Page 2 - Health Sector

Parl panel asks Centre to decentralise PMJAY to address accessibility gaps

Panel recommends strengthening existing school and college-based health education programmes on nutrition, fitness, and mental well-being

Kennedy Jr grilled in Senate on vaccine policies; Trump says he means well

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back Covid-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal health agencies. Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting Covid-19 shots. A longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, Kennedy has made sweeping changes to agencies tasked with public health policy and scientific research by laying off thousands of workers, firing science advisers and remaking vaccine guidelines. The moves -- some of which contradict assurances he made during his confirmation hearings -- have rattled medical groups and officials in several Democratic-led states, which have responded with their own vaccine advice. Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for

From cancer drugs to glucometers, patients to save more after GST cuts

GST Council removed tax on 33 life-saving drugs and slashed GST on all medicines and medical devices to 5%, easing treatment costs and improving healthcare access

Health products maker Cupid expects Rs 100 cr revenue from exports

Health products maker Cupid Ltd on Wednesday said it expects a revenue of more than Rs 100 crore to accrue from exports in the coming quarters. The international order book will be executed in the second and third quarters of 2025-26, the contraceptive products manufacturer said in a statement. The current B2B export order book is at USD 11.50 million which is equivalent to Rs 100 crore plus, across three key products segments," Cupid said in a statement. "These orders are from international government tenders in South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya, as well as from international agencies WHO/UNFPA, NGOs like MSI and PSI," the company said. Cupid Ltd also anticipates significant orders from Brazil having secured L1 in the recent tender comprising 6.25 million pieces valued at approximately Rs 40 crore with additional future orders expected from that country, it said. The company also expects orders from Tanzania, one of the largest markets in East Africa, in Q2 and Q3 of FY26. These

Safety with affordability: New rules on medical devices should balance them

Imports should be restricted to original manufacturers or certified partners, while devices that are too old or have exceeded usage thresholds should be barred

CDC gets new acting director as leadership turmoil leaves agency reeling

Jim O'Neill, a top deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will serve as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an administration official. The official requested anonymity to discuss a personnel change that has not been formally announced. The administration wants O'Neill to replace Susan Monarez, whom the White House is trying to remove only a month after starting the job. Monarez is fighting to keep her job. Her removal has left the nation's top public health agency reeling and three senior officials were escorted from its headquarters Thursday. The turmoil triggered rare bipartisan alarm as Kennedy tries to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research. The chaos comes weeks before a key advisory committee, which Kennedy has reshaped with vaccine skeptics, is expected to meet to issue new recommendations on immunisations. Two Republican senators called for congressional oversight and som

Competitiveness may be hit on GST rejig: Medical devices industry

AIMED said GST changes could hurt domestic medtech competitiveness and tilt the market towards imports, urging balanced tax slabs, refund reforms, and a higher Health Cess

A second chance at life: Organ transplants and India's medical advancements

India's progress has been remarkable. In 2013, we performed fewer than 5,000 organ transplants annually. By 2023, that number had risen to over 18,000

Prioritise women, close kin of deceased donors for organ transplant: Govt

Women patients should be accorded priority in organ transplant waiting lists to check gender disparity, the Union Health Ministry has advised states. It has also suggested that weightage be given to near relatives of deceased donors awaiting organ transplant. These suggestions are part of an advisory issued by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) under the Health Ministry to all states and Union Territories on the 15th Indian Organ Donation Day on August 2 for augmentation of organ donation and transplantation in India. The advisory called for honouring deceased organ donors and ensuring they receive a dignified funeral and felicitating the family members of deceased donors at public functions at state/district level on 15th August, 26 January, state foundation day etc. "To make provision to give additional points in the allocation criteria for female patients in the waiting list for deceased donor organ transplants, so as to address gender disparity. To ma

W Health Ventures announces $70 mn fund II focused on healthcare firms

Fund II will invest and back about eight to 10 new companies over the next four years

Cipla buys 20% stake in iCaltech to broaden respiratory device portfolio

Cipla has acquired a 20% stake in iCaltech Innovations for Rs 5 crore, expanding its presence in the respiratory diagnostics segment with a strategic investment in medical device development

From cancer detection to treatment, how AI is transforming health care

Artificial intelligence is changing the DNA of health care with the promise of a 'healthier human'. The second of a three-part series

AI + Leadership: Lessons from Merck’s Global Head

AI meets leadership in this episode of Manager’s Mantra with Dr. Harsha Gurulingappa, Global Head of AI at Merck. Learn how tech is reshaping healthcare and what it takes to lead in the AI era.

Health-tech sees IPO rush fueled by digitisation, govt ease, AI adoption

India's post-pandemic healthcare IPO landscape is evolving fast, with health-tech firms leading the charge as AI, digitisation and policy reforms attract fresh investor interest

UnitedHealth may sell Latin America arm for $1bn to refocus on US: Report

UnitedHealth's shares tumbled 25.5 per cent in May alone, and year-to-date are down 40 per cent. UnitedHealth left Brazil in 2023 and Peru in March

Centre to aid development of indigenous thrombectomy device for stroke

Technology Development Board to fund S3V Vascular Technologies for manufacturing India's first thrombectomy device, aiming to reduce import dependency and boost stroke care

India's health models offer sustainable solutions for Global South: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration, as he asserted that India's approach offers replicable, scalable and sustainable models to meet health challenges of the Global South. In his video message during the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, he highlighted this year's theme, 'One World for Health' and emphasized that it aligns with India's vision for global health. Modi recalled his address at the 2023 World Health Assembly, where he had spoken about 'One Earth, One Health' and pointed out that the future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, an integrated vision, and collaboration. Emphasizing that inclusion is at the core of India's health reforms, he highlighted Ayushman Bharat, the world's largest health insurance scheme, which covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. The programme was recently expanded to cover all Indians above the age of 70 years.

5 products to be launched in 18 mths, US insulin mkt share up: BBL MD & CEO

Achieving 15 per cent year-on-year growth, with nearly four biosimilars with $200 million in revenue, is a big feat, says Tambe

12 common cancer myths busted: What doctors say you must stop believing

Fact-check Friday: Doctors debunk persistent cancer myths-from sugar and deodorants to breast surgery and mobile phones-that often mislead patients, delay diagnosis, and derail treatment decisions

Lasik surgery market to double by 2030 amid rising myopia, tech advances

Wider adoption of advanced techniques like SMILE and AI-led diagnostics drives a boom in India's Rs 2,500-crore Lasik surgery market