Page 8 - Medicines

Catching coronavirus again increases your risk of getting long Covid

There are still good reasons to avoid catching COVID again for one, your risk of long COVID goes up each time

Price war begins for Novartis cardiac drug as JB Pharma cuts rate by 50%

Novartis' blockbuster drug is set to lose patent in Jan; JB Pharma, one of the four marketers in India of generi versions, has slashed the price of its brand Azmarda to Rs 39.6 a tablet

Medical studies get tech edge with AI, machine learning, remote care

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, there has been a big change in the learning methods at the medical colleges and other similar institutions in the country.

Flu season starts, but demand for cough-cold meds remains weak

Impact in US among the worst in the past 10 years

Alzheimer's drug trial shown to slow cognitive decline, says report

A new drug, lecanemab, has been found to slow down cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients, according to a study that could lead to new treatments for the neurodegenerative disease. The study results were presented at the 15th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) Conference in San Francisco, US, on November 29. The study is also published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Amyloid-clearing and cognitive decline-slowing drug lecanemab, which is poised for FDA approval early next year, will be a positive step in the treatment of Alzheimer's, the study said. Alzheimer's is a complex disease with multiple underlying causes tied to the biology of aging, therefore, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) has long held that a combination drug approach is needed, the study said. Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is dedicated to rapidly accelerating the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease. "Today's results show that lecanema

Zuventus first in world to launch aviptadil for ARDS commercially

Discovered in 1970, the drug was tested on severe Covid-19 patients on DCGI's direction

Aurobindo unit, Evive Biotech ink pact to sell CIN treatment product in US

Aurobindo Pharma on Wednesday said its unit has entered into a licensing pact with Evive Biotech to commercialise Ryzneuta in the US market. The product, a novel dimeric G-CSF long-acting fusion protein without pegylation, is currently under late-stage review by the US Food and Drug Administration for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN). In addition to the US health regulator, Evive's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA), and New Drug Application (NDA) for Ryzneuta are currently under review by European and Chinese regulators. Neutropenia is a common side-effect of chemotherapy and is a condition characterised by low levels of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that fights infection. The licensing pact has been inked between Evive and Acrotech Biopharma (Acrotech), a New Jersey-based and wholly-owned subsidiary of Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc, Aurobindo Pharma said in a statement. As part of the agreement, Evive will be responsible for the ongoing development, manufacturi

Coronary stents may become more affordable, NPPA to decide price

The Union health ministry has notified the inclusion of coronary stents in the National List of Essential Medicines, 2022, a move that will help make these life-saving medical devices more affordable. The move is based on the recommendations by an expert committee constituted to review the inclusion of stents in the list based on requirement. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) will now fix the price of coronary stents. On November 6, the Standing National Committee on Medicines (SNCM) had submitted its recommendation for inclusion of coronary stents in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), 2022 in two categories -- Bare Metal Stents (BMS) and Drug Eluting Stents (DES) which include metallic DES and bioresorbable vascular scaffold (VBS)/biodegradable stents. According to minutes of the SNCM meeting, vice chairman Dr Y K Gupta stated that coronary stents were earlier included in NLEM, 2015 through a separate notification based on the recommendations of an

Suven starts Phase 3 trial for first home-grown Alzheimer's drug

Clinical trial randomisation is the process of assigning patients by chance to groups that receive different treatments

Alembic Pharma gets USFDA nod for generic cancer treatment medication

Alembic Pharmaceuticals on Monday said it has received approval from the US health regulator to market Cyclophosphamide capsules, used in the treatment of different kinds of cancers, in the American market. The company has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market its product which is a generic version of Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc product, Alembic Pharmaceuticals said in a statement. Cyclophosphamide capsules is an alkylating drug indicated for the treatment of malignant disease and minimal change nephrotic syndrome in pediatric patients. According to IQVIA, cyclophosphamide capsules, 25 mg and 50 mg, have an estimated market size of USD 8 million in the US for twelve months ending Sep 2022. Shares of the drug firm were trading 1.32 per cent down at Rs 630.35 apiece on the BSE.

Govt, pharma companies working on pricing mechanism for off-patent drugs

Experts say this will create a predictable pricing regime for both the consumer and manufacturer

Thousands of Iranians died of Covid-19 due to US sanctions: Official

The sanctions, preventing Iran from transferring money through financial channels, made it difficult for the country to import Covid-19 vaccines and the necessary medicine during that period

Cholesterol drugs reduce risk of degenerative eye disease of ageing: Study

The findings of the study that was published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology

Lab-grown blood transfusion: The many problems it could address if it works

It could end shortages of rare groups, and drastically cut the risk of infections from transfusions

Drug firm Lupin gets USFDA nod to market generic antibiotic medicine in US

Drug firm Lupin on Tuesday said it has received approval from the US health regulator to market Doxycycline Capsules used to treat bacterial infections in the American market. The drug firm has received tentative approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Doxycycline Capsules, 40 mg, a generic equivalent of Galderma Laboratories' Oracea capsules, Lupin Ltd said in a statement. As per IQVIA MAT September 2022 data, Doxycycline capsules had estimated annual sales of USD 215 million in the US market.

Soon, 300 drug formulations to have mandatory bar codes on packages

To curb the menace of spurious medicines, the government is finalising the process of mandating pharmaceutical companies to print bar code on the packages of 300 drug formulations so that information such as manufacturing licence and batch number can be accessed upon scanning. The amendments to Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945 which, once approved, will come into force from May next year. "A sizable of the drugs mentioned in the list are mostly bought over the counter exposing people to the possibility of consuming counterfeit medicines. This amendment aims to prevent supply of fake medicines and ensure improvement in public healthcare," an official source told PTI. "A bar code or QR code will authenticate whether a particular drug is original or not," the official added. The Union health ministry had issued a draft gazette notification regarding the same in June seeking comments and feedback from the public. Based on the comments and further deliberations, the ministry is in the ..

Chhattisgarh govt's flagship scheme delivers hefty markdown on medicines

The state government has given priority to the health security of the people, the official said

Woman suffers beauty parlor stroke syndrome while getting her hair washed

Dr. Sudhir Kumar, a neurologist from Hyderabad took to twitter on October 30, to share his experience of treating a 50-year-old woman showing symptoms of 'Beauty Parlour Stroke Syndrome'

Janaushadhi stores for affordable medicines grew 100-times in 8 yrs: Govt

More than Rs 15,360 crore estimated to have been saved due to central government service

Sri Lanka gets medicines from Puducherry for Tamil workers in hilly areas

Sri Lanka on Sunday received a consignment of medicines from the Government of Puducherry to be used for the Tamil workers in the hill plantation regions of the island nation's central province, according to the office of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The consignment, which was coordinated by the trade union cum political party of the plantation Tamils of Indian-origin, Ceylon Workers Congress, was received by President Wickremesinghe. Speaking on the occasion, Wickremesinghe said that the government will appoint a committee to seek how best to integrate the Tamils of Hill Country origin further into the Sri Lankan Society. While some of the Tamils of Hill Country origin had integrated successfully into the Sri Lankan society, some have failed and measures would be taken to assist them to do so, he said. The President recalled the Sirimalwatte-Shastri Pact between the then Indian and Sri Lankan leaders under which some of the Indian-origin plantation Tamils was ...