PSM INDIA Capsules National Injections Drug Laws & Policy Injections Global Injections Pharma Injections PSM PillDRUG DOPES UpComing Events Editor’s Emulsion FAQ Laughter Dose Blog Addict
EDITOR'S EMULSION
Firstly, a big thank you to all my readers for your valuable feedback and comments!! Your encouraging words have always made us better ourselves with every issue . Its always a pleasure to read through your suggestions and get them incorporated as well.
This edition of “The Prescription” features important articles on the Government setting up a new Ministry for the Pharmaceutical Sector, warning on irrational use of painkillers, infant killing, medical negligence and many more under our National injections section. Catch on new policies and drug related amendments especially the formation of National eHealth Authority, commencement of National Health Resource Centre, amendment of schedule M III for GMP compliance for devices and more covered under Drug Laws and policies section.
While it is a good idea to get any memory loss issues checked out by a doctor, the culprit could potentially be no further than your medicine cabinet. Certain drugs could be the leading cause of memory loss. Read to know about this under Pharma injections.
Two commonly used medical terms like ‘polypharmacy’ and ‘deprescribing’ have been deeply and interestingly explained under FAQs. Catch news on fake medicine across the Globe and while doing so unwind with a laughter dose that follows . Mark your calendar for important upcoming events across India and the world over.
If you have any suggestions, comments or queries, please email me at pooja@jagograhakjago.com.
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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
“A nation cannot be healthy when its children, who are its most valuable assets, are not healthy. This can happen when we immunize all children against all vaccine preventable diseases”
Shri. J.P Nadda
Hon’ble Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare
Government of India
PSM India Capsules
W. Bengal Government to form 5-member advisory panel for consumer protection
Shri. Bejon Misra, International Consumer Policy Expert and Founder of PSM-India , delivers his speech at a seminar on ‘Consumer Rights Empowering the Consumer’ in Kolkata on Saturday. Shri.Sadhan Pande (3rd from right), Minister, Department of Consumer Affairs of West Bengal, is also present.
KOLKATA, MARCH 2015: On the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day celebration, Government of West Bengal along with FICCI arranged a seminar on "Consumer Rights: Empowering the Consumers" on 14th March 2015 at Kolkata. Shri Bejon Misra, International Consumer Policy Expert and Founder-Director of PSM-India was invited to deliver the key note address and conduct the panel discussion. Shri Sadhan Pande, Hon'ble Cabinet Minister, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of West Bengal was the Chief Guest.
WORLD ORAL HEALTH DAY, SMILE FOR LIFE !
Oral disease affects large amount of population worldwide and often found that amongst them 90% are school children. Oral diseases are a significant burden on overall health. The principal problems are: dental caries, cavities, periodontal diseases and oral cancer. Relatively simple, inexpensive measures can largely prevent these conditions and thus reduce the high burden of oral disease.
National Injections
Government might set up new ministry for pharmaceutical sector Mumbai, March 2015: The Government may establish a separate Ministry for the pharmaceuticals sector considering the size of industry which would comprise all departments that deal with issues related to medicine for the benefit of the end user, i.e. the customer. 
Painkillers like Paracetamol and Asprin impose potential risk to liver, heart and kidney New Delhi, March 2015: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has advised people to abstain from using common painkillers like Aspirin and Paracetamol for pain and fever management due to certain serious adverse events.
15 infants die at Kolkata hospital, families allege medical negligenceNew Delhi, March 2015: Many people gathered in front of Dr BC Roy Postgraduate Institute of Paediatric Sciences, Kolkata, on Friday morning protesting the alleged death of 15 new-borns in the last 24 hours. They alleged that the deaths were due to medical negligence and demanded an inquiry into the incident.
Large amount of drugs labelled as 'not for sale' samples confiscated from 2 chemist shopsBathinda, March 2015: Punjab Food and Drug Administration (FDA raided business and residential premises of two Bathinda chemists and found that physician samples, which were mentioned as not for sale were illegally being sold in the open market. The raids were conducted by three teams of Drugs Inspectors of Mohali and Patiala districts.
Unsafe syringe, needle use reported in HyderabadMarch 2015: Shockingly, doses of injectable Monocef were administered to children without changing needle and syringe in Hyderabad-based Niloufer Hospital. The parents of the victims complained immediate allergic reaction with urticaria and swelling of the arms to the Hospital administration and staged protests.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
National eHealth Authority to be set up by GOIMarch 2015: The Union Health Ministry has planned to soon establish the National eHealth Authority (NeHA) that will be responsible for development of an Integrated Health Information System (including Telemedicine and mHealth) in India, while collaborating with all the stakeholders, viz., healthcare providers, consumers, healthcare technology industries, and policymakers. 
Commencement of National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) New Delhi, March 2015 : World Health Organization (WHO) Country office for India in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), formally announced the commencement of National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Priority Medical Devices and Health Technology Policy.
Health ministry sets up panel for amending Sch M III for GMP compliance for devices Mumbai, March 2015: In order to address issues relating to the quality of the medical devices imported or manufactured in the country, health ministry has set up a committee to give suggestions on proposed amendment of Schedule M III under the D&C Rules towards enhancing good manufacturing practices (GMP) globally.
Karnataka Government gearing up on implementation of e-hospital software & grant based supply of medicines March 2015: Karnataka government has geared up to implement the e-hospital software in all the hospitals of the state with a view to document and utilise the health information of every patient visiting government hospitals in the state.
NSF International comes out with standard on GMP for pharmaceutical excipients March 2015: Global public health organisation NSF International has published the first American National Standard for pharmaceutical excipients - NSF/IPEC/ANSI 363: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for Pharmaceutical Excipients.
Pharma Injections
Top 7 Drugs that May Cause Memory Loss March 2015: While it is a good idea to get any memory loss issues checked out by a doctor, the culprit could potentially be no further than your medicine cabinet. Certain drugs could be the leading cause of memory loss.
Interesting news on frequently used medications:- A recent study published in the British journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases found that chronic Paracetamol use has increased the risk of death due to heart, intestinal or renal problems. About 63% increased risk of deaths among long term Paracetamol users were found in two of eight studies, compared to non-users. About 19-68% increased risk of developing cardiovascular and renal problems were found in four studies. Similarly, 49% increased risk of GI bleeding and other GI-related adverse events were observed in other studies. In all cases, the degree of risk was dose-dependent.
Global Injections
Sovaldi counterfeits in the market? March, 2015 : The public is being warned to beware of counterfeit versions of Gilead Sciences' hepatitis C virus therapy Sovaldi after a factory producing them was shut down in Pakistan.
US FDA issues final guidance on reprocessing of reusable medical devices Maryland, March 2015; The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new actions to enhance the safety of reusable medical devices and address the possible spread of infectious agents between uses.
Drug Dopes
National Rabies Control Programme launched in Haryana Mumbai, March 2015: India’s first pilot project under the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) was launched recently by Humane Society International/India in collaboration with the Animal Welfare Board of India and the State Government of Haryana.
Hetero, Natco get DCGI nod for Hepatitis C drug Sofosbuvir Hyderabad, March, 2015: Hyderabad-based Hetero and Natco companies has announced that they have received approval for generic Sofosbuvir tablets, 400 mg, from the Drug Controller General of India. Hetero will launch Sofosbuvir under its brand Sofovir in India. Hetero will price the generic medicine at Rs. 19,900 for a bottle of 28 tablets and will launch the medicine this month in India and other countries soon.
FDA recalls from US shelves 200 vials of chemotherapy drug produced by Sun Pharmaceuticals Washington, Mar, 2015: India’s pharmaceutical woes continue, as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced this week that it was recalling 200 vials of products produced by Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.
USFDA approves Unituxin March, 2015: The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved Dinutuximab (Unituxin) as a combined therapy with interleukin-2 (IL-2), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and 13-cis-retinoic acid (RA) for treatment of children who are at high risk of developing neuroblastoma and achieved partial response to multimodality therapies.
US launch for BI/Lilly diabetes combo Glyxambi March, 2015: Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly have launched their new diabetes combination therapy Glyxambi across the US, offering patients a new option for blood glucose control. Glyxambi - a combination of Jardiance (empagliflozin) with Trajenta (linagliptin) - is the first treatment in the US to marry the dual mechanisms of action of a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitor and a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor in a once-daily pill.
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PSM PILL
Unregulated Supplements Can Harm Your Heart
In honour of American Heart Month on Feb 2015, PSM International published an advisory on ‘natural’ supplements stating that supplements are sometimes unregulated, and unless the source is verified as a safe one, they may contain undeclared drugs that can damage your heart.
Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is meant by Polypharmacy?
Answer: The term ‘polypharmacy’ refers to use of multiple medications by a patient at the same time for illness. It comes from two Greek root words: ‘poly’, meaning many, and ‘pharmakeia’ meaning medicines or drugs. It is generally used when that person is taking too many medications, or when the drugs have been prescribed by many doctors, and may not have been coordinated well. Polypharmacy is most common in the elderly, affecting about 40% of older adults living in their own homes. Although polypharmacy can be appropriate, it is more often inappropriate. Concerns about polypharmacy include increased adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, prescribing cascade, and higher treatment costs. Prescription or prescribing cascade refers to the process whereby the side effects of drugs are misdiagnosed as symptoms of another problem resulting in further prescriptions and further side effects and unanticipated interactions. This may lead to further misdiagnoses and further symptoms Polypharmacy is often associated with a decreased quality of life, decreased mobility and cognition.
Q2. What is meant by deprescribing?
Answer: Deprescribing is the process of tapering, withdrawing, discontinuing or stopping medications to reduce multiple use of drugs i.e. polypharmacy, adverse drug effects and inappropriate or ineffective medication use. It involves re-evaluating the ongoing reasons for and effectiveness of medication therapy. It is often applied for those with chronic conditions, for the elderly and for those who have a limited life expectancy. Deprescribing, when performed by medical professionals, can be effective in reducing medication burden in patients to improve quality of life while maintaining control of chronic conditions. It must be done carefully with monitoring to avoid worsening of disease or withdrawal effects. When deprescribing, it is possible for the patient to develop signs and symptoms known as adverse drug withdrawal events (ADWE). These symptoms may be related to the original reason why the medication was prescribed, or they might be new experiences for the patient.
Blog Addicts
Hope for better health Association blogs: Cheers to PSM India for its great efforts in empowering the need for being alert against fake medicines!
Mr. Tapan Kumar Chaudhary, Social activist chirps: PSM- India has put forward the stepping stones in endowing effective, safe and quality medicine across all corners of our India!
Dr. Sobha Desai, Retired Medical Professional blogs:
Thanks to Shri Bejon Misra and his PSM- India team very much for creating consumer awareness!
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