World Cancer Day 2020: What India can and should do

By Suresh Ramu

How can we make access to cancer treatment and care equal for all? Can India win the fight against cancer?

For its 20th anniversary, World Cancer Day – an initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) – makes an empowering call for personal commitment to reduce the growing impact of cancer. The theme for this year is ‘I Am and I Will’. So, what can India do to save the lives of millions lost to preventable cancer deaths? How can we make access to cancer treatment and care equal for all? Can India win the fight against cancer? ....read more

Third case of Corona confirmed in Kerala, again a primary case

Summary:7th Feb Friday to be observed as National Wear Red Day.

Continue asking patients with suspected flu or diarrhea if they, or someone they have been in contact with, recently returned from China’s affected area. Corona is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern as person-to-person transmission in UK, USA, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam (mandatory to report to WHO human and animal cases) has been confirmed. A death in the Philippines on February 2 marks the first death occurring outside of China. The virus behaves like SARS with 2% case fatality (15% of admitted cases), time to death 14 days, 3-4 reproductive number R0, has its origin from bats, spreads through large droplets and predominately from people having lower respiratory infections and hence, universal droplet precautions are the answer. ....read more

Why do we prostrate before parents and elders?

Most of us are taught to prostrate before our parents, elders, teachers and noble souls by touching their feet. They, in turn, bless us by placing their hand on or over our heads. Prostration is done daily or on important occasions. Touching the feet in prostration is a sign of respect for age, maturity, nobility and divinity that our elders personify....read more

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

For every 1kg weight loss, the blood pressure reduces by 0.5 to 2 mmHg.

Healthcare News Monitor

Industry recommends prefix or suffix in existing brand name to be allowed on change in API formulation

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

Worried about the prospects of pharmaceutical business getting impacted, the Indian pharma industry has recommended that a prefix or suffix in an existing brand name to be allowed on change in active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) formulation in the same therapeutic segment towards patient safety. The Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) has proposed to the government that brand name of medicines be allowed to be retained if change of API formulation is in same therapeutic segment with suitable prefix or suffix in an existing brand name for patient safety. In a circular sent to all central and state regulators’ offices on May 16, 2019 former Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr S Eswara Reddy had said that his office has received information that some drug manufacturing companies, after changing the APIs of a formulation are still continuing with marketing the products in the old registered brand names. The drug regulator stated that the practice of changing the key therapeutic ingredients in a drug formulation without changing the brand name “is not only misleading but may also result in undesirable pharmacological effects as the consumer would take the formulation assuming that it has the earlier composition.” In a circular, it has asked its officials to take “all measures” to prevent companies from retaining the same brand name for different formulations.

Applications for licences for new proprietary & patented Siddha medicines decreasing in TN

Pharmabiz India - Peethaambaran Kunnathoor

Although the office of the licensing authority of the Indian System of Medicines (ISM SLA) in Tamil Nadu is showing no reluctance to issue manufacturing licences for patented and proprietary medicines, applications for fresh licences are decreasing now-a-days because of no reason, says Dr. K Pitchayya Kumar, state licensing authority for ISM, government of Tamil Nadu. “The office has no pending application. As soon as we receive the application for a fresh manufacturing lincence or for renewals, we start the process and issue the licence as early as possible. But, recently the number of new applications is decreasing compared to the situation existed three or four years ago,” he said in an exclusive interview with Pharmabiz. According to sources from the department, there was a stagnation of grant of licences for new products four years ago and the state government had restrained the department from issuing licences due to the central ayush ministry’s insistence for clinical trials on new formulations. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act was amended by the union government in 2010 making clinical trials compulsory for patented and proprietary medicines, especially for those being manufactured for export. However, following the persistent attempts of the industry players in Tamil Nadu, in November 2016 the government gave permission to the Indian Medicine Commissionerate to issue licences as per provisions under section 158 B of the drugs and cosmetics act. The provision permits for grant of licence on the basis of pilot study.

Coronavirus outbreak: Cocktail of flu, HIV drugs appears to help fight virus, say Thai doctors

India Today

Thai doctors have seen success in treating severe cases of the new coronavirus with combination of medications for flu and HIV, with initial results showing vast improvement 48 hours after applying the treatment, they said on Sunday. The doctors from Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok said a new approach in coronavirus treatment had improved the condition of several patients under their care, including one 70-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan who tested positive for the coronavirus for 10 days. The drug treatment includes a mixture of anti-HIV drugs lopinavir and ritonavir, in combination with flu drug oseltamivir in large doses. "This is not the cure, but the patients condition has vastly improved. From testing positive for 10 days under our care, after applying this combination of medicine the test result became negative within 48 hours," Dr. Kriangska Atipornwanich, a lung specialist at Rajavithi, told reporters. "The outlook is good but we still have to do more study to determine that this can be a standard treatment." Chinese health officials have already been administering the HIV and flu drugs to fight the coronavirus. The use of the three together in a cocktail seemed to improve the treatment, the Thai doctors said. Another doctor said that a similar approach in two other patients resulted in one displaying some allergic reaction but the other showed improvement. "We have been following international practices, but the doctor increased the dosage of one of the drugs," said Somsak Akkslim, director-general of the Medical Services Department, referring to the flu medicine Oseltamivir. Thailand has recorded 19 cases of coronavirus. Of the Thai patients, eight have recovered and gone home while 11 are still under treatment in hospitals.

Coronvirus: Built in 10 days, China’s 1000-bed hospital opens. Takes 1st patients

India Today- AP

he first patients arrived Monday at a 1,000-bed hospital built in 10 days as part of Chinas efforts to fight a new virus. Huoshenshan Hospital and a second facility with 1,500 beds that is due to open this week were built by construction crews who are working around the clock in Wuhan, the city in central China where the outbreak was first detected in December. Most of the citys 11 million people are barred from leaving the area. The Wuhan treatment centers mark the second time Chinese leaders have responded to a new disease by building specialized hospitals almost overnight. As severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, spread in 2003, a facility in Beijing for patients with that viral disease was constructed in a week. The first patients arrived at the Huoshenshan Hospital at 10 am on Monday, according to state media. The reports gave no details of the patients identities or conditions. The ruling Communist Partys military wing, the Peoples Liberation Army, sent 1,400 doctors, nurses and other personnel to staff the Wuhan hospital, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The government said earlier some have experience fighting SARS and other outbreaks. Authorities have cut most road, rail and air access to Wuhan and surrounding cities, isolating some 50 million people, in efforts to contain the viral outbreak that has sickened more than 17,000 and killed more than 360 people. The Huoshenshan Hospital was built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Photos in state media showed workers in winter clothing, safety helmets and the surgical-style masks worn by millions of Chinese in an attempt to avoid contracting the virus.