The Prescription: Partnership For Safe Medicines India

The Prescription: 1st November 2016 Issue

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

Festive Greetings!

Wishing all our readers a Prosperous, Healthy and Happy Diwali! May the Festival of Lights bring new hope, brighter dreams and renewed energy to illuminate your life.

The pan India movement initiated by PSM India on 2nd Oct demanding Universal Health coverage for all is gaining immense support from citizens all over. The images featured in this issue under PSM India capsules are a testimony to the above statement. Join the movement and support your healthy future.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are not contagious. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent report, it is found that over 20 percent of the country’s population suffers from at least one of the non-communicable diseases or chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart ailments, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. Like developed countries, India is fast becoming a country where more number of deaths are caused by non-communicable diseases than communicable diseases. While, WHO’s another report revealed the rise in a tuberculosis epidemic in India which forced government to carry out a nationwide survey after a gap of nearly 60 years. Read out the complete report in this edition of The Prescription.

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.
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Happy Reading !
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy !

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

DOSE OF THE DAY

"I urge NGOs and civil society organizations to come forward and adopt five six schools and sensitize children about dangers of tobacco use and effectiveness of large and graphic pictorial health warnings on tobacco products.
"The idea is to make them aware of the harmful effects of tobacco from the very beginning so that they don't even start its usage both in smoke or chewing form. We can construct one cancer hospital after another and also create more beds and fill them up with patients. But the focus should be on preventive part,"

Mr. JP Nadda
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare

PSM India Capsules

PSM India's Postcard campaign picks momentum Pan India

The Postcard Campaign demanding Universal Health Coverage (UHC) from all over India picks up momentum and even patients from remote locations of Odisha, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh join the movement. Students and youths in large numbers participate. Why should you stay behind, write a postcard to our Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi 110011 for 5% of GDP to be invested every year on healthcare access for the poor and vulnerable population. Upload your pic on our facebook and twitter wall or mail it to pooja@jagograhakjago.com

Over 20% of Indians suffer from chronic diseases: Report

Over 20 per cent of the country's population suffers from at least one of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are estimated to cost India USD 6.2 trillion during the period 2012-2030, according to a recently released report. As per the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases or chronic diseases, such as cancer, heart strokes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and diabetes, kill 38 million people globally every year.

Government plans countrywide survey on TB after WHO says India underestimating the deadly disease

A day after World Health Organization’s report of the upsurge in tuberculosis epidemic in India, government is planning to carry out a countrywide survey after a gap of nearly 60 years. This survey will be carried out next year in order to determine the increase in the number of patients suffering from this disease.

Drug Laws & Policy Injections

MCI makes it mandatory for doctors to prescribe both generic and brand names Hyderabad, October, 2016: The Medical Council of India (MCI) has made it mandatory for physicians and doctors to mention the names of both generic and branded drugs while prescribing medicines to patients. According to an amendment made to the MCI (Professional Conduct, Etiquette, and Ethics) Regulation 2002, wherein the MCI has made compulsory for the physicians to prescribe the names of the drugs in capital letters, in continuation to the same it has also made it mandatory to prescribe both generic and branded drug names while writing prescriptions to the patients.

Norms for online pharmacy to be submitted to DCGI soon Mumbai, October, 2016: Guidelines on online pharmacy, currently being reviewed by a Sub-Committee set up by the 48th Drug Consultative Committee under the chairmanship of Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Harshdeep Kamble, is all set to be submitted to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) in over a week time for further recommendations and review.

Centre can fix drug prices to check profiteering: SCNew Delhi, October 2016: In a major relief to patients, the Supreme Court upheld on October 22, the Centre's power to specify prices of essential medicines to curb profiteering by pharmaceutical companies. A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and R K Agrawal allowed the Centre's appeal against many high court orders either staying the operation of Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) notifications enforced by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority or restraining coercive action against defaulting pharma firms.

DoP directs NPPA to re-fix and re-notify ceiling prices of "Cefotaxime 1 gm injection"Mumbai, October, 2016: The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has directed the NPPA to re-fix and re-notify the ceiling prices of “Cefotaxime 1 gm injection” as during the examination of review application filed by Alkem Laboratories, the DoP has found the NPPA erring in applying WPI in this case where it is not applicable.

Maha FDA suggests to NPPA to bring imported cardiac stents & drug eluting stents under price controlMumbai, October, 2016: Based on an extensive survey covering hospitals in Pune, Nashik and Mumbai, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently suggested to the drug pricing regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to bring imported cardiac stents and drug eluting stents (DES) under price control.

Health ministry considering to amend D&C Act to implement track & trace system for domestic productsMumbai, October, 2016: The Union health ministry is actively considering to amend the Drugs & Cosmetics Act to facilitate implementation of barcoding on domestic pharma products to curb counterfeiting.

Pharma Injections

Congenital Hypothyroidism scan vital to avoid mental damage in new bornsNew Delhi, October 2016: With an aim to diagnose Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) early among new borns and avert physical and mental retardation, health experts urged the government to make compulsory the screening for CH among all new borns.

Hormone levels in hair can affect IVF success rate: StudyOctober 2016: A new study has revealed that the levels of a hormone, when measured in hair, can significantly predict the likelihood of pregnancy in women undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment.

Early menopause on the rise, say experts October, 2016: As World Menopause Day was observed globally on October 18, the focus this year is on — take action at menopause to prevent health problems in later life. Doctors say that a large number of women fail to take adequate precaution while they are undergoing menopause and end up suffering with chronic diseases as they age.

World Osteoporosis Day: Things that can weaken your bones! New Delhi, October 2016: Osteoporosis is a medical condition in which bones become weak and brittle, making them more fragile to fracture. steoporosis, which was long thought to be a 'women's disease', can affect anyone of any gender, although it is more common in postmenopausal women.

Drug Dopes

Updated LIST OF NEW DRUGS APPROVED FROM 01-01-2016 TILL DATE BY NEW DRUGS DIVISION, CDSCO, FDA Bhawan, New Delhi List of New Drug Approved by FDA

India's Sun Pharma joins hands with ICGEB to develop dengue vaccine New Delhi, October 2016: Indian drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on October 19, announced a new exclusive collaboration with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) to develop a novel dengue vaccine.

Fake drugs? Check closely, says Indian Medical Association Hyderabad, Oct 2016: Counterfeit drugs are increasingly making their way into the market and drug controllers have failed to track batches of drugs that reach consumers. The counterfeit medicines are stated to be 23 per cent of the market.

Centre bans over 350 drug combinations Nagpur, Oct 2016: The Union government, through Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), informed the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on October 20, that it had banned over 350 fixed drugs combinations (FDC), which the experts believed have irreversible and adverse effects on vital human organs.

Cipla loses battle in Supreme Court Over Drug Price Overcharging New Delhi, Oct 2016: In a major setback for drug major Cipla, the Indian Supreme Court on has ruled in favour of the Indian government in a case involving overpricing of certain medicines by the company.

Final report on spurious drugs survey to be submitted to health ministry next week Mumbai, Oct 2016: Compilation of field data to the tune of 48,000 samples done as a part of national drugs survey along with a final report based on analysis of 10 drug testing labs from across the country is expected to be submitted to the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) by next week.

National Injections

SUM Hospital toll rises to 24, PM reports say 19 choked to death Bhubaneswar, October 2016: The death toll in the Sum Hospital fire tragedy today rose to 24 with another man succumbing even as the post-mortem reports of 19 of the victims said they died of suffocation and not due to burns.

Delhi bird flu scare: 'Virus less infective, no threat to humans' New Delhi, October 2016: The Delhi government on October 21st ruled out any threat to human beings due to the bird flu or avian influenza as the strain of the virus is "less infective", even as six ducks were found dead in the national capital.

15-year-old gets new lease of life after complex surgery Thiruvananthapuram, October 2016: A 15-year-old boy here claimed to have received a new lease of life after undergoing a complex surgery at a hospital here to repair his shattered spine. The boy Thameem was riding pillion on a motorbike last month, which crashed while negotiating a steep bump at high speed and he was thrown off the vehicle. The impact of the accident was such that the fall literally broke his neck into two, causing multiple fractures of his spine and haemorrhage into his spinal cord.

Nigerian baby of 2 months undergoes liver transplant in Delhi New Delhi, October 2016: A two-month-old baby weighing 2.1-kg has successfully undergone a liver transplant at a city hospital here and is claimed to be the smallest baby yet to undergo the surgical procedure. David, a Nigerian national, was brought to the Medanta Mediclinic Hospital by his parents in the absence of medical advancement in the African region.

26-year-old brain dead man's kin donate his kidneys; gift life to two New Delhi, October 2016: A recent case of new lease of life has come up with a 26-year-old brain dead man gifting life to two patients. Manoj, who is from Patiala met with an accident this week on Zirakpur-Patiala highway and was admitted to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in a serious condition Being critical for over a day, the man was declared brain dead by doctors the next day.

Global Injections

Prostate Cancer Treatment May Double Dementia Risk: Study Washington, october, 2016: Men with prostate cancer who are treated with testosterone-lowering drugs are twice as likely to develop dementia within five years as those whose hormone levels are not tampered with, researchers including one of Indian origin have found..

You may not get Zika virus disease twice, says study Washington, October 2016: A new research suggests people infected with Zika may not be susceptible to the virus again. The research involving Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute indicates that the infection may provide excellent protection against reinfection.

Cholesterol deprivation can kill brain tumour cells

New York, October 2016: Offering new hope for an alternative treatment of brain cancer, researchers have found that depriving the deadly tumour cells of cholesterol, which they import from neighbouring healthy cells, kills tumour cells and causes their regression.

Here's how Alzheimer's disease can be possibly preventedWashington DC, October 2016: A new study has found out that consuming pills that prevents the accumulation of toxic molecules in the brain might someday help prevent or delay Alzheimer`s disease.

PSM PILL

CNN offers advice on saving money on prescription drugs safely

With the costs of medication rising, consumers are on the lookout for discounts on the drugs they need. PSM’s Timothy Mackey offered CNN some helpful tips on how to ensure the online pharmacy you are doing business with is a legitimate source of medication.

INDIANA news outlet finds fake online pharmacies on Purdue and Butler university websites

Rooting out fake online pharmacy links from University websites is an endless game of whack-a-mole for University network security officers. Ephemeral pharmacy web links appear and disappear constantly on major university websites.

Frequently Asked Questions Q1. What is Amebiasis?
Answer: Amebiasis (Amoebiasis) is a term for disease caused by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica that primarily infects the human bowel, but can also affect other organs (most commonly the liver). Entamoeba histolytica can exist in two forms – as a short-lived motile trophozoite with the ability to invade different organ systems, and as a long-surviving cyst that is able to colonize a patient.Read More>>>

SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM

Be Label Conscious!

Article contributed by one of our Subscriber: Ms. Divya, Bengaluru

Knowing how to properly use medications can help prevent serious reactions. It is important to read and understand the medicine’s label properly. Here are some tips to read the medicine’s label:

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Mr. Rahil Rahman, Pharmacist, says: Kudos to PSM-India. Keep the good work going!

Dr. Prashant Kumar, MD, tweets:Thanks to PSM- India for delivering us the latest medication news, fake drug alerts and other healthcare tips!

Dr. Sonam Selly, Medical Student, says: My earnest gratitude and applauds to PSM-India for promoting nationwide awareness against counterfeit drugs!

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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.