Patient Safety Capsules
Govt Has Decided To Close 2 Pharma PSUs, Disinvest Other 3: Gowda
New Delhi, 10 Feb 2021: The government has decided to close two pharma public sector undertakings and disinvest the other three, Parliament was informed on Tuesday in reply to unstarred question No. 1340. "The Department of Pharmaceuticals has five public sector undertakings (PSUs).
National AEFI Committee Found No Link Between Vaccine And Deaths
NEW DELHI, 6 FEB 2021: The National Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI) Committee has started reviewing and investigating deaths after Covid-19 vaccination, and so far has not found any link between the vaccine and the deaths, sources in the government told ET.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
India Backs AstraZeneca, Orders 10 Million New DoseNew Delhi, 9 Feb 2021: India said on Tuesday it had no concerns over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine despite South Africa putting it on hold, and ordered 10 million more doses of the shot for its own huge immunisation campaign.
NPPA Reviews Functioning Of PMRU In Gujarat Mumbai, 10 Feb 2021: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) officials visited Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU) at the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) headquarters in Gandhinagar to review its progress and assess compliance to Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) -2013 and share experiences on the same for effective drug price ceiling regime in the country.
Pollution Board Gives Patanjali 15 Days To Pay Rs.1 Crore For Non-ComplianceDehradun, 9 Feb 2021: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has fined Patanjali Peya Pvt Ltd ₹1 crore for non-compliance with Plastic Waste Management Rules and given it 15 days to pay it.
Rajasthan High Court Cancels Bail Of Person Alleged To Have Sold Thousand Of Drug Strips Without Purchase DocumentsJaipur, 9 Feb 2021: The Rajasthan High Court canceled the bail of a person alleged to have sold thousands of drug strips without purchase documents.
PIO Must State Cogent Reasons Before Denying Info Under S. 8(1)(H): Delhi High CourtNew Delhi, 8 Feb 2021: The Delhi High Court has ruled that whenever information is denied by invoking Section 8(1)(h) of the Right To Information Act, cogent reasons have to be given by the public authority to show how and why investigation or prosecution will get impaired or hampered by supplying it (Amit Kumar Srivastava vs CIC).
19 Deaths Not Causally Related To Vaccination Presently Reported Till Feb 4: GovtNEW DELHI, 9 FEB 2021: Twenty-five hospitalisations, which is 0.0005 per cent of the total people who received vaccine jabs, and 19 deaths not causally related to the vaccination presently have been reported till February 4, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Pharma Injections
IIT Madras Researchers Develop Paper-Based Sensors To Detect Antimicrobial Resistance & PollutantsChennai, 8 Feb 2021: A paper-based sensor that can detect antimicrobials or antibiotics that have an inhibitory impact on bacteria in water bodies by a see and tell mechanism has been developed by a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
Medicine Sales From PMBJKs Rise 60 Pc In H1 FY21New Delhi, 6 Feb 2021: Medicine sales from Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) increased 60 percent year-on-year during the first six months of the current fiscal amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Parliament was informed on Friday.
Indians Bought Over 500 Crore Pills Of Vitamin C, Zinc, Multivitamins To Battle Covid In 2020 New Delhi, 8 Feb 2021: To build immunity against Covid-19, Indians purchased over 185 crore pills of Vitamin C supplements last year, a growth of over 100 per cent when compared to 2019.
Covaxin Trials For Kids Likely Soon In Nagpur Nagpur, 7 Feb 2021: For parents concerned about sending their children, especially primary students, to school due to the Covid-19 pandemic and waiting for vaccine approval for those below 18 years, there is light at the end of the tunnel, reports Chaitanya Deshpande.
Pharma Exports Jumped 12.43% During April-December 2021 New Delhi, 5 Feb 2021: India's exports of pharmaceutical products during April-December 2020-21 grew by 12.43 per cent to USD 17.57 billion, Parliament was informed on Friday in reply to unstarred question No. 248.
22 Countries Have Requested India For Supply Of Covid-19 Vaccines: Harsh Vardhan New Delhi, 6 Feb 2021: India has received requests for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines from 22 countries so far these have already been supplied to 15 countries, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday.
Drug Dopes
COVID Vaccine Doses Procured So Far At Cost Of Rs 350.25 Crore: MoS Health Ashwini ChoubeyNEW DELHI, 5 FEB 2021: A total of 165 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin - have been procured so far at a cost of Rs 350.25 crore, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told Lok Sabha on Friday. 
Industry Seeks Clarity On Dual Control Of Nutraceuticals And Drugs By DCGI And FSSAIMumbai, 1 Feb 2021: Amidst growing confusion about effectively regulating dietary supplements, multi-vitamins and drugs, industry has once again sought Centre’s intervention and clarity on the dual control of nutraceuticals and drugs by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Accord 'Strategic Sector' Tag To Pharma: Par Panel New Delhi, 29 Jan 2021 (PTI) : Highlighting the need for strong indigenous pharma companies, a Parliamentary panel has recommended that the pharma industry should be categorised as a "strategic sector" and called for a necessary follow-up action in this regard.
Commerce Ministry Recommends Imposing Antidumping Duty On Chinese Chemical NEW DELHI, 29 JAN 2021: The commerce ministry has recommended imposition of antidumping duty for five years on a Chinese chemical used in dye and pharma industries to guard domestic players from cheap imports.
Centre Issues Environmental Clearance For API, Intermediates As Single Category Mumbai, 30 Jan 2021: The Union environment ministry has finally issued environmental clearance for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates as single category instead of individual products to provide flexibility to the industry to change the raw material mix and/or product mix within the sanctioned pollution load following representations from the industry.
ASCI Asks Viewers To Speak Up With New Digital DriveNew Delhi, 29 Jan 2021: India’s advertising monitor is stepping up its campaign to scrub digital platforms clean with a fresh initiative starting on Friday that encourages audiences to report objectionable ads.
National Injections
Over 12000 Complaints About Misleading TV Ads Received In 4 Years: Govt New Delhi, 5 Feb 2021: More than 12,000 complaints were received with regard to misleading advertisements on television between 2017 and 2020, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting informed Lok Sabha on Friday in reply to Starred Q. No. 65.
Pfizer Withdraws Application For Emergency Use Of Its Covid-19 Vaccine In IndiaNEW DELHI, 5 FEB 2021: Pfizer Inc has withdrawn an application for emergency-use authorization of its Covid-19 vaccine in India that it has developed with Germany's BioNTech, the company told Reuters on Friday.
Recovery Of Rs. 8,200 Crore Related To 880 Overcharging Cases Pending Mumbai, 5 Feb 2021: Total outstanding amount of Rs. 8,200 crore related to 880 overcharging cases of Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO) violations are pending with the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) since 1997.
Guinea Pig Test Scrapped By Bureau Of Indian Standards New Delhi, 3 Feb 2021: The Bureau of Indian Standards’ animal husbandry, feeds and equipment subcommittee February 2, 2021 replaced a cruel test on guinea pigs used for detecting and identifying pathogenic organisms, according to a press statement by animal rights group, PETA India.
CDSCO Has Not Received Info About Specific Severe Adverse Event Linked To COVID-19 Vaccines: Choubey New Delhi, 2 Feb 2021 (PTI): The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has not received information about any specific severe adverse event causally linked to administration of COVID-19 vaccines, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday in connection to unstarred Q. No. 106.
Health Sector Hails Increased Allocation, New Schemes Hyderabad, 1 Feb 2021: The health sector on Monday hailed the Union Budget 2021-22 for increased allocation to the sector and new schemes.
Global Injections
UK, France, Oz & Germany Support AstraZeneca JabLONDON, 9 FEB 2021: Western governments rushed to offer support for the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccination after South Africa halted its roll-out when research showed it offered minimal protection against mild infection from a variant spreading there.
UK Launches ‘World First’ Trial Mixing Different Covid Vaccines For First And Second DosesLONDON, 4 FEB 2021: A trial is being launched in the U.K. to explore whether using different Covid-19 vaccines for the first and second doses works in a bid to make nationwide vaccination programs more flexible.
India To Supply 1.1 Billion Doses Of Covid-19 Vaccines To UNICEF
NEW YORK, 4 FEB 2021: India's Serum Institute will be supplying 1.1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Novavax to around 100 countries for approximately USD 3 per dose for the low and lower-middle-income countries, said Henrietta Fore, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) chief, on Wednesday.
Oxford/AstraZeneca Rst Jab Cuts COVID Transmission Substantially: UK Study
LONDON, 3 FEB 2021: Even just the first of the two-dose Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine can cut coronavirus transmissions by around 67 per cent and therefore have a "substantial effect" on controlling the spread of the deadly virus, according to a new Oxford University study on Wednesday.
Chinese Police Arrest 80 In Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Bust
Beijing, 2 Feb 2021: Police in China have taken more than 80 people into custody in connection with a scam involving falsified COVID-19 vaccine vials containing just saline solution.
WHO Publishes New Essential Diagnostics List
Geneva, 29 Jan 2021: To address the lack of access to tests and testing services in multiple countries, WHO since 2018 has published a yearly essential diagnostics list (EDL), a basket of recommended in vitro diagnostics that should be available at point-of-care and in laboratories in all countries to increase timely and life-saving diagnoses.
PSAIIF PILL
Research On Various Aspects Of Medicinal Plants
New Delhi, 2 Feb 2021: The National Medicinal Plants Bard (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH, under its Central Sector Scheme on ‘Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants’ is supporting research & development projects on various aspects of medicinal plants to government as well as private universities/research institutions/organizations across the country.
Centre Signs 25 MoU With Different Countries In Field Of Traditional Medicine & Homoeopathy
Mumbai, 4 Feb 2021: The Union Ministry of Ayush has signed 25 Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with different countries for cooperation in the field of Traditional Medicine and Homoeopathy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sale Of Covid Related Products Declining ?
Chennai, 2 Feb 2021: A market research survey conducted by the Mumbai-based Pronto Consult, a company doing marketing research in pharmaceuticals, has revealed that a gradual decline has started in the sale of Covid-19 related pharmaceutical products manufactured and marketed by big players in the country, in the last two months.Read More>>>
SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM
Protein Behind Corona’s Slow Asia Spread: Study
MUMBAI, 9 FEB 2021: Deficiency in a particular human protein, which is more common in Europe and the United States than in Asia, could explain why coronavirus is not spreading as fast in Asian countries.
Blog Addicts
Ms Triphala Agnihotri, Professional Excellent articles that make very good reading. Well done.
Dr Jagmohan Mittal, MDThe Prescription is very well presented with extremely useful information for readers.
Ms Himani Singhal, Pharma Expert
Good newsletter which brings an in depth understanding of news events in the Pharma world both nationally and globally. Keep up the good work.
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