The Prescription: Partnership For Safe Medicines India

The Prescription: 17th February 2017 Issue

Editor’s Emulsion PSM INDIA Capsules Drug Laws & Policy Injections Pharma Injections DRUG DOPES National Injections Global Injections PSM Pill DOSE OF THE DAY FAQ Subscriber's Symptom UpComing Events Laughter Dose Blog Addict Contact Us

News Archive

EDITOR'S EMULSION

Pooja Khaitan

Greetings!

Welcome to yet another edition of our newsletter.

With the Union Budget out this month, there was lot to hear, say and discuss. We were really keen to know the steps to be implemented regards the healthcare sector at large. PSM India supports the government in the steps taken and applauds their moving closer to universal health coverage wherein people will be able to access the quality health services that they need without suffering financial hardship, being the key goal of the 12th Plan. Read more on the budget and views on it by our Founder Director, Mr.Bejon Misra in our PSM India Capsules section. Would love to hear our readers views as well on the budget relating to Healthcare so please do write to me on pooja@jagograhakjago.com. We shall feature your views in our next edition.

India being the world's largest contributor to cancer deaths, Union Health Ministry starting Measles-Rubella vaccine campaign with an aim to eradicate the disease from India, Government appealing to all to join hands to create awareness on cancer while a recent study revealing children below 10 now have type-two diabetes and one in every 20 Indians suffering from depression are some striking articles to look out in National and Pharma Injections section of this edition of The Prescription.

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If you have any suggestions, comments or queries, please email me at pooja@jagograhakjago.com.
You may find our previous issues on jagograhakjago.com or in the NEWS ARCHIVE section of every issue of The PRESCRIPTION, in case you’ve missed any of them. You may also look us up on Facebook under Partnership for Safe Medicines India

"Call PSM India toll free helpline 1800 - 11- 4424, to bring cases of spurious medicines or any kind of adverse drug reaction to the notice of the authorities.
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Happy Reading !
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy !

Pooja Khaitan
Chief Editor , The PRESCRIPTION Partnership for Safe Medicines India.

DOSE OF THE DAY

"As the risk of importation remains from remaining three countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria) where polio virus is still circulating, the need still persists for the country to maintain the population immunity and sensitive surveillance till global polio eradication happens,"

Jagat Prakash Nadda
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare

PSM India Capsules

Budget 2017 for HealthCare

While delivering Union Budget 2017, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the government has prepared an action plan to address poor health. The government has targeted the elimination of tuberculosis by 2025. The budget proposal said that the 1.5 lakh health sub-centres will be transmuted into health and wellness centres. The government has also introduced several measures to make the drugs and devices affordable and accessible to all. There needs to be a sturdier focus on stronger infrastructure fund creating environment to ensure that startups can focus on domestic production of equipment, medical devices and interactive wearables.

The right priorities for healthcare spending

Views on Budget 2017 by PSM India Founder-Director, Mr. Bejon Misra published on livemint.com
What do patients actually want? Will they settle for compromised, sub-standard healthcare as long as prices are affordable? Or does the vast majority prefer the best quality possible at rational cost? This question needs to be pondered upon and answered correctly before priorities are decided, strategies fixed and actions taken by policymakers and service providers.

Invitation to International Forum

Tentative AGENDA

Drug Laws & Policy Injections

FDA acting tough against drugs sold through misleading advertisements Mumbai, 8 Feb 2017: Drug Inspectors of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Nagpur division on Friday conducted raids on the premises of M/S Rashmi Ayurvedic Agencies Plot No 11, Modern Society, Tatya Tope Nagar and seized products like Megamind Brain Tonic, Memroz Syrup, Mi-lady tonic, fatout syrup, Bukharnil syrup, stonoris syrup, Marathon Churan etc. The raid was very special as it was conducted under Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) (DMR) Act, 1954. Similar raids were also conducted at Chandrapur and Wardha simultaneously.

Health ministry launches single vaccine for dual protection against measles & rubella as part of UIP Mumbai, February, 2017: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign in the country at a function in Bengaluru recently. The campaign against these two diseases will start from five States/UTs (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Goa and Lakshadweep) covering nearly 3.6 crore target children. Following the campaign, Measles-Rubella vaccine will be introduced in routine immunization, replacing the currently given two doses of measles vaccine, at 9 to 12 months and 16 to 24 months of age.

DCGI issues advisory to stakeholders on rational use of antibiotics for limiting antimicrobial resistanceMumbai, February, 2017: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued advisory on rational use of antibiotics for limiting antimicrobial resistance and has asked the stakeholders for strict compliance of the requirements of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules and raising awareness in the public about the adverse effects of misuse of antibiotics.

CDSCO, FSSAI joint committee to soon classify products as ‘nutraceutical’ or ‘drug’ on science based evaluationMumbai, February, 2017: Against the backdrop of pharma firms marketing drugs as food supplements to escape the price control, a joint committee comprising experts from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will soon come out with a science based classification which will help determine efficacy of a product either as ‘nutraceutical’ or as ‘drug’.

AIOCD opposes Kamble sub-committee's recommendations on e-pharmacyMumbai, February, 2017: The All India Organisation of Chemists & Druggists (AIOCD), an apex body of 8 lakh chemists and druggists across the country, has opposed Dr Harshdeep Kamble sub-committee's draft recommendations on the viability of e-pharmacy model, saying that the committee failed to address vital issues of patient safety, shortage of manpower and infrastructure regulating drug sale, patient counselling, proper utilization of drug minimizing medication errors, data confidentiality, etc.

Health ministry notifies Medical Devices Rules, 2017 which will come into force from January 1, 2018Mumbai, February, 2017: The Union health ministry has notified the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 which will come into force from January 1, 2018. These rules will be applicable to substances used for in vitro diagnosis and surgical dressings, surgical bandages, surgical staples, surgical sutures, ligatures, blood and blood component collection bag with or without anticoagulant covered under sub-clause (i); substances including mechanical contraceptives (condoms, intrauterine devices, tubal rings), disinfectants and insecticides notified under sub-clause (ii); and devices notified from time to time under sub-clause (iv), of clause (b) of section 3 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940).

Pharma Injections

More children below 10 now have type-two diabetes, finds studyFEB 2017: Children as young as eight, most of them obese and with a family history of diabetes, are being diagnosed for type-two diabetes. The Madras Diabetes Research Foundation has published case histories of four such patients in the February edition of the Journal of Association of Physicians. The foundation pooled cases from hospital records over the past three decades, but doctors say they added four more cases from September 2016.

One in every 20 Indians suffers from depressionFEB 2017: Indians popped in more anti-depressants than ever before in 2016, indicating perhaps that they are now more open to the idea of seeking help for mental health problems. Around 10.6 lakh more prescriptions for anti-depressants were written in 2016 in comparison to 2015, shows data collated by health information agencies. While 3.35 crore prescriptions (for newly diagnosed patients) were written in 2015, doctors wrote 3.46 crore new prescriptions in 2016.

Rise and prevalence of Cancer in India FEB 2017: Based on the data between 2010 and 2012, it is suggested that at some point during their lifetime approximately 39.6 per cent of women and men will be diagnosed with cancer. In India, it is estimated that 14.5 lakh people are living with the disease, with over 7 lakh new cases being registered every year and 5,56,400 deaths which are said to be cancer related. An estimated 71 per cent of all cancer related deaths are occurring in the age group between 30 to 69 years.

Over 10,000 people screened for diabetes in Mumbai FEB 2017: Over 10,000 people were screened for diabetes and its health implications during a diabetes mela held here on Saturday. The medical camp inaugurated by Maharashtra Education Minister Vinod Tawde, was organised to check the health status of the people here living with the risk of diabetes.

Drug Dopes

Updated LIST OF NEW DRUGS APPROVED FROM 01-01-2016 TILL DATE BY NEW DRUGS DIVISION, CDSCO, FDA Bhawan, New Delhi List of New Drug Approved by FDA

FDA seizes unlicensed medical devices worth over Rs 1 crore Mumbai, Feb 7 (PTI): The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration officials have seized unlicensed medical devices worth over Rs 1 crore, FDA commissioner Harshadeep Kamble said here today.

DoP directs NPPA to re-fix retail price of teneligliptin 20 mg plus metformin 1000 mg ER tablets Mumbai, February, 2017: The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has directed the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to examine the data/information once again and to re-fix the retail price of teneligliptin 20 mg + metformin 1000 mg ER tablets as it has been found by the DoP that the NPPA has erred in taking the correct data while fixing the retail price of these formulations.

Customs seize Phensedyl worth Rs 50 lakh in Meghalaya Thangshalai, Meghalya, Feb 2017: Custom sleuths seized banned Phensedyl cough syrup-worth Rs 50 lakh from a truck near Thangshalai in Meghalaya, district officials said today.

5 of 6 spurious JKMSCL drugs manufactured by single company Srinagar, Jan 2017: Five of the six substandard drugs supplied by J&K Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) to the state hospitals during past more than three months had come from a single company. Despite the repeated alarms sounded by the Drug and Food Control Organization (DFCO), which found the drugs substandard, no action was taken against the accused manufacturer with authorities citing "procedural formalities."

Gujarat HC rejects bail plea of stockists accused of running inter-state spurious drug racket Mumbai, February, 2017: Following Gujarat Food and Drug Administration (FDCA) crack down on two Ahmedabad based wholesalers SR Enterprises and Shraddha Healthcare for marketing spurious drugs as a part of huge inter-state drug racket, High Court of Gujarat has rejected the bail plea of of the accused.

National Injections

Union Health Ministry starts Measles-Rubella vaccine campaign New Delhi, February 2017: The Union Health Ministry has launched Measles-Rubella vaccine campaign with an aim to eradicate the disease from India. According to the ministry, after the campaign the MR vaccine will be introduced in routine immunisation, replacing the two doses of measles vaccine given to children at 9-12 months and 16-24 months of age.

India world's largest contributor to cancer deaths; doctors say 70% patients avoid consultation till terminal stage New Delhi, February 2017: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines cancer as “the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells. It can affect almost any part of the body. The growths often invade surrounding tissue and can metastasize to distant sites.”

Government appeals to all to join hands to create awareness on cancer Coimbatore, February 2017: Expressing concern over rise in acid reflux cancer, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao today appealed to doctors, educational institutions, NGOs and voluntary organisations to join hands to create awareness among people by frequently organising camps for early diagnosis and prevention of cancers.

Govt.’s target to root out TB by 2025 unachievable, say some doctors Mumbai, Feb 2017: At a time when India is battling a crisis of antibiotic resistance and a few drugs in the pipeline, the government’s plan to eradicate tuberculosis by 2025 seems an unachievable target, say doctors. The mention of TB in Wednesday’s Budget has come as a welcome move, but experts say the government will have to look at various initiatives rather than simply focusing on antibiotics.

Malaria causing superbugs can enter India, warns scientist Bengaluru, February 2017: Detection of malaria parasites resistant to the frontline artemisinin (ART) combination therapy in some south Asian countries should worry India, Govindarajan Padmanabhan a top biochemist and malaria researcher at the Indian Institute of Science here has warned.

Fake doctor arrested while checking patients at Delhi's AIIMS New Delhi, Feb 2017: A 30-year-old man was arrested on Friday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for impersonating as a doctor and checking patients, hospital authorities confirmed.

Hyderabad: 5 mothers die while delivering babies at Niloufer hospital HYDERABAD, FEB 2017: In the course of just one week, five mothers died while delivering their babies at Niloufer Hospital, a shocking statistic that points to medical negligence of some kind.

Global Injections

Common pain killer ineffective for back ache Melbourne, Feb 2017: Commonly used pain killers, such as ibuprofen, provide little benefits against back ache and cause side effects such as stomach ulcers and bleeding, a new study has warned.

Obese couples may take 50 per cent longer time to conceive Washington, February 2017: Couples in which both partners are obese may take over 50 per cent longer time to achieve pregnancy, scientists including one of Indian origin have found.

Taking pain killers during flu may up heart attack risk

Beijing, February: Taking pain relievers during a cold or flu-like illness may increase the risk of heart attack, a new study of 10,000 patients has warned. Researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taiwan suggest physicians and patients should use caution when prescribing or taking the medications, known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), to ease symptoms of acute respiratory infections.

Insomnia may triple the risk of asthmaLondon, February 2017: People experiencing chronic insomnia may have more than three times the risk of developing asthma compared to those without the disorder, a new study has warned. Asthma affects about 300 million people worldwide, with major risk factors including smoking, obesity and air pollution, researchers said.

Cancer drug could promote regeneration of heart tissueHouston, February 2017: Researchers are developing an anti-cancer agent that also promotes regeneration of damaged heart muscle — an unexpected finding that may help prevent congestive heart failure in the future.

PSM PILL

US agencies find counterfeit drugs a growing danger in 2017

The Justice Department, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are concerned about Americans illegally purchasing prescription medicines from foreign sources.

Betty hunter’s death illustrates danger of fake drugs

Arizona resident Betty Hunter died of lung cancer, but how much longer would she have lived if her oncologist had not treated her with counterfeit Avastin?
A recent Danish documentary, , tells the tragic story of Arizona grandmother Betty Hunter, who in 2011 sought treatment for her lung cancer at an oncology clinic in Chandler Arizona. In the documentary,”Lethal Fake Medicine / Medicin der Dræber” FDA-OCI investigator Dan Burke describes what happened to Ms. Hunter:

Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is insomnia?
Insomnia is a highly prevalent sleep disorder that regularly affects millions of people worldwide. In short, individuals with insomnia find it difficult to fall asleep and/or stay asleep.
Insomnia commonly leads to daytime sleepiness, lethargy, and a general feeling of being unwell both mentally and physically.

Insomnia is commonly separated into three types:
• Transient insomnia - occurs when symptoms last from a few days to a few weeks.
• Acute insomnia - also called short-term insomnia. Symptoms persist for several weeks.
• Chronic insomnia - this type lasts for months, and sometimes years. According to the National Institutes of Health, the majority of chronic insomnia cases are secondary, meaning they are side effects or symptoms resulting from another primary problem. .
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SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM

Tips one should know to prevent Swine Flu

Article contributed by one of our Subscriber: Ms. Kalyani Sachdeva, Medical Student, Vizag

Swine flu virus, continues to spread panic across the country with deaths being reported from several states, including Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Swine flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by one of many Influenza A viruses (H1N1) that started in pigs. Swine flu was first recognized in the 1919 pandemic and still circulates as a seasonal flu virus. The symptoms of swine flu are similar to normal flu - fever, cough, sore throat, chills, weakness, loss of appetite, body aches, difficulty sleeping, etc.

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Mr. Bharat Jadav, Social Activist, Says: I particularly wanted to acknowledge your willingness to take on the difficult challenge of creating awareness on spurious medicines across the 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.