The Prescription: Partnership For Safe Medicines India

Editor’s Emulsion PSM INDIA Capsules Drug Laws & Policy Injections Pharma Injections DRUG DOPES National Injections Global Injections PSM Pill DOSE OF THE DAY FAQ Subscriber's Symptom UpComing Events Laughter Dose Blog Addict Contact Us

News Archive

EDITOR'S EMULSION

Pooja Khaitan

Greetings!

Welcome to yet another edition of our newsletter.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of parasitic and bacterial infections that infect more than one billion people around the world, mostly the underprivileged. Currently, World Health Organization classifies 17 bacterial and parasitic infections as ‘neglected tropical diseases’ (NTDs). Without treatment, these infections can cause immense human suffering, lifelong disabilities or death. Treating NTDs is necessary to ensure that efforts to aid nutrition, education, health and economic productivity are successful. Controlling and eradicating NTDs is critical to ending extreme poverty. Read More>>>

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 www.jagograhakjago.com
Happy Reading !
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy !

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

DOSE OF THE DAY

"A number of new trails have started with a combination of new drugs which could lead to an effective and safe universal drug regimen for all kinds of TB."

Dr. Saumya Swaminathan
Director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research

PSM India Capsules

Need Urgent Attention on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)!

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 17 contagious diseases that cause serious illness for more than one billion people globally, costing developing countries billions of dollars every year. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) mainly affect people living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals.

Drug Laws & Policy Injections

Doctors association demands government to regulate quality control on generics before framing rules for prescription Hyderabad, May, 2017: With Medical Council of India’s (MCI) direction to all doctors to prescribe only generic drugs in a clear and legible handwriting, the doctors association in Telangana and elsewhere in the country are still finding it tough to comply with the directive and expressing their inability to do it, because they have least confidence in the efficacy and quality of generics. According to Dr. Narsing Reddy, president of State Medical Association, Telangana, though the government’s intention in asking the doctors' community to prescribe only generic medicines to help the patient’s get affordable healthcare, there is no proper regulatory system to continuously monitor the quality and efficacy of the generics.

DoP asks manufacturers to disseminate revised price information to retailers, distributors and stockists May 2017: The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) in its recent notification has clarified that if manufacturers are able to produce documentary evidence of communicated revised price with distributors, retailers or stockists, the liability of depositing the overcharged amount will be limited only to stock handled by the concerned retailer/ distributor or stockist. DoP, in order to overcome the issue of overcharged medicines, has urged the manufacturers to carry the revised price as notified by the NPPA from time to time and disseminate the revised price to all the concerned including retailers, distributors and stockists to avoid the liability of depositing the overcharged amount along with interest from date of such overcharging.

NPPA issues show cause notices to 67 pharma firmsNew Delhi, May 2017: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority(NPPA) has issued show cause notices to 67 pharmaceutical companies for introducing 201 new brands without taking price approval. The 67 companies include many major players: Abbott Healthcare, Alkem, Biocon, Cadila, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, GSK, Glenmark, Intas, Lupin, Mankind, Novartis India, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Sanofi India, Strides Shasun, Wockhardt and Zydus Cadila, among others. Sun Pharmaceuticals, which owns Ranbaxy Laboratories, told The Indian Express: "This showcause (notice) has been posted this evening.

To curb drugs tweaked to beat price cap, govt cuts states' licensing powersNEW DELHI, MAY 2017: The central drug quality regulator has prohibited states from issuing manufacturing licences to new drugs, particularly fixed dose combinations (FDCs), unless approval has been granted by the drugs controller general of India (DCGI). The order comes in the wake of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority's (NPPA's) crackdown on leading pharmaceutical companies found selling over 200 medicines without price approval.

Pharma Injections

IIT Delhi researchers develop cheapest respiratory filterNEW DELHI, MAY 2017: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have developed a respiratory filter which not only restricts entry of up to 95 percent dust and air pollutants, but is also the cheapest naso filter available. The device 'Nasofilters', a nano-respiratory filter involving a cost of Rs. 10, is ready for commercialisation and gives protection against the finest particulate pollutants in the air for at least eight hours and hence reduces the risk of respiratory diseases.

IIT-H develops biodegradable nano-particles to treat cancerHyderabad, May 2017: The Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad (IIT-H) has developed biodegradable non-particles that could be instrumental in treating cancer. A team led by assistant professor Aravind Kumar Rengan has been working on finding alternative ways to chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer treatment to minimise side-effects caused by these therapies. He designed a novel nano system which kills the cancer cells by photothermal therapy.

Platelet shortages come to an end with this new discovery New Delhi, May 2017: A new discovery may be the key to stopping shortages of these vital blood-clotting cells that can represent the difference between life and death, says a study. The finding from the University of Virginia School of Medicine also could offer big benefits for premature babies, opening the door to new treatments for a serious condition called neonatal thrombocytopenia that affects up to 30 percent of babies in neonatal intensive care units.

Now, High blood pressure affects even 25-year-olds in Mumbai Mumbai, May 2017: Every year, May 17 is dedicated to World Hypertension Day (WHD), and health experts are hoping to increase awareness about this condition, which until recently, affected only older adults. However, studies say that the trend has changed drastically in the last couple of years.

Developed: Graphene-based sensor to monitor, manage asthma New Delhi, May 2017: Researchers have created a graphene-based sensor that can help monitor, manage asthma and other respiratory diseases. They say the sensor could lead to earlier detection of looming asthma attacks, thereby preventing hospitalisation and death. The sensor paves the way for the development of wearable devices - possibly resembling fitness trackers like the Fitbit - which people could wear and then know when and at what dosage to take their medication.

Drug Dopes

Updated LIST OF NEW DRUGS APPROVED FROM 01-01-2017 TILL DATE BY NEW DRUGS DIVISION, CDSCO, FDA Bhawan, New Delhi List of New Drug Approved by FDA

NPPA revises rates of 6 drugs, fixes price of 1 medicine NEW DELHI, MAY 2017: Drug price regulator NPPA has revised the prices of six essential drugs, including the ones used for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, and fixed the rate of one medicine.

CID busts fake medicine making unit in Mehsana Ahmedabad, May 2017: A team of the state police's CID (crime) raided a medicine manufacturing unit near Mehsana on Friday evening and found it to be producing a branded medicine without licensing. Samples of the raw material and packed tubes have been sent for forensic analysis, to ascertain the ingredients. Three persons were caught and booked under provisions of the Trade Marks Act, Indian Copyright Act and IPC.

Fake drugs seized in raid Solan, May 2017: A team of officials appointed by the Patiala House Court, Delhi, raided the premises of a Kumarhatti-based pharmaceutical unit, SMD Chemi Pharma, and seized 19 fake drugs manufactured under the name of a Paonta Sahib-based unit Zee Life Sciences Private Limited.

Health ministry revokes suspension of manufacture, sale of dextropropoxyphene & formulations Mumbai, May 2017: The Union ministry of health revoked the suspension of the manufacture, sale and distribution of dextropropoxyphene and formulations subject to the conditions that the package insert, promotional literature and labeling of the drug shall clearly mention the use of the drug for cancer pain only. The direction says that the dose of the drug should not be more than 300 mg per day and the manufacturer shall advise doctors for use of the drug in cancer pain only.

National Injections

Cabinet gives nod to maternity benefit programme New Delhi, May 2017: The Cabinet gave its nod to the maternity benefit programme providing ₹6,000 each to lactating mothers, but restricted the scheme to firstborns only.

Government rolls out fruit-flavoured TB tablets for children New Delhi, May 2017: The initiative has been rolled out in five states and by next month, it will be introduced in 17 more states

Government clears mission to develop bio-pharmaceuticals New Delhi, May 2017: The government approved a programme for development of bio pharmaceuticals through industry-academia collaboration, entailing an investment of Rs 1,500 crore by it over a period of five years.

India may miss TB eradication target May 2017: India may not be able to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025 as targeted by the government. Cases of drug resistant TB are expected to rise in four high burden countries of India, the Philippines, Russia, and South Africa between 2000 and 2040, a Lancet study shows.

Doctors successfully carried out India's first womb transplant in Pune New Delhi, May 2017: For the first time in the country, a team of doctors successfully performed a womb transplant on a 21-year-old woman on May 18 at a hospital in Pune

Swine flu continues to haunt people in Telangana as more than 160 cases registered during past one month Hyderabad, May, 2017: Irrespective of weather conditions, be it winter or summer, the swine flu menace is still continuing to haunt the people in Telangana. During the past one month as many as more than 160 cases have been registered in various government and private hospitals across the state.

UP hospital denies ambulance, man carries wife's dead body on stretcher New Delhi, May 2017: In a shocking incident from UP, a man was forced to carry the dead body of his wife on a stretcher after hospital authorities denied an ambulance to him.

Global Injections

First human antibodies to fight all Ebola viruses found New York, May 2017: The first natural human antibodies that can neutralize and protect animals against all three major disease-causing Ebola viruses have been discovered by scientists, including one of Indian origin.

Air pollution may cause DNA damage in children Los Angeles, May 2017: Children and teenagers exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollution may be at an increased risk of a specific DNA damage called telomere shortening, a new study warns.

Hypertension in young adults may up stroke risk later: study

Houston, May 2017: Youngsters with high blood pressure may be at an increased risk of stroke as well as damage to the kidneys and brain later in life, a new study warns.

One bite is all it takes for Zika mosquito to transmit dengueWashington DC, May 2017: Turns out, a single mosquito bite might be enough to transmit multiple viruses. A new study led by Colorado State University researchers found that Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito that carries Zika virus, might also transmit chikungunya and dengue viruses with one bite.

PSM PILL

Online Pharmacies Actually Fronts For Illegal Call Center In India Busted Selling Counterfeit Medicines Into US

May 2017: A review of the client database recovered during a recent raid at a call center in Bengaluru, India has shown that the U.S. is a major market for illegal online prescription drug sales.

Importing Canadian Drugs Could Harm HIV Patients

May 2017: Congress recently introduced a bill that would permit pharmacists and patients to import prescription drugs from Canada. The policy could harm vulnerable patients, especially those persons living with HIV disease or who are at risk of acquiring it, by introducing counterfeit medications into the U.S. drug supply chain and jeopardizing drug discovery.

Frequently Asked Questions Q1. Types of Vaccines?
Scientists take many approaches to designing vaccines against a microbe. These choices are typically based on fundamental information about the microbe, such as how it infects cells and how the immune system responds to it, as well as practical considerations, such as regions of the world where the vaccine would be used.
The following are some of the options that researchers might pursue: Read More>>>

SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM

Five herbs that can help combat cancer!

Article contributed by one of our Subscriber: Dr. Shweta Pathak, Oncologist, Chandigarh

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. These days, it seems like everywhere you turn, someone is newly diagnosed with cancer. The disease has affected so many lives all around the globe and billions of dollars are spent every year to find a cure.

Upcoming Events

Click Here For More Events

Laughter Dose

Blog Addicts

Ms. Nikita Singhal, Medical Student, says: Congratulations on your brilliant publication (PSM-India Newsletter), I am very much satisfied with the newsletter articles...especially the articles under Pharma Injection

Dr. Vaishali Singh, Physician, says:Thank you for bringing us such amazing and interesting newsletters... I’m a huge fan of safemedicinesindia.com

Dr. Dinesh Jadhav, Journalist, Says: Superb! The quality of articles is outstanding, Keep it up!

This Newsletter is brought to you by

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