Warm Greetings!
Since antibiotics have contributed significantly to a broad rise in life expectancy, and are used for everything from preventing infections during surgeries to protecting cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, the weakening defences will leave a ripple effect on the entire healthcare chain. While the problem is global, it is nowhere as stark as in India—where poor public health infrastructure, a high burden of disease, and cheap, unregulated sales of antibiotics has created ideal conditions for a rapid rise in resistant infections. Read More>>>
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Stay Healthy. Stay Protected.
Pooja Khaitan
Editor-in-Chief,
The Prescription
“Though our pharmacy practice is still not as well developed as other countries and a pharmacist still looked upon as a salesman rather than a health care professional, it is important to note that many of our pharmacists do a commendable job of ensuring best patient care services, right from dispensing medicines to counseling the patient’s in critical care issue”.
Ms. Manjiri Gharat,
Vice President and Chairperson - Indian Pharmaceutical Association- Community Pharmacy Division (IPA,CPD)
When 60-year-old Lalit Kumar (name changed) was rushed to the emergency ward of a New Delhi-based private hospital on 15 August 2018, he was in septic shock (an extreme reaction to infection where the immune system turns on itself). After a minor cardiac arrest inside the ICU, he was put on broad-spectrum antibiotics in order to ward off infection. But his body wasn’t responding. By day 4, fever had set in and his condition began to deteriorate. Chest X-rays soon revealed evolving lesions in both the lungs. By then, tissue cultures which had initially been sent for tests came back and doctors began to unravel what exactly was going on.
The study in the journal Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy, suggests that triclosan exposure may inadvertently drive bacteria into a state in which they are able to tolerate normally lethal concentrations of antibiotics -- including those antibiotics that are commonly used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Canada To Ban Breast Implants Linked To Rare Cancer
Ottawa, 4 April 2019: Canada said Thursday it aims to soon suspend the sales in this country a type of breast implant that has been linked to a rare form of cancer.
China To Regulate All Fentanyl Drugs As Controlled Substance
BEIJING, 1 APRIL 2019 (AP): China said Monday it would begin regulating all fentanyl-related drugs as a class of controlled substances, in a change U.S. officials had long advocated as a way to stem the flow of lethal opioids from China.
Tizanidine And A CYP1A2 Inhibitor Causes Hypotension
Nashville, 5 April 2019: The commonly used muscle relaxant tizanidine can lower blood pressure. Tizanidine is metabolized by the enzyme CYP1A2, and concurrent use of tizanidine and a CYP1A2 inhibitor, such as ciprofloxacin, greatly increases tizanidine plasma concentrations. Despite package insert warnings, tizanidine and CYP1A2 inhibitors are commonly co-prescribed.
Scientists Find New Therapy Target For Drug-Induced Liver Failure
Orlando, Fla., 6 April, 2019: Acetaminophen -- a commonly used pain reliever and fever reducer -- is the leading cause of quickly developing, or acute, liver failure in the U.S. Findings from a new mouse study suggest that treatments that increase levels of the protein thrombospondin-1 could help the liver recover from an overdose of acetaminophen.
PRESS RELEASE: Over 100 Organizations Representing Law Enforcement Officers, Healthcare Professionals, Patient Advocates Urge White House And Congress To Reject Prescription Drug Importation
WASHINGTON (April 8, 2019) – As members of Congress and leaders in the executive branch consider steps to allow wholesale importation of prescription medications, organizations representing consumers, employers, healthcare professionals, patients, and law enforcement officers, among others, are insisting that such proposals, if implemented, would endanger the health and safety of the communities throughout the country.
Over 100 Advocacy Organizations Urge WH And Congress Not To Endanger Americans With Importation Of Non-FDA Approved Drugs
April 9, 2019: Dear President Donald J. Trump, members of the United States Senate, and members of the United States House of Representatives: As organizations that represent thousands of law enforcement, healthcare professionals, patient advocates, taxpayer organizations, business groups, and consumer interest groups, we are writing to express our deep concerns with and opposition to proposals to import non-FDA-approved medications that would endanger the health and safety of our communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What are meant by Essential Medicines?
Ans: Essential medicines are those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population. They are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) are those drugs that satisfy the health care needs of the majority of the population; they should therefore be available at all times in adequate amounts and in appropriate dosage forms, at a price the individual and community can afford. They are selected with due regard to public health relevance, evidence on efficacy and safety, and comparative cost-effectiveness. Read More>>>
IIT Guwahati’s Bone Graft Aids Extensive Bone Formation
Article contributed by Ms.Shanaya Singhal, Indore
Guwahati, 23 March 2019: A scaffold made of silk–bone cement composite doped with silicon and zinc metal ions has been found to regenerate new bone tissue in rabbits in three months. The newly formed bone forms a seamless joint with the existing bone and has blood vessels inside it. Tests carried out on rabbits with defective thigh bone (femur) showed extensive bone formation of 73% at the end of 90 days compared with 49% in the case of scaffold made only of silk fibre. Even at the end of 30 days, there was adequate bone regeneration and new blood vessel formation.
Shri. Rakesh Mahajan, businessman“The Prescription” is providing us with much needed guidance to get rid of spurious medicines from India and we appreciate its hard work!
Deepak Goel, academician Grateful to PSM India for keeping us updated with various happenings on unsafe medicines and developments in the healthcare sector in our country!
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Disclaimer : Our newsletter endeavors to compile patient safety information from various sources . PSM India may not be held responsible for any article published in The Prescription.