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EDITOR'S EMULSION
Warm Greetings!
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
“The global contagion has thrown up challenges and problems which could not have been imagined. However, it has also taught us a very important lesson; that is, we have to be self-reliant and self-sufficient. It has taught us that we should not look for solutions outside the country. Without self-reliance, we cannot deal with crises of such nature. The thought that we should not depend on others for fulfilling our needs is centuries old, but the changed circumstance has validated its importance once again,”
Mr Narendra Modi
Hon'ble Prime Minister
Government of India
Sponsor
Patient Safety Capsules
“Flat Pricing” for Indian drugs, the Need of the Hour
New Delhi, 24 April 2020: How crucial is Flat vis-a-vis monotonic pricing of pharmaceuticals : it’s practice and consequences imperative to the Indian and Global Pharma Industry? Pricing is a crucial part of the success of any product, but is particularly important in the pharmaceutical industry. .
Red Carpet For Firms Looking To Ditch China
NEW DELHI, 22 APRIL 2020: The Prime Minister’s Office, Niti Aayog and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade are firming up a plan to offer incentives to attract companies looking to shift manufacturing activities out of China.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
Arogya Setu Wristbands To Monitor Patients’ MovementsNew Delhi, 22 April 2020: The Centre is preparing to procure thousands of wristbands which will be embedded with its Arogya Setu app to monitor movements of patients in both hospital and house quarantine, and also help frontline workers take adequate care when they visit houses for screening of patients.
Manufacturers Allowed To Utilise Pre-Printed Packaging Material Till Sept, 2020 New Delhi, 24 April 2020: In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre has allowed companies to use till September their inventories of packaging materials or wrappers with pre-printed manufacturing date.
Govt To Return Faulty Rapid Antibody Testing Kits: Dr Harsh VardhanNEW DELHI, 25 APRIL 2020: Faulty rapid antibody testing kits will be returned to the respective countries, whether it is China or any other nation, health minister Harsh Vardhan said while addressing state health ministers.
IIT-D Develops Low-Cost Kit For Detecting Covid-19New Delhi , 24 APRIL 2020: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) has developed a low-cost Covid-19 detection kit costing barely a few hundred rupees using indigenously developed technology. The kit was approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex bio-medical research body which is at the centre of the fight to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, on Thursday.
ICMR Study Indicated Lockdown Would Reduce CoV Cases By 20-25% Max.New Delhi, 23 April 2020: An internal study by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) prepared before Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the nationwide lockdown showed that the new coronavirus would achieve community transmission within India and that the government could institute the lockdown only as a way to buy time to conduct more tests, something it hasn’t yet done.
Lockdown Created Double Impact In The Country's Fight Against Covid-19: ICMRNew Delhi, 22 April 2020: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said Covid-19 is a new disease, and in the last three and half months, they have made major scientific progress -- developing PCR tests, seeing 5 vaccines go into human trial, et al. This has never happened before in case of any other disease, it said.
Pharma Injections
Union Pharma Secretary Has Asked SDCs To Help Pharma Firms In Augmenting Production Of MedicinesNew Delhi, 22 April 2020: A meeting through Video Conferencing was held under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) along with Chairperson NPPA, DCG(I) with the State Drug Controllers(SDCs) of 20 States/UTs to review working status of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing units pre-covid and post covid.
Promulgation Of An Ordinance To Amend The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897New Delhi, 22 April 2020: During the current COVID-19 pandemic, there have been instances of the most critical service providers i.e. members of healthcare services being targeted and attacked by miscreants, thereby obstructing them from doing their duties.
Local Govt Bars Picking Yarsagumba MANANG, 20 APRIL 2020: The local government has banned the collection of Yarsagumba on the ground of safety of people. This is the peak season for picking Yarsagumba, which is a lucrative herb found in the high altitude of mountains in western Nepal.
AYUSH Ministry Calls For Research Into COVID-19 Treatment New Delhi, 22 April 2020: The government's search for a way to tackle the highly infectious COVID-19 went into the field of alternative medicine today as the Ministry of AYUSH asked practitioners of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Naturopathy to look for a cure for the global pandemic.
TN: Smart Thermometer To Map Fever Clusters CHENNAI, 21 APRIL 2020: A team of doctors and engineers has developed a bluetooth-enabled fever thermometer to get the details like temperature and location of patients to map fever clusters.
ICMR To Survey 82 Districts Across India To Check For Community Transmission Of COVID-19 Via Random Sample Finger-Prick Test Bengaluru, 21 April 2020: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has identified 82 districts in 25 states for a study to check community transmission. In Karnataka, three districts have been identified for the study. These are, Kalaburagi, Bengaluru and Chitradurga.
Drug Dopes
Fake COVID-19 Drugs, Vaccines Thrive On Dark WebMUMBAI, 22 APRIL 2020: The covid-19 pandemic has created a gold mine for cybercriminals trying to woo unsuspecting buyers with so-called cures and preventive medicines that actually are just anything from amphetamines to marijuana and cost anywhere between $99 and $25,000. 
Maha FDA Continues Crackdown On Unethical Marketing Of Hand Sanitisers And MasksMumbai, 23 April 2020: In yet another major crackdown on unethical marketing of hand sanitisers and masks, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized stock worth Rs. 1.80 crore hand sanitisers and masks based on 10,339 inspections over the past two weeks.
India Gears Up For Patient Trials On 20 Different Drugs For Covid-19 Mumbai, 24 April 2020: In the search for a potential line of treatment, India is lining up patient trials on about 20 different drugs, which include patented anti-viral drugs like Favipiravir. Local pharma companies have already started developing patented drugs, and some have approached the country's drug regulator for approvals.
80% Positive Cases Show No Or Mild Symptoms, Says Govt Lucknow, 6 April 2020: NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL 2020: The health ministry on Monday said 80% of Covid-19 cases were either asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, emphasising on the need to follow lockdown rules and maintain social distancing even within the family to avoid further spread of the infection.
DBT Invites Research Proposals To Strengthen Development Of Vaccines For Epidemic Potential Mumbai, 21 April 2020: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has invited Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI’s) call for proposals for centralized laboratory for measurement of immune responses elicited by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine candidates to strengthen development of vaccines for the diseases of epidemic potential in India.
Experts Criticise India’s Endorsement For Use Of Hydroxychloroquine On Covid-19 PatientsNew Delhi, 20 April 2020: Some experts have criticised the endorsement by India’s top health research body for use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on Covid-19 patients and healthcare workers without proper evidence that proves the drug’s ability to reduce the viral load.
National Injections
India Sets Up High-Level Task Force To Develop Vaccine For Coronavirus New Delhi, 19 April 2020: India has formed a high level task force to research on coronavirus and develop a vaccine. The task force will also coordinate with international community on vaccine development process for coronavirus.
Govt Launches IGOT Portal To Train Doctors, Health Care Workers To Combat Covid-19New Delhi, 19 April 2020: The government has launched a special digital platform iGOT for training and capacity building of healthcare staff including doctors, nurses, paramedics, hygiene workers and technicians, stepping up efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the training courses on this integrated government online training (iGOT) portal include basics of COVID, infection prevention and control, use of PPE, quarantine and isolation, management of COVID 19 cases, laboratory sample collection and testing, ICU care and ventilation management.
Pharmacies To Record Details Of People Buying Fever Medicines In Hyderabad HYDERABAD, 19 APRIL 2020: All the pharmacies and pharmaceutical associations across the city have been directed to maintain record of persons purchasing drugs for fever, cold and cough. The step is being taken keeping in mind that several symptomatic people are not coming forward to get tested for Covid-19, said civic administrators.
Health Ministry's No To Spraying Of Disinfectants On Humans New Delhi, 19 April 2020: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said spraying of disinfectants on individuals is not recommended under any circumstances.
ICMR Study Shows Side Effects Of HCQ In Health Care Staff New Delhi, 19 April 2020: Some side effects, such as abdominal pain and nausea have been observed in healthcare workers, who are a part of the study being conducted in India, to look at the prophylactic (preventive) effects of the anti-malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday.
Drugs With Less Than 60% Shelf Life Allowed To Be Imported On Condition New Delhi, 18 Apr 2020 (PTI): In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has allowed import of drugs with a less than 60 per cent residual shelf life on the condition that the importers shall have to give an undertaking that the drug would be utilised or consumed before the expiry date.
Global Injections
NASA Develops High-Pressure Ventilator To Fight COVID-19SHINGTON, 24 APRIL 2020: NASA engineers have developed a new, easy-to-build high-pressure ventilator tailored specifically to treat COVID-19 patients.
Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Trial On 510 Humans From TodayLONDON, 23 APRIL 2020: The Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford will be tested on hundreds of humans in Britain from Thursday, UK health secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday.
Covid Causing Blood Clots In Patients: Docs
Washington, 24 April 2020: As coronavirus spread through New York City in late March, doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital noticed something strange happening to patients’ blood. Signs of blood thickening and clotting were being detected in different organs by doctors from different specialties. Nephrologists noticed kidney dialysis catheters getting plugged with clots. Pulmonologists monitoring Covid-19 patients on mechanical ventilators could see portions of lungs were oddly bloodless. Neurosurgeons confronted a surge in their usual caseload of strokes due to blood clots, the age of victims skewing younger.
NASA Steps In To Help Develop COVID-19 Solutions
Washington, 18 April 2020: In a bid to find solutions that can address shortage of critical medical equipment like ventilators in tackling the COVID-19 crisis, the US space agency has joined forces with a task force in California to build medical devices to help patients infected with the disease.
Novel Method To Understand How Coronavirus Evolves Developed
LONDON, 20 APRIL 2020: Researchers have developed a new method to analyse the genetic code of the novel coronavirus, an advance that can shed light on how the virus evolves, and help identify new clusters of the disease.
US FDA Lifts Requirements For Fever Screening Devices
Maryland, 17 April 2020: Telethermographic devices originally intended for industrial, construction and commercial use can be repurposed to assist in initial screening for fever and triage of individuals in high traffic areas such as airports and businesses under guidance issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
PSAIIF PILL
Local Sanitiser Brands Flood Market After Lockdown
New Delhi, 17 April 2020: The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in a surge of local brands launching hygiene products such as hand sanitisers and hand wash. A report published by Nielsen on the impact of COVID-19 on the FMCG market says that as many as 152 new hand sanitiser manufacturers entered the fray in March.
DGFT Lifts Restriction On Export Of Formulations Of Paracetamol
Mumbai, 17 April 2020: The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has lifted restriction on export of formulation made of paracetamol and fixed dose combinations (FDCs) containing paracetamol following representation from Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) and other industry bodies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Coronavirus Man-Made In Wuhan Lab: Nobel Laureate?
NEW DELHI, 19 APRIL 2020: Creating a scientific firestorm across the world, French virologist and medicine Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier has claimed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that led to the global pandemic, is “man-made” as it’s the result of an attempt to manufacture a vaccine against the AIDS virus in a Chinese laboratory. Read More>>>
SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM
Govt Taking Measures To Ramp Up Drug Production: Official
New Delhi, 16 April 2020: The Central government is pro-actively working to speed up the production of essential medicines to avoid any drug crisis-like situation during the nationwide lockdown owing to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has claimed over 390 lives in the country so far, an official said.
Blog Addicts
Mr Prem Burman, Professional Excellent articles being published every edition. Very enjoyable.
Ms Gauri Singh, Pharma expertIndeed a pleasure to receive the newsletter and read it. Well done.
Mr Santosh Nag, MBBS
Presented very beautifully and aptly captures important developments in the Pharma space.
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