The Prescription: Partnership For Safe Medicines India

The Prescription: 1st January 2016 Issue

PSM INDIA Capsules Editor’s Emulsion Dose of the Day National Injections Drug Laws & Policy Injections Pharma Injections Global Injections DRUG DOPES UpComing Events PSM Pill FAQ Laughter Dose Blog Addict Contact Us

News Archive

EDITOR'S EMULSION

Pooja Khaitan

As the world grows another year older, I wish all our youthful readers and their family a heart that remains cheerful and a body that stays healthy always!
2015 has been a year with miscellaneous outcomes, some promising and some enterprising, in the health sector. While there have been many a promising initiatives and notable achievements in the health sector, news related to fraudulent medications, quack doctors, illegal online pharmacies, USFDA warnings to numerous pharma manufacturing firms and alarming rise of non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular ailments have created unwanted headlines as well. Pollution in major cities of the country has touched a deadly mark and children are the worst sufferers with varied respiratory disorders. Lets move ahead with stronger hopes that 2016 shall be able to curb these problems- bring in better innovation and faster progress.
Every year we dream of a better world for us. This year let US take the onus to make the world a better place for our future generations and us. Lets start by not compromising on our health.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

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 .
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

"Irrational use of medicines leads to ill consequences - improper treatment, under effects and side effects, and this ultimately leads to delayed recovery, continuance of agonies and discomforts, often increased expenses, hospitalization, and even premature deaths. Pharmacists are experts in medicine, they should help check irrational use of medicines by the public”.

Shri. J.P. Nadda
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare

Exclusive Benefit for PSM India Readers

PSM India Capsules

First Jan AUSHADHI STORE managed by PATIENTS

Starting the year on a very promising note...come and join the movement to enable Patients to ACCESS safe and quality healthcare. Destination Banares on 1st January 2016 at 4PM at Mata Anandamayee Hospital to trigger sale of Generic Medicines. Demand from your Doctor to write the Generic names of all medicines prescribed for you. HAPPY NEW YEAR AND SEASON'S GREETINGS!

National Injections

Notable Achievements and Initiatives- 2015 of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare December, 2015: The Government of India has press released the Notable Achievements and Initiatives- 2015 of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through its Press Information Bureau. To know more on it and gather information on the year round varied progress that has taken place in the Indian Health sector and how to get benefited from the various programs

APDCA seizes spurious drugs worth Rs.5 lakhs from 3 districts in AP Hyderabad, Dec 2015: The Andhra Pradesh Drug Control Administration (APDCA) has seized 58 varieties of spurious drugs worth Rs.5 lakhs from distributors across 3 districts in Andhra Pradesh. According to Dr. Ravi Shankar, Director General of APDCA, in a massive inspection drive conducted by the DCA authorities in the 3 districts of Ongole, Kurnool and Kadapa, it was found that an unlicensed firm Osheen Organics from Jaipur was manufacturing and distributing 58 varieties of drugs in the name of a fictitious company called Avya Health Care at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

One doctor available for every 1,681 citizens in the countryDecember 2015: There is one doctor available for every 1,681 citizens in the country. However, if allopathic and AUM (ayurvedic, unani and homeopathic) streams are considered together, then the doctor population ratio stands at 1:893. In a reply in Rajya Sabha, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said that as on June 30, 2015, there were 9,59,198 doctors registered with the State Medical Councils and the Medical Council of India.

Spurious drugs worth over Rs 6 lakh seized in Odisha in 45 daysBhubaneswar, Dec 2015: While raids and seizures continue in different districts of Odisha on vendors of spurious and sub-standard medicines by the authorities of the Directorate of Drugs Control Administration (DDCA), officials have seized spurious and sub-standard drugs worth more than Rs 6 lakhs in the last one and half months ever since it was reported in the media.

Drug Laws & Policy Injections

Health ministry to omit Rule 124-A from Drugs & Cosmetics RulesDecember, 2015: The Union Health Ministry will soon omit Rule 124-A from the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 which sets standards for veterinary drugs as Rule 124-A has become redundant. According to sources, the issue of omitting of Rule 124-A, which sets standards for veterinary drugs, from the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 was deliberated in the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB)'s latest meeting held on August 18, 2015 and the DTAB, the highest authority under the Union health ministry on technical matters, recommended that Rule 124-A has become redundant and therefore should be omitted

Karnataka government to launch Janasanjeevani stores in all 30 districts soon December, 2015: Karnataka government is all set to spur the drug distribution space in the state with the setting up of Janasanjeevani stores in each of its 30 districts. The Government in May this year had inked a pact with Hindustan Lifecare Limited (HLL) to source the drugs for these outlets. Two of these stores are scheduled for being set up at the Government medical facilities namely KC General Hospital and Victoria Hospital, Bengaluru within the next two weeks.

Proposal to bring all 18 therapeutic drugs under essential medicines list Mysuru, December 2015: With a view to bring medicine within the reach of the poor, the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, has recommended the inclusion of all 18 therapeutic drugs in the National List of Essential Medicines of India (NLEMI). While the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had taken up the revision of NLEMI, the Department of Pharmaceuticals, a constituent of the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, had suggested that medicine, drugs and pharmaceutical formulations in all 18 therapeutic areas be included in NLEMI.

HvPI expands base with 31 more centres for blood transfusion reaction reporting December, 2015: Aimed at raising awareness about blood transfusion hazards in blood banks across the country, Haemovigilance Programme of India (HvPI) has added 31 more centres for reporting blood transfusion related adverse reactions. With this, the HvPI programme has also been able to generate 3098 blood transfusion related adverse reaction reports till date through its total 238 centres across the country. This comes close on the heels of Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) asking the State Drug Controllers (DCs) to direct all licensed blood banks for uplinking transfusion adverse reactions with National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) under the HvPI. There are in total 2760 licensed blood banks in the country which will be covered under the programme.

Pharma Injections

Use of harmful steroidal lotions rampant in India December 2015: Misuse of steroidal lotions and skin creams which is harmful and now is out-of-control, a study published in The BMJ by a Gujarat-based dermatologist warned. Application of corticosteroid containing skin formulations in the face and groin can cause pigmentation and skin breakdown, bacterial and/or fungal infections which may lead to development of treatment-resistant infections and small and widened blood vessel in the skin.

Centre to take help of pharmacists for healthcare delivery including ADRs and systematic review of therapy protocols December 2015: Union government is working to expand its healthcare delivery formats to include the pharmacists who would interface with the doctors in the drug therapy compliances in patient care. This will not only help in the hospital setting for patient care but also for clinical trials where the pharmacist will play an indelible role to keep tabs on the adverse drug monitoring and systematic review of therapy protocols.

Doctors designs Rs 50 device to give patients their lost voice Throat cancer patients who have lost their voice can look forward to speaking again, without having to shell out thousands on an artificial voice box. A city-based oncologist has invented a voice prosthesis priced at just Rs 50. The device weighs just about 25 grams and is seen as a boon for the poor. The prosthesis available in the market costs Rs 20,000 (to be changed once in six months) and is not viable for many poor patients. My objective was to design something that is affordable and can give them their voice back," said Dr Vishal Rao, oncologist and head and neck surgeon, HCG Cancer Care.

Global Injections

Interpol seizes fake medicine worth $7 million across Asia LYON, France, 22 Dec 2015: Interpol seized counterfeit drugs worth $7 million in September in an operation encompassing 13 Asian countries, the international police organization said Monday, December 21.

Campaign addresses online counterfeit medicine sales 23rd Dec 2015: The International Institute against Counterfeit Medicines (IRACM) has launched a new phase of its awareness campaign about drugs bought on the Internet.

Brazil declares emergency as over 2400 babies born with deformities, due to brain-damaging virus24 December 2015 : The situation in Brazil has turned rather grim, as a mosquito-borne virus is believed to have been causing infants to be born with brain damage. This has left the Brazilian health authorities in distress.

Drug Dopes

Generic Hepcvir-L launched in India Dec-2015: Generic tablets of Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir (Hepcvir-L) for treatment of genotype 1 hepatitis C has been in launched in India by Cipla. Hepcvir-L is a generic version of Harvoni tablets that is being marketed by Gilead Sciences. A bottle of 28 tablets of Hepcvir-L will cost about Rs. 25,000.

Aurobindo gets US FDA approval for Famotidine tablets Aurobindo Pharma Ltd has received final approval from the US FDA to manufacture and Famotidine tablets USP, 20 mg and 40 mg. The approved ANDA is bioequivalent and therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug product (RLD) Pepcid tablets, 20 mg and 40 mg, of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.

Herbal sweetener launched for diabetics In a bid to provide a healthy life to diabetic patients, a new sweetener made of herbs was launched.
Zero Sugar -- made out of natural sweetener Stevia -- enables the patient to tackle obesity and satiate his sugar cravings also. Stevia is extracted from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana..

Upcoming Events

Click Here For More Events

PSM PILL

Interchange 2014 Highlights: Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood Speaks; Fight Counterfeits at the State Level

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, who has made significant contributions to state-based efforts to protect Americans from counterfeit products, was the first keynote speaker at PSM's 2014 Interchange. "By following up aggressively on all claims involving counterfeits," said PSM treasurer Tom Kubic, who introduced A.G. Hood, "Attorney General Hood has done something new and he showed us that the fight to protect consumers against counterfeit drugs is not just a Federal responsibility...Were the other 49 state Attorney Generals equally engaged in the fight against counterfeits, I believe the landscape would look significantly different today."

Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is malnutrition?
Answer: Malnutrition or malnourishment is a condition that results from eating a diet in which nutrients are either not enough or are too much such that the diet causes health problems. It may involve calories, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins or minerals. Not enough nutrients is called under nutrition or undernourishment while too much is called over nutrition. Signs and symptoms of malnutrition generally includes:.Read More>>>

Q2. What is RDA?
Answer: Dietary standards, regardless of the name they go by – Recommended Dietary Allowances ( RDA), Recommended Nutrient Intakes, Recommended Daily Amounts of Nutrients, or Safe Intakes of Nutrients – are the average daily amounts of essential nutrients estimated, on the basis of available scientific knowledge, to be sufficiently high to meet the physiological needs of practically all healthy persons in a group with specified characteristics. Read More>>>

Laughter Dose

Blog Addicts

Mrs. Anita Rajdan, Health Safety Officer : Thanks PSM India for varied health care information. Keep up your noble work. Best wishes for coming editions!

Ms. Sweta , Pharma professional :Dear PSM India team, your articles are very effective in motivating and creating awareness, understanding related to spurious medicines !

Dr. Darbari , Medical surgeon : Nice interesting articles in The Prescription. Wish you more success in future!

This Newsletter is brought to you by

© 2011 Partnership for Safe Medicines India
F-9, 2nd floor, Kailash Colony, New Delhi -110048
jagograhakjago.com; jagograhakjago.com; jagograhakjago.com
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.