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70% vaccines sourced by WHO are from India; US imports 14% generics

Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said on Monday 70 per cent of total vaccines sourced by the World Health Organization (WHO) and 14 per cent of generics imported by the US are from India. She delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session of the Second Policymakers' Forum organised by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) here. An international delegation of policymakers and drug regulators from 24 countries is participating in the forum. Aimed at promoting the recognition of the Indian Pharmacopoeia and collaboration in India's initiative for flagship affordable medicines -- the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) -- the Forum is being organised by the IPC under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in association with the Ministry of External Affairs. In her keynote address, Patel emphasised India's commitment to ensuring equitable access to quality-assured medicines and stressed the importance of regulatory ...

India recorded 8.6 mn deaths in 2022, down 15% from Covid peak: CRS data

India registered 8.6 million deaths in 2022, a 15% drop from 2021's Covid peak, while births rose by 5% to 25.4 million, according to Civil Registration System data released by the Registrar General

Covid-19 cases rise in India: WHO releases new global action roadmap

As Covid cases slowly rise again in India, the WHO's latest 2025-2030 roadmap and standing recommendations outline how countries should manage ongoing coronavirus risks without repeating past mistakes

India partners with WHO to mainstream Ayush globally through an agreement

In a landmark development poised to transform the global standing of traditional medicine systems, an agreement has been signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO). The agreement inked on Saturday marks the beginning of work on a dedicated Traditional Medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI), the Ayush Ministry said in a statement. Highlighting the significance of this achievement during the 122nd episode of Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said,*Friends, something has happened in the field of Ayurveda... Just yesterday, i.e. on 24th May, an MoU was signed in the presence of WHO Director General and my friend Tulsi Bhai." "Along with this agreement, work has started on a dedicated traditional medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions. This initiative will help in making Ayush reach maximum number of people across the world in a scientific manner," h

New WHO agreement on pandemic response: What's it is and what it will do

With lessons from Covid-19, WHO members back treaty to improve equity, vaccine access, and emergency coordination during future outbreaks

WHO to back use of weight-loss drugs for adults globally, raises cost issue

More than a billion people now have obesity worldwide, according to the WHO, and around 70% of them live in low and middle-income countries, the World Bank estimates

Air pollution levels across India well above global standards: WHO official

Strategies like LPG subsidies and a switch to cleaner cooking fuels could help India become a leader in meeting this challenge, says Dr Maria Neira, director of environment and health at WHO

Anti-ageing millionaire Bryan Johnson raises alarm over India's pollution

Tech entrepreneur says breathing in India equates to smoking multiple cigarettes daily

WHO sends 3 tonnes of medical supplies to hospitals in quake-hit Myanmar

Responding to the immediate health needs of the thousands of people injured in the earthquakes that rocked Myanmar, WHO has provided nearly three tons of medical supplies to hospitals in Nay Pyi Taw and Mandalay -- the two cities hit the worst by the tremors. In a statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the supplies, including trauma kits and multipurpose tents, had already reached a 1,000-bed hospital in Nay Pyi Taw and would soon reach the Mandalay General Hospital -- the two main facilities treating the injured in these areas. These supplies were rushed from the emergency WHO stockpile in Yangon within 24 hours of two strong earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 6.4 hitting central Myanmar on Friday, it added. Rescue operations are underway. Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Shan South and East and Sagaing were among the towns and cities to bear the maximum brunt of the quakes. Hospitals are overwhelmed, with thousands of injured in need of medical care. There is huge

Delhi's 'satisfactory' air was temporary, pollution crisis continues

Year after year, India cities are failing to breathe easily due to hazardous levels of pollutants

Trump's 'America First' era: Are global institutions losing relevance?

World leaders are increasingly questioning the relevance of major global institutions, including the UN, WHO, WTO, and climate summits such as the Paris Agreement, in a multipolar world

India likely underreporting heat-related deaths: WHO's ex-chief scientist

Soumya Swaminathan says fatalities just 'tip of iceberg', heat wave affecting people economically, mentally

India most likely undercounting heat-related deaths: Ex-WHO chief scientist

India is "most likely" undercounting heat-related deaths due to a lack of robust data, but the government is now improving surveillance to minimise the impact of extreme conditions on health, former WHO chief scientist and health ministry advisor Soumya Swaminathan has said. In an interview with PTI on the sidelines of TERI's World Sustainable Development Summit, she also stressed the urgent need for better tracking, preparedness and policy interventions as the country braces for another extreme summer. Asked if India was undercounting heat-related deaths, the former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said, "Most likely. We do not really have a good record of every death in the country and so we have to make some estimations. We have to do some sort of calculations or modelling based on what is happening." But recently, there have been several scientific papers that have actually tracked what are called excess deaths, Swaminathan said. "When you look

CDSCO centralises GMP issuance and verification with new online portal

This initiative addresses long-standing concerns over inconsistent certificate formats and verification challenges across India's 28 states

WHO proposes to cut budget by $400 mn after US exit, defends its work

The budget cut will be addressed at the Feb. 3-11 Geneva meeting, during which member state representatives will discuss the agency's funding and work for the 2026-27 period

WHO chief plans cost cuts, revised priorities after US exit, document shows

The United States is by far the WHO's biggest financial backer, contributing around 18% of its overall funding. WHO's most recent two-year budget, for 2024-2025, was $6.8 billion

US withdrawal from WHO unfortunate, but won't affect India: Health experts

This follows US President Donald Trump's signing of an executive order on Monday, announcing the country's withdrawal from the WHO

Trump signs executive order to withdraw US from World Health Organisation

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order beginning the process of withdrawing America from the World Health Organisation, the second time in less than five years that the US has ordered to withdraw from the world body. It was among dozens of executive actions he signed after being sworn in on Monday for a second term, on issues ranging from immigration to foreign policy to climate change. The World Health Organisation (WHO) came under intense criticism from Trump in 2020 for its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which grew into a worldwide health crisis during the final year of his first term. That's a big one, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House when an aid presented to him an executive order on this to be signed by him. We paid USD 500 million to World Health when I was here, and I terminated it. China, with 1.4 billion people, has 350 dependents... nobody knows what we have because so many people came in illegally. But let's say we have 325

Amid concerns, WHO official says HMPV virus 'expected during winter'

WHO official said that the pathogens are known ones and can be tackled, including the pathogens of Covid-19

HMPV cases in India highlights: Mumbai reports first case, 6-month-old child tests positive

HMPV Cases in India updates: Catch all the major news updates on human metapneumovirus cases here