Sickle Cell Disease

60 mn people screened for sickle cell disease, says health ministry

A total of six crore individuals have been screened for sickle cell disease (SCD) against the targeted seven crore under the National Sickle Cell Mission, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday. Among those screened, 2.15 lakh individuals were diagnosed with the disease and 16.7 lakh carriers identified. Additionally, 2.6 crore health cards have been distributed by the respective states to the screened individuals, the ministry said. States including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka and Uttarakhand have demonstrated significant progress by achieving a high percentage of screening relative to their targets. The highest incidence of diagnosed cases has been reported from the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Screening for SCD is being conducted using validated point-of-care testing (POCT) kits, which ensure rapid, reliable and confirmatory results. Furthermore, a dedicated dashboard and a sickle cell disease portal hav

Newborn screening, early treatment can cut sickle cell deaths: ICMR study

Post-birth diagnosis resulting in early treatment can substantially improve the quality of life and reduce mortality in patients with sickle cell disease to less than five per cent from the reported 20-30 per cent, according to an ICMR study. As many as 63,536 newborns were tested over a five year period from 2019- 2024 as part of the study on Newborn Screening for Sickle cell Disease conducted by the National Institute of Immunohaematology in Mumbai under the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) across seven centres in high prevalence areas of India. The study is yet to be published. The newborn screening program helps find out if a baby is born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), a serious inherited blood disorder, soon after birth, explained Dr Manisha Madkaikar, Director of ICMR- Centre for Research Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies (CRHCM) in Nagpur. "If not detected early, this disease can cause life-threatening problems like severe infections, anaemia (low blood

70 mn Indians under 40 to be screened for sickle cell by 2025-26: ICMR

Dr Manisha Madkaikar stressed the need for newborn screening, saying early testing for sickle cell at birth allows timely diagnosis and effective treatment

ICMR-NIIH launches India's first national rare blood donor registry

India's ICMR-NIIH has launched the country's first national rare blood donor registry to help patients with uncommon blood types, including those with thalassemia and sickle cell disease

Govt announces Rs 10-cr prize for new drug to treat sickle cell disease

The government on Thursday announced an award of Rs 10 crore to develop a drug for the treatment of sickle cell disease, which disproportionately affects India's tribal populations. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect haemoglobin, causing red blood cells to become sickle-shaped and block the blood flow, which can lead to serious complications such as stroke, eye problems and infections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Eradication Mission on July 1, 2023, with the aim of eradicating the disease by 2047. The government aims to screen seven crore people up to 40 years of age as part of the mission. At an event to mark World Sickle Cell Day here, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey announced the institution of the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Prize for the development of a drug to treat the disease. The minister said there is only one drug available as of now for the management of the disease. There

Prez Murmu's MP visit on June 18-19 cancelled; was to attend state event

President Droupadi Murmu was scheduled to participate in a state-level programme on the occasion of World Sickle Cell Day to be held in Taloon Gram Panchayat, MP

Akums Drugs gets patent for formulation to manage sickle cell disease

Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals on Friday said it has received patent for a formulation for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). The company has received a patent from India patent office for its room temperature stable oral suspension of Hydroxyurea, a formulation aimed at managing SCD. "Our constant endeavor is to work on affordable medicines for Orphan Drugs and reduce dependency on imported medicines ensuring patient safety from rare diseases with timely and necessary treatment," Akums Managing Director Sanjeev Jain said in a statement. SCD, a genetic blood disorder, leads to severe health complications such as anaemia, frequent pain episodes and other debilitating symptoms, affecting millions worldwide, especially in India and Africa. Akums said its formulation will come at a fraction of the cost of imported Hydroxyurea solution.

ICMR to conduct first Chintan Shivir for sickle cell disease research

New Delhi [India], September 4 (ANI): The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) is scheduled to organise the first brainstorming session on sickle cell disease research for two days.The top scientists and medical experts all over the country will participate in the Chintan Shivir to be held from September 5 to September 6, 2024.According to the sources, the purpose behind organising the brainstorming session is to identify the research, diagnosis and affordable treatment for sickle cell disease."We want to identify the research properties that can be taken up in sickle cell disease and existing scenarios with respect to the screening , the diagnosis, treatment, preventive measuresand awareness," said sources.During two days, panel discussion will have six different sessions, like patient perspectives understanding the patients living with SCD and their needs, strategic open brainstorming, screening methods & strategies, antenatal and newborn screening point of care tests, ..

Novo Nordisk plans to introduce drug for sickle cell disease in 3-5 years

The company announced the plan to hire about 1,300 new employees by the end of 2026, as per the statement at a media briefing

Akums introduces room temperature treatment for sickle cell disease

sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that causes severe pain and complications. It is particularly prevalent among tribal populations in India

First gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease approved by US FDA

The agency approved Lyfgenia from bluebird bio, and a separate treatment called Casgevy by partners Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Crispr Therapeutics

Cost to cut sickle cell disease's risk beyond reach of most Indians: Lancet

The costs required to reduce the risk of sickle cell disease is beyond the reach of most individuals in India and sub-Saharan Africa, where the disease is most prevalent, says a new Commission published in The Lancet Haematology journal. The Commission publishes shortly after a recent study in the same journal found that the highest burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) disability was concentrated in western and central sub-Saharan Africa and India. The authors of the Commission also noted that there is a shortage of healthcare and scientific professionals with expertise in SCD, as well as a lack of trials aimed at developing novel treatments in these countries. SCD is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affect hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body. The condition affects more than 20 million people worldwide. The recent study suggested there were 376,000 (3.76 lakh) global SCD-related deaths in 2021, compared to 34,400 cause-specific ...

PM launches sickle cell anemia eradication mission 2047; slams Cong

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched National Sickle Cell Anemia Eradication Mission 2047 by unveiling a portal and also released a guideline for the management of the disease and different modules for its monitoring. At a function held at Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, the prime minister took a swipe at the opposition and asked people to beware of "fake guarantees" being given by "family-centric" political parties including Congress. Beware of those (parties) who are giving fake guarantees. Such people have brought schemes of guarantees despite they don't have their own (political) guarantee, Modi said. He said, "Family-centric parties including Congress are hobnobbing together". On the occasion, Modi started the distribution of more than 3 crore digital Ayushman cards in the country and one crore PVC Ayushman Bharat cards in MP. He announced that Rani Durgavati's 500th birth anniversary will be celebrated across India and stamps will be released. The prime minister ...

PM Modi to visit MP on Tuesday; flag off five Vande Bharat trains

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a day-long visit to Madhya Pradesh on June 27 during which he will flag off five Vande Bharat trains and launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, his office said on Monday. The prime minister will reach Rani Kamalapati railway station around 10:30 am and flag off five Vande Bharat trains, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said. Modi will attend a public programme in Shahdol district around 3 pm. He will honour Rani Durgavati, who ruled Gondwana in the mid-16th century; launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission and kickstart distribution of Ayushman cards. He will also visit Pakaria village in Shahdol, according to the statement. The five Vande Bharat trains that Modi will flag off are -- Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express, Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express, Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express, Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express, and Hatia-Patna Vande .

Elimination of sickle cell disease a multi-sectoral mission: VK Paul

He said that elimination of the disease is an integral part of achieving the holistic vision of health for all in India

World-first gene therapy cures teen with sickle cell disease

Sickle cell is caused by an error in instructions for making haemoglobin, which is packed into RBC