bilthoven Biologicals, a pharmaceutical firm in the Netherlands, was the company’s first foreign purchase in 2012.
The Serum Institute of India developed Rabies Human Monoclonal Antibody (RMAb), also known as Rabishield, with help from Mass Biologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the United States.
CEO of SII – Adar Poonawalla
By 2020, the company will have developed 1.5 billion vaccine doses each year, making it the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by amount of doses produced. Tuberculosis vaccine Tubervac (BCG), poliomyelitis vaccine Poliovac, and other childhood vaccines are among the products created.
Serum Institute of India – Covid 19 Vaccine Development
AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical firm, has teamed up with Oxford University to grow AZD1222. According to reports, Serum Institute will provide India and other low- and middle-income countries with 100 million (10 crores) vaccine doses.
By the end of 2021, the target had been raised to one billion doses. It’s expected to cost about $3 per dose or around 225 dollars. Trials were suspended by DCGI in September 2020 after a volunteer in Oxford became ill after being vaccinated, but were quickly resumed after British regulators agreed. The Serum Institute of India applied for emergency approval for the vaccine produced with AstraZeneca in December 2020, and it was granted a month later. A deal was reached in March 2021 to supply certain doses to the United Kingdom.
The Serum Institute of India has also agreed to produce Novavax’s NVX-CoV2373 vaccine for India and other low- and middle-income countries. Codagenix’s nasal COVID-19 vaccine CDX-005 will also be manufactured by the company (tradename COVI-VAC)
SII’s net sales in 2018-19 were Rs 5,238 crore, with an after-tax profit of Rs 2,252 crore. The compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) for revenue was 8.1 percent over five years (2014-2019), while the CAGR for profit after tax was 5.3 percent. In 2019, SII’s export earnings accounted for more than two-thirds of its net sales. At the end of 2019, it had total assets of Rs 16,703 crore.
The pharma giant AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford collaborated on the Covid-19 vaccine. Covishield has a 62 percent efficacy rate. The SII has already generated a stock of approximately 5 crore doses. By February, it claims to be able to increase production to 10 crore doses per month.
Serum Institute of India – Investments
Date
Organization Name
Round
Amount
Jul 23, 2019
X-Vax Technology
Series A
$56M
Oct 5, 2017
Visterra
Series C
$23.6M
Serum Institute of India – Acquisitions
Acquiree Name
About Acquire
Date
Amount
Nanotherapeutics
Privately held specialty biopharmaceutical company with product development, cGMP manufacturing capabilities
Biocon, Panacea Biotec, Bharat Serums, Wockhardt, Biological E, Bharat Biotech, Syngene International, Indian Immunologicals, Premas Biotech, Reliance Life Sciences, and Zydus Cadila are among the other leading competitors in Serum Institute’s competitive set.
Cadila Healthcare, India’s fifth largest pharmaceutical firm, is working on an indigenous vaccine for the novel coronavirus in addition to producing Covid treatment drugs like remdesivir. Phase-III trials on 26,000 Indian patients have been approved by the government. The vaccine’s price has yet to be determined by Cadila.
According to Poonawalla, the real challenge in 2020 will be determining if the Covid vaccine will actually function and be effective in humans. It was also difficult to demonstrate its effectiveness and plan a trial in a country where outbreaks are likely to occur, most likely China.
According to the CEO, “Our journey now is looking and has lot of challenges because we are trying to enter the Europe and US markets. We are trying to sensitize the Indian government to take more vaccines and plan and help them in their programmes to fight these life threatening diseases. We have got other challenges from China and other countries where we are offering a red carpet treatment for them to come here, but when we want to go to China, we have got a lot of barriers that we are facing like parting with our technology, we have got to do joint ventures things which are impossible.”
Serum Institute of India – Future Plans
As it struggles to fulfil supply obligations, the Serum Institute of India, which manufactures the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, is considering starting vaccine manufacturing in other countries.
“There’s going to be an announcement in the next few days,” Adar was quoted.
Poonawalla said the Serum Institute would be able to increase its monthly production to 100 million doses by July, a month later than the previous goal of end-May. Vaccines against Covid-19 have run out in some Indian states.
Within six months, he planned to increase the Serum Institute’s capability from 2.5 billion to 3 billion doses per year. He flew to London until Britain imposed an eight-day travel ban on Indians.
Serum Institute of India – FAQs
What does SII do?
Serum Institute of India is India’s leading biotechnology firm, producing highly advanced life-saving biologicals such as vaccines, antisera, and other medical specialties using cutting-edge genetic and cell-based technologies.
Who founded SII?
Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla established the Serum Institute of India in 1966 with the aim of producing life-saving immuno-biologicals that were in short supply in India and had to be imported at a high cost.
Bill Gates and Melinda Gates who are the co-founders of the world’s largest private charitable foundation have filed for divorce. On 3 May 2021, they decided to end their 27 years of marriage as they required space in their personal life and would want to grow individually. Let’s look at what would be the future of the largest charitable foundation in the world, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bill gates are the co-founder of one the world’s leading technology firm Microsoft. He had dropped out of Harvard University in the year 1975 to start the technological firm. Bill Gates had owned the majority of the stock in the company which made him a multimillionaire and one of the wealthiest men in the world.
In the year 2000, Gates had stepped down from the position of CEO of Microsoft in order to concentrate on philanthropy.
About Melinda Gates
Melinda French Gates was an employee of Microsoft before getting married to Bill Gates. She was raised in Dallas and completed Economics and Computer Science at Duke University. In the year 2015, she founded an investment company that will be focused on women and families which is Pivotal ventures.
In the year 2019, she had published a book that was focused on female empowerment called The Moment of Lift.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has become one of the most influential and powerful forces in the global public health. Over the past 2 decades, the charitable foundation is estimated to have spent around USD 50 billion to bring a business approach in order to fight against poverty and diseases.
The Bill and Melinda gates foundation has backed a wide range of programmes which include polio and malaria eradication, vaccines and child nutrition. In the year 2020, during the global pandemic due to Covid-19, the foundation had committed an amount of USD 1.75 billion to the relief of Covid-19.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was launched in the year 2000. The private charitable philanthropic foundation is considered as the largest non-profit foundation in the United States and the world’s largest foundation.
The foundation has a net asset of around USD 43 billion according to the latest financial data available on the website. The couple has been reported to have contributed of around USD 36 billion from the time period of 1994 to 2018.
In the year 2020, Warren Buffet has contributed stocks from his Berkshire Hathaway Inc of more than USD 36 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. It was as part of the plans which he had announced previously that is to give away his entire fortune before his death.
The couple had filed a joint resolution regarding the dissolution of their marriage. They have conveyed that their legal union was broken in a way that couldn’t be made right but they added that they had reached to an agreement on how to divide their wealth between each other. The details of the division of wealth were not disclosed.
They had posted a tweet on their individual accounts which said that they had decided to end their marriage after a great deal of thought and a lot of work on their relationship.
They added that they would require space and more privacy in their new life as they have realized that they will no longer be able to grow together as a couple in the next phase of their life.
FAQ
What is the purpose of the Gates Foundation?
Gates Foundation focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty in developing countries.
What disease did the Gates Foundation eradicate?
Gates Foundation made progress toward eradicating polio.
Who is the CEO of the Gates Foundation?
Mark Suzman is the CEO of the Gates Foundation.
Conclusion
In a separate statement, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had said that the couple would remain as the co-chairs and trustees of the organization and would work together for the foundation to shape the foundation strategies and approve it, to advocate the issues faced by the foundation and to set the overall direction of the organization.
Facebook Inc on 30 April 2021 had announced that it is planning to roll out a new feature in its digital platform in India. The vaccination drive for the people above the age of 18 has been said to be started from the month of May.
The second wave of Covid-19 has been increasing significantly in the country with vaccination being given the most important priority at this moment. The new feature is a finder tool that will help India in the process of Covid-19 vaccination. Let’s look at how the new finder tool of Facebook will help India to vaccinate the people.
Facebook is an American based social media platform and social networking service. The company was launched in the year 2004. The digital platform is available in around 111 languages and available worldwide except in the countries where it is blocked.
As of December 2020, the company has around 2.8 billion monthly active users and during the 2010s Facebook was the most downloaded mobile app globally.
As of April 2021, there were around 406,100,000 users in India. It accounted for 28.9 % of the entire population of the country. The largest user group in the country was people aged in between 25 to 34 years. The majority of the users were men with around 74.5% of the users.
On 30 April 2021, Facebook Inc had announced that the company has partnered with the Government of India to introduce a new feature which will be a vaccine finder tool. The finder tool will be available on the mobile application of Facebook in India from this week.
The vaccine finder tool will be available in 17 different languages in India. The finder tool will help the people locate the nearest vaccine center and the operation time period of the vaccine centers according to the health ministry.
Additional features of the Tool
Facebook said in a statement that the new tool will help people in identifying the walk-in options as well for the people above the age of 45. It will also provide a link to register on the CoWin website in order to register and schedule the appointment for the vaccination.
The tool can be accessed in the Covid-19 information center. The Social media company also communicated that it is supporting the NGOs and UN agencies in India with ad credits. They are also providing insights and trying to help them reach the majority of the country through their digital platform with Covid vaccines and health information to prevent covid-19 infections.
Facebook has also committed with UNICEF India to provide health resources about when to seek emergency care and how to manage covid-19 with mild symptoms at home. The above information is available on the Covid -19 information center and the feed of Facebook’s platform.
The company said that on Instagram they are promoting this feature in the explore feature in the form of guides.
Instagram Covid Guide
In the last week of April 2021, the Chief of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg had announced a USD 10 million grant for covid-19 emergency response efforts in India. To deploy these funds the social media giant is partnering with the organizations such as US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and United Way, Swasth, Hemkunt Foundation.
The funds will mainly be used to access the critical medical supplies which include ventilators, increasing hospital bed capacity, BiPAP machines and 5000+ oxygen concentrators.
FAQ
What is Facebook’s net worth?
$279.95 billion is the net worth of Facebook as of 2021.
Who owns Facebook now?
Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and owner of Facebook.
What percent of Facebook does Zuckerberg own?
Mark Zuckerberg owns 29.3 percent of Facebook.
Conclusion
The covid-19 second wave has increased the number of cases in the country and this step from Facebook will be a great help for the Indian government and the citizens in the country. The vaccination drive is expected to be done in a smoother way.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected almost all the countries across the globe. The lockdowns and various other restrictions have hit the major developing and developed countries’ economies and the lifestyle of the people. But Bill Gates believes that everything would get to normal by 2022. Let’s look at why Bill Gates believes in it.
Bill Gates is not only a business Magnate but also an author, philanthropist, investor and a software developer. He is one of the richest men in the world. Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft and has served in the company as a chairman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Architect Software and as the President of the company. Currently, he is the Technology Advisor of Microsoft.
Bill Gates also holds the titles such as Co-chairman and co-founder of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chairman and founder of Branded Entertainment Network, Chairman and Founder of Cascade Investment and the Chairman and co-founder of TerraPower.
Bill Gates was born in the year 1955 in Washington, United States. From the year 1987, he has been included in the Forbes list of the world’s wealthiest people.
In an interview with Sky News, Bill Gates had said that he believes that the world will completely return to normal by the end of next year, i. e 2022. He added on explaining that he believes so because of the high rate of implementation of the Covid vaccines in the developed countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States of America and he says that these countries will help the developing countries get the vaccines by the end of this year.
Bill Gates further added on saying that he although doesn’t expect the vaccines to completely eliminate the presence of the vaccines in the same year but the number of cases is expected to reach to a very less amount.
Bill Gates Interview
He said that he was not surprised with the fact that the developed countries gave first priority for their citizens to provide vaccines. He criticized it by saying that right now the people in their 30s in the developing countries could get vaccines while those over 60 years old in Brazil or South Africa are yet to receive a shot.
The Covid-19 virus had started infecting people at the end of 2019 and has widely spread to almost all the countries since then. In the year 2020, the entire world had been hit by the pandemic leading to a lockdown in almost every part of the world and millions of people losing their life.
Currently, there are around 3.14 million people who have died because of the virus and 149 million cases recorded globally. This deadly virus has been increasing since then.
The second wave of the Covid-19 had started in the early 2021 and India is a country that is currently being affected on a large scale. Lockdowns have been implemented in several states. The total Covid cases recorded in the country alone is around 4.41 million with around 66, 179 deaths.
The vaccination drives have been started in the country and as of 27 April 2020 around 1.7 % of the population has been fully vaccinated and around 8.9 % of the people have received at least a single dose of the vaccine.
Currently, the only Country which was successful in fighting against the virus was Israel. They have officially announced that people in the country will not require to wear masks anymore.
The net worth of Bill Gates is 13,100 crores USD as of 2021.
How did Bill Gates become famous?
Bill Gates cofounded Microsoft Corporation, the world’s largest personal-computer software company.
Conclusion
The entire human race also wants the pandemic to get over and the normal life to begin as soon as possible. We can expect and hope to see many more countries being successful in fighting against this deadly virus.
The number of Covid-19 cases has been increasing in India from the last month. The daily Covid cases in the second wave of Covid have crossed the 3-lakh mark in the country. The entire healthcare system in India has been facing a great challenge and an immense pressure.
The cases have been increasing and the Covid has been spreading on a faster phase. In India, the Covid outbreak has exploded. There are various reports from hospitals in regards to the shortage of medicines and oxygen. Let’s look at how delhivery is helping to import oxygen cylinders to India.
Sahil Baura who is the co-founder of the startup Delhivery has announced through his LinkedIn post that the company has made arrangements and will soon be flying charter planes to India.
The charters will carry oxygen concentrators and other essential services required by the country. He also added on that they would be able to build more capacity according to the demand and requirement of the country.
One of the Delhivery executives from Delhivery had tweeted that, Delhivery will be chartering two planes from China which will most likely take place on Wednesday and Friday of this month, that is 28 April 2021 and 30 April 2021. They said they will be providing logistical support for importing oxygen concentrators
He added on saying that the company is importing oxygen concentrators and other essential services at minimal margins and according to the situation they would have spare capacity.
Delhivery (my company) is chartering two planes from China (most likely this Wednesday and Friday) to help import oxygen compressors.
We are doing this at minimal margins for compressors and other essentials, and have spare capacity as things stand.
If the demand has increased the current supply, then the company has said that it will be able to arrange for additional supplies. He also added on saying that the interested people will be able to contact the company using the Email ID ceo@delhivery.com.
Delhivery has the capacity at present to process around 15 lakh parcels on a daily basis. They have around 75 packing warehouses, 70 hubs, 24 automated sort centers, 14,000 vehicles, 2,500 delivery centers, and around 50,000 employees.
Sahil Barua is the co-founder and the CEO of the company. The Parent company of Delhivery is SSN Logistics Private Limited. The company’s products and services include Delivery, Express Mail and third-party logistics.
They are backed by a wide range of investors and venture capitalists. Some of the key investors and venture capitalists are Tiger Global, Soft Bank Vision Fund, Nexus Venture Partners and so on.
Import Consignments
On 24 April 2021, the Finance Ministry’s CBIC had directed all the field officers to clear all import consignments which include life-saving drugs and oxygen consignments which are used for the covid-19 treatment in the country.
This will be implemented on the highest priority as the Covid 19 cases have seen a surge in India. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has said that this decision is aimed at ensuring that all the equipment and products which help in the recovery of Covid 19 should reach the beneficiaries as soon as possible.
Sahil Barua is the Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Delhivery.
Is Delhivery a Chinese company?
Delhivery is an Indian delivery company. It was founded in 2011 by Sahil Barua, Mohit Tandon, Bhavesh Manglani, Suraj Saharan, and Kapil Bharati.
Is Delhivery a unicorn?
Delhivery became a unicorn in the year 2019 when it was valued at $1.5 billion.
Conclusion
Earlier this week we have seen a lot of companies changing their manufacturing plants to oxygen manufacturing plants. Companies such as Reliance, SAIL, JSW steel, etc. The Tata group had also announced that it would be importing oxygen containers in order to easy transportation of liquid oxygen. We are able to see a lot of companies coming forward and helping the governments and the health care system to fight together against the deadly virus
Esports is a form of sport competition using video games which is often organized into multiplayer video games, particularly between professional players, individually or as team. Esports has managed to take over the market in India mainly because of the growth and promotion done on online streaming platform such as Youtube and Twitch. The word “esports” is getting increasingly popular by the day thanks to the multiplayer online games like PUBG and Fortnite.
The masses still don’t know that the esports industry is more than a decade old and has just shot up in India in the past few years with more developers and investors jumping into the sector. The most common video game genre of esports are multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first person shooter (FPS), fighting, card games, battle royale and real time strategy (RTS). The popular franchises include League of Legends, Dota and Counter strike.
Although the legitimacy of esports as a true sporting competition remains in question, they have been features alongside traditional sports in events such as Asian games, while even the International Olympic Committee are also discussing their inclusion into the future of Olympic events. In India esports accounted for around 4% of all online gaming users and 9.13% of aggregate revenue out of the overall online gaming market in FY20. The growth in esports prize money pool by 123.3% during 2016-2018 has attracted gaming enthusiasts to become professionals
According to Forbes, India ranks 16th, with a total revenue of $1.17 billion (8,000 crore approx.). Comparatively to, North America is estimated to generate revenues of almost $409 million in the next four years while China known to have largest gaming market in the world, with a total revenue of $37.9 billion (Rs 26.11 lakh crore approx.) in 2018, followed by US, Japan and Korea. This shows there is huge potential in the esports market and India needs to tap into that space.
In 2010, India only had 25 game developers whereas now we have 250 more joining the list every year. Corporate giants like Paytm, Alibaba, Tencent and even Nazara have been investing heavily in the Indian gaming market, which is currently one of the top 5 countries in terms of mobile gaming. Most of the revenue generated in esports is sponsored by companies like Asus, Oppo which have been funding to organize and promote esports competitions in India.
Popular esport events in India
Apart from the local tournaments like PUBG Mobile India Series 2019, for the first time, Mumbai is set to play host to one of the biggest esports gaming event, ESL (Electronic Sports League) which will see Dota 2 players from across the globe compete in the two-day tournament. According to a Forbes report, as of October 31st 2019, 285 players from India had earned $216,761.38 (Rs 1.49 crore) in various esports tournaments and games, ranking India at number 64.
Counter Strike remains the most popular and most played esports in India. Counter Strike was released in 2012. Since 2012 Counter Strike has been India’s most popular esports game. India was not a hub for esports back then. But now Indian esports are being recognized at an international level and getting international investments too. Counter Strike is a multiplayer first-person shooter which pits two teams against each other. Competitors are given the task of eliminating the other while completing separate objectives.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is one of the first esport that comes to mind while talking about India’s most popular esports games. Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena. The two featured teams can have 5 players each. To win Dota 2, each team has to destroy the opposing structure while defending theirs. Players have more than 100 characters to choose from. Each character has unique abilities, playing styles, and attributes.
Esports Market During Covid-19
The paradigm shift in the way Indians consume content and the way people socialize online has acted as a catalyst for man attention economy sectors including online gaming. According to a report by Barc and Nielson the number of smartphone game users per week grew from 60% in pre Covid times to 68% during the lockdown. Similarly the mobile games per user spent went from 151 minutes before covid 19 to 218 minutes after the lockdown.
Esports has a huge potential in the Indian market because of the high youth population. The esport segment has online gaming has witnessed significant growth in India in the past few thanks to proliferation of high end smartphone at affordable prices, as well as the rise of mobile games such as PUBG mobile, Free Fire, Clash of Legends, call of duty Mobile among PC and Console games.
Along with deeper penetration for high speed 4G internet and a rise in the number of online gamers the esports market has all the ingredients for growth. The aggregate revenue of esports startups and companies in India reached $68 Million in FY2020 and is projected to grow by CAGR 36% in the next 3 years, as per Inc42 Plus analysis of 36 companies including Jetsynthesys, Nazara technologies, Usports, Gamerji among others.
India’s online gaming revenue growth to hit inflation point
Role of The Stakeholders
From e-commerce platforms like Flipkart to Asus, high end gaming hardware manufacture s like Asus as each platform play a major role in making sure that budding gamers and professional get the required accessory or hardware. According to Leon Yu, Regional Head for India and South Asia, ASUS, “most gamers these days demand LCDs, mobility of hardware and mostly importantly performance. We have also ensured that affordability and performance is catered to with our new series of ROG gaming laptops, which start at Rs 50,000.”
In terms of affordability and availability, ecommerce platform like flipkart and amazon make sure that customers get the products at a cheaper price. Looking at the market opportunity, even unicorns such as Paytm and Hike have doubled down on games. While Paytm launched Paytm First Games as a multi-game platform, Hike-backed WinZO has also been growing rapidly and has raised plenty of funding in the recent months.
Connectivity is quintessential for the growth of the gaming industry and telecom providers too have been working around the clock to not only provide users with affordable data plans, but also work towards make high-speed data accessible across India. According to Anurag Khurana, Head of Esports, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, “In terms of data availability, Reliance Jio has setup 3,00,000 mobile towers and spread around 3.5 million km of high-speed broadband cables across India in order to improve the connectivity because I feel low latency is key for online gaming.”
Currently there is not much scope for professional gamers in India as the infrastructure and the ecosystem is not ready to support a lucrative livelihood for many. According to Akshat Rathee, “choosing to be a gamer is a risky proposition in India as there is not much scope. However, there are other avenues one can explore in the gaming industry. People can choose a career in game commentary, choose to be an influencer where they can play games and talk about it, or a coder who can write code to build AI for games.”
Data handlers are also a good option where they can track data issues and then the biggest avenue is voice-over artistes as many developers will look to localize game content for Indian gamers. A career in esports or gaming in India can easily earn you anywhere from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh in a month. Since esports doesn’t require any extreme physical strength, it is a gender neutral space. Sasha Hostyn is one of the most successful women in professional esports and recently won the Intel Extreme Masters 2018 tournament, taking home $50,000 (Rs 34.45 lakh).
Rise in Esport Prize Money Pool
As indicated earlier, esports has seen rising participation from Indian players as the prize money across esports tournaments has been on an upward trajectory since 2016. The entry of PUBG Mobile in India was game changing moment as it provided gamers a career option. As per sensor tower data for July 2020, out of PUBG Mobile 734 Mn downloads globally, India was the ranked top in terms of downloads, with 175 Mn installs or 24% market share.
The growth rate of Esports prize money in India
Of course, much of this growth has been in recent years, whereas esports is already a multi-billion dollar business in the US and China. So relatively speaking, India has a long way to go in terms of revenue and income for players, despite outpacing China and the US in terms of downloads. To put in perspective, in 2019, esports tournaments in the US offered over $40 Mn in prize money, while India’s largest tournaments the PUBG Mobile India Series 2020 offered Rs 50 Lakh as total prize money.
Smartphone Penetration
Aside from the internet penetration and demographic fit, esports market in India has been driven by the proliferation of high performance smartphones and increasing presence of gaming related. The number of smartphone users in India grew at a CAGR of 15% during 2015 to 2020. The growing demand for digital services for information, entertainment and communication through apps such as Facebook, Whatsapp and YouTube have led to matured segment like esports.
Esport cafes are not only a way for people to play games without owning the requisite hardware, but this is where the competitive mentality is built through amateur tournaments. India is home to an estimated 350-plus such esports cafes with PC hardware giant NVIDIA announcing plans to expand its gaming footprint in India by adding 100 more cafes. Nemesis Gaming, League of Extraordinary Gamers (LXG) and Circle Gaming are few major esports cafe startups in India.
Rise in Startup Investments
The demand for competitive gaming rises in India, the esports and gaming segment is attracting adequate investor interests. Between 2014 and H1 2020, the total venture capital funding in Indian gaming startups was $448 Mn, according to Inc42 Plus. Among the gaming startups, the top-funded startups are Dream11 with $100 Mn in total funding, followed by Smaaash Entertainment with $82.6 Mn in funding and Nazara Technologies with $79 Mn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to get into esports in India?
You need to pick one famous game and practice it well. Get as many wins as possible. The best thing to join esport is to join a league or play in an online tournament. The entry fees are very less. It gives you chance to play against high-level players.
Which are the best esports games in India?
Counter Strike, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch are some of the best esports in India.
How esports organizations make money?
Esport organizations make money through content and tournament performance.
Does esports have a future in India?
Esports as an industry has unlimited scope in India. According to the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming, Esports will see rapid growth in the country and reach a cumulative revenue of up to ₹11,900 Crore.
These are crazy times wherein the COVID-19 pandemic has confined the whole world to their homes. It’s as if socializing has come to a standstill. Venturing outside one’s home without any reason attracts penalties and punishments! While the economy and work have taken a deep hit, many companies have capitalized on the fact that people are trying to pass time anyhow in this pandemic, leading to increased revenues for many organizations. One such domain is that of online courses and MOOCs. There are several individuals like you who want to make the best out of this situation by learning and exploring through platforms like Coursera and Udemy.
Hence, we have curated a list of free startup courses with certificates that are either free of cost or are heavily discounted to help you stay at home and improve yourself.
Platform
Course
Type
Where to get
Coursera
The Strategy of Content Marketing
Free due to Lockdown
coursera.org/learn/content-marketing
Coursera
Content Strategy for Professionals: Managing Content
Free due to Lockdown
coursera.org/learn/content-management-strategy
Coursera
Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content
Alan Joseph
