Patient Safety Capsules
India needs real time mapping of genomic surveillance to enable robust public health response
Bengaluru, June 15, 2021: India needs real time mapping of genomic surveillance that will enable a robust public health response. The chances of emergence of new variants of Covid-19 are a cause of concern due to widespread infections and taking into consideration our population.
Black fungus can be prevented with Ayush medicines: experts from Ayush de-partment
Hyderabad, June 14, 2021: Experts from Ayush department of Telangana have claimed that Ayurveda and Unani formulations could help in preventing the spread of black fungus among the cured Covid patients.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
Health ministry defers proposal to implement bar coding for pharmaceutical productsMumbai, June 15, 2021: The Union health ministry has deferred a proposal to implement bar coding as part of trace and track mechanism for pharmaceutical products. 
DGHS drops Ivermectin, Doxycycline from Covid-19 treatment; ICMR rules un-changed New Delhi, 7th June 2021: The Union Health Ministry and Family Welfare's directorate general of health services (DGHS) has issued revised guidelines to stop the use of Ivermectin and Doxycycline in Covid-19 treatment. The new guide-lines have dropped all medicines, except antipyretic and antitussive, for asymptomatic and mild cases.
Health ministry raises safety concerns on SGLT2 inhibitors used as second-line drugs for type-2 diabetesMumbai, June 14, 2021: The Union health ministry has raised safety concerns on sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibi-tors which are used as second-line drugs used for the management of type-2 diabetes mellitus.
GST Council waives tax on black fungus drug amphotericinBengaluru, June 15, 2021 : The GST Council has now waived tax rates on black fungus drug amphotericin. It has also gone ahead to slash rates of several other Covid-related essential items like drugs, ventilators, testing kits among others. These revised rates are valid till September end as against the earlier August end.
India should immediately put in place a drug brand name registry: ExpertsBengaluru, June 16, 2021: The presence of look-alike and sound alike (LASA) drugs in the supply chain has resulted in unclear in-terpretation of brand names resulting in faulty dispensing across pharmacy outlets. Hence, India should immediately put in place a drug brand name registry.
Health ministry to amend Schedule K of D&C Rules to exempt antiseptics from sale licenseMumbai, June 16, 2021: The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) of the Union health ministry has agreed to amend Schedule K of Drugs Rules to exempt liquid antiseptics from the requirement of sale license to ensure its free access for prevention and treatment of infections.
Pharma Injections
Gujarat: Anything from salt to steroids used to 'make' antiviral drugsAhmedabad, Jun 16 2021: What did the spurious injection vials of tocilizumab and remdesivir comprise which have been offered for hundreds of rupees to determined kin of Covid sufferers on the peak of the pandemic in April and May in Gujarat? 
NMPB signs MoU with NBRI for cultivation & production of medicinal plants in IndiaMumbai, June 16, 2021: The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), under the Union Ministry of Ayush, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI)for extending joint collaborative efforts to boost the cultivation and production of medicinal plants and herbs in India.
SII, Bharat Bio seek hike in govt price for vaccines New Delhi, 16 June 2021: Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech (BB) are searching for greater costs for Covid-19 vac-cines from the Centre amid issues that the price of Covishield and Covaxin pictures in non-public hospit-als is already excessive.
BIRAC invites research proposals to support Covid-19 vaccine development Mumbai, June 14, 2021: The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), under the Department of Biotechnol-ogy (DBT), has invited proposals on vaccine development under its Covid Suraksha programme.
Covid-19 ‘Delta Plus’ variant detected in India, nullifies monoclonal antibody use: Centre New Delhi, June 15 (ANI): The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday revealed that the Delta variant with an extra mutation generally known as “Delta Plus” has been detected in the nation that nullifies using monoclonal antibody however asserted that it nonetheless not a “variant of concern”.
Bio-pharma industry sees US FDA norms on BCS based bio-waivers to accelerate drug development Bengaluru, June 14, 2021: Bio pharma industry sees that the US FDA’s norms on Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) based biowaivers will speed up drug development. A bio-waiver means that in vivo bioavailability (BA) and bioequivalence (BE) studies may be waived.
Drug Dopes
IIT Mandy Discovers Molecular Mechanisms That Cause Fatty Liver DiseaseMandi, 15 June 2021: This study by IIT Mandy shows that excessive sugar intake leads to fatty liver. This should provide an incentive for the public to reduce sugar intake in order to stop NAFLD in the early stages. 
For transplant recipients, third time may be the charm for better COVID vaccine protection: Researchers say15 June 2021: In a study revealed right now in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they consider that, for the first time, there’s proof to point out that three doses of vaccine improve antibody ranges in opposition to SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID 19 — greater than the commonplace two-dose routine for individuals who have acquired strong organ transplants.
Second wave of Covid & vaccination drive spur demand for nurses, lab techni-cians & phlebotomists across hospitals Bengaluru, June 12, 2021: In the second wave of Covid-19, with vaccination drives being the topmost priority, Indian healthcare pro-viders aapproached Quess Corp, a facility management service provider, with huge staffing demand for nurses, data entry operators, and medical administration staff.
Post-Covid Complications Keep Docs On Their Toes New Delhi, 16 June 2021: Delhi recorded 228 new circumstances of Covid-19 at a positivity charge of 0.32% together with 12 fatali-ties on Tuesday. The new circumstances and positivity charge have seen a slight improve from the day gone by’s figures. The nationwide capital had recorded 131 Covid-19 circumstances, the bottom since February 22, and 16 fatalities on Monday, whereas the positivity charge dropped to 0.22%, based on a well being division bulletin.
Abbott launches Amplatzer Piccolo in India for the treatment of heart defects in premature babies Mumbai, 15 June 2021: On Tuesday, Abbott announced the launch of Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder in India, the world’s first medical device that can be transplanted into the smallest babies using minimally invasive surgery to treat patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
Government permits export of remdesivir under licenseNEW DELHI, 15 June 2021: On Monday, the government eased export restrictions on injectable remdesivir and its active pharmaceut-ical ingredients. Their exports, which were banned two months ago, are now restricted and will require a license.
National Injections
Rockwell Automation to enhance its global resources to help life science industry Mumbai, June 16, 2021: Rockwell Automation India stated that it will continue to enhance its global resources, both infrastructure and domain expertise, to help the life sciences industry. The company aims to improve the quality of life by making the world more productive and sustainable and is committed to enable the next generation of smart manufacturing.
TN pharma industry seeks 15% price preference for local suppliers in public tendersChennai, June 14, 2021: The Tamil Nadu chapter of the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (TN IDMA) and the association of pharma MSME units (TN PMA) are bracing themselves for seeking 15% price preference for the local suppliers while participating in public tenders.
Telangana to spend Rs 10K cr to improve healthcare infra Hyderabad, 10 June 2021: The government of Telangana will spend Rs 10,000 crore over next two years to provide world-class healthcare facilities to the poor in the state.
IMA writes to ICMR alleging Baba Ramdev of making 'prejudicing utterances against modern medicine' New Delhi, 9 June 2021: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday wrote to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) against yoga guru Baba Ramdev alleging him of making "Unprovoked demeaning and prejudicing utterances against modern medicine".
Karnataka appoints 1,763 doctors to strengthen patient care and early treatment access Bengaluru, June 9, 2021: In an effort to ease the pressure at the government healthcare facilities, the Karnataka government has recruited 1,763 doctors to strengthen patient care and early treatment access. This is at a time when the state is reporting high Covid spread.
Gujarat FDCA's rapid microbiological testing lab brings down testing time from 14 days to just 3 hours Mumbai, June 9, 2021: The Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA)'s rapid microbiological testing lab at Vadodara has successfully tested 156 batch samples of remdesivir injections towards making its consistent availability in the country.
Global Injections
US’ Centers for Disease Control calls coronavirus Delta variant a ‘variant of concern’16 Jun 2021: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now referred to as the Delta variant of the novel co-ronavirus, also called B.1.617.2, a “variant of concern”.
US study: Many facing new medical issues post-Covid16 June 2021: Hundreds of hundreds of Americans have sought medical take care of post-Covid well being issues that they’d not been recognized with earlier than turning into contaminated, in accordance with the most im-portant research thus far of lengthy-time period signs.
Nova & Other Vaxes: Covovax needs quick regulatory okay, should be official clarity on other vaccines, like J&J’s
16 June 2021: In 150 days of vaccination in India, round 259 million doses have been administered, which is roughly 12% of the two.1 billion doses which have been administered globally. This appears to be like good in absolute phrases. But it’s dispiriting when you think about that the largest demography, 590 million Indians within the 18-44 age group, has obtained simply 44.2 million doses.
RDIF: Sputnik most effective against Delta
Moscow, 16 June 2021: The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Tuesday mentioned that the Sputnik V vaccine is extra environment friendly against the Delta variant of the virus, first recognized in India than another vaccine thus far. Taking to Twitter, the official deal with of the Russian vaccine affirmed that Sputnik’s efficacy is healthier on the Delta variant than another vaccine that revealed outcomes on the pressure thus far.
Moderna seeks Swissmedic approval for Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents in Switzerland
Massachusetts, June 16, 2021: Moderna announced that it has submitted an authorization application to Swissmedic for use of its Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents. “We are pleased to announce that we have submitted an authorization application for our Covid-19 vac-cine with Swissmedic for use in adolescents in Switzerland,” said Stéphane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna.
AstraZeneca’s phase III STORM CHASER trial of AZD7442 for prevention of symptomatic Covid-19 fails to meet primary endpoint
United Kingdom, June 16, 2021: AstraZeneca announced results from the STORM CHASER trial assessing the safety and efficacy of AZD7442, a long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination, for the prevention of symptomatic Covid-19 in participants recently exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The trial did not meet the primary endpoint of post-exposure prevention of symptomatic Covid-19 with AZD7442 compared to placebo.
PSAIIF PILL
Experts reveal most common diseases in India are entirely preventable through traditional interventions
Mumbai, June 2, 2021: Experts have revealed that most of the common diseases in India are entirely preventable and in some cases reversible through traditional interventions as the leading cause of many chronic diseases has been attributed to hectic urban lifestyles.
Data dispels myth of young people being more at risk during 2nd wave
New Delhi, 16 June 2021: The comparative information of the primary and second wave of the pandemic dispels the impression that more young people and youngsters had been at risk within the current surge in Covid infections as there isn’t a vital change within the proportion of individuals who contracted the illness within the completely different age teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes us sneeze? Molecules, nerve cells in brain trigger sneezes
A tickle in the nostril might help trigger a sneeze, expelling irritants and disease-causing pathogens. But the mobile pathways that management the sneeze reflex go far past the sinuses and have been poorly understood. Now, a crew led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has recognized, in mice, particular cells and proteins that management the sneeze reflex. Read More>>>
SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM
Precautions key, warns govt as positivity rate declines to 4.8%
New Delhi, 16 Jun 2021: New Delhi: With the weekly positivity rate down to 4.8% between June 8-14 and restrictions being eased throughout states, the federal government has cautioned that precautions are essential to make sure that positive aspects made up to now usually are not misplaced and there’s a want to establish hotspots and implement localised containment methods.
Blog Addicts
Dr Gyaneshwar Rao, MD Excellent articles that make very good reading. Well done.
Mr Ishwar Sinha, IT ProfessionalThe Prescription is very well presented with extremely useful information for readers.
Ms Lata Vango, Professional
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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