Page 4 - Drug

Mass movement to be launched against drug menace in Himachal: Dy CM

Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Saturday said a mass movement will be launched in the state against the drug menace. Agnihotri said an 8-km long walk against the drug menace will be flagged off by Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla from Haroli to Kangar in the Haroli Assembly constituency on June 27. He also called upon the political leaders not to interfere with cases related to drug smuggling and ensure that no political pressure is put on authorities to save the chitta' smugglers. Talking to the media persons here, he said that being a border district, Una is vulnerable to drug smuggling and therefore the walk is significant. The theme of the program is Walk for Life - an initiative against drug addiction, the deputy chief minister informed. Thousands of students, various institutions and people from different sections of society will be a part of this walk, he said. Several events like slogan writing, painting competitions and others will be organised befo

Merck sues federal govt over plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices

Merck is suing the federal government over a plan to negotiate Medicare drug prices, calling the programme a sham equivalent to extortion. The drugmaker is seeking to halt the programme, which was laid out in the Inflation Reduction Act and is expected to save taxpayers billions of dollars in the coming years. Merck said in a complaint filed Tuesday that the programme does not involve genuine negotiation. Instead, it said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services selects drugs to be included and then dictates the price, threatening drugmakers with a ruinous daily excise tax if they decline to agree. It is tantamount to extortion, the drugmaker said in the complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The drugmaker added that it expects its diabetes treatment Januvia to be part of the IRA's scheme starting later this year. Representatives of the federal agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press

Drugs seizure from Indian waters: Court asks NCB to file fresh affidavit

A local court here on Monday asked the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is probing the recent seizure of over 2,500 kilograms of methamphetamine from a vessel in Indian waters in a joint operation with the Navy, to file a fresh affidavit including the details of the arrest of the accused among other things. The court was considering the petition of the NCB seeking the custody of Pakistan national accused Zubair Derakshshandeh for five days from today. Lawyer representing the accused, B A Aloor, said the court asked the agency to file whether the arrest was made from the Indian waters in order to decide on the jurisdiction of the court. The court will consider the matter again on Tuesday. In the remand report filed by the agency on May 16, it had said that a drug trafficker from Pakistan had offered the accused, "good money" after the work was completed. The agency had on May 15 said that the actual commercial value of the contraband after its latest evaluation was close to Rs

2,500 kg drugs seized from Indian waters: NCB seeks custody of accused

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which is probing the recent seizure of over 2,500 kilograms of methamphetamine from a vessel in Indian waters in a joint operation with the Navy, on Saturday moved the court seeking custody of the accused. The agency sought the custody of Pakistan national accused, Zubair Derakshshandeh for five days from May 22. The accused is currently under judicial custody. "...the court may be pleased to order production of the accused person... before this court on 22-05-2023 and grant the custody to the petitioner for custodial interrogation in the case for 5 days w.e.f 22-05-2023 to 26.05.2023," the application filed by the agency said. In the remand report filed by the agency on May 16, it had said that a drug trafficker from Pakistan had offered the accused, "good money" after the work was completed. The agency had on May 15 said that the actual commercial value of the contraband after its latest evaluation was close to Rs 25,000 crore, because of the h

Himachal govt to prepare drug de-addiction, rehabilitation policy, says CM

The Himachal Pradesh government will formulate a drug de-addiction and rehabilitation policy for the youth addicted to drugs, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said. At a meeting where a draft policy was discussed, the chief minister said the life of the young generation is limited to mobile phones, which has led them towards drug abuse, according to a statement issued here. He said the state government is taking strict action to prevent the youth from falling prey to drug abuse and a state-of-the-art drug de-addiction-cum-rehabilitation centre will be established in the state with the support of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) to achieve this goal. Directing the officers concerned to identify approximately land for the centre, he said this centre will function with the aim of providing professional training to the inmates besides drug de-addiction. It would boost their lost confidence and guide them to progress in life. The emphasis will

NHRC notices to govt on deaths of inmates at pvt drug de-addiction centres

The NHRC has issued notices to the Centre, states and the Union territories over reported deaths of inmates due to "torture" at private drug de-addiction centres, the rights panel said on Tuesday. It has sought reports within four weeks on de-addiction centres presently available with the government sectors and if there are any rules or regulations framed under the NDPS Act to regulate the centres, besides other information. Reportedly, a 24-year-old man was beaten to death by the people running a de-addiction centre in Chandramani area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand on April 10, the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement. Prior to this, the Commission had taken suo motu cognisance of two similar incidents at de-addiction centres in Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and the reports have been sought, it said. The NHRC has "taken suo motu cognisance of a media report of yet another death of an inmate at a private drug de-addiction centre - which is the third such incident

India's TB programme: Low cost generics of J&J's MDR-TB drug on the anvil

Indian Patent Office's decision on J&J's bedaquiline came on the eve of World Tuberculosis Day, marked on March 24 every year, to raise public awareness & to boost efforts to end the TB epidemic

Motivate youth for drug-free state, says Himachal Pradesh Governor

During a courtesy call on the Governor at Raj Bhavan here, the Governor asked him to actively contribute in the campaign for a drug-free Himachal Pradesh

Drug firm Glenmark gets USFDA nod for generic diabetes drug to market in US

Drug firm Glenmark said it has received approval from the US health regulator to market a generic medication to treat diabetes in the American market. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc, USA, a unit of the company, has received tentative approval from the US Food & Drug Administration (US FDA) for Saxagliptin Tablets in strengths of 2.5 mg and 5 mg, the Mumbai-based drug maker said in a statement. The company's product is the generic version of AstraZeneca AB's Onglyza tablets (2.5 mg and 5 mg), it added. According to IQVIA sales data for the 12-month period ending December 2022, the Onglyza tablets (2.5 mg and 5 mg) achieved annual sales of around USD 122.3 million. Glenmark said its current portfolio consists of 179 products authorised for distribution in the US marketplace. The drug firm has 46 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) pending approval with the USFDA, it added. In addition to these internal filings, Glenmark continues to identify and explore external development ...

Lupin Pharma's US-based arm recalls blood pressure tablets in US market

Pharmaceuticals firm Lupin Ltd on Thursday said its US-based arm is recalling four lots of Quinapril tablets used to treat high blood pressure due to the presence of a nitrosamine impurity. Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc, the company's wholly-owned arm, is recalling the said tablets due to the presence of a nitrosamine impurity, N-Nitroso-Quinapril, observed in recent testing above the acceptable daily intake (ADI) level, Lupin Ltd said in a regulatory filing. "To date, Lupin has received no reports of illness that appear to relate to this issue," it said, adding it discontinued marketing of Quinapril tablets in September 2022. Quinapril tablets of strengths 20mg and 40mg packaged in separate 90 count bottles were distributed nationwide in the US to wholesalers, drug chains, mail order pharmacies and supermarkets, it added. The filing further said Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc is notifying its wholesalers, distributors, drug chains, mail order pharmacies and supermarkets by phone and throug

Seizure of high-value drugs rises manifold to 310 kg in FY22: DRI report

High-value drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin have witnessed record seizures by revenue intelligence officers in the last fiscal, according to a report by the Directorate Revenue Intelligence. Signalling a disturbing trend, the figures revealed that the seizure of highly addictive party drug cocaine has shot up 36-fold to 310 kg in 2021-22 from 8.7 kg in 2020-21 and just 1.1 kg in 2019-20. Another high-value party drug methamphetamine saw a 14-fold increase in seizures by DRI officers at 884.69 kg in 2021-22, up from 64.39 kg in 2020-21. Besides, 3,410.71 kg of heroin, a highly addictive opioid drug, was seized in 2021-22, up 17-fold from the previous fiscal. Of this, 2,988 kg was seized at Mundra port in 2021-22. In 2020-21 and 2019-20, 202 kg and 143 kg of heroin were seized by the DRI officers across the country. According to the DRI report, two key trends have been observed in drug smuggling in recent times. These are the trafficking of heroin via trade routes, ...

Orchid Pharma antibiotic product for treating UTI coming to India: MD

Company says it's returning to profit after takeover by Dhanuka Laboratories under insolvency resolution

World's most expensive drug approved to treat hemophilia at $3.5 mn a dose

CSL Behring's Hemgenix, administered just once, cut the number of bleeding events expected over the course of a year by 54%, a key study of the therapy found

Drug reactions can be life-threatening; not to be neglected: KGMU doctors

Rashes that do not itch, swollen eyes, burning sensation in lips and sore throat could be symptoms of severe adverse drug reaction (ADR)

Largest Ibuprofen API maker eyes double revenue in next four years

As part of de-risking their business, they have started reducing the share of ibuprofen in their overall turnover, and add more popular products to the portfolio

FDA panel backs much-debated experimental ALS drug in rare second review

A panel of federal health advisers have voted to recommend approval for an experimental drug to treat Lou Gehrig's disease, a remarkable turnaround for the much-debated medication that was previously rejected by the same group earlier this year. The Food and Drug Administration advisers voted 7-2 that data from Amylyx Pharma warranted approval, despite hours of debate about the strength and reliability of the company's lone study. The FDA is not required to follow the group's advice, but its positive recommendation suggests an approval is likely later this month. The FDA has approved only two therapies for the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, which destroys nerve cells needed for basic functions like walking, talking and swallowing. ALS patients and their families have rallied behind Amylyx's drug, launching an aggressive lobbying campaign and enlisting members of Congress to push the FDA to grant approval. Despite a negative review published by FDA's internal ...

Specialty drugs may push Sun Pharma's US biz beyond $2 bn by 2025

The share of specialty medicines in overall pharmaceutical spending has been consistently increasing over the past decade, from 22 per cent in 2011 to 39 per cent in 2021

Sun Pharma Q1 net up 43% to Rs 2,061 crore on specialty sales, India biz

Gross sales up 10.1% YoY to Rs 10,644 cr; EBITDA at Rs 2,884.4 cr, with a margin of 26.8%

CBI arrests Jt Drug Controller, Biocon Biologics execs over fishy approvals

All five apprehended will be presented in court on Tuesday afternoon, agency to seek police custody

Glenmark Pharma launches first FDC drug Indamet for asthma patients

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Thursday said it has launched a novel fixed-dose combination (FDC) drug in the country for patients with uncontrolled asthma. The Mumbai-based drug major has launched - Indacaterol + Mometasone FDC under the brand name Indamet. The drug will be available in three strengths with a fixed dose of Indacaterol 150 mcg and variable doses of Mometasone 80 mcg, 160 mcg and 320 mcg to be taken once daily. "Respiratory is a key focus area for Glenmark, and the company leads from the front in providing access to the latest treatment options to patients. "We are proud to introduce this novel fixed-dose combination Indamet, which is the first of its kind in India, offering an affordable treatment option to both adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older suffering from uncontrolled asthma," Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Group Vice President & Head (India Formulations) Alok Malik said in a statement. The drug maker is the first company in India to market the FDC of .