New treatment for treatment of anemia in adults with beta-thalassemia

Luspatercept–aamt (Reblozyl) has been approved by the US FDA for the treatment of anemia in adults with beta thalassemia, also called Cooley’s anemia. For the first time, patients now have a treatment option that will help decrease the number of blood transfusions.

Healthcare News Monitor

NPPA asks cos to ensure critical drugs are available

ET Healthworld-TNN-Rupali Mukherjee

Mumbai: Keeping in mind patient interest, drug prices regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) took a slew of decisions, including directing certain companies to ensure availability of critical medicines, and exempting a “novel” oncology formulation from price control. The drug regulator asked companies including Abbott Healthcare, Bayer Zydus Pharma and Sanofi Synthelabo to not discontinue critical medicines for malaria, leprosy and anti-arrhythmic (cardiac) without prior notice to prevent their shortages in the country. The companies had sought approval to discontinue manufacture/marketing of these medicines — Abbott Healthcare had approached for leprosy drug Hansepran, Bayer Zydus Pharma for malaria medication Resochin, and Sanofi Synthelabo for cardiac medicine Adenocor, sources told TOI. Fearing that a sudden discontinuation could lead to drug shortages, NPPA has asked these companies to issue a public notice, and continue production/import/sale for 12 months after that.

DCGI to recommend DTAB to exempt drug sale license for import of high tech equipment like MRI, PET, Ultrasound

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is planning to recommend Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) to exempt drug sale license for import of high tech equipment like X-Ray, MRI, PET, Ultrasound and CT Scan based on stakeholders suggestions. It was brought to the notice of DCGI office during the meeting of stakeholders of Medical Devices held on October 15, 2019 that an exemption from drugs sale license (20B & 21B) for the import of high tech equipment like X-Ray, MRI, PET, Ultrasound and CT Scan under medical device rules (MDR)-2017 is required. As per the DCGI notice, importers of such equipment need to maintain all records of transactions, installations, maintenance and agreements. Accordingly, a proposal will be officially moved to DTAB for exemption from drugs sale license for such equipment under MDR-2017. All stakeholders are requested to forward their comments at ddcimd-cdsco@nic.in. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had recently issued guidelines on performance evaluation of In-Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) medical devices for grant of manufacturing and import licenses as per new Medical Device (MD) Rules, 2017 which is effective from January 1, 2018. It has also issued reference list of laboratories in the country for conducting performance evaluation of IVDs. It has directed the notified laboratories to test and evaluate IVD medical devices and issue performance evaluation reports (PERs) for the purpose of grant of manufacturing and import licenses.

HPHPA urges health ministry not to take away their prescription rights in the wake of amendment in Sch K

Pharmabiz India

The Himachal Pradesh Hospital Pharmacist Association (HPHPA) has urged the Union health ministry that the prescription rights of the pharmacists in the state, given by the state government in 1986, should not be taken away from their hands and given to the community health workers. In Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the two states that form part of the northern Himalayan ranges, 90% of the healthcare activities are carried out by pharmacists only. In remote areas and hill stations, the doctors are reluctant to visit in the PHCs and CHCs, where drugs are prescribed and dispensed by pharmacists. Peoples health in these states are in the hands of pharmacists, says Mahesh Sharma, general secretary of HPHPA in a letter to the health ministry. Later talking to Pharmabiz over telephone from Shimla, Sharma said the doctors do not want to go to the health centres, and if once in a while they go, they will get extra payment as incentive. But the pharmacists who are working not on adequate remuneration are exempted from additional payments. But they work for the society in remote and hill stations. "Pharmacists enjoy prescription rights from 1986 onwards and it is in the absence of doctors only. In certain centres they diagnose the patients also. These activities cannot be done by nurses or CHOs or ASHA workers. Some CHOs claim that they have completed the bridge course in pharmacy. It cannot be admitted as they are pharmacists as their knowledge is only on some curative side. We are full-fledged pharmacists and we concentrate on both curative and preventive sides," claimed Mahesh Sharma.

Meet calls for rational use of antibiotics

The Hindu

Speakers at a workshop hosted by the Department of Pharmacy of Annamalai University have called for rational use of antibiotics alongside research innovation for discovery of new molecules to check the rampant spread of infectious diseases. The one-day workshop on “Infectious diseases and their control” was organised with a view to focus on the recent innovations in microbial infections, its prevalence in India and globally. Inaugurating the scientific forum, V. Murugesan, Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University, pointed to the importance of innovative research in developing new drug molecule to battle against infectious diseases. Peter N. Monk, immunologist of Sheffield Medical school in UK, discussed the mechanism of biofilm formation of bacteria in tissue and development of antimicrobial drug target for biofilm of bacteria. “The discovery of antimicrobial biofilm small peptide 102 derived from CD9 protein to treat bacterial infection had potential to replace the existing antibiotic as well as antibacterial therapy so as to prevent the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains,” he said. Mahendiran, surgical oncologist of Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital, explored the prevalence of cervical carcinoma caused by Human papillomavirus and H. pylori associated stomach cancer in India.

Medical negligence led to son’s death: Family

Pune Mirror- Vicky Pathare

The family of a 14-month-old child has filed a complaint with Bhigwan police, alleging that medical negligence on part of the doctor led to the death of their child. The patient, who was suffering from fever, allegedly developed complications when administered with an injection by a doctor at Ram Lavanya Hospital, in Indapur. The police have registered a case of accidental death and referred the case to expert’s panel for their opinion on negligence. According to the complained, the incident happened on November 9 around 9.30 am, when the deceased, Vedant Raut, who was suffering from fever, was taken to the Ram Lavanya Hospital in the emergency ward. The boy was administered with an injection by Dr Trimbak Ramdas Kale, from the hospital, after which he developed complications. He was then referred to tertiary care hospital immediately, and died on the way to the hospital, said Somnath Dattatray Raut, father of the deceased, a resident of Bhigwan, who is the complainant in the case. Speaking to Mirror, 32-year-old Raut, said, “My son had fever since a day, and next morning we took him to Dr Kale, who is our family doctor, and immediately after my son was administered with the injection, he developed complications. My son’s face turned black and grey just after he was injected the medication and complained of breathlessness. The doctors instead of putting him on ventilator support or trying anything else just referred him to another hospital. My child died on the way to the hospital and the doctors at the tertiary care hospital told us that my son was brought dead.”

High pollution causing eye problems in Delhi

ET Healthworld- IANS

New Delhi: With pollution levels reaching alarming levels in the national capital, ophthalmologists have observed a sharp rise in the number of patients suffering from eye problems including allergy, burning and itching. According to Ikeda Lal, an ophthalmologist at the Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, pollutants and dust in the air is one of the major reasons for causing eye allergy and other related problems. "We are observing an increase in number of patients coming to us with complains of redness, itching, watering in the eyes. Patients with pre-existing dry eyes are experiencing exacerbation due to high pollution," Lal said. He added that ophthalmologists were observing almost increase of 30-35 per cent in the number of patients coming with eye-related problems. "Due to increasing pollution, there is increase in the incidence of dry eye and ocular allergy. This is causing discomfort even in normal eyes and aggravates the eye complaints in eyes that are prone to dryness and allergies," said Rajesh Sinha, Professor of Ophthalmology, AIIMS. "If care is not taken immediately, some of these eyes can have reduced vision due to this problem as well," he added.