Page 12 - Drugs

Drug delivery by drones? Informal economy of substance abuse on campuses

Students across campuses in and around Delhi speak of fellow students who consume substances such as marijuana; the more forthright ones admit to doing it themselves

Sun Pharma unit inks pact with US firm to introduce drug to treat stroke

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Thursday said one of its wholly-owned subsidiary unit has tied up with US-based Pharmazz Inc to commercialise a drug used to treat cerebral ischemic stroke in India. One of the company's wholly-owned subsidiaries has entered into a license agreement with the US-based biopharmaceutical company to commercialise a first-in-class innovative drug, Tyvalzi, in the country, the Mumbai-based drug major said in a statement. Developed by Pharmazz for potential global use, Sovateltide, is indicated for treating cerebral ischemic stroke. As per agreement terms, Sun Pharma is granted rights for marketing Sovateltide in India under the brand name Tyvalzi (Sovateltide), the company said. Pharmazz will be entitled to upfront and milestone payments, including royalties, it added. "The Phase 3 clinical trial for Tyvalzi conducted in India demonstrated statistically and clinically meaningful improvement in neurological outcomes in ischemic stroke," Sun Pharma India .

How India has been supplying quality drugs affordably to the entire world

With Indian innovation coming into its own and the Indian pharma industry ushering in a new wave of healthcare concepts, we will see India strengthening its position as the pharmacy to the world

HC upholds Centre's decision to include all medical devices as drugs

The Delhi High Court has upheld the Centre's decision to include all medical devices within the ambit of "drug" under the law regulating drugs and cosmetics. A bench headed by Justice Rajiv Shakdher rejected petitions by the Surgical Manufacturers and Traders Association challenging the central government's 2018 and 2020 notifications first declaring four medical devices as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and then spreading the net to cover all medical devices. The court said the decision to include all medical devices as drugs was a policy matter and no case for interference was made out as there was no arbitrariness or unreasonableness. MHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), in its wisdom, thought it fit to bring all medical devices within the ambit of the expression 'drug '. This is clearly a policy matter, the bench, also comprising Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju, said in a recent order dated September 1. To our minds, there is no manifest arbitrariness or ...

Cough syrups to painkillers: Bar codes on 11 habit-forming drugs soon

According to the health ministry, this is being done to stop the misuse and illicit trade of these drugs

Strides Pharma arm gets USFDA approval for generic Mycophenolate Mofetil

Strides Pharma Science Ltd on Wednesday said its wholly-owned arm, Strides Pharma Global Pte. Ltd, Singapore, has received approval from the US health regulator for generic Mycophenolate Mofetil for oral suspension indicated in organ transplant patients to avoid rejection. The approval granted by the US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) is for Mycophenolate Mofetil for oral suspension of strength 200 mg/ml, Strides Pharma Science said in a regulatory filing. The product is bioequivalent and therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug (RLD), CellCept for oral suspension, 200 mg/m; of Roche Palo Alto, LLC, it added. The approval bolsters the company's Mycophenolate Mofetil portfolio, which already includes numerous products, it added. The product will be manufactured at the company's facility in Bengaluru, Strides said. Mycophenolate Mofetil for oral suspension has a market size of USD 41 million, the company said citing IQVIA data.

India aspires to become global leader in innovative drugs: Report

This will lead to a sustained global competitive advantage and contribute to quality employment generation in the country

Punjab govt to eradicate all issues inherited from previous govts: CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann Tuesday said his government will eradicate all issues inherited by it from the previous state governments to realise the dreams of martyrs and freedom fighters of the country. Addressing a gathering here during a function to commemorate Karnail Singh Issru, a martyr of Goa's fight for liberation from Portuguese rule, Mann said problems like corruption and drugs flourished in the state due to alleged patronisation by the then-governments. However, Mann said his government has adopted a zero tolerance policy towards these issues that have ruined the state. The state government has already initiated a crackdown on corruption, which has been weeded out of the state, an official statement quoted Mann as saying. He said the state government has formulated a new policy to break the backbone of drugs in the state. The state government is vehemently making efforts to check the supply line of drugs, and direct the youth's energy towards a positive .

NCB busts 2 int'l drug cartels operating via darknet, arrests 22: MHA

In a major crackdown on the narcotics trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted 2 international drug cartels operating through the darknet and arrested 22 individuals with a huge cache of 29,103 blots of deadly LSD in the last 3 months, stated a Ministry of Information & Broadcasting release on Tuesday.Union Home Minister congratulated NCB for this major success against drugs.In a tweet, Shri Amit Shah said that in the direction of realizing the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of Drug Free India, this major success has been achieved and it will boost the morale of all the agencies fighting against drugs . Shri Shah added that no matter what advanced technology drug traffickers employ, they can never escape the clutches of our agencies.Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs and all the agencies of Government of India are continuously striving in the direction of making Drug Free ...

Centre grants sanction to prosecute joint drugs controller in bribery case

The government has granted the sanction to prosecute Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's joint drugs controller S Eswara Reddy, clearing the decks for initiating a trial against him for allegedly taking a bribe to favourably recommend Biocon Biologics' insulin injection, officials said Sunday. The CBI submitted the sanction for prosecution, accorded by the Director (Vigilance) in the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, before a special court here. Repeated calls made to the office phone of Reddy seeking his comments remained unanswered. The agency has also received the sanction against Animesh Kumar, Assistant Drugs Inspector, who is a co-accused in the case, they said. Apart from Reddy and Animesh Kumar, the CBI had also arrested Biocon Biologics' Associate Vice President L Praveen Kumar, Synergy Network India Private Limited director Dinesh Dua, who allegedly gave Reddy Rs 4 lakh as bribe, and Guljit Sethi, an alleged conduit of Biocon Biologics. The arrests

1 arrested as CBI seizes 4.6 kg of MDMA on Interpol input: Officials

The CBI has arrested a person from Prayagraj in connection with the seizure of nearly 4.6 kg of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy, allegedly smuggled into the country in three postal consignments booked from Belgium, officials said on Friday. The narcotic was supposed to be meant for persons based in Delhi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, they said. The agency has arrested one Mohit Jaiswal from Prayagraj in connection with the cases. The CBI had earlier registered three separate FIRs in the seizure of the consignments, two of which were intended for Prayagraj-based addresses while one was for a Delhi address. A CBI team had seized consignments delivered at the international post office on Kotla Road here on an input received from the Interpol. When it checked the three-packet consignments, the CBI found in it pills that were grey, pink, and blue in colour, and stamped with a phantom skull and insignia of high-end luxury cars. The agency tested the pills, weighing 4,598 grams to be

India's role critical in combating spread of synthetic drugs: US envoy

Washington DC [US], July 20 (ANI): Stating that India is a global leader in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, US special envoy Uzra Zeya said that New Delhi's role is critical in combating the spread of synthetic drugs.US Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights made the remarks at the 4th US-India Counternarcotics Working Group meeting here in Washington.Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu also said that India and the US are working to expand the scope of bilateral cooperation in drug policy."Translating vision into action! Delighted to join opening session of India-US Counter Narcotics Working Group in #WashingtonDC. Important discussions ahead as we consolidate bilateral cooperation in drug policy and work to expand its scope as guided by PM @narendramodi & President Joe Biden @POTUS," the Indian envoy said on Twitter.Addressing the session, Uzra Zeya said, "Prime Minister Modi's official state visit reaffirmed that the US-India

Aim that no youth under influence of narcotics: Shah destroyed drugs

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the fight against drugs is to ensure that no youth is under the influence of narcotics and the country is safe and free from illegal substances. Shah said this at a conference on "Drugs Smuggling and National Security" during which he watched through video conferencing destruction of more than 1.40 lakh kg drugs worth Rs 2,381 crore in various parts of the country. "Our aim is to ensure that no youth is under the influence of drugs.... Our aim is to make the country drugs free and secure. I appeal to all chief ministers and LGs (lieutenant governors) to extend all possible cooperation for it," he said. The home minister said that in the last one year 10 lakh kg drugs worth Rs 12,000 crore were destroyed and it is a very significant achievement. "Many congratulations to all the people involved in fulfilling such a big goal in the Azadi ki Amrit Mahotsav," he said. He said when the state and central governments along with all the agencies

Assam Rifles recovers heroin worth Rs 1.07 cr in Mizoram's Champhai

The accused was later apprehended and has been handed over to the Customs Department, Zokhawthar, and Police Station Champhai for further legal proceedings

Delhi Police destroys 16,000 kg seized narcotics on Int'l Drug Abuse Day

About 16,000 kilograms drugs and other psychotropic substances seized by the Delhi Police were destroyed in the northwestern part of the city on the International Day Against Drug Abuse Day on Monday, officials said. Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena inaugurated a programme at Biotic Waste Solutions Pvt Ltd in the RU Nagar Industrial area, GTK Road, where the drugs seized by the Crime Branch and Special Cell were destroyed, an official statement said. The programme was attended by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and other officers of city police, it added.

Govt to root out drugs, will not allow smuggling of narcotics: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that the Narendra Modi government will root out the menace of drugs from India and will not allow the smuggling of narcotics through the country. In a video message on the International Day Against Drug Abuse, Shah said the home ministry has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against narcotics and the results of this approach have started coming in. Shah said, "We have decided that we will not allow any kind of narcotics trade in India nor will we allow any drugs to be smuggled through India." He further said, "I fully believe that with coordinated efforts, we will be successful in rooting out the menace of drugs and achieve our goal of a drugs-free India. We will not rest until this fight against drugs is won." The war against drugs has been continuing, Shah said, and because of this coordinated action, narcotics worth Rs 22,000 crore were seized between 2014 and 2022. This is 30 times higher than the drugs worth Rs 768 crore that was

Myanmar burns seized drugs worth $446 mn amid rise in illicit trade

The authorities in Myanmar destroyed more than USD 446 million worth of illegal drugs seized from around the country to mark an annual international anti-drug trafficking day on Monday, police said. The drug burn came as U.N. experts warned of increases in the production of opium, heroin and methamphetamine in Myanmar, with exports threatening to expand markets in South and Southeast Asia. Myanmar has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict. The country is a major producer and exporter of methamphetamine and the world's second-largest opium and heroin producer after Afghanistan, despite repeated attempts to promote alternative legal crops among poor farmers. In the country's largest city, Yangon, a pile of seized drugs and precursor chemicals worth USD 207 million was incinerated. The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, kratom, ketamine and crystal meth, also known as ice. The

Himachal contemplating forming task force to combat drug menace: CM Sukhu

The state government is contemplating the formation of a special task force to combat drug menace, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Sunday. Presiding over a ceremony at the Gaiety Theatre here to felicitate the winners of various events organised under 'Pradhaav - Wipe out drugs campaign,' he said that the government also plans to establish two state-of-the-art drug de-addiction-cum-rehabilitation centres. A piece of land spread over about 50 bighas is being identified to set up each centre, he said. Sukhu said that the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act must be made more stringent with a provision that allows authorities to confiscate property of convicted drug dealers. He said the matter has already been taken up with the central government. Sukhu also stressed the need to modernise the police department with the use of modern technologies like artificial intelligence to make it more efficient.

HC seeks Centre's stand on challenge to ban on fixed dose combination drugs

The Delhi High Court has sought the stand of the Centre on a petition by a pharmaceutical company challenging the government's decision to ban manufacture, sale and distribution for human use certain Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs. FDC drugs are those which contain a combination of two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in a fixed ratio. While issuing notice on three petitions by Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd against the ban, the court directed the FDC drugs produced by the petitioners that are already in the distribution channel shall not be withdrawn and no coercive steps will be taken against them. The petitioner was producing FDC drugs under the brand names Glencoff Q, Ascodex Dx Syrup, Ascoril-C Syrup and others, the court noted. The government had announced a ban on 14 FDC drugs on June 2 this year on the recommendations of an expert committee, saying there was "no therapeutic justification" for these medicines and they may involve "risk" to people. The cour

Zydus begins Phase-IV trial for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease drug

Saroglitazar Mg has been studied in two well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials in patients with NAFLD and NASH in India