Page 2 - Medicines

'AFMS looking at drone use to supply blood bags, medicines in hilly areas'

The Armed Forces Medical Services is exploring the use of drone technology to deliver blood bags, medicines and other medical supplies in hilly and hard-to-reach areas, Director General of AFMS, Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, has said. She also said the AFMS was responsible for the health requirements of all four astronauts currently part of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station. Vice Admiral Sarin was speaking on Saturday on the sidelines of a commissioning ceremony for five medical cadets at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune. She said the AFMS is integrating modern technologies like telemedicine, Artificial Intelligence (AI), point-of-care devices, and drones to strengthen healthcare delivery. We are looking at using drone technology for the supply of blood bags, medicines, and other medical equipment. In fact, we are hoping for a day when even medical evacuations can be carried out using drones, she said. The technology is currently being consid

Drugmakers may lose product licence if govt labs flag quality failures

The Health Ministry is working with states to allow immediate suspension of licences for drugs declared substandard by labs, following a key recommendation from Drugs Technical Advisory Board

Kashmik Formulation targets ₹100 crore revenue in FY26, eyes IPO

The company currently produces around 25 crore units a month and is expanding its ground and first-floor production facilities to meet rising demand

US FDA to fast-track drug reviews for firms backing national priorities

US regulators will begin offering faster reviews to new medicines that administration officials deem as promoting the health interests of Americans, under a new initiative announced Tuesday. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency will aim to review select drugs in one to two months. FDA's long-standing accelerated approval program generally issues decisions in six months for drugs that treat life-threatening diseases. Regular drug reviews take about 10 months. Since arriving at the FDA in April, Makary has repeatedly told FDA staff they need to challenge assumptions and rethink procedures. In a medical journal commentary published last week, Makary suggested the agency could conduct rapid or instant reviews," pointing to the truncated process used to authorize the first COVID-19 vaccines under Operation Warp Speed. For the new program, the FDA will issue a limited number of national priority vouchers to companies aligned with U.S. national priorities,

Anti-infective drug sales surge in May as fever season grips country

Analysts indicate sales in the segment are expected to grow more during monsoon months

Study finds key drug shortages for diabetes, BP at rural health centres

A joint survey conducted by the ICMR and the WHO, along with other institutes, has revealed critical medicine shortages for managing diabetes and hypertension at rural health facilities, from sub-centres to sub-district hospitals, across 19 districts in seven states. The study has also found a shortage of specialists at the community health centre (CHC) level and these findings are similar to the rural health statistics report of 2020-21, indicating a shortfall of physicians (82.2 per cent) and surgeons (83.2.9 per cent) at the CHC-level. The study findings, published in the "Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR)" suggest that among public health facilities, PHCs, district hospitals and government medical colleges in India are better prepared to manage services for diabetes and hypertension. Across all the facilities, the domain score for equipment was the highest and for medicines, it was the lowest. However, the availability of all medicines was better at tertiary-care ...

Eli Lilly's tirzepatide shows superior weight loss to Novo's semaglutide

Phase 3b trial finds Lilly's tirzepatide delivers higher average weight loss and waist reduction than Novo's semaglutide in people with obesity or overweight

Donald Trump seeks to align US drug costs with cheapest ones abroad

The US government already negotiates prices for some of the highest-cost medicines used in Medicare health insurance under the Inflation Reduction Act

Doctors must prescribe only generic drugs, not branded medicines: SC

The Supreme Court has said doctors should prescribe only generic drugs. The court made the remark while hearing a PIL seeking tighter regulation of pharmaceutical marketing practices

Booster dose: India inches closer to regulatory framework for OTC drugs

DTAB has accepted sub-panel recommendation on OTC drugs list

Govt bans manufacture, sale of 35 unapproved fixed-dose combination drugs

Apex drugs regulatory body CDSCO has directed drug controllers of all states and Union territories to stop manufacture, sale and distribution of unapproved 35 fixed-dose combination drugs that include painkillers, nutrition supplements and anti-diabetics. They have also been asked to review their approval process for such fixed dose combination drugs (FDC) and ensure strict compliance of the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and rules. FDC drugs are those which contain a combination of two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in a fixed ratio. The regulator issued the directions after it found that certain FDC drugs have been licensed for manufacture, sale, and distribution without prior evaluation of safety and efficacy, posing a serious risk to public health and safety. In a communication sent on April 11, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Rajeev Raghuvanshi referred to the letter issued by his office on January 2013 where concerns were raise

Govt may fast-track food, medicines, farm trade under AEO framework

The AEO programme is implemented by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) under the aegis of the World Customs Organization's SAFE Framework

Sun Pharma launches Fexuprazan tablets for Erosive Esophagitis treatment

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries on Monday said it has introduced a medication for the treatment of Erosive Esophagitis of all grades. The Mumbai-based drug major, in a statement, said it has launched Fexuprazan tablets (40 mg) in India under the brand name Fexuclue, a novel potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB). The product is approved as a new treatment for adults with Erosive Esophagitis of all grades, it added. Sun Pharma has obtained rights from South Korea-based Daewoong Pharmaceutical to manufacture and commercialise the medication in India. As per the agreement terms, Daewoong will be entitled to upfront and milestone payments, including royalties, it said. "Erosive Esophagitis is a serious condition that greatly affects patients' quality of life. Despite available treatments, there remains a significant unmet need in its management. Fexuclue is a best-in-class treatment option with the potential to bridge this gap," Sun Pharma CEO India Business Kirti Ganorkar ...

Essential drug price cuts saved patients Rs 3,788 crore a year: Govt

Under the AMRIT initiative, medicines for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and surgical implants are available at up to 50 per cent discounts in selected hospital pharmacies

Mankind Pharma sets sights on Novo Nordisk's anti-obesity drug Semaglutide

The firm is focusing on specialty chronic therapies like immunotherapy, antibody-drug conjugates, and gene therapy drugs, besides peptides like Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)

Health Secy asks state bodies to curb illicit use of psychotropic drugs

While Tapentadol is a strong opioid used to relieve severe pain, Carisoprodol is a muscle relaxant for painful bone conditions

Kerala to launch 1st project on collection, disposal of expired medicines

The project titled ' nPROUD' (New Programme for Removal of Unused Drugs) will be inaugurated by Health Minister Veena George on February 22

Chemists' association seeks meeting with NPPA over price display issue

The NPPA, in an office memorandum (OM) dated February 4, had directed medicine retailers as well as online pharmacies to "conspicuously" display current drug price list

Health ministry releases first quality ratings for Internal Medicine Dept

The ratings, based largely on 2023 data, are being used to allocate funding to hospitals as part of a comprehensive plan to enhance public healthcare services

Medtech sector seeks standard GST rate, export incentives in Budget

The scheme aims to refund to exporters the embedded central, state, and local duties and taxes paid on inputs that were so far not refunded or rebated