The Prescription: Partnership For Safe Medicines India

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News Archive

EDITOR'S EMULSION

Pooja Khaitan

Wishing all our Readers of The Prescription a very Happy New Year !
Let this coming year bring in good health for one and all !!!
Though “The Prescription” continues to highlight the various forms of healthcare negligence, fake drug menace, extortion, alerts, notices related to medicines all over India but in this New Year it also brings in some good news on positive progresses in safeguarding health of the common man with the new National Health portal, Online Patient registration, revamp of Jago Grahak Jago campaign, drafting of new Healthcare policy, uniform code for marketing of pharmaceuticals in this issue. Seeing the steps taken by the Indian govt and its subsidiary healthcare vigilance bodies we see a new dawn in the safety of patients and their accessibility to quality healthcare.
You can find list of approved FDCs and fresh drug approvals under the Drug Dopes section. Read this issue to know more on Placebo and antidote from FAQs and mark your calendar for upcoming events featured in this issue.
On behalf of the entire PSM INDIA team I urge all our readers to make healthy resolutions this year towards safe antibiotic usage and adhering to prescriptions rather than self medication.

If you have any suggestions, comments or queries, please email me at pooja@jagograhakjago.com.
You may find our previous issues on our website 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 .
To register a complaint kindly visit our consumer redressal website jagograhakjago.com”
Happy Reading !
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy !

Pooja Khaitan
Chief Editor , The PRESCRIPTION Partnership for Safe Medicines India.

DOSE OF THE DAY

“The key concerns of healthcare in the country are equity, affordability, accessibility and quality”.

Shri Lov Verma,
Secretary,
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, India

PSM India Capsules

Government to revamp Jago Grahak Jago campaign; PSM INDIA founder director, Shri Bejon Misra speaks on the urgent need to revitalise the campaign

New Delhi, Dec 2014: The government’s consumer awareness campaign, Jago Grahak Jago, is set to be recast. As the government looks to revamp the Consumer Protection Act, originally of 1986, bringing in over 20 major amendments, the Department of Consumer Affairs is also simultaneously planning to revitalise its marquee consumer awareness campaign. It intends to do so with the help of private advertising agencies and gurus.

PSM India through its newsletter “The Prescription” puts forward the news that Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has launched a “National Health Portal” on 14.11.2014 to provide healthcare information to the citizens of the country. This portal will serve as a single point of access for consolidated and authentic information and resources on the health sector to a wide spectrum of users such as academicians, citizens, students, healthcare professionals and researchers.
Presently, the NHP is disseminating information in Hindi, Gujarati, Bangla, Tamil and English.

To explore more of it visit at :- http://nhp.gov.in

National Injections

Swine Flu Outbreak in India: New Delhi Records First Death as Woman Dies Of H1N1 Virus New Delhi, Dec 2014: India's capital New Delhi recorded its first swine flu death this winter when a 51-year-old woman died from the disease at a local hospital, media reports said. The woman, who hailed from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, about 20 miles northeast of New Delhi, had been admitted to a local hospital after she complained of fever and cold, NDTV, a local news network reported, adding that she later tested positive for the flu. The woman reportedly died of multiple organ failure on Wednesday. Swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, is a respiratory infection that damages organs such as lungs, causing pneumonia by weakening the immune system.

Another Eye Camp Horror: 10 People Lose Eyesight After Surgery in Kangra Chandigarh, Dec 2014: Days after a botched up cataract surgery at a free eye camp at Punjab's Gurdaspur, at least 10 people have reported loss of vision in a similar surgery in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district. According to reports, 60 people from Punjab's Pathankot and Himachal Pradesh were operated upon at the eye camp in Kandwal village of Himachal Pradesh's Nurpur in March this year. While most people complained of irritation just after the surgery, at least 10 of them said they could not see anything once the bandage was removed.

Fake drug inspector held for extortionGurgaon, Dec 2014: A 31-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for allegedly posing as a drug inspector and trying to extort Rs 10,000 from an Ayurvedic doctor in Palam Vihar. The accused, Deepak Dhul, who is from Rohtak, said he had done Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery from Rohtak and used the knowledge to cheat people by posing as a drug inspector, police said. There is also a pending case of dowry harassment against him, the cops said.

On use of oxytocin in milk, HP High Court directs authorities to replyNew Delhi, Dec 2014: The Himachal Pradesh High Court recently directed the State Food and Civil supplies Director, the Drug Controller, the Drugs Controller-General of India, the Health Secretary of the Central government and the State Health Safety and Regulations Director to submit their replies on the issue of the large-scale use of harmful oxytocin vaccine in milk, fruits and vegetables.

MMC to issue uniform guidelines for physicians across stateMumbai, Dec 2014: With Union Health Ministry's recent directive that physicians should prescribe generic names in capital letters along with the brand names, Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) is also planning to issue a set of uniform guidelines for the physicians across Maharashtra while prescribing medicines.

Online Service For PatientsNew Delhi, Dec 2014: Pre-registration online service for Out Patient Department (OPD) has been started in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Under this service, a patient is required to fill all demographic details in an online electronic form and is issued a pre-registration number which is used at the time of registration. This service is basically a step towards easing out the registration process.

Drug Laws & Policy Injections

Health ministry to release draft of new healthcare policy next month Mumbai, Dec 2014: Health ministry is planning to release the draft notification of the new healthcare policy next month for stakeholders view. The government is reportedly in the final leg of the much-anticipated draft, which aims at making healthcare far more affordable and accessible to patients across all the spectrum of the society.

Task force on med devices to give recommendations in 2 months New Delhi, Dec 2014: A task force set up by the Government to address the key issues before the medical devices sector will give its recommendations in about two months, a top government official said today.

IMA to come out with uniform guidelines on rational use of drugs to tackle antibiotic resistance, ADRs Mumbai, Dec 2014: Considering the fact that many cases of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) go unreported in the absence of a strong notification or investigation system, Indian Medical Association (IMA) is in the process of framing guidelines on antibiotic resistance and irrational usage of drugs.

Department of Pharmaceuticals issues Uniform Code of Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices for Pharma industry Mumbai, Dec 2014: The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has issued the much awaited Uniform Code of Pharmaceuticals Marketing Practices (UCPMP) which should be voluntarily adopted and complied with by the pharma industry for a period of six months with effect from January 1, 2015 and it would be reviewed thereafter on the basis of the inputs received by the department.

Pharma Injections

Pharmacists in Kerela urge state govt to establish a Pharma Park in the state Chennai, Dec 2014: The pharmacists in Kerela have demanded to the State government to establish a Pharma Park in the state which will increase the quantity of drug production and the growth of the industries besides providing large scale job opportunities to the young pharmacists in the state. A resolution to this effect was passed in the National Pharmaceutical Scientific Seminar organised by the Kerala State Pharmacy Council in Thiruvananthapuram recently.

Shri Shripad Yesso Naik at CII Health Summit: Time to make “Health for All” a reality New Delhi, Dec-2014: Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, MoS, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare said that it is time to make ‘Health for All’. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik was delivering the keynote address at the 11th India Health Summit organized by CII on the theme “Health for All: Call for Action”. He stated that people of the country should have access to affordable and quality healthcare. The health strategy of the government needs to take healthcare to the doorstep of the people. The Minister stated that skilled and trained manpower formed a critical component of this strategy.

A strong reaction: Dark side of good drugs Bangalore, Dec 2015: Drugs designed to produce strong clinical effects usually come with varied side effects. Using medication without awareness of allergic reaction is a dangerous habit most of us are guilty of. Any medication can cause an adverse reaction. It might occur in spite of the fact that you might have taken the same medication before and experienced no such problem.

Global Injections

Fake drug factory busted in Dhaka Dhaka, Dec 2014: Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-10) busted a fake medicine factory in the capital’s Bangshal area yesterday. Acting on a tip-off, the Rab conducted the drive at a house on the 6th Khilghar road and found the illegal medicine factory, Rab officials said.

Beware of Fake Prescription Drugs Smuggled From China Beijing, Dec 2014: Drug gangs in the United States are moving to new markets, with the help of Chinese factories. Their new target is counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and their new victims are the vulnerable

New Mexico Oncologist Pleads Guilty To Providing Misbranded Cancer Medications To PatientsMexico, Dec 2014: Dr. Mohamed Basel Aswad of Deming, New Mexico has admitted in court that he purchased misbranded and mislabelled cancer medication from a Canadian medication supplier. On November 4, 2014 Dr. Mohamed Basel Aswad pleaded guilty in an Albuquerque courtroom to misdemeanour charges that he introduced misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reports in a press release.

Drug Dopes

CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organization) has published the comprehensive list of FDCs approved by DCGI since 1961 till November 2014. Know more of it at:
http://cdsco.nic.in/writereaddata/Aprroved%20FDC%20list%20till%20november%202014.pdf

Ranbaxy to launch India's first new chemical entity Synriam in seven African countries Mumbai, Dec 2014: Ranbaxy Laboratories has received the regulatory approval to launch India’s first NCE (New Chemical Entity), Synriam (arterolane maleate 150 mg piperaquine phosphate 750 mg drug) in seven African countries viz. Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, Cameroon Guinea, Kenya and Ivory Coast. The product has since been launched in Uganda and will be made available in other countries towards end of January 2015.

Upcoming Events

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PSM PILL

This year In Interchange 2014, public health experts discuss the impact on patients from counterfeit, non-FDA approved drugs in the U.S. and the world. Libby Baney, Executive Director for the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies talks about the current state of rogue online pharmacies and efforts to curb them.

Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is meant by placebo?
Answer:Placebo may be defined as a substance having no pharmacological effect but given merely to satisfy a patient who supposes it to be a medicine or a substance having no pharmacological effect but administered as control in testing experimentally or clinically the efficacy of drug.
Pharmacological substances administered through any means can act as placebos, including pills, creams, inhalants, and injections. Medical devices such as ultrasound can act as placebos. Placebo effect are useful in treating psychological patients and patients suffering from anxiety, sleep disorder, Parkinsonism, depression etc.

Q2. What is an antidote?
Answer: Antidote in medicine means a drug or agent that counteracts or neutralizes the effects of a poison. Ingested poisons are frequently treated by the oral administration of activated charcoal, which adsorbs the poison and flushes it from the digestive tract, thereby removing a large part of the toxin. Poisons which are injected into the body (such as those from bites or stings from venomous animals) are usually treated by the use of a constriction band which limits the flow of lymph and/or blood to the area, thus slowing circulation of the poison around the body. Below find enclosed a table of some commonly used antidotes for particular type of indication.
Universal Antidote- The Universal Antidote is a mixture that contains activated charcoal, magnesium oxide, and tannic acid. All three components neutralize the actions of many poisons. It is prepared by mixing "of two parts activated charcoal, one part tannic acid, and one part magnesium oxide intended to be administered to patients who consumed poison. Nowadays, only activated charcoal is considered to be the most effective and therefore used majorly in poisoning cases.

Laughter Dose

Blog Addicts

Mrs. Suparna, Pharmacist blogs PSM India is inspiring all pharmacists of our country to protect every citizen from falling prey to fake medicines!

Shri. P. K. Mukherjee says “The Prescription” is gradually becoming a virtuous array of all menace of spurious medicine both nationwide and global and we appreciate its good work!

Dr. Ankita Tiwari, MD Medicine tweets Obliged to safemedicines.in for bringing forward such great news, articles, facts, blogs, events, enquires about medicines

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Disclaimer : Our newsletter endeavors to compile patient safety information from various sources . PSM India may not be held responsible for any article published in The Prescription.