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EDITOR'S EMULSION
Warm Greetings and a very Happy New Year to everyone !
Welcome to yet another exciting month and a most pleasant Reading of our newsletter.
Please do not hesitate to mail your comments on this edition to help us further improve so please feel free to get in touch with us. 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.
Stay Healthy. Stay Protected.
Pyush Misra
Editor-in-Chief
DOSE OF THE DAY
“There is no pressure on the regulatory body. We accept their decisions. The decision on vaccines will be taken by a panel, which represents India’s scientific capital. We will wait till all parameters are met (and) when our regulator will say safe. If we compromise today, we will be hurting our cause,”
Dr VK Paul
Member Niti Aayog
Government of India
Sponsor
Patient Safety Capsules
Madhya Pradesh Cabinet Wants Life Term For Adulteration
BHOPAL, 23 DEC 2020: The Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal for lifetime imprisonment for adulteration of food and medicines. This was done after at least one plasma-related death in Gwalior and apprehension that racketeers may go after the Covid vaccine as well.
Haryana Set To Become Hub Of Medical Devices
Chennai, 23 Dec 2020: Haryana, the erstwhile popular hub of pharmaceutical formulations in the northern part of the country, is now turning out to be the centre of the medical devices industry to manufacture and sell elite medical diagnostic instruments.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
Full Declaration Of Ingredients, Not Cosmetic, Made MandatoryNEW DELHI, 24 DEC 2020: It has now become mandatory for manufacturers of cosmetics and make-up products in India to declare all ingredients, even those with concentration of less than 1%, to help buyers make more informed choices.
FSSAI Enhances Surveillance, Sampling And Enforcement To Check Use Of Syrups In Honey New Delhi, 25 Dec 2020: FSSAI has issued a letter dated 18 Dec, 2020 reiterating the instruction issued earlier related to enhancing surveillance, sampling and enforcement to check the use of Golden Syrup, Invert Sugar Syrup or Rice Syrup in Honey.
Cipla Seeks Approval To Modify Remdesivir Composition To Reduce Renal ToxicityMumbai, 24 Dec 2020: The Mumbai headquartered pharma giant Cipla has sought approval from the subject expert committee (SEC) at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to modify Covid-19 drug remdesivir’s composition to minimise its adverse effects on the kidneys.
Govt Removes Export Curbs On Medical Goggles, GlovesNew Delhi, 22 Dec 2020: The government on Tuesday removed export curbs on medical goggles and gloves, which were in demand due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to boost outbound shipments of these products.
New Covid Strain Not Yet Found In India: ExpertsNew Delhi, 22 Dec 2020: India has not yet detected the new strain of coronavirus that has spread to some parts of the United Kingdom, top government officials said on Monday, describing the curbs on flight services as a “measure of caution”.
Give Vaccine Emergency Use Authorisation After Trials On Sufficient Sample Size: Parliamentary PanelNew Delhi, 21 Dec 2020: Any vaccine against COVID-19 should be granted emergency use authorisation only after proper consideration and conducting its trials on a sufficient sample size, a parliamentary panel chaired by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has recommended to the government.
Pharma Injections
Have To Believe UK Scientists' Claims That New Mutation Is Transferable: CSIRNew Delhi, 22 Dec 2020: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, DG Shekhar Mande said that though scientist world has not seen the transferable mutation but as UK scientist have gone on record with the claims we will have to believe it.
FSSAI Issues New Manual For Analysing Aflatoxin In FoodNew Delhi, 21 Dec 2020: The apex food regulator, FSSAI, has issued a revised manual for methods of analysis of mycotoxins including aflatoxin in food. FSSAI has stated that the manual shall be used by the laboratories with immediate effect and this manual shall supersede the earlier manual on mycotoxins.
Warburg Pincus In Talks To Invest Rs 1,500 Crore In MedPlus MUMBAI, 21 DEC 2020: Warburg Pincus is in advanced talks to invest Rs 1,500 crore in MedPlus, India’s second-largest pharmacy retailer, for a significant minority stake at a time when online and offline chains face consolidation with the entry of deep-pocketed companies such as Reliance Retail, Tata and Amazon.
IMA Moves Supreme Court On Allowing Ayurvedic Doctors To Perform Surgeries New Delhi, 20 Dec 2020: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has moved the Supreme Court against a Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) order to authorise postgraduate practitioners in specified streams of Ayurveda system of medicine to be trained to perform general surgical procedures.
Indian Pharma Companies To Benefit From Increasing Demand In US, Says Report New Delhi, 19 Dec 2020: Indian pharma companies are expected to benefit from improving demand in the US market, said India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra). As per the ratings agency, these companies have garnered 45% of all new Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) approvals over the past nine months.
AstraZeneca-Oxford Vaccine Still Under Review: UK Drug Regulator Mumbai/ New Delhi, 19 Dec 2020: The UK’s drug regulator, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is still reviewing the AstraZeneca/ Oxford vaccine, which has implications for Serum Institute of India’s (SII) Covid vaccine approval in India.
Drug Dopes
Emami To Expand Ayurvedic Product Export Under ZanduKOLKATA, 23 DEC 2020: Emami plans to export its healthcare portfolio under Zandu into several newer markets with the company receiving the WHO-GMP and Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (CoPP) accreditations for its two plants located at Vapi and Masat in Gujarat. 
Agra Police Seizes Illegal Drugs Worth Rs 4 Crore, Arrests AccusedAgra, 22 Dec 2020: The Agra Police has arrested several persons with narcotics and psychotropic drugs worth Rs 4 crore. Pankaj Gupta alias Chandrakant Gupta, an international drug dealer, was among others arrested on Tuesday.
Orissa High Court Unearths Fake Medical Certificate Racket For Bail Pleas CUTTACK, 18 DEC 2020: Even as the courts are taking a liberal approach to granting bail with the intention of econgesting jails in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, some bail seekers seem to have found novel methods to cheat their way to release. In such an instance, the Orissa High Court has stumbled upon a racket involved in preparing forged medical certificates for obtaining interim bail.
DCGI Directs SLAs To Recall Batches Of Rapid Antigen IVD Kits Mumbai, 18 Dec 2020: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has directed all state licensing authorities (SLAs) to recall batches of rapid antigen in vitro diagnostic (IVD) kits of Gujarat-based manufacturer Labcare Diagnostics India Pvt Ltd and Haryana-based SD Biosensor Healthcare Pvt Ltd for non-compliance to the minimum acceptance criteria of sensitivity and specificity as stipulated by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Sikkim Police Arrest Sub-Inspector In Biggest Ever Drug Bust Gangtok, 18 Dec 2020: A drug bust worth Rs 14 lakh on Thursday has revealed the alleged role of a sub-inspector of Sikkim Police who was acting as a facilitator in bringing the drugs to the state, Sikkim Police said.
Security Agencies Fear 'Crazy' YabaNew Delhi, 15 Dec 2020: A sharp rise in the smuggling of yaba or 'crazy medicine' drug tablets -- almost double than the much-abused Phensedyl cough syrup -- along the country's eastern front with Bangladesh has alarmed security agencies prompting them to tweak their strategy for curbing the new menace, according to government reports and officials.
National Injections
Use Ayush Docs For Clinical Work And You Could Lose Accreditation: NABH To Hospitals New Delhi, 19 Dec 2020: The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare providers (NABH) has warned allopathic hospitals accredited with it that they could face withdrawal of accreditation if they were found employing Ayush doctors for performing clinical duties in ICUs and other patient care areas in place of MBBS resident medical officers (RMOs) and emergency doctors.
HC Notice To Centre On Plea Against Allowing Non-Medical Persons To Certify Diagnostic ReportsNew Delhi, 17 Dec 2020: The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Central government on a plea challenging the Clinical Establishments Amendment Rules, 2020, under which it has allowed unregistered and unqualified non-medical persons like MSc and Ph.D. holders to certify medical diagnostic reports.
Only 6 Of 57 Blood Banks Double-Check Sample For Infections BHUBANESWAR, 16 DEC 2020: Nine years after the high court had in July 2011 asked Odisha to carry out pre-transfusion blood screening in all blood banks using the NAT PCR technology, along with the usual ELISA test, the government has done so in only six of the 57 blood banks in the state. It plans to expand the technology in seven other blood banks soon.
Honey Adulterant Import From China May Be Curbed NEW DELHI, 17 DEC 2020: The government is considering curbs, including a possible ban, on the import of high fructose syrup, whose traces were found in honey sold under several wellknown brand names.
2 Water Purifier Companies Asked To Withdraw Ads With Misleading Claims AHMEDABAD, 9 DEC 2020: After a series of advocacy efforts by Ahmedabad-based Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC), two water purifier companies have been directed to withdraw their advertisements with misleading claims by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). The ads include a television commercial (TVC) of Blue Star Water Purifiers and another by Cuckoo Water Healthifiers.
No Pressure On Drug Regulator To Approve Covid Vaccines, Says VK Paul New Delhi, 12 Dec 2020: Ruling out any pressure on the drug regulator — Drug Controller General of India — to take a decision on approving Covid-19 vaccines, NITI Aayog member V.K. Paul Saturday said a final call on granting emergency use authorisation will be taken based on “sound scientific principles” in the coming days.
Global Injections
Covid-19 Immunity Lasts At Least 8 Months, Hope For Longevity Of Vaccinations: StudyMelbourne, 23 Dec 2020: People who have recovered from the novel coronavirus infection have immune memory to protect against reinfection for at least eight months, according to a new study which provides strong evidence for the likelihood that Covid-19 vaccines will work for long periods.
Fake 'Immunity Booster' Found On Sale In London ShopsLondon, 18 Dec 2020: Fake "Covid-19 immunity boosters" are being sold over the counter in London shops, a BBC investigation has found. Coronil, a herbal remedy from India, was found on sale in shops in predominantly Asian areas across the capital. Manufacturers Patanjali Ayurved claim the pills protect against "respiratory tract infections".
Scientists Develop Method To Measure Covid-19 Aerosol Spread Risk Using Hand-Held Device
LONDON, 23 DEC 2020: Scientists have developed a method to measure aerosol concentrations and persistence in public spaces using commercial hand-held particle counters, an advance that may help determine the impacts of Covid-19 risk-reducing measures, like ventilation improvements.
BioNTech Says Can Make Mutation-Beating Vaccine In Six Weeks
BERLIN, 22 DEC 2020: The co-founder of BioNTech said Tuesday it was "highly likely" that its vaccine against the coronavirus works against the mutated strain detected in Britain, but it could also adapt the vaccine if necessary in six weeks.
Pfizer, Moderna Testing Their Vaccines Against UK Coronavirus Strain
Washington, 22 Dec 2020: Pfizer and Moderna are testing their coronavirus vaccines to see if they work against the new mutated version of the virus that’s recently been found in the United Kingdom and other countries, CNN reported.
US CDC Issues Guidelines On COVID-19 Vaccination After Allergic Reactions
Washington, 20 Dec 2020: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday said it was monitoring reports of allergic reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination and made recommendations on how people with histories of allergies should proceed.
PSAIIF PILL
Health Ministry Notifies Cosmetics Rules, 2020
Mumbai, 19 Dec 2020: In order to separately codify rules relating to cosmetics for effective compliance, the Union health ministry, through a gazette notification, has notified the Cosmetics Rules, 2020.
Police Cracks Down On The Trafficking Of Pharma Drugs
Dimapur, 17 Dec 2020: The Kohima Police, Nagaland observed the 'Anti-drug drive week' in Kohima on Thursday. They observed the 'Anti-drug drive week' by cracking down on pharma drug trafficking. A joint exercise was conducted by the Kohima Police with help from the drug inspector of Kohima. They conducted the joint exercise in Kohima town in Nagaland, and check a few pharmacies during the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Emergency Use Authorisation For Drugs And Vaccines?
New Delhi, 13 Dec 2020: The Pune-based Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech of Hyderabad, frontrunners among Indian vaccine makers, have been advised by India’s drugs regulator — the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) — to furnish more evidence that their vaccine candidates were safe and capable of preventing COVID-19. Neither company has finished testing its vaccines, but they chose to approach the drug regulator seeking ‘emergency use’ provisions. Read More>>>
SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM
Covaxin Induces Robust Response, No Serious Adverse Events In Trials
HYDERABAD, 17 DEC 2020: India’s first indigenous vaccine Covaxin was successful in inducing robust immune response without any serious adverse events during the Phase 1 trials. The trials were conducted on 375 volunteers in July-August, Bharat Biotech said in a research paper. The paper has been uploaded on ‘medRxiv’, a server which carries preprints of research work before it is peer reviewed. The company said a majority of the adverse events observed during the study were mild and were resolved.
Blog Addicts
Prof. Jayant Kantilal Excellent articles being published every edition. Very enjoyable.
Ms Geetanjali Fotedar, MDIndeed a pleasure to receive the newsletter and read it. Well done.
Ms (Dr.) Malati Ganesan, MBBS
Presented very beautifully and aptly captures important developments in the Pharma space.
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