Page 10 - Drugs

Wockhardt announces success of antibiotic to treat drug-resistant infection

Doctors used Zidebactam/Cefepime to treat a highly drug-resistant skull bone infection and pneumonia in a renal transplant patient

Govt revamps pharma scheme, entails financial assistance to drug cos

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has revamped a scheme which entails financial assistance to drug companies to help them upgrade their facilities to produce medicines conforming to global standards, an official release said on Monday. As per the revamped Pharmaceuticals Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS), the government has expanded the scope of the initiative beyond MSMEs to include any pharmaceutical manufacturing unit with a turnover of less than Rs 500 crore that requires technology and quality upgradation, the Chemicals and Fertilisers ministry said in a statement. Preference however remains for MSMEs, supporting smaller players in achieving high-quality manufacturing standards, it added. The revamped scheme also introduces more flexible financing options, emphasising subsidies on reimbursement basis, over traditional credit-linked approach. This flexibility is designed to diversify the financing options of the participating units, facilitating a more widesprea

Cadila Pharma launches quadrivalent influenza vaccine 'Cadiflu Tetra'

Cadiflu Tetra is developed employing Nano-sized particles, the Vaccine mimics the external structure of the virus without containing intact genetic material

2023 most successful year for anti-drugs operations in Assam: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said 2023 was the most successful year for the state in terms of anti-drugs operations. The chief minister said drugs worth Rs 718 crore were seized over 4,700 arrests made during the period. "The Modi government is deploying a whole-of-government approach to build a #DrugsFreeBharat," Sarma wrote on X. "In 2023, Assam Police seized drugs worth Rs 718 cr and arrested over 4,700 drug traffickers making it the most successful year for anti-drugs operations in the state," he added. Sarma also shared a video on the various steps being taken by the central government in the war on drugs. Meanwhile, two persons were arrested and 500 grams of heroin was recovered from their possession in Guwahati, Sarma said in another post on X. The operation was carried out by the special task force of state police. Two persons were apprehended by the STF after a hot pursuit in Guwahati, Sarma said. "... Search and seizure were conducted on their p

India's highest-ever drug bust: 3,300 kg narcotics seized off Gujarat coast

Indian agencies Wednesday made their highest-ever narcotics bust from the sea as they seized 3,300 kg drugs, which sailed from an Iranian port, off the Gujarat coast and arrested five foreigners from a dhow. The cache could be worth anything between Rs 1,300-Rs 2,000 crore in the international market, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General S N Pradhan said. Home Minister Amit Shah called the joint operation by the Navy, NCB and the Gujarat Police a "historic success" and a testament of his government's "unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free". The unregistered fishing boat was intercepted on Tuesday morning at the Arabian Sea from a point about 60 nautical miles from the Indian coast and along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The Navy deployed its P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and marine commandos onboard a warship apart from helicopters. About 3,300 kg of contraband that includes 3,110 kg charas or Hashish, 158.3 kg of cryst

Indian agencies seize record 3,300 kg of narcotics off Gujarat coast

The Indian Navy intercepted a small ship on Tuesday and recovered more than 3,089 kg of charas, 158 kg of methamphetamine, and 25 kg of morphine

Biggest offshore seizure of drugs done by NCB, Navy, Gujarat Police: Shah

The Narcotics Control Bureau, the Navy and the Gujarat Police have seized a gigantic consignment of 3,132 kg of drugs in a joint operation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday. Shah said the historic success is a testament to the Modi government's unwavering commitment to making the nation drug-free. In a post on X, the home minister said pursuing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a drug-free Bharat, the agencies have achieved the grand success of making the biggest offshore seizure of drugs in the nation. "In a joint operation carried out by the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police, a gigantic consignment of 3132 kg of drugs was seized. The historic success is a testament to our govt's unwavering commitment to making our nation drug-free. On this occasion, I congratulate the NCB, the Navy, and the Gujarat Police," Shah said.

Indian drug firms look for new opportunities in Saudi Arabia pharma market

Indian drug firms sense opportunity to increase presence in $8.9 bn Saudi market

MD 'meow meow' drug worth over Rs 2,000 crore uncovered in Delhi, Pune

Mephedrone, also known as 'meow meow', is a synthetic stimulant and psychotropic substance banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act

Dr Reddy's Laboratories R&D facility gets VAI status in USFDA inspection

Last year in December, during the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Pre-Approval Inspection at the same facility concluded with three observations

Efforts underway to eradicate illegal poppy cultivation in Manipur: CM

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh asserted that efforts are underway to eradicate illegal poppy cultivation in the northeastern state. He said a review meeting was held in the CM Secretariat on Thursday to "deliberate on measures and renewed strategies to end the menace". "Satellite mapping is being carried out and surveys are being conducted through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to pinpoint locations of poppy plantations," he said. During the meeting, images of the poppy cultivation were handed over to the superintendents of police of Kangpokpi, Churachandpur, Senapati and Ukhrul districts and they were asked to destroy the plantations by the end of this month with assistance from other agencies, the CM said. "Poppy harvesting season is on... hence efforts are being made to destroy the poppy plantations before harvesting," he said. Singh also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the Centre's decision to erect fencing along the India-Myan

JB Pharma CEO attributes 3.5% of company's growth to new introductions

"We are growing at 16 per cent, compared to the Indian Pharma Market (IPM) growth of 8 per cent, and a 12 per cent growth of the market which we cover," Chopra said

Elon Musk took illegal drugs with some Tesla board members: Reports

The relationship between Musk and his directors was slammed by a Delaware judge this week, who cited the board's conflicts of interest in her ruling that Musk's $55 billion pay package was excessive.

Breather for consumers as drug prices likely to remain same this year

In previous two years, hikes were in the range of 10-12%

Indian national pleads guilty in US to running dark web drug enterprise

A 40-year-old Indian national extradited from the UK has pleaded guilty to operating a global dark web enterprise to sell "deadly and dangerous drugs to communities across America" and agreed to forfeit approximately USD 150 million in cryptocurrency. According to court documents, Banmeet Singh from Haldwani in Uttarakhand created vendor marketing sites on dark web marketplaces to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, Ketamine, and Tramadol, the US Department of Justice said in a press release. Customers ordered controlled substances from Singh using the vendor sites and by paying with cryptocurrency. Singh then personally shipped or arranged the shipment of the drugs from Europe to America through US mail or other shipping services, the release said on Friday. Banmeet Singh and traffickers like him think they can operate anonymously on the dark web and evade prosecution...Today's guilty plea, which includes forfeiture of approximately USD 150 million

Billionaires spending a fortune to lure scientists away from universities

Braggadocio from startups is de rigueur, and plenty of ex-academics have started biotechnology firms, hoping to strike it rich on their one big discovery

Price push: Domestic pharma market grew by 6.8% in 2023, shows data

With an 8 percent growth in the anti-infectives category, it is not surprising that GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK) Augmentin is the top selling brand in 2023, second year in a row

LSD, cocaine: Elon Musk's drug use concerns Tesla and SpaceX execs

Musk has used LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms, often at private parties, the Journal said, citing unnamed witnesses and others with knowledge of the matter

Sub-standard drugs: Delhi minister seeks suspension of health secretary

Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Friday recommended to the Lt Governor and the Centre the immediate suspension of the health secretary over the supply of "sub-standard" drugs to Delhi government hospitals. He also demanded strict action against the former director general of the Directorate General Of Health Services (DGHS). Addressing a press conference here, Bharadwaj said Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has not taken any firm action against the officials concerned. He said upon assuming office in March 2023, he ordered an audit of medicines, equipment, and consumables but despite his repeated reminders to the health secretary, no action was taken. "The health secretary did not take any notice of this and did not initiate any audit related to the procurement of medicines," the minister claimed. Bharadwaj said in July, he sent a reminder to the senior official questioning why the orders had not been implemented and why there had been no audit of medicines and other items purch

Over 2.9k drugs found to be substandard in tests conducted in 2022-23: Govt

Out of the 89,729 drug samples tested between April 2022 and March 2023, 2,921 drugs were found to be "not of standard quality" while 422 were identified as spurious, the Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said 642 prosecutions were launched for manufacturing, sale and distribution of spurious/adulterated drugs, while 262 persons were arrested during the same period as per information received from drugs controllers of various states and Union territories. This excludes data from Rajasthan. Giving details of the previous year, Pawar said a total 88,844 samples were tested between April 2021 and March 2022 of which 2,545 were declared to be not of standard quality while 379 were found to be spurious. She said 592 prosecutions were launched for manufacturing, sale and distribution of spurious/adulterated drugs and 450 persons arrested during the same period. Responding to a question, Pawar said that in order to asse