PSM India Capsules
ASPA Urges Govt To Implement Track And Trace As Part Of CSR Activity
Mumbai, 11 March 2020: In a bid to accelerate adoption of track and trace system for drugs sold in the domestic market, Authentication Solution Providers' Association (ASPA) has urged the government to make implementation of anti-counterfeiting measures mandatory for drug manufacturing companies under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity.
Claims Of Drug Price Hikes 'Unsubstantiated', No Shortage Of Key Ingredients: NPPA Chief
Ahmedabad, 6 March 2020: Claims of medicine price hikes due to shortages of ingredients are “unsubstantiated” and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has already asked all states to ensure these products are not hoarded, said the drug pricing regulator’s chief on Thursday.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
DCGI Asks State DCs To Direct Manufacturers Submit Applications For CoPP As Per DCC RecommendationMumbai, 12 March 2020: In order to streamline the process of issuance of WHO-GMP Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (CoPP) through a uniform procedure of review and joint inspections, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has asked all state drug controllers (DCs) to direct manufacturers to submit applications as per the checklist based on drug consultative committee (DCC) recommendations.
Med Fraternity Divided Over Efficacy Of Mask Bhopal, 9 March 2020: Amid fears of COVID-19 spread, people are stocking up medicines and other emergency essentials anticipating a shortage, although medical experts are of the opinion that items like masks should only be used when a person has symptoms to avoid the spread.
HC Rejects Turnover Plea For Supply Of Disposable SyringeCUTTACK, 8 MARCH 2020: The Orissa High Court has dismissed a plea challenging Odisha State Medical Corporation (OSMC)’s decision to increase the turnover of firm for becoming eligible to take part in tender for supply of disposable syringes required for hospitals in the State. The corporation had increased the turnover from `35 lakh to `2 crore through a corrigendum to the tender document that had invited bids for supply of 2.82 crore 2cc and 3.17 crore 5cc disposable syringe for 2019-20.
Punjab FDA Staff To Keep A Tab On ChemistsChandigarh, 9 March 2020: Directing all the Zonal Licensing Authorities and Drug Control Officers in the state of Punjab to ensure the availability of life-saving essential drugs and consumables to the consumers in the context of the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) commissioner KS Pannu said that in the wake of news reports being published about the identification of a few patients suspected with Coronavirus infection, there is an apprehension among the public that the infection may spread over to other places.
Harsh Vardhan Calls For Strict Action Against Black Marketeers Of MasksNew Delhi, 7 March 2020: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday sought strict action against those charging inflated prices for face masks. His comments come in the wake of shortage of masks and sanitizers in the market and chemists charging higher than the normal price as the coronavirus scare rises.
Central Govt To Launch IVEDA Portal For Tracking Drugs Meant For Export SoonMumbai, 9 March 2020: The central government will soon launch Integrated Validation of Exports of Drugs from India and its Authentication (iVEDA) portal for drug authentication and tracking and tracing of the drug supply.
Pharma Injections
Coronavirus Kits To Be Sold Only On Doctors' Prescription: Maha FDAMumbai, 6 March 2020: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has directed chemists to sell coronavirus kits only on doctors’ prescription, an official said on Friday. The FDA has started regulating the sale and storage of coronavirus kits to prevent hoarding and overpricing, he said.
SC Holds PCI As Supreme Authority To Regulate Pharmacy Education And Approve Courses and InstitutionsChennai, 7 March 2020: In a landmark judgment, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India has ordered that the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is the supreme authority to regulate pharmacy education, and for approval of pharmacy courses and institutions in the country.
NCB Busts International Drug Money Laundering Nexus, Arrests 3 Nigerians New Delhi, 11 Mar 2020 : The NCB on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed an international money laundering syndicate, with the arrest of three Nigerians, that was trying to use dormant bank accounts in the country to route crores of rupees for illegal drug trade.
CSIR-IICT Unveils Safe Process Of Making APIs Hyderabad, 10 March 2020: Explosions in chemical units and boiler plants have been regular occurrences in the suburbs of the capital city due to accidents or mishandling of the materials causing serious injuries or even deaths in many a case over the years.
Maha FDA Unearths Fake Med Insurance Claims Scam Mumbai, 9 March 2020: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) filed a complaint with the police against a hospital and a medical store in Mulund for allegedly duping insurance companies on the basis of fake medical bills. The said bills, belonging to patients opting to pay through their insurance, had insufficient or wrong manufacturing details and didn’t have the signatures of a registered pharmacist.
NITI Aayog Plans Rs 3000-Cr Scheme To Boost Bulk Drugs Industry New Delhi, 4 March 2020: Government think tank NITI Aayog has proposed to build a corpus of Rs 3,000 crore for an incentive scheme to boost domestic manufacture of raw materials for medicines in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has hit supplies from China, ThePrint has learnt.
Drug Dopes
Spurious Drug Production Exposes Laxity Of FSSAISolan, 9 March 2020: The manufacturing of spurious drugs by Glenmars Healthcare has again brought to the fore the laxity of the regulatory authorities in Baddi. 
2 Indian Companies In Race For Vaccine Against Covid-19 Ahmedabad/ Mumbai, 9 March 2020: Last week, the World Health Organization listed 35 vaccine candidates that were being developed to protect against the novel coronavirus or Covid-19. The ‘draft landscape’ included two Indian companies, Gujarat-based Zydus Cadila and Pune’s Serum Institute, which are in collaboration with America’s Codagenix on the project.
CII, DoP To Organize Workshop On Encouraging Innovation In Pharmaceutical Industry Mumbai, 7 March 2020: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) is organizing a workshop on encouraging innovation (NCB/Biologicals) in pharmaceutical Industry – strengthening industry-academia linkage on March 12, 2020 in Hyderabad.
Udhampur Infant Deaths: Cough Syrup Maker Failed Drug Tests 5 Times In 5 Years Chandigarh, 8 March 2020: Having failed drug quality tests at least five times in the last five years, Himachal Pradesh’s Kala Amb-based drug manufacturer, whose adulterated cough syrup killed 12 children in Jammu & Kashmir’s Udhampur district, seems to be a habitual offender.
Fake Covid-19 'Gyaan' Goes Viral Bengaluru, 6 March 2020: Misinformation on Covid-19 has exploded on the internet over the last three days. Social media platforms Facebook, YouTube and ShareChat are changing algorithms, removing content and reducing discoverability of such posts.
Illegal Factory Producing Masks Sealed In Ghaziabad's LoniGURUGRAM/GHAZIABAD, 9 MARCH 2020: Authorities conducted searches in medicine shops across several NCR cities over the past 24 hours following complaints that they had been hoarding protective gear such as masks and hand sanitisers in order to jack up rates in the wake of the coronavirus.
National Injections
Information Held By HC Can Be Given To Third Party As Per Rules, Not Under RTI: SC New Delhi, 5 Mar 2020 : The Supreme Court has said that information or certified copies of orders held by a high court can be given to a third party only as per rules framed by the high court and the person cannot invoke the Right to Information Act to get details.
Gujarat FDCA Collaborates With USP For Knowledge Sharing On Drug StandardsMumbai, 6 March 2020: The Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has collaborated with United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) for knowledge sharing on drug standards followed in the US.
Kerala Coronavirus Patients Recovered Without Drugs: Expert New Delhi, 8 March 2020: The three people from Kerala who contracted coronavirus (Covid-19) recovered without the use of any drugs, and India has adequate supply of the combination of two antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS and are being used to treat Sars-CoV-2, said a scientist at one of the labs run by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on the condition of anonymity.
A Prescription For Curbing Sale Of Spurious Ayurvedic Drugs KOZHIKODE, 4 MARCH 2020: The demand to have a uniform regulatory mechanism and licensing system for the sale of Ayurvedic drugs has come up again in the wake of reports that substandard and adulterated products of manufacturers from outside the State are being distributed here through multilevel marketing.
All Gyms In Maharashtra To Be Inspected For Supplements Mumbai, 5 March 2020: Taking serious note of deaths owing to consumption of steroids and banned supplements, the government, in a first, will conduct inspection of gyms across the state. The announcement was made by food and drug administration (FDA) minister Dr Rajendra Shingne in the state Assembly on Wednesday.
BJP Leader Alleges Coverup In Pediatric Deaths In JK's Ramnagar Jammu, 8 Mar 2020 : Alleging cover-up in deaths of around 11 young children in Ramnagar near here following consumption of a cough syrup, later found having traces of a deadly compound, senior BJP leader R S Pathania on Sunday asked why no action was taken against errant drug control authorities.
Global Injections
US FDA Requires Boxed Warning For MontelukastMaryland, 5 March 2020: The FDA has issued a drug safety communication stating that it now requires a boxed warning for montelukast to strengthen the agency’s existing warning about the risk for neuropsychiatric events such as suicidal thoughts or actions associated with the drug, which is used to treat asthma and allergy, according to an agency press release.
Potential Drug Target Against Coronavirus Infection IdentifiedBERLIN, 6 MARCH 2020: Researchers have identified a protein present in the human body which they claim is important for the entry of the novel coronavirus into lung cells, an advance that may lead to a novel drug target for preventing the deadly disease. The researchers, including those from Deutsches Primatenzentrum in Germany, said the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2..
Coronavirus Medicine: An Arthritis Drug Actemra Could Be The Answer Everyone Is Looking For
Beijing, 6 March 2020: A decade-old drug used to treat inflammation in arthritis patients could be the answer to the world's fears of the coronavirus. Actemra, an anti-inflammation drug made by Swiss drugmaker Roche, has been approved by the Chinese government to treat severe coronavirus symptoms. This comes at a time when countries around the world are desperately searching for ways to combat the deadly infection.
Coronavirus: Top Chinese Medics Offer Tips For Indian Doctors
Beijing, 5 March 2020: As the dreaded coronavirus appeared to spread in India, top Chinese doctors treating patients in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, on Wednesday advised their Indian counterparts to prepare plans, train medical staff and educate the public about wearing masks and washing of hands to contain the disease.
UK Seizes 3.5 Million ED Pills, Mostly Exported From India
London, 5 March 2020: Britain’s medicine regulators seized 3.5 million erectile dysfunction (ED) pills worth more than £10 million in 2019 – 96 per cent of them shipped from India to customers in the UK – as part of a campaign to prevent fake medicines from entering the country.
NCB Busts International Drug Money Laundering Nexus, Arrests 3 Nigerians
New Delhi, 11 Mar 2020 : The NCB on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed an international money laundering syndicate, with the arrest of three Nigerians, that was trying to use dormant bank accounts in the country to route crores of rupees for illegal drug trade.
PSM PILL
HHS Comments Come In Overwhelmingly Against Canadian Drug Importation Proposal
Yesterday ended a 78-day comment period for the White House's proposal to import medicine from Canada. In all, over 1,000 comments were filed. Overwhelmingly, these comments opposed the proposed rule or expressed skepticism that the rule could meet the two requirements listed in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003: be safe and save consumers money. In fact, when you read the comments, it is clear that this policy is overwhelming opposed by experts on the issues of economics and medicine safety.
Former FDA Associate Commissioner Warns Of The "Massive Safety Risks Of Importation"
March 3, 2020 : This editorial by Peter J. Pitts was published in The Times Weekly on March 3, 2020. Mr. Pitts is president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and a former FDA associate commissioner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ebola Drug Best Pick For Treating Coronavirus?
NEW DELHI, 10 MARCH 2020: Remdesivir, a drug developed for use against Ebola, a viral illness that caused major outbreaks in remote villages in Central Africa in 2014, may be world’s best hope to treat persons suffering from Covid-19.. Read More>>>
SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM
35 Drugs In The Race To Treat New Coronavirus
New Delhi, 7 March 2020: The world is scrambling to find a vaccine to treat the new coronavirus (COVID-19) as new cases keep emerging, a survey by Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) has revealed that 35 active drug development programmes are currently on in North America, Europe and China.
Blog Addicts
Mr Daksh Paniwal, Professional Excellent articles and news updates in the Pharma space. Great work !
Dr Bhuj Maan, MDReally enjoy all the articles that are published in your newsletter. All the best.
Ms Vanita Gill, PhD
Very informative and well developed modules that capture the essence of the Pharma industry and government policies on health and pharma. Kudos to the publication !
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