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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 COVID-19 caseload of Meghalaya crossed the 2,000-mark on Tuesday after 42 people tested positive for the virus. The state's coronavirus tally has now reached 2,018. Forty-three patients have been cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 832, and eight patients have died so far. Meghalaya currently has 1,178 active COVID-19 cases. Eleven Armed Forces personnel are among the new patients - 10 from East Khasi Hills and one from West Garo Hills"
Aman War
Health Services Director
Sponsor
Patient Safety Capsules
E-Pharmacy In India Likely To Tap Around 70 Mn Households By FY25
New Delhi, 15 Aug 2020: Mr Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India today said, “The pharmacy services through e-commerce have been notified by the Home Ministry as essential services during COVID-19. The e-Pharmacy model can work effectively with the Government’s Common Service Centres (CSC) aimed at improving access to essential healthcare facilities in rural India.”
Oxford Vaccine May Be The First Shot For India
NEW DELHI, 19 AUG 2020: India is eyeing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate as the likely first shot against Covid-19 to be available for Indians by end of 2020, while locally developed candidates are also being watched closely as it is felt that they may also enter the market with a gap of few weeks if cleared in trials, officials said.
Drug Laws & Policy Injections
Write Names Of Drugs And Dosages In Capital Letters, Odisha HC AdvisesBhubaneswar, 13 Aug 2020: Orissa high court (HC) has advised doctors working in the state’s government-run hospitals and private healthcare facilities to write the name of drugs in capital letters or in a legible manner that will help in easily deciphering them, their doses, strength, and also the frequency of use.
Delhi HC Dismisses PIL Seeking Directions To Centre To Classify Masks, Sanitisers As Essential Commodities New Delhi, 13 Aug 2020: The Delhi High Court dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking direction to the Centre to classify masks and sanitisers as essential commodities, regulate their prices and reduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on alcohol-based sanitisers.
Expert Group, Vaccine Makers To Discuss Timelines And MoreNew Delhi, 15 Aug 2020: An expert group under Niti Aayog member VK Paul will hold a meeting with top representatives of companies working on Covid-19 vaccines on Monday to assess India’s manufacturing capacity and the scale required to produce and rollout the vaccine for the country and other low- and middle-income nations.
Delhi HC Dismisses Plea Seeking Lower GST On SanitisersNew Delhi, 18 Aug 2020: Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition asking the court to classify mask and sanitisers as essential commodities and reduce GST on alcohol-based sanitisers to either 12% or 5%. Dismissing the plea, the high court said that masks and sanitisers are now easily available and there is no need to control such commodities or to regulate supply.
NPPA Issues Final Guidelines For Discontinuation Of Scheduled FormulationsMumbai, 17 Aug 2020: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has come out with final guidelines regarding discontinuation of scheduled formulations under paragraph 21(2) of Drugs Prices Control Order (DPCO), 2013.
Considerable Unexplained Delay To Test A Sample Can Render Proceedings Void: SCNew Delhi, 10 Aug 2020: The Supreme Court has observed that considerable unexplained delay on the part of Drug authorities to test a sample can render any penalty under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, based upon the said analysis of the sample, as void.
Pharma Injections
High Sales, Health Focus Make E-Pharmacy HotBengaluru, 24 Aug 2020: Consumer stickiness, average order size increasing to $15-20 and the possibility of selling other healthcare services like online doctor consultation and diagnostics services have caught the interest of large strategic names like Reliance Industries and Amazon, driving them to the e-pharmacy sector.
Amazon India Launches Online Pharmacy ServiceBengaluru, 13 Aug 2020: E-commerce firm Amazon India has launched Amazon Pharmacy, marking its entry into the online medicine segment that has significant gained momentum during the covid-19 led lockdown and even after unlocking.
Drug Makers Eye E-Pharmacy For Real Time Distribution Data New Delhi, 20 Aug 2020: Drug dispensing and distribution by pharmaceutical manufacturers are poised for a change after Amazon pharmacy’s debut in the country. As part of planning steps, a few drug manufacturers are looking to enter the e-pharmacy space along with the brick-and-mortar outlets.
RIL Buys Netmeds, Sets Up Hot E-Pharmacy Contest With Amazon Mumbai, 19 Aug 2020: Reliance Industries said on August 18 that it acquired 60 percent stake in online pharmacy Netmeds for Rs 620 crore in a deal that pits India’s largest company directly against e-commerce giant Amazon in a hotly contested space. The deal values Netmeds around Rs 1,000 crore..
FSSAI Directs States To Ensure Compliance Of Labelling Under FSS Nutra Norms New Delhi, 22 Aug 2020: The apex food regulator of the country, FSSAI, has directed state food safety authorities across the country to launch a drive to ensure compliance of the labelling norms provisions for products under FSS (Food or Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Food For Special Dietary Use, Food For Special Medical Purpose, Functional Foods and Novel Foods) Regulations, 2016.
All Licensees Allowed To Deliver Medicines At Home Since March New Delhi, 21 Aug 2020: This was done through a notification by the Health Ministry on March 26. It implies that all Indian licensees are permitted to deliver at home and e-pharma is essentially nomenclature.
Drug Dopes
Patanjali Can Use ‘Coronil’ Trademark For Two Weeks: Madras HCChennai, 14 Aug 2020: In a reprieve to Patanjali Ayurved, the Madras high court on Friday temporarily vacated a stay ordered against the firm from using the trademark ‘Coronil’ for its immunity-boosting tablets. Now, the company is free to market the tablet ‘Divya Swasari Coronil’ for two weeks.. 
More Smugglers Take Post Office Route To Ship Drugs From AbroadBengaluru, 20 Aug 2020: A unit of Bangalore Customs recently seized a parcel containing psychotropic drugs like ecstasy, MMDA and brown sugar that reached Chamarajpet Foreign Post Office from the Netherlands. Investigation led to the arrest of a city youth who had allegedly ordered the drugs through the dark web.
NPPA Extends Ceiling Price On Knee Implants Upto September 15 Mumbai, 18 Aug 2020: The national drug pricing regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has extended ceiling price on knee implants from the earlier date of August 15, 2020 to September 15, 2020 which was earlier applicable for a period of one year from August 16, 2019 till August 15, 2020.
DoP Appoints IFCI As PMA To Implement PLI Schemes Mumbai, 17 Aug 2020: The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has selected IFCI Ltd (the erstwhile Industrial Finance Corporation of India Ltd), a non-banking finance company in the public sector, as the project management agency (PMA) for smooth implementation of the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for promotion of domestic manufacturing of critical key starting materials (KSMs)/drug intermediates (DIs)/active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) as well as medical devices.
Covid-19 Drug Sales Shine Even As Domestic Pharma Market Slows Down Mumbai, 16 Aug 2020: Even as the domestic pharma market grows at a slow pace due to lower fresh prescription generation, the Covid-19 drug portfolio of major players here has seen a sharp rise.
India Exported 23 Lakh PPE To 5 Countries In July: Health MinistryNEW DELHI, 15 AUG 2020: India exported 23 lakh personal protection equipment to five countries including the US, the UK and the UAE in July, after the government relaxed export norms and this has substantially helped the country to position itself in the global market of these kits, the Union health ministry said.
National Injections
India To Have Its Dedicated Vaccine Portal Soon New Delhi, 22 Aug 2020: In a first in India, the country`s top medical research body is working to create an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) vaccine portal, as a repository for all information related to vaccine development in India.
DoP To Create Conducive Environment For Pharma Sector: Union MinisterMumbai, 21 Aug 2020: The Union minister of chemicals and fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda has said that Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has taken several measures to create suitable environment for development of domestic capacity in the pharma sector.
NPPA To Appoint Agency To Provide Data On Pharma Products Mumbai, 21 Aug 2020: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) will soon appoint an agency to provide data and information on pharmaceutical products in the country overall, and also to provide segment, company, region and state-wise data, and the likes. For the purpose, the national drug price regulator has invited agencies and companies having capacity and proven track record of providing similar data and information.
Covid-19 Vaccine: Govt Panel Meets Representatives Of Leading Domestic Manufacturers New Delhi, 18 Aug 2020: The national expert group on vaccine administration for Covid-19 met representatives of leading domestic manufactures, including Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila, on Monday to take inputs about the present stage of various candidate vaccines as well as their expectations from the government, the Union Health Ministry said. The meeting was mutually beneficial and productive, the ministry said.
Flipkart In Talks For E-Pharmacy Biz BENGALURU, 18 Aug 2020: After Amazon India, Walmart-owned Flipkart is looking to enter the e-pharmacy space as demand for online medicine delivery remains strong, two people aware of the matter said. Flipkart is building its own team internally for the e-pharmacy business. But it has also held early stage partnership talks with PharmEasy even as the Mumbai-based e-pharmacy firm is said to be in advanced discussions to acquire Bengaluru-based rival Medlife, the people added.
India Raises Drugs Smuggling; Misuse Of Darknet At BRICS Meet New Delhi, 16 Aug 2020: India raised the “misuse” of darknet and modern technology being used for drug trafficking by the international criminals in a meeting of BRICS nation last week, according to a statement issued by the government.
Global Injections
US FDA-Approved Ointment Found To Treat, Kill Viral Infections Including Covid-19Washington, 22 Aug 2020: A US pharma company has successfully tested a Food and Drug Administration-approved over the counter ointment as the first line of defence against the deadly coronavirus that has so far killed over eight lakh people globally.
New Antibody Tests Offer Better Snapshot Of Covid-19 ImmunityWashington, 22 Aug 2020: A new crop of Covid-19 antibody tests measures the level of protection someone has built up against the deadly virus and may help determine which vaccines are most effective. Siemens Healthineers AG is the first big company to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for a test ..
More Fake COVID-19 Medication Seized In US
VANCOUVER, 18 AUG 2020: Eight shipments of an unauthorised influenza drug marketed as a treatment for COVID-19 have been seized by customs in Seattle since the start of July.
China Grants 1st Patent To Indigenously Developed Covid Vaccine
New Delhi, 18 Aug 2020: China has granted the first invention patent to a Covid-19 vaccine co-developed by biopharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics Inc in the country, which experts said demonstrates the vaccine's originality and creativity.
Ebselen Could Be Repurposed To Treat SARS-CoV-2
Washington, 15 Aug 2020: Using state-of-the-art computer simulations, scientists have identified a preexisting drug, used to treat multiple diseases, including bipolar disorders and hearing loss, that could prevent the novel coronavirus from replicating in host cells, an advance that may lead to a therapeutic solution against COVID-19.
US FDA Warns Of Risks Associated With Intraocular Use Of Moxifloxacin
Maryland, 13 Aug 2020: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting healthcare professionals of the potential risk of toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) associated with the intraocular administration of compounded moxifloxacin drugs.
PSAIIF PILL
Study Finds Extreme Shortage Of Abortion Pills Amid Covid-19 Outbreak
New Delhi, 10 Aug 2020: There is an extreme shortage of medical abortion drugs across the country, with acute crisis due to lack of stocks in Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, a study on Monday revealed.
FSSAI Notifies Lab Regulations Amendment To Incorporate RAFT Kits
New Delhi, 11 Aug 2020: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sample Analysis) First Amendment Regulations, 2020, to incorporate the approval of Rapid Analytical Food Testing Kit, Equipment or Method (RAFT).
Frequently Asked Questions
Could Aviptadil Prevent Lung Damage From The Novel Coronavirus ? What Study Finds
New Delhi, 16 Aug 2020: The coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, and soon spread to various parts of the world, so much so that it was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Given that it was a new virus, what worried scientists and researchers the most was that there did not exist, and still doesn't, a specific cure or treatment for the disease caused by the virus. As researchers around the world inch closer to finding an effective, safe, and affordable vaccine against the novel coronavirus, some experts are still trying to find positive effects of existing drugs on the condition, so that they can be repurposed to treat COVID-19. Read More>>>
SUBSCRIBER'S SYMPTOM
T Cell Memory That Cross-Reacts With Novel Coronavirus Does Not Prevent Infection, Researcher Clarifies
San Diego, 12 Aug 2020: Researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California had in first found that SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cell memory in 40–60% of people who have not been exposed to novel coronavirus. This “suggested cross-reactive T cell recognition between circulating common cold coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2,” they wrote in a paper published in Cell. Four other preprints too suggested the presence of T cell memory from common cold coronavirus that were cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2 in people who have not been exposed to novel coronavirus.
Blog Addicts
Dr Vivek Parikh, MD "The Prescription" helps give me my monthly dose of current pharma news which I eagerly look forward to in order to keep myself abreast as a more aware reader. Keep up the good work.
Ms Supriya Singh, ProfessionalWant to commend the PSM India publication team for all the good work they do in bringing out this bi-monthly newsletter. Well done.
Mr Ramamurthy Iyer, Pharma Expert
Very beautifully and aptly captures important news in the Pharma domain. Excellent work.
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