Page 341 - Health Medical Pharma
Maternal depression may affect child's mental health
Women, take note. If you are suffering from depression, it may affect your child's stress and physical well-being throughout life, a new study has found.
Insight: Toxin at heart of drug recall shows holes in medical safety net
SHANGHAI/LONDON (Reuters) - A toxin inadvertently produced in the manufacture of a widely prescribed medicine but not spotted for years raises questions about regulators' ability to detect risks in a sprawling global drug supply chain increasingly reliant on factories in China.
Wasazra Pharmaceuticals Plans to Expand its Presence PAN India
2017 has gone extremely well for Wasazra, in just one year, the company registered as public limited and has been instrumental in ensuring high quality and affordable medicines. Not only this, in the first year itself the company has spread across Uttar Pradesh with presence in more than 50 territories.This public limited company is led by Syed Mohammad Fauzan Akhtar, a young entrepreneur spreading his wings in pharma industry by giving affordable and result oriented medicines. Fauzan, wishes to follow his father's vision of meeting every day needs of patients and deliver best quality medicines. His father is an educationist and a man of high principles and a visionary. He always wanted to give back to the society. Fauzan Akhtar further wishes to extend the operations of the company throughout India under the government initiative of "Make in India".Wasazra is one of the emerging pharmaceutical companies in India, whose goal is to ensure that no patient is denied access to high ...
Healers or Predators: The (b)ills of healthcare
Name: Shalini Pahwa. Disease: multiple myeloma (blood cancer). Part of treatment: injection Novartis Zometa. Cost: Rs 15,200 per shot. Place of treatment: private hospital in Gurgaon. While the cost of the injection is shocking, what is even more shocking is the fact that the same drug, under a different brand name, was available at a Delhi hospital for just Rs 800, says a new book, "Healers or Predators?" The book, a collection of 41 articles edited by two of India's top doctors, Sanjay Nagral and Samiran Nundy, and former Union health secretary Keshav Desiraju, deals with corruption in the country's healthcare sector. Documenting the case of Pahwa, an article on "A Consumer's View" says, "According to an industry insider, Zometa is sold to stockists for Rs 13,000. At that rate, the hospital would make a profit of Rs 2,200. Shalini said 'she felt just fine shifting to the cheaper alternative'." Pointing to another example, the "Hospital Practices and Healthcare Corruption" article ..
Draft policy:Compulsory genetic screening of pregnant women to curb genetic disorders
The Centre has prepared a draft policy proposing compulsory genetic screening of all pregnant women to prevent inherited disorders such as thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia along with putting in place advanced facilities for comprehensive care of such patients. The policy advocates for provision of medicines, including iron chelating agents, leukocyte filters and infusion pumps free of cost to the poor patients. In line with 'Make in India' initiative, the draft policy also advocates for promotion of manufacture of the equipment and chemicals in the country and "waiver of GST and custom duties to reduce cost of treatment for the affected families". Titled "Policy For Prevention and Control of Hemoglobinopathies Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Disease and variant Hemoglobins In India", the draft note has been put up on the website of the health ministry seeking comments and suggestions from various stakeholders till August 30. The policy recognises that for prevention, the focus should be .
Lupin recalls over 11,000 bottles of hypertension drug in US
Lupin's US arm is recalling 11,706 bottles of Lisinopril tablets, used for treating hypertension, from the American market, USFDA said. The product being recalled by Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc is in the strength of 10mg, the US health regulator said in an Enforcement Report. As per the report, the reason of the recall is, "presence of foreign substance: Product complaint was received of metal contaminant observed in one tablet." The product was distributed to distributors, mail order pharmacy and supermarkets throughout the US, it added. The ongoing voluntary recall is a class II recall, the report said. As per USFDA, a class II recall is initiated in a "situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.
Suven Life Sciences secures product patents in Canada and USA
The granted claims of the patents include the class of selective 5-HT6 compounds respectively and are being developed as therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative disorders such as for the treatment of cognitive impairment associated with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Huntington's disease, Parkinson and Schizophrenia and sleep disorders like Narcolepsy etc.
Lupin receives tentative approval for generic Nudovra Tablets
Lupin's Nudovra (Estradiol Valerate Tablets, 3 mg and 1 mg and Estradiol Valerate and Dienogest Tablets, 2 mg/2 mg and 2 mg/3 mg) Tablets is the generic versional Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Natazia Tablets. It is an estrogen/progestin combined oral contraceptive (COC), indicated for use by women to prevent pregnancy.
Second-hand tobacco smoke harms teen health
Just an hour of exposure to second hand tobacco smoke in a week can significantly affect the health of teens, causing shortness of breath and making it hard for them to exercise, a study has found. The study used data from a 2014-15 survey that looks at tobacco use and related health issues among US people 12 years old and above. A total of 7,389 nonsmoking teens without asthma were included in the study. Researchers from University of Cincinnati in the US found that teens exposed to tobacco smoke were at higher risk of having respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath and a dry cough at night. They also found that smoke-exposed teens were more likely to seek treatment at an urgent care or hospital emergency department. "There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure," said Ashley Merianos, lead author of the study published in the journal Pediatrics. "Even a small amount of exposure can lead to more emergency department visits and health problems for teens. That includes .
Indian-American scientist finds simple way to predict IBD
An Indian-American scientist has identified as many as 50 protein biomarkers that can non-invasively detect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) - a gut disorder that leads to diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, and weight loss. Chander Mohan, a professor at University of Houston in the US, received a USD 347,490 grant from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. Along with IBD expert Subra Kugathasan, a gastroenterologist at Emory University in the US, Mohan is examining stool protein biomarkers that indicate the disease. IBD occurs when the body's immune system fights its intestinal cells. Two of the most common types are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, both of which cause inflammation in the digestive tract. It leads to a variety of recurring symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, blood in stools and weight loss. "The disease is diagnosed by inserting an endoscope into the digestive tract to obtain a biopsy. However, this procedure does not lend itself to frequent ...
Know how smoking harms your unborn baby
The dangers of smoking are many, but the problem gets exponential when pregnant women opt for it as their unborn babies are also at risk.In spite of being aware of the ill effects associated with smoking, including several forms of cancer, the habit is still prevalent among many, including pregnant women. Smoking during pregnancy accounts for an estimated 20 to 30 percent of low-birth weight babies.So, all the pregnant women should keep the following in mind before lighting a cigarette.-- According to Dr. Shobha Gupta, Medical Director & Infertility Specialist from Mother's Lap IVF Centre, smoking among pregnant women may lead to birth of premature babies. "Baby's who are born too early are always at risk of high infections and their organs are not developed properly. In extreme cases babies may even die because of low birth weight," she added.-- Most importantly, the placenta is at risk. It is the organ which helps to develop the uterus during pregnancy and later provides ...
Second hand smoke linked to dry cough among teenagers
As little as one hour of exposure to tobacco smoke per week can increase the risk of having respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath and a dry cough at night among teenagers, warns a study.
Strides receives acceptance from USFDA for two ANDAs
Strides Pharma Science today said its step-down wholly owned subsidiary has received acceptance from the US health regulator for two key abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs). "Strides Pharma Global Pte. Ltd, Singapore, received ANDA 'acceptable for filing' correspondence from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for two key ANDAs that met the prioritisation factors as a potential first generic," Strides Pharma Science said in a regulatory filing. The company said the two products could be eligible for a potential 180-day exclusivity. Quoting IQVIA MAT data, Strides Pharma Science said the US market for these products cumulatively is USD 550 million. "The USFDA also granted Strides' request to designate the drug product under these ANDAs as a competitive generic therapy (CGT)," it added. Strides Pharma Science said approval of the CGT designated ANDAs will be contingent on certain conditions including continued USFDA approval status for the manufacturing plant, API
Strides receives acceptance from USFDA for two key ANDAs
Under newly introduced Competitive Generic Therapy
Can nerve stimulation benefit depressed patients?
According to a recent research, nerve stimulation can significantly improve the quality of life in depressed patients.The study, led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, suggests that it can happen even when their depression symptoms don't completely subside."When evaluating patients with treatment-resistant depression, we need to focus more on their overall well-being," said principal investigator Charles R. Conway. "A lot of patients are on as many as three, four or five antidepressant medications, and they are just barely getting by. But when you add a vagus nerve stimulator, it really can make a big difference in people's everyday lives."The researchers compared patients who received vagus nerve stimulation with others who received what the study referred to as treatment as usual, which could include antidepressant drugs, psychotherapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy or some combination."On about 10 of the 14 measures, those ...
How dehydration affects your brain
According to a recent research, dehydration alters human brain shape and activity and even slackens task performance.A Georgia Institute of Technology study suggests that when dehydration strikes, part of the brain can swell, neural signaling can intensify, and doing monotonous tasks can get harder.The researchers also found that even without dehydration, exertion and heat put a dent in test subjects' performance, but water loss made the dent about twice as deep."We wanted to tease out whether exercise and heat stress alone have an impact on your cognitive function and study the effect of dehydration on top of that," said Mindy Millard-Stafford, the study's principal investigator.In the experiments, when participants exercised, sweated and drank water, fluid-filled spaces called ventricles in the center of their brains contracted. But with exertion plus dehydration, the ventricles did the opposite; they expanded.Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) revealed the differences. ...
Girl from Tajikistan undergoes multiple surgeries for hydrocephalus at Gurgaon hospital
A two-year-old girl from Tajikistan, born with a medical condition that caused her head to swell, received a new lease life after undergoing multiple surgeries over a period of five months at a hospital in Gurgaon. Maryam suffered from congenital hydrocephalus with megalencephaly -- a growth developmental disorder in which the brain is abnormally large, hospital authorities said today. She was born with 'hydrocephalus', a condition in which the fluid is collected in the brain causing the size of the head to increase, they said. "The usual treatment for such a condition is to perform a VP shunt surgery. This involves installing a small tube in the brain to drain the excess fluid. This surgery was performed (in Tajikistan) when Marayam was just 11 months old," the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) said in a statement. Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting is a surgery to treat excess cerebrospinal fluid in the cavities (ventricles) of the brain (hydrocephalus). The surgery in her ..
Can brain suppress the act of revenge?
Humans are sensitive beings and revenge comes as a byproduct of that sensitivity. Provoked by the feeling of anger, this urge to inflict hurt or harm someone comes after someone experiences injustice.But before this feeling turns into actions, what exactly happens in the human brain when the injustice is felt? What part does the brain play in this process?To understand this, researchers developed an economic game in which a participant is confronted with the fair behaviour of one player and the unfair provocations of another player. They then observe, through brain imaging, which areas were activated as the study participant experienced unfairness and anger.In a second phase, scientists gave the participant the opportunity to take revenge. They thus identified the location in the brain of activations that are related to the suppression of the act of revenge in the prefrontal dorsolateral cortex (DLPFC), an area in the prefrontal cortex of the brain of humans and non-human primates. ..
Manipur hospital doctors call indefinite ceasework
Functioning at the state-run Jawarharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) was affected after over 100 senior resident doctors (SRs) today launched an indefinite ceasework over "anomalies" in rules. A senior official of the hospital, who refused to be quoted, said the normal functioning of the hospital was affected by the ceasework and admitted patients were being looked after by nurses. The doctors did not attend the Out Patient Department clinics and patients had to return, the official said. The anomalies in rules are depriving the SRs from being promoted to Assistant Professors as the administration is going for direct recruitment to those posts, Resident Welfare Committee Spokesperson S Bikramaditya said. There were at least 77 SRs who are being deprived, he said claiming that there is no established scheme for career advancement of the SRs and the JNIMS authorities had repeatedly been ignoring their demand on this. What triggered the doctors' agitation ...
Launch of Capacity Building Initiative in India
Recognizing that Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including ischemic heart disease and strokes, are an existing public health challenge and a leading cause of death globally, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) along with the World Heart Federation (WHF), Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), have launched the Certificate Course on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (CCCS). Rotary International is a strategic partner for the course.The course has been endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians, London for five years and is supported by an educational grant from Sun Pharma Laboratories Ltd. The objective of the course is to build capacity, improve and enhance awareness amongst primary care physicians in the management of cardiovascular diseases that is an emerging threat in India.Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including ischemic heart disease and stroke are the leading cause of death ...