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EDITOR'S EMULSION

Pooja Khaitan

With the budget following very clear economic policies and positive growth in all sectors, it seems to bring brightness for the next 3 years especially, in the healthcare sector for sure. Access to quality healthcare for all has always been the sole motive of PSM India initiative and the current budget supports exactly that. The New health protection scheme providing health cover up to Rs.1lakh for BPL families , deeper access to healthcare, additional health coverage for senior citizens, 3000+ generic stores ready to open and the National Dialysis service program is a huge step taken to boost the healthcare sector. PSM India welcomes this budget of intense schemes. Let's join in to help reach those targets together with the government. Read More>>>

If you have any suggestions, comments or queries, please email me at pooja@jagograhakjago.com.
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Pooja Khaitan
Chief Editor , The PRESCRIPTION Partnership for Safe Medicines India.

DOSE OF THE DAY

“Complexity of AntiMicrobial Resistance (AMR) is fueled by numerous stakeholders including the consumers or the patients who take the medicine, doctors who prescribe, pharmacists who dispense, the industry which manufactures, the Government which regulates, the research organizations which innovate, the animal and agricultural sector which contribute to the food chain, the hospitals which treats the patients, the Civil Society which articulates the peoples’ perspectives, and the media which can focus attention on this important issue”.

Shri JP Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare
Government of India

PSM India Capsules

Healthcare sector: A Budget of intense schemes

With the budget following very clear economic policies and positive growth in all sectors, it seems to bring brightness for the next 3 years especially, in the healthcare sector for sure. Listed are some of the few important schemes proposed in the budget.
• New health protection scheme providing health cover up to Rs.1lakh for BPL families
• Deeper access to healthcare. Private hospitals to become accessible to more citizens.
• Additional health coverage for senior citizens
• 3000+ generic stores ready to open
• National Dialysis service program
PSM India welcomes this budget of intense schemes.

India gets appreciation from WHO for its nation-wide de-worming initiative

Very recently, World Health Organization congratulated India for launching one of the largest public health campaigns to de-worm 270 million people in the age group of one to 19 years, on a single day across the country. The scale of the campaign was record breaking and reflects the country’s resolve to address health issues related to parasitic intestinal worms (soil-transmitted helminthes).

Drug Laws & Policy Injections

Government to introduce 'Indian Certification for Medical Devices Scheme' to ensure quality of medical devices Mumbai, Feb 2016: In order to bring down cost and time run to obtain globally accepted certification for Indian companies, the Quality Council of India (QCI), India's apex quality facilitation and national accreditation body, is likely to introduce voluntary certification scheme named Indian Certification for Medical Devices Scheme (ICMED) in one month's time.

Health Minister inaugurates 3-day international conference on Antimicrobial Resistance Feb 2016: “India is committed to combating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). However, a collective action is required by all stakeholders within a country and by all countries within a region. India,will be very happy to work with other Member States towards this common goal”, said Shri JP Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare. He was speaking at the inauguration of the 3-day International Conference on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, here today. Also present at the function were Mr. TandinWangchuk, Health Minister of Bhutan; Mr. Ram Janam Chaudhary, Health Minister of Nepal; Mr. Mohamed Habeeb, Minister of State for Health, Maldives; Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, World Health Organization, South East Asia Region and Dr. Keiji Fukuda, Assistant Director General, World Health Organization.

Health ministry launches the National Framework for Elimination of MalariaFeb-2016: “India stands committed to eliminating Malaria and is committed to allocating infrastructure and financial resources to this task”, said Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare. The Health Minister launched the National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) 2016-2030, which outlines India’s strategy for elimination of the disease by 2030.

IPC launches benefit-risk assessment cell for drugs under PvPIFeb 2016 : The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) recently launched the benefit-risk assessment cell for drugs under the risk management plan (RMP) of the Pharmacovigilence Programme of India (PvPI). Experts associated with the proceedings inform that the overall goal of the RMP is to assure a positive risk-benefit profile once the drug has been marketed. The Health minister had recently inaugurated the plan which describes the risks i.e. adverse drug reactions associated with the use of drugs and how they are being handled, with warning on the drug label or in packet insert about possible side effects.

Pharma Injections

Indian pharma putting in place effective corrective and preventive action practices to stall drug recallsBengaluru, 19 Feb 2016: Indian pharma companies are gearing up to strengthen the effective corrective and preventive action practices to stall drug recall instances. The key objective is to sustain high quality processes and remain constantly adhered to cGMP requirements.

Iron tablets may damage DNA in ten minutes: study Feb-2016: London, Feb 2016: Concentrations of iron similar to those delivered in standard treatments such as tablets and infusions may trigger DNA damage within 10 minutes, a new study has claimed. Iron is essential for the body to function and has a crucial role in transporting oxygen - low levels cause anaemia which leads to tiredness and lethargy.

Maternal Paracetamol exposure linked with asthma risk in offspring Feb-2016: An increased risk of developing asthma is likely if the unborn is exposed to Paracetamol via maternal use, a recent study warns.
The risk of asthma onset is likely at the age of three, the study noted.

Drug Dopes

CDRI makes drug from 'sheesham' leaves for bones Lucknow, Feb 2016: The city-based Central Drug Research Institute, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research laboratory, has developed a new herbal medicine for bone health. The medicine, based on Indian Rosewood or 'Sheesham', was formally unveiled on the 65th annual day of the institute on February 17. The last CDRI drug to enter the market was CONSAP (a contraceptive cream) in 2004. The new drug is likely to hit the market in March.

Hepatitis C vaccine developed by Indian scientists Feb 2016: A team of Indian scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has developed Hepatitis C vaccine to treat HCV genotype 3a, which is prevalently common in India.

Cetylev approved by USFDA Feb 2016: The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved Cetylev (acetylcysteine effervescent tablets) as an antidote for acetaminophen overdose. The drug is to be manufactured by Arbor Pharmaceuticals.

Solar D: New sunscreen with vitamin D Feb 2016: A team of US researchers have discovered a new sunscreen formulation that helps the body to synthesize vitamin D while offering sunscreen protection. The sunscreen can prevent major health problems including skin cancer in all age groups.

Sandoz, Macleods Pharma recall two drugs made in India Feb 2016: US drug firm Sandoz is recalling more than 270,000 bottles of hypertension tablets, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Mylan Laboratories, from the American market, a report by United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) said.

National Injections

Drug Controller begins review of alarming findings on substandard drugs from a new pilot study February, 2016 : A new pilot study conducted across two drug categories by academicians from the Department of Pharmacy, Jaypee University of Information Technology, Solan (Himachal Pradesh) has found high incidence of substandard drugs.

Jaundice outbreak in Himachal Pradesh Shimla: The number of deaths due to a jaundice outbreak in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh has touched 10. More than half of the total families residing in Shimla have reportedly been affected by the disease in the last two-and-a-half months.

81 adverse drug reactions recorded in 4 months HYDERABAD, FEB 2016: Patients developing allergic rashes or dermatitis (skin problems) due to adverse drug reactions can now seek help from the Osmania Medical College's adverse drug reaction monitoring centre (ADRMC). Set up in 2014, the centre, over the last four months, has not only reported as many as 81 adverse drug reaction cases among patients but also changed the line of treatment for them.

Health department frames strict guidelines on medicine disposal Bhubaneswar, Feb 2016: After huge cache of medicines floating on a canal near Jatni on the city outskirts hogged limelight in December last year causing embarrassment to the state government, the health department has come out with strict guidelines on disposal of the expired medicines.

Global Injections

USP expands lab in Ghana to tackle low quality drugs Feb 2016 : The US Pharmacopeia (USP) has increased capacity at a lab in Accra, Ghana, used to detect substandard and counterfeit medicines.

Brazil to fight Zika by sterilizing mosquitoes with gamma rays Brasilia, Feb , 2016 : Brazil is planning to fight the Zika virus by zapping millions of male mosquitoes with gamma rays to sterilise them and stop the spread of the virus linked to thousands of birth defects.

PSM PILL

Pakistani Businessman Extradited & Charged With Wholesale counterfeit drug importation

February, 2016: After a 3-year effort to bring him to justice, Junaid Qadir has been indicted in Federal court on charges he illegally imported bulk counterfeit medications into the United States.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced that a Karachi native has been extradited from Germany to face counterfeit drug charges in the United States. According to the DOJ, Junaid Qadir appeared in a Federal courtroom in Denver to face charges that he and his Pakistani business partners were acting as prescription drug wholesalers, and offering bulk counterfeit medications to U.S. fake drugs resellers.

Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What are kidney stones?
Answer: A kidney stone is a hard, crystalline mineral material formed within the kidney or urinary tract .Nephrolithiasis is the medical term for kidney stones. One in every 20 people develop kidney stones at some point in their life. Urine has various wastes dissolved in it. Kidney stones form when there is a decrease in urine volume and/or an excess of stone-forming substances in the urine .When there is too much waste in too little liquid, crystals begin to form. The crystals attract other elements and join together to form a solid that will get larger unless it is passed out of the body with the urine. The stone-forming chemicals are calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphate. Kidney stones typically leave the body in the urine stream, and a small stone may pass without causing symptoms. If stones grow to sufficient size (usually at least 3 millimeters (0.1 in)) they can cause blockage of the ureter. Symptoms of a kidney stone include flank pain (the pain can be quite severe) and blood in the urine (hematuria). Diagnosis of kidney stones is best accomplished using an ultrasound, intravenous pyleography (IVP), or a CT scan. Read More>>>

Q2. What is laproscopy?
Answer: Laparoscopy, also known as diagnostic laparoscopy, is a surgical diagnostic procedure used to examine the organs inside the abdomen. It is a low-risk, minimally invasive procedure. Only small incisions are made. Laparoscopy uses an instrument called a laparoscope to look at the abdominal organs. A laparoscope is a long, thin tube with a high-intensity light and a high-resolution camera at the front. The instrument is inserted through an incision in the abdominal wall. As it moves along, the camera sends images to a video monitor.
Laparoscopy allows your doctor to see inside your body in real time, without open surgery. The doctor also can obtain biopsy samples during this procedure. Read More>>>

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