Editor’s EmulsionPSM 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
EDITOR'S EMULSION
Warm Greetings!
We constantly endeavour not only to collate important information from the health and medicine world but also to create a connect with consumers all over. We welcome articles and write ups from our readers and are glad to feature them under the section titled Subscriber’s Symptoms. This issue features a contribution by Roshan Parmar from Himachal Pradesh on How Bacteria Nearly Killed By Antibiotics Can Recover — And Gain Resistance. Mark your calendar with the upcoming events listed in our newsletter and remember to take your laughter dose in the end.
Do not hesitate to mail your comments on this edition to help us further improve. We appreciate your support and trust in us and are happy to have you as our loyal reader.
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Stay Healthy. Stay Protected.
Pooja Khaitan
Editor-in-Chief,
The Prescription
DOSE OF THE DAY
“Our mission is to enhance public health by assuring the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. Our vision is to protect and promote healthcare in India.”
Dr. S Eswara Reddy,
Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)
PSM India Capsules
Most Healthy Indians Resistant To Common Antibiotics: Study
A study published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has found antibiotic resistant organisms in the digestive tracts of two out of every three healthy persons that it tested, pointing to a rapid spread of antibiotic resistance in the Indian population.
Cheaper Medicines, E-Pharmacy Norms Likely To Be In Focus For New Govt.
With the Narendra Modi government back to power for another 5-year term, authorities handling pharmaceuticals and healthcare have a backlog of policies and regulations to pass and implement.
Only Qualified Pathologists Have The Clinical Acumen To Analyze & Review Diagnostic Reports: Experts
Medical experts in the area of pathology labs in Karnataka have opined that only qualified pathologists should head the diagnostic centres because only a qualified pathologist has the clinical acumen to analyze and review medical reports of samples and specimens like blood, saliva, sputum and body fluids as well as tissues.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
Govt Plans To Re-Introduce National Medical Commission BillNEW DELHI, 10 JUNE 2019: In the very first session of the new Lok Sabha starting June 17, the Union government plans to reintroduce a key bill which aims to usher in mega reforms in the medical education sector. 
Dual Control Of Pharmacy Education To Continue As PCI & AICTE Issue Public Notices Chennai, 10 June 2019: By issuing public notices by the two pharmacy education regulatory bodies, PCI and AICTE, in news papers concerning approval of institutions and courses, it has become obvious that the dual control of pharmacy education will continue further.
Govt Mulls Mandatory Barcoding Of All Medicines Sold Within IndiaNEW DELHI, 9 JUNE 2019: The government plans to make barcoding mandatory on all medicines sold locally in a bid to offset India’s growing reputation as a source of counterfeit medicines.
Govt Plans To Roll Out E-Pharmacy Project In 100 DaysNew Delhi, 5 June 2019: Formal recognition and regulation of online pharmacies is a step closer to reality, with health ministry officials set to meet industry stakeholders on 10 June to finalize the rules.
Give Nurses, Dentists Lateral Entry Into MBBS: Draft PolicyNew Delhi, 5 June 2019: The draft National Education Policy 2019 has suggested sweeping changes in medical education. One of the more radical suggestions is the proposal to allow lateral entry of nursing and dental graduates into the MBBS course with a common foundational one to two-year course for doctors, dentists and nurses.
NPPA Fixes Retail Prices Of 18 FormulationsMumbai, 3 June 2019: The national drug pricing regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed retail prices of 18 formulations under Drugs Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013 in related notification dated May 31, 2019.
Pharma Injections
Majority Of Retail Shops In Bihar Run On Wholesale LicensesChennai, 11 June 2019: The number of wholesale licenses (Form 20B and 21B) granted for supplying pharmaceutical products across Bihar is four to five times more than the number of retail licences (Form 20 and 21) issued for local sales, even as the number of medical shops is steadily increasing every year, according to a statistical data of new licenses granted from July 2018 to June 2019.
State DCs Seek Action Against Pharma Cos Tweaking Drug Composition With Same Brand NamesMumbai, 10 June 2019: State drug controllers from across the country have sought legal action under trademark law against pharma manufacturers who are marketing new formulations by tweaking composition without changing the existing brand names.
Uttarakhand Government Planning Medical Device Park In Dehradun DEHRADUN, 8 JUNE 2019: With the aim to set up North India’s first medical device manufacturing and testing park, the Uttarakhand government is working on a proposal to set up such a unit in the state capital. The park, which will be set up on a land of over 500 bigha, will have a manufacturing unit of over 1,000 medical devices.
IDMA Paves Way For Indian Pharma To Create Roadmap In Digitisation Era Bengaluru, 8 June 2019: Indian pharma is in the process of transforming itself to be connected to devices, adopt data analytics and artificial intelligence technologies to automate its production processes in the years to come.r non-core activities to meet US FDA’s strict regulatory scrutiny to manage risks better.
Telangana Govt Allocates 250 Acres Of Land For Medical Device Park At Sultanpur Hyderabad, 8 June 2019: An exclusive Medical Devices Manufacturing Park is coming up at Sultanpur in Telangana. The state government of Telangana has already allocated 250 acres of land to set up the project.
CCI Imposes ₹ 74 Cr Fine On Himalaya Drug, 3 Others For Anti-Competitive Trade Practices New Delhi, 4 Jun 2019: The Competition Commission of India has levied a total fine of over ₹ 74 crore on pharma firms -- Himalaya Drug Company and Intas Pharmaceuticals -- along with its senior officials as well as two Madhya Pradesh-based drug groupings for indulging in anti-competitive trade practices.
Drug Dopes
Kottayam: FIR Against 2 Doctors And Labs For MisdiagnosisThiruvananthapuram, 9 June 2019: The Gandhinagar police in Kottayam district on Saturday filed FIR against two doctors of Kottayam Medical College Hospital and two private labs for misdiagnosing and subjecting a woman without cancer to undergo chemotherapy. 
Defence Drug Scam: 23 Medical Distributors’ Licences CancelledMumbai, 5 June 2019: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Maharashtra, had recently cancelled licences of 23 medicine distributors across Mumbai, Thane and Raigad for siphoning medicines exclusively manufactured for defence and Central government hospitals. The accused involve major distributors who allegedly supply 30%-40% of medicine stock across pharmacies in Mumbai.
Nearly 10k Fake Amikacin Inj Vials Worth ₹ 7 Lakh Recovered In Agra, 4 Held Agra, 6 June 2019: In a joint operation by drug safety department and Agra police of Nibohra, nearly 10,000 fake antibiotic vials of Amikacin injection worth ₹ 7 lakh were recovered in Agra.
Haryana Wants Ban On E-Intoxicants Chandigarh, 3 June 2019: Haryana wants electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, heat not burn devices, e-nicotine flavoured hookah, vape and e-sheesha, to be brought under the definition of drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
Vaccine On Wheels’ Delivery Model Gets Gates Foundation Grant Hyderabad, 3 June 2019: An innovative vaccination delivery model developed by a researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Hyderabad), which can change the way vaccines are administered in developing countries, has attracted the attention of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Maha FDA To Take Action Against Wholesalers Supplying Allopathic Drugs To HomeopathsMumbai, 3 June 2019: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is devising an action plan to take action against wholesalers who supply allopathic drugs to bogus physicians and homeopathic doctors.
National Injections
Blood Transfusions Infected 1,342 With HIV In 2018-19, Says Naco MUMBAI, 11 JUNE 2019: The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), in an RTI, has said that around 1,342 people across India have contracted the HIV infection due to blood transfusion in 2018-19, giving rise to serious safety and quality concerns. Maharashtra accounted for 13% of these cases with 169 infections. It also fared among the top five states to report the transfusiontransmitted infection.
Maha FDA Set To Prosecute Online Illegal Abortion Drug Racket In StateMumbai, 10 June 2019: The Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has detected an online illegal abortion drug racket and has lodged 7 FIRs to curb the practice. Prosecutions will follow after the complaint is framed as per the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act.
Mumbai: Forum Raps Hospital For 20% Surcharge On Medicines MUMBAI, 6 JUNE 2019: A district forum recently reprimanded Bombay Hospital for arbitrarily levying a 20% surcharge on medicines and material supplied from the "main operation theatre store" in the case of a Walkeshwar woman who underwent orthopaedic surgery in 2014. "The hospital miserably failed to justify that levy of surcharge is permitted by law and is legitimate," the forum said.
Delhi High Court Body To Conduct Fresh Inspection In 35 Hospitals New Delhi, 6 June 2019: The inspection report of over 30 government hospitals highlighting several irregularities — including non-functioning ICU ventilators, alleged pilfering of expensive drugs and staffs being paid less than minimum wages — have caught the attention of the Delhi High Court.
China's Slow And Ambiguous Approval System Causing Discomfort For Indian Companies Mumbai, 4 June 2019: Indian drug makers who are lining up big plans for China, the world's second largest market for medicines after the US, may have to temper that excitement, as approvals are still hard to come by, in addition to lack of transparency in the approval process.
Two-Thirds Of AIDS Treatment Drugs Supplied Globally By India UNITED NATIONS, 4 JUNE 2019: Taking a lead in the global fight against AIDS, India is supplying the world with two-thirds of the drugs to treat those infected with HIV, according to Indian diplomat Paulomi Tripathi.
Global Injections
New Radiotracer Can Identify Nearly 30 Types Of CancerHeidelberg, Germany, 7 June 2019: A novel class of radiopharmaceuticals has proven effective in non-invasively identifying nearly 30 types of malignant tumors, according to research published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Dietary Supplements Linked With Severe Health Events In Young People: StudyBoston, 6 June 2019: Taking dietary supplements for weight loss, muscle building, and energy is associated with nearly three times increased risk for severe medical events in children and young adults, compared to vitamins, a study warns.
US FDA: Company Promoting Unapproved Stem Cell Products For ALS, Parkinson Disease And Other Serious Conditions
Maryland, 5 June 2019: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent an untitled letter to R3 Stem Cell, LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona for marketing unapproved stem cell products to treat a variety of diseases and conditions. The FDA has not approved the products offered by R3 Stem Cell, LLC and its affiliated centers or clinics throughout the United States.
Vaping May Impair Mucus Clearance From Airways: Study
Washington, 7 June 2019: Nicotine in e-cigarettes may hamper mucus clearance from the human airways, increasing the risk of infection and injury, according to a study.
US FDA Accepts NDA For Empagliflozin, Linagliptin And Metformin Extended Release (XR) Tabs
Maryland, 4 June 2019: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for the investigational fixed-dose combination tablet of empagliflozin, linagliptin and metformin extended release (XR) for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company announced.
Dentists Prescribe Antibiotics Unnecessarily 81 Pc Of The Time: Study
Illinois, 1 June 2019: Antibiotics prescribed by dentists as prevention against infections are 81 per cent of the times unnecessary. According to a study published in the journal 'JAMA Network Open', antibiotics prescribed when not warranted expose patients to the risk of side effects unnecessarily and also contribute to the problem of antibiotic resistance.
PSM PILL
Deadly Fentanyl-Laced Counterfeit Pills Have Spread To 46 States In The Last Two And A Half Years
February 20, 2019: When, in October 2016, The Partnership for Safe Medicines began tracking the incidence of counterfeit prescription pills made with fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, we were startled to find that the pills had been found in 25 states, and had been linked to deaths in 17 of them.
Tom Kubic, Leading Expert In Counterfeit Medicines Re-Joins The Board Of The Partnership For Safe Medicines
June 4, 2019: WASHINGTON (June 4, 2019) – PSM Board President Marv Shepherd announced today that Tom Kubic, previous President and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Security Institute and veteran agent of the FBI, would be joining the board of the Partnership for Safe Medicines as Director Emeritus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. All you wanted to know on Universal Health Coverage?
What does Universal Health Coverage entail for India?
Ans: "Universal coverage" refers to a scenario where everyone is covered for basic healthcare services. This is a scheme, under which all Indian citizens, regardless of their economic, social or cultural backgrounds will have the right to affordable, accountable and appropriate health services of assured quality defined in a published package of services and benefits. It is also a supplemental system of financing to protect people from increasing medical expenses.. Read More>>>
SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM
How Bacteria Nearly Killed By Antibiotics Can Recover — And Gain Resistance
Article contributed by Roshan Parmar, Himachal Pradesh
Mostly dead bacteria can sometimes be resurrected as antibiotic-resistant cells. A protein that pumps toxic chemicals out of E. coli bacterial cells can buy time for even nearly dead microbes to become antibiotic resistant. The protein, known as the AcrAB-TolC multidrug efflux pump, doesn’t work well enough to defeat antibiotics on its own. But it can move enough antibiotic molecules out of bacterial cells to allow production of real resistance proteins, researchers report in the May 24 Science.
Blog Addicts
Mrs. Ronita Jain, Public Health Executive Loads of wishes for your good work PSM India. You have become a consistently growing public forum in our Country!
Ms. Nikita Dhami , Pharma academic ProfessionalDear PSM India, your aim towards tackling counterfeiting and improving patient safety is motivating and inspiring us
Dr. Rahul Raina , MD Medicine
Thanks a lot for the great work done during the past so many years. Wishing you all the very best.
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