Page 8 - Drugs

Pharmaceutical firms up their game to crackdown on spurious drugs

The concluding part of the series delves into strategies being applied by leading drug firms to battle counterfeits

Delhi Police hits 'high' notes: Cocaine meant for concerts seized, 4 held

In a record drug bust, the Delhi Police seized Rs 6,500 crore worth of cocaine meant for distribution at upcoming concerts, arresting four key cartel members linked to Dubai-based network

DIY Drug Production: FTVC's low-cost solution to expensive medicines

FTVC has developed a "MicroLab", an open-source controlled lab reactor (CLR) made from components easily available online

Giving anticipatory bail in NDPS Act case 'very serious' issue: SC

Granting anticipatory bail in a case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is a "very serious" issue and "unheard of", the Supreme Court said on Thursday. A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai and also comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and K V Viswanathan was hearing a plea filed by an accused seeking regular bail in a case lodged for alleged offences under provisions of the NDPS Act in West Bengal. The bench directed the West Bengal government to consider whether the state proposes to file an application seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted to four accused in a case. It issued notice to the state of West Bengal on the accused's bail plea and posted it for hearing after four weeks. The petitioner's counsel told the bench that four of the six accused in the case were granted pre-arrest bail while one of them was on regular bail. "In NDPS matter, anticipatory bail?" the bench wondered. "In NDPS matter, anticipatory bail is unheard of,"

US-based pharma giant Gilead Sciences wants HIV drug Lenacapavir patented

Gilead is seeking patents in India for the choline and sodium salt forms of lenacapavir

One dead from Nipah virus in Kerala, 151 people under observation

This is the second death from a Nipah infection in Malappuram this year after a 14-year-old boy succumbed in July

Akums Drugs gets patent for formulation to manage sickle cell disease

Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals on Friday said it has received patent for a formulation for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). The company has received a patent from India patent office for its room temperature stable oral suspension of Hydroxyurea, a formulation aimed at managing SCD. "Our constant endeavor is to work on affordable medicines for Orphan Drugs and reduce dependency on imported medicines ensuring patient safety from rare diseases with timely and necessary treatment," Akums Managing Director Sanjeev Jain said in a statement. SCD, a genetic blood disorder, leads to severe health complications such as anaemia, frequent pain episodes and other debilitating symptoms, affecting millions worldwide, especially in India and Africa. Akums said its formulation will come at a fraction of the cost of imported Hydroxyurea solution.

Akums Drugs scripts a turnaround, reports Rs 60 cr profit in Q1FY25

Akum's revenue from operations in Q1FY25 came in at Rs 1019.1 crore, a rise of 5.08 per cent Y-o-Y

Govt bans 156 fixed dose combination drugs over health risk concerns

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a gazette notification, prohibiting the manufacture, sale and distribution of these medicines

IPCA Labs targets Rs 100 crore market with new diabetic foot ulcer drug

This drug has shown a 77.20 per cent ulcer closure rate in clinical trials, offering hope for a condition that often leads to severe outcomes like lower limb amputations

Novo Nordisk plans to introduce drug for sickle cell disease in 3-5 years

The company announced the plan to hire about 1,300 new employees by the end of 2026, as per the statement at a media briefing

PM Modi urges nationwide use of MANAS Helpline in fight against drugs

PM Modi said, In Mann ki Baat, I have often discussed the challenges of drugs. Every family worries that their child might be exposed to drugs.

Why is Goa's Sunburn festival facing increasing backlash from locals

Local residents, political leaders, and environmentalists have raised concerns over possible environmental harm and an increase in crime and drug-related activities encouraged by Sunburn festival

HM Shah chairs NCORD meeting, launches National Narcotics Helpline 'MANAS'

MANAS will have a toll-free number 1933, a web portal, a mobile app, and a UMANG app so that citizens of the country can anonymously connect

Pharma companies on track with QR codes to combat counterfeit drugs

Firms term DCGI move 'positive' as it aims at ensuring patient safety

Antidiabetic drug Semaglutide linked to potential vision loss: Study

Researchers say future study required to assess causality

Pune bar drug video case: Police custody of 10 accused extended till July 3

A court here on Monday extended till July 3 the police custody of 10 persons arrested in connection with the Pune bar drug video case. Santosh Kamthe, Vitthal Kamthe, Yogendra Girase, Ravi Maheshwari, Akshay Kamthe, Dinesh Mankar, Rohan Gaikwad, Manas Mallick, who are associated with Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3), and Nitin Thombre and Karan Mishra, who were allegedly seen in the viral video, were produced in a court where police sought extension of custody. The prosecution, while seeking custody, told the court they want to probe the links of the accused with the alleged drug peddlers in the case and, therefore, need their further police custody. One of the arrested persons, Abhishek Sonawane, had supplied drugs to Thombre and Mishra and police wanted to reach the main drug peddler, the prosecution told court. Police said they arrested Abhishek Sonawane, Omkar Sakat and one Nigerian national for supplying drugs to Mishra and Thombre. Later, Aryan Patil and Akshay Swami were held for

DRI seizes contraband worth Rs 3,500 cr in FY24, drugs major contributor

Revenue Intelligence officers have seized contrabands worth Rs 3,500 crore in 2023-24 fiscal, with narcotic drugs and gold seizures constituting a major chunk, a top official said on Thursday. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence Principal DG Mohan Kumar Singh said infiltration of supply chains has emerged as a significant challenge in curbing smuggling. Also, growing use of air passenger, courier and postal cargo for smuggling of drugs and other contrabands remains a concern. "In FY 2023-24, DRI detected 623 smuggling cases, almost an average of 2 cases per day, with seizure of contrabands of Rs 3,500 crore. The seizure of narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances constitute a major part of it, followed by seizure of gold," Singh said at a Ficci seminar on global challenges of illicit trade and way forward. According to sources, DRI has seized 1,658 kg of gold in 2023-24 fiscal, about 35 per cent more compared to a year ago. Singh said during the fiscal, DRI has also kept a watc

Wealthy Indians jump through hoops to secure weight-loss drugs like Ozempic

Indi had the third largest number of people with obesity as of 2022, behind China and the US, according to a study in The Lancet, with numbers surging as junk food consumption becomes more commonplace

GSK seeks to appeal Delaware ruling allowing Zantac cases to go forward

The companies, which all sold Zantac at different times, argue that Medinilla should have granted their motion to block plaintiffs from presenting expert testimony that Zantac causes cancer