The Prescription: Partnership For Safe Medicines India

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News Archive

EDITOR'S EMULSION

Pooja Khaitan

A warm welcome to our enthusisatic and encouraging readers to the current edition of our fortnightly newsletter,The PRESCRIPTION! Your valuable suggestions and contributions mailed to me frequently keep adding to the enhancement of our newsletter. Thank you for being aware; for being active.
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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.
Please visit our website jagograhakjago.com if you wish to learn about us .
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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

“Indian drug manufacturing companies need to take more efforts to continue to maintain the quality compliance as the country needs to create quality medicines. Best pharmaceutical care should be provided to all kinds of patients and the pharmacists should have a significant role in the healthcare management of the country”.

Dr. Rao VSV Vadlamudi,
President of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA)

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India ranks 103 in world's healthiest countries' list; Singapore on top

According to a recent report, Singapore has topped the list of World's healthiest countries, while India has secured the 103rd position.
The list ranks countries using data from the United Nations, the World Bank and the World Health Organisation and the Bloomberg rankings gave each country with a population of 1 million or more a health score and a health-risk score, the Independent reported.

National Injections

Indians poor food habits fuelling diabetes: survey What Indians eat and how could be fuelling the diabetes epidemic across the country, suggests a new survey that interviewed 4,000 diabetic patients across eight cities. The main culprit could be the Indian craving for rice, fine-flour rotis or upma - all carbohydrate-based foodstuff high on calories but low on much-needed fibre. "Rice accounts for 48% of the daily calorific intake of most Indians,'' said endocrinologist Dr V Mohan from Chennai. Considering that most types of white rice rapidly increase the blood sugar levels, caution is advised.

Maha FDA unearths cough syrup smuggling racket Mumbai 2015: The State Food and Drug Administration (FDA) busted a thriving racket involved in the smuggling of codeine laced cough syrups to school children. On Monday, FDA inspectors seized nearly 14,500 bottle of cough syrups costing over Rs15lakhs from Kashimira, Thane.

TNMC has developed an app to keep vigilance on fake doctorsCHENNAI, NOV 2015: A tap, swipe and flick, and quacks could be behind bars. In an initiative to keep a check on fake doctors, the Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC) has begun issuing certificates that carry details of practitioners along with an encryption that can be verified by patients using an app in their smartphones.

Winter AsthmaNov 2015: Any breathlessness after the age of 40, appearing for the first time in winter, is cardiac asthma unless proved otherwise. Such patients should immediately have their blood pressure check-up done and if high needs immediate medical attention. First-onset breathlessness can also be an indication of angina or heart attack. However, the more common is winter asthma or acute exacerbation of winter COPD (chronic bronchitis).

Drug Laws & Policy Injections

IMA opposes e-pharmacy, says it will make PvPI a futile exerciseMumbai,2015: Even as a committee of experts is currently working to bring in a set of rules on online pharmacy to help regulate it, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has opposed the idea saying that if online pharmacies are allowed, the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI), initiated by the Union health ministry, will become a futile exercise and may not be in the interest of patients. Among other major issues with reference to online pharmacy, IMA has also raised the apprehension that there is no way to check the storage conditions of the drugs sold by the online pharmacies.

Health ministry to upgrade manpower and drug testing infrastructure across country Mumbai, 2015: The Union Health Ministry has recently recruited around 31 Assistant Drug Inspectors at Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and sanctioned another 470 technical staff posts as a part of manpower up gradation programme. An amount of Rs. 1,750 crore has already been sanctioned for up gradation of manpower at the CDSCO and state level. As a part of the plan, drug testing infrastructure in the country will also be upgraded.

Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission set to become the first WHO Collaborating Centre for Safety of Medicines and Vaccines in SE Asia New Delhi, November, 2015: The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is set to become the first WHO collaborating Centre for Safety of Medicines and Vaccines in the South-East Asia Region. This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare while addressing the 38th Annual Meeting of Representatives of the National Pharmacovigilance Centres participating in the World Health Organization Programme for International Drug Monitoring, organized by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) and World Health Organization (WHO).

Shri Nadda reaffirms India’s commitment to support Africa in its fight to 'End AIDS Epidemic by 2030' India stands committed to the world in its fight against HIV and AIDS, and particularly to the African nations, in the combined resolve to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. India will extend all support and cooperation in sharing its knowledge and expertise in developing shared frameworks of cooperation and means of implementation towards meeting this goal. This was stated by the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda at the India-Africa Forum Summit to “End AIDS Epidemic by 2030”, here today.

Pharma Injections

Long-term use of antacids is likely to damage kidneys Nov, 2015: The next time your doctor prescribes proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for acidity, do question if it is really necessary and how long should you take it.

60% devices used in primary, secondary healthcare centres lack quality: UL surveyk Mumbai, 2015: US based safety science company Underwriters Laboratories (UL) concluded in a survey that over 60 per cent of products in primary and secondary healthcare centres lack testing and proper quality control procedure. That is why cheap, low quality medical devices are getting circulated in the market in various parts of the globe.

Access to Medicines is a Key Concern for Consumers as they seek more convenient ways to get their Medicines New Delhi, November, 2015: In a joint survey conducted by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and 1mg Technologies on challenges faced by consumers while buying medicines from Pharmacies, it has been stressed that an overwhelming majority of patients seek more convenient ways to get their medicine. They face problem of visiting multiple pharmacies to get all their medicines and also notice price difference across pharmacies for the same drug.

Global Injections

Battery-free pacemakers powered by heart to be launched soon Scientists are developing battery-free implantable pacemakers that may be powered by an unlikely source — the heart itself.

EDQM will help assess European medicines traceability platform A stakeholder-proposed system for verifying medicines in the EU will be put through its paces by the Council of Europe's healthcare directorate.

Drug Dopes

LIST OF APPROVED DRUG FROM 01-01-2015 to 30-10-2015 as published by Central Drugs Control Standard Organization ( CDSCO) LIST OF APPROVED DRUG FROM 01-01-2015 to 30-10-2015 as published by Central Drugs Control Standard Organization ( CDSCO)

Scientifically validated Rs 5 anti-diabetes herbal drug launched by CSIR LUCKNOW, 2015: A scientifically validated anti-diabetes herbal drug, named 'BGR-34', was launched by a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) lab in Lucknow on Sunday. A combination of natural extracts from plants, the drug is based on Ayurveda and has no side effects. The drug is for management of type-II diabetes mellitus.

Biodegradable implant to heal broken bones A plastic derived from corn starch combined with a volcanic ash compound could help heal the bones of hundreds of thousands of patients with orthopaedic injuries who need bone replacement, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found. The biodegradable polymer, reinforced with Montmorillonite clay nanoparticles for strength, dissolves in the body within 18 months. As the material dissolves, new bone formation takes its place.

1st lab-in-a-briefcase for faster cancer detection Scientists have developed the world's first portable lab-in-a-briefcase that can operate even at high temperatures, to boost early detection of cancer in developing countries. Believed to be the first kit of its kind dedicated to the portable measurement of cancer biomarkers, the concept is the brainchild of Dr Nuno Reis, a lecturer at the Loughborough University in UK, who developed it keeping in mind the lack of adequate technology to support a full laboratory in developing countries.

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PSM PILL

Is Your Oncologist Using Unsafe Black Market Cancer Drugs?

The FDA has been prosecuting doctors and unlicensed drug distributors for importing non-FDA approved cancer drugs. Some of those drugs have been counterfeits.
In 2011, the FDA found counterfeit cancer medication, Avastin, in the American drug supply. The lifesaving medication used to treat late stage cancer patients contained mold and water, but no active ingredient. The fake drug reached patients after a circuitous round-the-world journey that began in Turkey, moved through several different European Union pass-through distributors and was shipped to the United States.

Latest Prescription Drug Counterfeiting Scheme Illustrates the Dangers of Importation

The Partnership for Safe Medicines released the following statement on the sentencing of Daniel Sanchez for his role in an illegal online counterfeit medicines scheme based in Pittsburgh and Houston:

Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is blood pressure and what does hypertension mean?
Answer: Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels. It is usually measured at a person's upper arm by an instrument called sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure is usually expressed in terms of the systolic (maximum) pressure over diastolic (minimum) pressure and is measured in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg). It is one of the vital signs along with respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and body temperature. Normal resting blood pressure in an adult is approximately 120/80 mm Hg. Read More>>>

Q2. What is bradycardia, tachycardia and cardiac arrhythmia?
Answer: Cardiac arrhythmia, also known as cardiac dysrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, is a group of conditions in which the heartbeat is irregular, too fast, or too slow. The most common symptom of arrhythmia is an abnormal awareness of heartbeat, called palpitations. These may be infrequent, frequent, or continuous. Some of these arrhythmias are harmless (though distracting for patients) but many of them predispose to adverse outcomes Read More>>>

Laughter Dose

Blog Addicts

Dear Ma’am, Thanks for the updates: It’s really very helpful in busy work schedule. Regards: Aviyansh

Dear Editor and PSM India Team, We enjoy reading PSM India newsletter very much. Carry on the good work. Lots of warm regards and hope!

Mrs. Riya Banerjee blogs: We should emphasize on the need of balanced life to eliminate many modern-day diseases. Thanks PSM India for such good articles!!

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