‘India not to stop hydroxychloroquine treatment in mild cases

NEW DELHI: Indian health authorities have said that Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) would not be withdrawn as a treatment methodology for Covid-19 patients, arguing that the decision to use it was scientific, even as the US Food and Drug Administration on Monday withdrew emergency use of the prophylactic.HCQ, currently used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, has split world opinion on its use in Covid-19 management, even as India said the decision was “taken based on risk-benefit assessment.” ....read more

CMAAO Coronavirus Facts and Myth Buster 130: Triggers of sudden deterioration in COVID patients

949: Round Table Expert Zoom Meeting on “Triggers of sudden deterioration in COVID patients”13th June, 2020, 11am-12pm,Participants: Dr KK Aggarwal (Chair); Dr AK Agarwal; Dr Girdhar Gyani; Dr Ashok Gupta; Dr DR Rai; Dr JA Jayalal; Dr Jayakrishnan Alapet; Dr PN Arora; Dr N Kamat; Mrs Upasana Arora; Mr Bejon Misra; Ms Meenakshi Datta Ghosh; Dr K Kalra; Ms Ira Gupta; Dr Sanchita SharmaThis webinar was dedicated to Mr Sanjay Sharma, Asst. Manager - IT & Election Work, Indian Medical Association (IMA), who passed away due to COVID-19. ....read more

World Covid Meter 15th June - 213 Countries affected: 8 Million today, Doubling rate 8 days

Cases: 1M April 2, 2M April 15, 3M April 27, 4M May 8, 5M May 20, 6M May 30, 7M June 7, 8M by June 15Ground Zero: Wuhan - in live animal market or cafeteria for animal pathogens: 10th January; Total cases are based on RT PCR, 67% sensitivityDoubling time India 17 days, USA 33 days, Brazil 13 days, Russia 18 days, Spain 47 days, UK 35 days, Italy 55 days, France 49 days, Turkey 37 daysLikely minimum deaths (435177 + 54122 x 15 = 8118) = 443295,Coronavirus Cases: 7,984,432....read more

The three types of Debts

Hindu scriptures have talked about three types of Hrin (debts): Dev Hrin, Pitra Hrin and Rishi Hrin.God or the devtas gave us the consciousness, parents gave us our body and teachers gave us the knowledge or intellect. In Vedic language, our body is a mix of mind, body and soul, which can be equated to three Hrins of mind (teachers), body (parents) and soul (Rishi & Gods). ....read more

Healthcare News Monitor

Markets seen on edge due to India-China standoff; bank, pharma stocks in focus

Nasrin Sultana

Investors may watch pharma stocks as trial results showed dexamethasone reduced deaths by about one-third among the severely ill covid-19 patientsUS retail sales jumped a record 17.7% in May, blowing past the 8% rise analysts expected and supporting views the US recession may be nearing endIndian stock markets on Wednesday are likely to be volatile as investors may remain on the edge due to clashes between India and China on the border. Trends in SGX Nifty indicate a weak opening for benchmark indices.In a major escalation of tension between India and China, as many as 20 Indian Army personnel were killed in a “violent face off" with Chinese troops in the Galwan area of Ladakh late on Monday, the Indian Army said.

China dumping key medicine in India

Hindustan Times

The government has found sufficient evidence that China is dumping a key medicine -- ciprofloxacin hydrochloride -- below cost in the Indian market and hurting the domestic pharmaceutical industry, two officials aware of the development said.The medicine is used to treat bacterial infections, including skin, bone, respiratory and urinary tract infections, and certain types of diarrhoea.After a thorough investigation, the government has found that the volume of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride imported from China has increased significantly and at a pace that is undercutting prices in the domestic industry, the officials cited above said, requesting anonymity.

Mumbai: Missing for over a week, body of Covid patient found at Rajawadi hospital morgue

Express News Service

Over a week after the body of a 27-year-old murder victim, who later found positive for Covid-19, went missing from Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, it was found at the hospital’s morgue Monday, police said.The man was allegedly stabbed by his cousins on June 3 in Deonar and was declared dead when brought to Rajawadi hospital. A Covid-19 test before cremation had later found him positive for the virus. After a delay in arranging an ambulance, the family on June 7 approached the hospital to collect the body but were informed that it could not be located.“The past two weeks have been horrible. First, my brother was murdered. Then he was found positive for Covid-19 at Rajawadi hospital and so we were told to take precautions for his burial,” the elder brother of the 27-year-old man, a zari worker, told The Indian Express.

WHO chief scientist hails Dexamethasone success in trials says will impact treatment guidelines

E Kumar Sharma

It is available for just around Rs 3 a tablet and could well be the drug to treat critically-ill patients of coronavirus. The internet and social media are awash with news clips and reports from the UK of the biggest trial conducted so far on the Dexamethasone and coming out with evidence that this steroid given in low doses can help cut the risk of death in critically-ill patients. It is a cheap and widely available steroid that is used as an anti-inflammatory medicine globally and in India.BusinessToday.In reached out to Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO), on what changes now and if we now finally have a treatment for COVID-19? "It is a well-done randomised trial with large number of patients. This is the kind of evidence we need for any drug. Second, the results show that it works best in the most severely ill patients that is those who already have a respiratory failure and need oxygen or mechanical ventilation."