Page 606 - Health Medical Pharma
Healthcare startups hail decisions made in Budget 2018-19
With agriculture being a key focus in this year's Union Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday announced a number of schemes and measures that are expected to benefit the agriculture sector.Hailing the decisions announced by the government, Rekuram Varadharaj, co-founder and COO, healthi said, "It's encouraging to see that the government is establishing a National Programme to direct efforts in the area of Artificial Intelligence. This and the fact that there is a major focus on healthcare in the budget this year will benefit organizations like healthi aiming to provide more people with access to preventive healthcare."He added that it remains to be seen how the setting up of a National Health Protection Scheme, the world's largest government-funded universal healthcare programme, will take off. If implemented in the right manner, it can prove to be a big enabler for healthi and like-minded organizations.Echoing the same, Dr Anand Lakshman, founder and CEO, AddressHealth ...
Lupin gets USFDA nod to market its skin conditions cream
Drug firm Lupin today said it has received final nod from the US health regulator to market its Clobetasol Propionate cream used for the treatment of various skin conditions. The company has received final approval to market its generic Clobetasol Propionate cream USP, 0.05 per cent, from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Lupin said in a statement. The company's product is a generic version of Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc's Temovate cream, it added. The cream "is indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid responsive dermatoses," it added. Shares of Lupin Ltd today closed 2.30 per cent lower at Rs 863.35 per scrip on BSE.
Migraine may increase risk of heart attack, stroke: study
Migraine may increase the risk of developing cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks, stroke, blood clots and an irregular heart rate, a study warns. Although the absolute risks were low, the findings published in The BMJ suggest that "migraine should be considered a potent and persistent risk factor for most cardiovascular diseases in both men and women." Around one billion people worldwide are affected by migraine, researchers said. It has considerable impact on quality of life and imposes a substantial burden on society, they said. Researchers from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and Stanford University, US collected patient data from the Danish National Patient Registry over a 19 year period, from 1995 to 2013. They compared data from over 51,000 people who had been diagnosed with migraine with over 510,000 people who were migraine free. For each person with migraine, they matched 10 people of the same age and gender who were migraine free. The average
Rs 5 lakh cover for 10 cr poor families announced under Ayushman Bharat
Terming it as the world's largest government funded healthcare programme, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday announced the National Health Protection Scheme under which Rs 5 lakh cover will be provided a year to 10 crore poor and vulnerable families in the country.
Migraine may up cardiovascular diseases
People who suffer from migraine may be at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks, stroke, blood clot and an irregular heart rate, researchers say.
Govt push for Swasth Bharat welcome, need more: Industry
Healthcare industry today gave a thumbs up to the government's initiatives such Rs 1,200-crore allocation for Ayushman Bharat programme and providing Rs 5 lakh annual cover to 10 crore families for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. Reacting to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's proposals in Budget 2018-19, Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Prathap C Reddy said: "My heartiest congratulations to this government for investing in creating a Swasth Bharat by launching the Ayushman Bharat programme." Such ambitious out-of-the box thinking was a burning need of the hour and the government has not disappointed, he added. "The initiative to cover 10 crore families with Rs 5 lakh per family/per year with insurance cover for secondary and tertiary healthcare will be a game changer," Reddy added. Commenting in a similar vein, Healthcare Federation of India (Nathealth) said: "The provision of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for medical reimbursement, under National Health ...
Cancer 'vaccine' found effective in mice
Raising hopes for a cancer vaccine for humans, Stanford researchers have eliminated all traces of cancer in mice by injecting minute amounts of two immune- stimulating agents directly into solid tumours. The approach works for many different types of cancers, including those that arise spontaneously, the study found. The local application of very small amounts of the agents could serve as a rapid and relatively inexpensive cancer therapy that is unlikely to cause the adverse side effects often seen with body-wide immune stimulation, researchers said. "When we use these two agents together, we see the elimination of tumours all over the body," said Ronald Levy, professor at Stanford University School of Medicine in the US. "This approach bypasses the need to identify tumour- specific immune targets and does not require wholesale activation of the immune system or customisation of a patient's immune cells," said Levy, senior author of the study published in the journal ...
Researchers discover how gene mutation triggers immune disease
According to a recent research, a group of scientists have found how a gene mutation affects T cell function to promote immune disorders.The team then tested a treatment based on the discovery -- successfully fixing donated immune cells from a 16-year-old boy with an abnormally low level of white blood cells called lymphopenia.The discovery centers on mutation of the gene Gimap5, which is important to the healthy formation and function of CD4+ T cells, one of the immune system's super soldiers against infection and disease.Scientists noted that the protein associated with the Gimap5 gene (also Gimap5), is important because it regulates a protein that inactivates an enzyme called GSK3.If GSK3 isn't inactivated it causes DNA damage in T cells that are expanding, causing the cells to not survive or function correctly.In mice and human blood cells, the researchers tested drugs that inhibit GSK3, improving immune system function in mice and restoring normal T cell function in the human ...
New blood test accurately detects Alzheimer's in advance
Scientists have developed a blood test for Alzheimer's disease which can tell with 90 per cent accuracy if a patient is at the risk of developing the brain disorder. The blood test, currently only available for research- related purposes, measures a specific peptide to inform if a patient has the very earliest stages of Alzheimer's. The test developed and validated by scientists from Japan and Australia could speed up the pace of Alzheimer's disease drug trials. "This new test has the potential to eventually disrupt the expensive and invasive scanning and spinal fluid technologies," said Professor Colin Masters from The University of Melbourne. "In the first instance, however, it will be an invaluable tool in increasing the speed of screening potential patients for new drug trials," said Masters, who co-led the research published in the journal Nature. Progress in developing new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease has been disappointingly slow, researchers ...
Two or more headaches in a week warrant a doctor's visit
It has come to light that people take the effects of headache very lightly.According to a study by Dr Michael Munger, a primary-care physician from Overland Park in Kansas, people's first instinct is to simply pop a paracetamol, drink water, and carry on with the day.However, Munger has urged people to be more wary of headaches as multiple headaches could be a sign of something far more serious than simply an exhausting or disturbing day.Munger found that a shocking number of people tend to ignore their headaches, bear the pain and simply grin, despite knowing how debilitating it could be.He urged people to pay closer attention as frequent headaches could indicate that an individual is suffering from conditions such as brain tumours or aneurysms.The Independent quoted him saying, "You don't want people to overreact, but you also don't want them to under-react".According to doctors, there are three common types of headaches - tension headaches, sinus headaches, and migraines.Noting, ...
Standing for 6 hours a day may help you shed extra kilos
Struggling to lose weight and are yet too lazy to hit a gym or follow a strict diet? Try standing instead of sitting for six hours a day as it may help you shed that extra kilos over a long term, finds a study.
Cancer-causing HPV may hide in your throat
Researchers have warned that the human papilloma virus (HPV), the culprit behind cervical cancer and some forms of head and neck cancer, may hide in small pockets on the surface of tonsils in people not known to carry the virus.
Healthcare stocks gain after FM proposes flagship healthcare programme
Shares of four healthcare companies rose 0.01% to 3.4% at 12:43 IST on BSE after the finance minister in the budget announced Flagship National Healthcare protection scheme.
Rs 600 cr earmarked for TB patients
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday allocated Rs 600 crore for nutritional support to tuberculosis (TB) patients in India.
Scientists develop world's first blood test to detect Alzheimer's
Australian scientists in collaboration with researchers from Japan on Thursday announced the world's first accurate blood test for Alzheimer's disease which can detect the illness up to 20 years before any symptoms occur.
Jaitley announces world's largest health insurance program
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced two new measures under the government's Ayushman Bharat scheme, which are expected to take healthcare to greater heights.The two measures are as below:1. Rs 1,200 crores will be allocated towards setting up health and wellness centers in India, which will provide comprehensive healthcare, maternal and child care, free drugs and diagnostics to the poor. The government has also invited private sector contribution towards the same.2. In a bid to increase the insurance cover for the poor, the government, under the flagship National Health Protection Scheme announced that a sum of upto Rs 5,00,000 will be provided to 10 crore poor families in India per year, which is expected to reach around 50 crore beneficiaries, and will be used for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.Apart from the above, Jaitley announced that a sum of Rs 600 crore will be provided for nutritional support to tuberculosis patients at a rate of Rs 500 per month. ..
Cancer 'vaccine' found effective in mice
Raising hopes for a cancer vaccine for different types of cancers, researchers have found that injecting minute amounts of two immune-stimulating agents directly into solid tumours in mice can eliminate all traces of cancer in the animals.
Standing for 6 hours may help you lose those extra pounds
You might want to read this on your feet.A new research has found that standing instead of sitting for six hours a day could prevent weight gain and help people to actually lose weight.The study examined whether standing burns more calories than sitting.The researchers analysed results from a total of 46 studies with 1,184 participants in all.Participants, on average, were 33 years old, 60 percent were men, and the average body mass index and weight were 24 kg/m2 and 65 kg, respectively.Senior author Professor Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, said, "Standing not only burns more calories, the additional muscle activity is linked to lower rates of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes, so the benefits of standing could go beyond weight control."Participants were standing still, while in reality people make small movements while standing. The gap in energy expenditure between standing and sitting could be even greater than the study found."Our results might be an underestimate because when people
Fit children have healthier lungs in adulthood
Turns out, children who are fit during childhood and adolescence have better functioning lungs in adulthood.A new study has revealed that fitness in childhood is linked to healthy lungs in adulthood.Good lung function in early adult life is believed to lower the risk of developing chronic lung disease later in life. Chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are a leading cause of global ill health.Notably, with an ageing population, this is projected to get worse. The new study provided early evidence that keeping children fit could help reduce the burden of lung disease in the future.The research was led by Professor Bob Hancox, a respiratory specialist at the University of Otago, New Zealand.He explained, "We know very little about the links between physical activity, fitness, and lung growth. This is a difficult topic to research because following children over many years is expensive and time-consuming"."This study shows that children who are ...
Cancer-causing virus can lurk in your throat
It has come to light that cancer causing virus may hide in small pockets on the surface of tonsils in throats of unsuspected people.The virus known as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the culprit behind cervical and some form of head and neck cancer.The new study, carried out by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, claimed to be pivotal for the prevention of oropharyngeal cancers, i.e. tonsils and tongue cancers.The study noted that by mid-adulthood, most people have been exposed to HPV. The same strains that are known to cause cervical cancer, mainly HPV 16 and 18, cause head and neck cancers.While verified tests exist to detect HPV in people before they develop cervical cancer, the same cannot be said for HPV-related head and neck cancers, which are expected to outnumber cervical cancer cases by 2020.Only about five percent of HPV-infected people will develop cancer of the mouth or throat, suggesting most people's immune systems can easily hold back HPV ...