Scientists breach the brain fortress to cure tumors

The brain is a sort of fortress, equipped with the blood-brain barrier that is designed to keep out dangerous pathogens.

Washington D.C: Researchers have figured out a new method to bypass the blood-brain barrier in situations where it begins to play a counterproductive role by expelling the immune system cell through its drainage system.

The brain is a sort of fortress, equipped with the blood-brain barrier that is designed to keep out dangerous pathogens. However, such protection comes at a cost: These barriers interfere with the immune system when faced with dire threats such as glioblastoma, a deadly brain tumor for which there are few effective treatments....read more

Draft Policy on Rare Diseases and the Role Played by IMA and HCFI

The Indian government has come up with a new draft National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2020, which highlights “scarce resources” to provide financial support for treatment of rare diseases. The draft policy proposes to set up a registry under ICMR to create a database and provide financial assistance of up to Rs 15 lakh to Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries for rare diseases that require a one-time treatment in tertiary hospitals only....read more

Draft policy on rare diseases: Part 2

HCFI Recommendations

A petition in the Delhi High Court regarding directions that government provide free treatment for rare diseases - the Delhi High Court in W.P. (C) No. 4444/2016, W.P. (C) No. 7730/2016, and W.P. (C) No. 7729/2013 directed the Ministry of Health to frame a national policy on treatment of rare diseases. The government has issued draft guidelines ....read more

Healthcare News Monitor

Gujarat leads in collection and analysis of drug samples with 13,616 samples tested last year

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

Gujarat has been leading in the country in terms of collection and analysis of drug samples as part of its ongoing crackdown on spurious drugs through its post-marketing surveillance programme. It tested 13,616 samples last year which is the highest in the country. This is followed by states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh. Further, Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) through its ongoing random sampling surveys at retail and wholesale stores, hospitals and manufacturing sites consolidated on an yearly basis across the state registered a collection of 13,514 samples previous year which was again the highest in the country. FDCA officers collected 11,300 samples in 2014-15 and 9,713 samples in 2013-14. The FDCAs Vadodara based drug testing lab had tested the maximum number of 6,025 drug samples as part of a pan India spurious drugs survey which concluded in February 2017 to assess for the first time complete testing of not-of- standard quality (NSQ) drugs as per Indian pharmacopoeia (IP) and other pharmacopoeias. This was followed by Central Drug Testing Lab (CDTL) Hyderabad which tested 5,461samples, CDTL Mumbai which tested 5,418 samples, CDTL Chennai which tested 5,257samples, CDTL Bengaluru which tested 2,033 samples and Maharashtra which tested 186 samples. Done at an estimated cost of Rs. 8.5 crore, the Union health ministry had entrusted the job of National Drugs Survey in July 28, 2014 to Noida based National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) which compiled it in the form of around 400 pages of well documented evidence based study based on the pan-India sampled field data to the tune of 48,000 samples.

Escalation of tension between US and Iran to hit India’s exports to Iran & CIS region

Pharmabiz India - Laxmi Yadav

Escalation of ongoing tussle between Iran and the US will hit Indias pharmaceutical exports to the Persian Gulf nation and the CIS region. Tensions between Iran and the US increased after an American drone strike that killed top Iranian General recently. Iran is a key trading partner of India. Due to existing trade sanctions on Iran, Iranian shipping lines are only taking Indian consignments to that country. The US had in May 2018 come out from a nuclear accord with Iran and re-imposed sanctions. So far, there is no disruption in Indias pharmaceutical supplies to Iran. However, if the tension escalates, it may have an effect on Indias exports to Iran, stated Nipun Jain, chairman, SME Panel, Pharmexcil. Indias pharma exports to Iran during fiscal 2018-19 were US$ 181.14 million. Iranian drug industry meets 80% of the country’s demand. The remaining 20% is met through imports. Due to economic sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United State, Iran faced a shortage of life-saving drugs in 2012-13. However, drugs were exempted from the sanctions, but Europeans were reluctant to supply it due to payment issues since banks in Europe were wary of dealing with Iran.

‘Dandi March’ by docs for law against mob violence

The Times of India- Chaitanya Deshpande

Nagpur: Alleging that central government (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/central-government) has withdrawn proposed law for protection of medicos, doctors attached to Indian Medical Association (IMA) have decided to “replicate” Mahatma Gandhi’s iconic Dandi March. Thousands of doctors are expected to participate in the march to be taken out from Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. This march will start on March 12 — the date on which Mahatma Gandhi had started Dandi March from the same ashram in 1930. However, unlike 384km march by the Mahatma, the doctors’ rally will be a symbolic 4km walk around Sabarmati Ashram. Health Care Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill 2019, which was to be tabled in Parliament. “The draft of this act was finalized by ministry of health and family welfare. Even the government had agreed that such law was necessary. But, recently, we have been told by home ministry sources that the proposed bill has been withdrawn,” said Dr Bhondwe. “The home ministry said such a law for a particular profession cannot be passed by the Centre,” said the IMA unit president.

Doctors strike work to protest assault

The Telegraph

Doctors of a health and wellness centre in Haidernagar and a sub-divisional hospital in Hussainabad went on a strike on Wednesday to protest against the assault on a doctor at the health centre by a mob after he declared brought dead a road accident victim on Tuesday. Haidernagar and Hussainabad are located 90km and 80km, respectively, from Daltonganj. Sources said the mob got enraged as doctor Sahil Nayan Rajnish was not present at the Haidernagar health centre when the victim, identified as Mithilesh Ram, was brought in along with two others who were injured in the same accident. According to sources, Rajnish reached the centre 45 minutes late and upon examining Ram declared him brought dead. This infuriated the mob that not only beat up the doctor but also vandalised his chamber at the health centre, sources said, adding that the doctor has sustained severe head injuries following the attack that took place in the presence of police. Rajnish is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Ranchi. Hussainabad sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Vijay Kumar said: “We have reports that Dr Rajnish was not present/available at centre when the road accident victims were brought in. This made the group of people furious as they thought the doctor’s absence proved fatal for Ram, a resident of Patarya village in Haidenagar.” On whether cops were present at the centre when the doctor was assaulted, the SDPO said: “There was one havildar and four jawans there. It will be probed why the cops did not act promptly.”