COVID-19 information overload, PharmEasy app cuts the clutter with awareness, vaccination, RT-PCR tests and more

The PharmEasy app lets you order COVID-19 related products, read about resources, find the nearest RT-PCR test centres, book home tests, book vaccine slots, and even find alternatives to prescribed COVID-19 medicines.

With India engulfed in the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, Pharmeasy has stepped in to fight COVID-19 by extending its features and providing information and resources to its users.

Started in 2015, PharmEasy is an online medicine delivery app that also allows users to buy healthcare products, OTC products, and medical equipment online. Users can also book diagnostic tests online, including blood tests, lab tests, full-body check-up, and other preventive health check-ups.

The app, which has been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play Store, has a user rating of 4.3 stars. It is now providing verified COVID-19 related information, such as coronavirus tests, booking of vaccination slots, and other requirements.

Besides Android, the app is also available on Apple’s App Store, and can be used via the web.

This week, we’ll walk you through the PharmEasy app, which may be helpful in times of medical urgency.

Let’s gets started

To get started on the app, you need to enter your pin code or select your current location. We let the app use location only for ‘while using the app’ option. PharmEasy covers more than 22,000 pin code in India.

Once the location is set, you land on the homepage, which is designed in the form of a marketplace. You can buy medicines, get a lab test, buy wellness products, and even shop by filtering the category. You can also see trending products by scrolling down.

COVID-19

Amid the pandemic, it’s the app's first section on the homepage that has become more relevant. The section has swipe screens, which lets you order COVID-19 related products, read about COVID-19 resources, find the nearest RT-PCR test centres, book home tests for COVID-19, order medicines for home delivery, and even find alternatives to prescribed COVID-19 medicines. The same section also lets you find and book vaccination slots.

The ‘Covid Free India’ tab under the section is potentially the most useful, as it allows users to find all COVID-19-related resources – from packages, essentials, oxygen and ICU beds, and helpline numbers – at one place.

https://yourstory.com/2021/05/app-covid-19-information-pharmeasy-vaccination-rt-pcr-tests/amp

Telangana near to reach 1 lakh corona cases, death toll reaches to737

 HYDERABAD: Telangana reported 1,967 Covid-19 positive cases on Friday, taking the state’s tally to 99,391.Males accounted for more than 65% of the infected.

The state public health department said in a bulletin on Friday morning that eight people had succumbed to the virus in the 24 hours till Thursday night.

The fatality rate in the state on account of Covid-19 stands at 0.74%, lower than the national average of 1.90%. The government reported that 46.13% of the deceased had died of Covid-19, while 53.87% passed away due to comorbidities.

According to the bulletin, 1,781 people recovered in the past 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 76,967. The recovery rate in the state stands at 77.43%, higher than the national average of 73.91%.

By Thursday night, the state reported 21,687 active Covid-19 cases, including 15,332 persons in either home or institutional isolation.

The state tested 26,767 samples by Thursday, taking the total number of tests to 848,078. The state said it was awaiting results of 1,300 samples. The number of tests per million people amounted to 22,843 by Thursday night.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/telangana-nears-one-lakh-mark-in-coronavirus-cases-death-toll-reaches-737/articleshow/77668237.cms

Covid-19 vaccine trials to be begin in Russia on 40,000 people next week

 Russia on August 11 declared that it had become the first country to approve a vaccine against novel coronavirus.Russia health ministry earlier said that the COVID-19 vaccine offers lasting immunity from the virus.

Days after registering "world's first COVID-19 vaccine", Russia will finally start the advanced trial. The phase III trial will involve more than 40,000 people, the TASS news agency reported on Thursday.

Russia on August 11 declared that it had become the first country to approve a vaccine against novel coronavirus. Dubbed as Sputnik V, the vaccine was developed by Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian defence ministry. Russia registered the vaccine after less than two months of human testing. The results of initial trials have not been made public yet.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that one of his daughters had been inoculated with the vaccine. “I know it has proven efficient and forms a stable immunity, and I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests," Putin said.

However, the entire world raised question on safety and effectiveness of the vaccine developed by Russia. Russia health ministry said that the COVID-19 vaccine offers lasting immunity from the virus. The vaccine is expected to provide immunity from the coronavirus for up to two years, according to health ministry.

Clinical human studies started on June 17 among 76 volunteers. Half were injected with a vaccine in liquid form and the other half with a vaccine that came as soluble powder. Professor Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Institute that developed the vaccine, said that vaccination will start while the Phase III trials continue.

WHO begins discussion with Russia on COVID-19 vaccine

The World Health Organization’s Europe office said it has begun discussions with Russia to try to obtain more information about the experimental COVID-19 vaccine the country recently approved. Catherine Smallwood, a senior emergency official at WHO Europe said the agency had begun “direct discussions" with Russia and that WHO officials have been sharing “the various steps and information that’s going to be required for WHO to take assessments."

“This concern that we have around safety and efficacy is not specifically for the Russia vaccine, it’s for all of the vaccines under development," said Smallwood. She acknowledged WHO was taking an “accelerated approach" to try to speed development of coronavirus vaccines but said “it’s essential we don’t cut corners in safety or efficacy."

Russian officials said doctors might start getting vaccinated with their experimental shot this month and that mass campaigns could begin in October.

https://www.livemint.com/

Amazon launches online e-pharmacy services in India

Amazon continues to spread its wings in India. And now the e-tailer company has launched its e-pharmacy service for consumers. The Amazon Pharmacy is piloting in Bengaluru for now, allowing people to buy over-the-counter and prescription medicines online. Bengaluru is usually the pilot market for most companies, and Amazon has used the region for a similar test with its food delivery service earlier this year. Also Read - Samsung Galaxy M01 now coming to Amazon at discounted price from August 18.

Amazon, quoted in multiple reports, pointed out the medicines come with 20 percent discount. And this is clearly going to be Amazon’s play, looking to offset the existing players in the market. You have other online sellers like 1mg, Netmeds, Medlife and PharmEasy offering similar service. But Amazon’s wider pull and most likely, offering them through Prime program could entice consumers to switch sides. Also Read - Amazon beats Flipkart in Q2 smartphone sales online in India: Counterpoint.

The company claims it will offer genuine medicines in secure packaging. It is also offering medical equipment and devices like glucose meters,  and nebulisers among others. With the pandemic, those conditions are likely to appeal to the buyers. Also Read - Amazon launches food delivery service 'Amazon Food' in India.

Having said that, Amazon’s limited service availability could work against them for now. So, we’re eager to see if the company can expand its service base at the earliest. The Indian online pharmacy segment is riddled with unclear regulations, and Amazon could surely benefit from such a scenario.

https://www.bgr.in/news/amazon-online-pharmacy-india-launch-bengaluru-pilot-test-details-909548/

India’s role as pharmacy of the world has come into focus amid COVID-19 crisis

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla today said India’s role as a pharmacy of the world has come into focus during the COVID-19 crisis. He said, India has a world-class pharmaceutical industry that is the producer of choice for critical medications with brand recognition in all geographies and markets. He added that the pandemic produced an explosion in demand for drugs such as Hydroxychloroquine and Paracetamol produced in India.

The Foreign Secretary was giving a virtual address to the National Defence College on 'India’s Foreign Policy Options in the Emerging World Order'.

Mr Shringla said, in a coordinated response involving several branches of government and multiple private sector pharma companies, India was able to supply large volumes of these drugs to friends and consumers across the world. It is also making its medical and public health expertise and capacity available to the entire South Asian region.

He said, India has not let the pandemic come in the way of diplomatic engagements. The Foreign Secretary pointed out that India’s wise counsel and the Prime Minister’s statesmanship have been sought and appreciated at various bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral platforms.

http://newsonair.com/Main-News-Details.aspx?id=388700

Indian government plans to optimization of resources SMEs and bulk drug industry

Aiming to reduce the cost of bulk drugs by 20%-25% and to help small and medium pharmaceutical enterprises (SMEs) upgrade their technology, the Indian government is looking to pump in several millions to support and shore up the drug industry, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

The government is keen to provide assistance to the bulk drug industry to "ease the competitiveness, provide easy access to standard testing and infrastructure facilities and value addition" through the creation of common facility centers. Proposed as a central sector scheme, the total size of the bulk drug scheme has been placed at $29 million for 2018-2020.

"The aim is to strengthen the existing infrastructure facilities in order to make the Indian bulk drug industry a global leader in bulk drug exports," said an official. Reducing the cost of production in the bulk drug park will also lead to better availability and affordability of bulk drugs in the domestic market, the official added.

Price reductions

In the domestic market, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the retail and ceiling prices of 22 formulations used for the treatment of various ailments including HIV, bacterial infections and cardiac condition, among others.

The regulator has fixed ceiling prices of co-trimoxazole sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim tablets used for treating a variety of bacterial infections. It has also fixed the retail prices of drugs like omeprazole domperidone capsule, to treat acidity and gastroesophageal reflux disease, and clotrimazole beclomethasone cream, for a variety of inflamed fungal skin infections.

The price of rosuvastatin clopidogrel, used to lower cholesterol levels and triglycerides and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate lamivudine efavirenz tablet, an HIV treatment, have also been lowered.

Five sub schemes

Announcing guidelines for five sub-schemes under the Pharma Development Program, the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) said the main objective is to reduce the cost of production for bulk drugs. Exploiting the benefits arising due to optimization of resources and economies of scale is the next step.

The scheme is to be implemented through a one-time grant-in-aid. The purpose of the grant, the official said, is to render financial assistance for the establishment of common facilities in any upcoming bulk drug park promoted by the state governments or state corporations.

The maximum limit for the grant-in-aid would be $14.64 million per bulk drug park. As for the Common Facility Centers, the maximum limit for the grant-in-aid under this category would be $2.93 million per cluster.

Another scheme proposed is for the assistance of cluster development. The scheme is termed as cluster development program for the pharma sector, and will be a central sector scheme. The total size of the scheme is proposed at $2.93 million for 2018-2020.

This would be implemented on a public-private partnership format through a one-time grant-in-aid to be released in various phases for the creation of identified infrastructure and common facilities.

The pharmaceutical promotion development scheme will also aim at the promotion, development and export promotion in the pharmaceutical sector.

A budgetary allocation of $21 million for 2018-2020 has been made for the Pharmaceutical Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme (PTUAS).

The official added it is possible to extend the benefit of interest subvention to around 250 SMEs under the scheme.

SME scheme
The PTUAS sub-scheme is aimed at providing interest subvention to eligible SME pharma units having GMP compliant manufacturing facilities both for bulk drugs and pharmaceutical formulations.

Eligible units intending to upgrade their manufacturing infrastructure to attain WHO-GMP norms, have to secure a loan from any financial institution to upgrade their infrastructure and technology. The goal of this scheme is to facilitate SMEs of proven track records, and to enable them to participate and compete in the global market and earn foreign exchange.

Almost 75% pharma SMEs are purely manufacturing companies with their own facilities, and around 13% companies are engaged in manufacturing as well as trading.

Of these, 10.5% companies are doing R&D work, both clinical tests as well as contract research, along with manufacturing. Around 50% of these pharma SMEs are engaged in exports to various countries around the world, including the USA and Europe.

Pharma exports

The Indian government is keen that the pharmaceutical sector looks for new markets. Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu said government is committed to giving access to the sector in key global markets.

Emphasizing the need to reach out to newer markets, especially in Africa where affordability of drugs is a key issue, Mr Prabhu said the Indian drug industry could well address the problem with its generic drugs.

Asking drugmakers to increase R&D investments, Mr Prabhu also called on companies to find ways to make healthcare more affordable to people by reducing costs.

Stating that regions like Latin America and Africa hold huge export potential for Indian pharmaceutical products, Mr Prabhu said "the pipeline for new medicines should not get dry."

Speaking at a pharma exhibition, Mr Prabhu also assured global pharmaceutical players and regulators about the quality and affordability of Indian drugs. He added the government is committed to promoting pharma exports to China, as well as to other untapped markets.

With China agreeing to a high-level bilateral round table meeting, Mr Prabhu said it would clear the way for Indian companies to get greater market access and penetration in China.

The USA accounted for 31% of India's $17.27 billion pharma exports in 2017-18. India also has the highest number of US Food and Drug Administration approved plants outside the USA.

API development

Eager to reduce dependence on China, India's chemicals and fertilizers ministry has joined hands with other ministries to draw up a road-map for increasing active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production in India. A high-level task force has been constituted to study global practices and draw up a plan aimed at boosting domestic production of APIs.

Currently, over 60% of APIs are sourced from other nations. For some specific APIs, the dependence is over 80%-90%, according to the DoP.

India continues to rely on imports of key starting materials, intermediates and APIs from China, with the share of dependence increasing over time. This potentially exposes the country to raw material supply disruptions and pricing volatility.

With the government keen to increase India's pharmaceutical exports to China, the Department of Commerce in coordination with the Embassy of India at Beijing commissioned a study on 'Enhancing Indian Exports of Pharmaceutical products to China'.

China's healthcare sector continues to grow rapidly with spending projected to grow from $357 billion in 2011 to $1 trillion in 2020, the study adds.

https://www.thepharmaletter.com/article/indian-government-plans-to-foster-smes-and-bulk-drug-industry

Pharmacy Netmeds fundraising plans even in the business-to-business B2B space raise more funding

Net-Meds Marketplace Pvt. Ltd, which runs online pharmacy Netmeds.com, is firming up Series B fundraising plans even as it is looking at acquisitions to beef up offerings and diversify into the business-to-business (B2B) segment, a top executive told Techcircle.in.

The PE-backed company that raised $60 million in two tranches last year expects to close the second round of funding in a year, said founder and CEO Pradeep Dadha.

At present, Netmeds caters to retail customers by procuring products from wholesale and retail shops. It plans to enter the B2B segment, targeting hospitals and retail shops, which would enable it to buy directly from manufacturers, he said.

It expects to enter the B2B segment after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is implemented, Dadha said.

A part of the funds will also be used for building cold-chain storage facilities and improving its supply chain when it enters the B2B space, he added.Dadha said the online pharmacy is at a stage where ecommerce was five years ago and hence is spending a lot of money on customer acquisition to create a business category and maintain service levels. Furthermore, the firm drives its growth through prescription and non-prescription medicines, and not via over-the-counter and FMCG products. Hence, it has higher stickiness from existing customers and can continue to offer discounts through an efficient supply chain and collaborations with manufacturers.

It is also engaged in acquisition talks with companies that have complementary service offerings. Early this month, the firm was reported to be in an advanced stage of discussions to acquire Pluss, a hyperlocal drugs delivery startup, owned by Alpinismo Online Ventures Pvt. Ltd. The combined entity is expected to take on rival 1mg, an online marketplace for medicines.

Dadha declined to comment on Pluss, but said through acquisitions, it could offer value-added services such as recording information on chronic diseases for customers. The company continues to look for acquisition targets in the logistics and health-tech space.

Net-Meds Marketplace was launched by Dadha whose family ran Tamilnadu Dadha Pharmaceuticals Ltd, which was acquired and merged with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in 1997. S Mohanchand Dadha (father of Pradeep Dadha) who founded Tamilnadu Dadha Pharmaceuticals is now a member of the board of Sun Pharma, India’s top drugmaker.

The firm claims to have close to one million customers from 700 cities with 65% of the business generated from tier II and III cities, Dadha said.

In October last year, Netmeds received funding worth $50 million (Rs 325 crore) from healthcare-focused global private equity firm OrbiMed, with participation from existing investors MAPE Advisory Group and founder and CEO Pradeep Dadha’s family investment fund.

In May 2015, MAPE had said it will invest about $10 million in yet to be launched Netmeds, taking the total Series A funding to $60 million.

The company has 70,000 stock keeping units (SKU) with an average basket size of Rs 1,750. It plans to reach $1 billion transactions by March 2020.

Other online pharmacy startups in the space include Zigy, 1mg and CareOnGo, to name a few.



http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2016/10/13/netmeds-plans-to-enter-b2b-space-raise-more-funding/

The drug department on a pharmacy in 11th chemist shop to be sealed and 30 chemists lose licence

NOIDA: The district drug department on Friday sealed a pharmacy in Mamura for being run without a pharmacist making it the 11th chemist shop to be sealed in the past two months. It has also suspended licences of over 30 chemists in the past two months for operating their pharmacies without a pharmacist.

During the Friday raid, a pharmacy in Chhalera also received a show-cause notice by the department. Officials had said that the drive against shops violating rules will be intensified after Dussehra.

Deepanshu Medical Store in Mamura was sealed and Pooja Medical Store in Chhalera was issued a show-cause notice. The department also banned the sale of drugs by the store for now.

During the inspection, the officials found that Deepanshu Medical Store had not appointed a registered pharmacist and was instead being run by the chemist, who was not present in the store at the time of the inspection.

Deepak Sharma, drug inspector of the district told TOI that there was no proprietor or pharmacist present at the store when it was raided and instead a third person was found at the store. "We have sealed the store and the chemist? licence has been sent to the District Licensing Authority for action. No bills were found for the sale and purchase of the drugs," he said.

Similarly, at Pooja Medical Store, no pharmacist was found and hence, a show-cause notice was issued by the department to the store owner and sale of drugs was stopped. Employing a registered pharmacist at the store is necessary for chemists.

The chemist association blamed the government for the mess saying it issued licences without keeping a check on the numbers. Anoop Khanna, president, Gautam Budh Nagar chemist association told TOI that it (the drive against pharmacies) is like asking someone to make a mistake and then punishing them for it. "The government has allowed so many drug stores to run and issued licences but pharmacists are few and have become redundant now. It is very unfair to those who are running their pharmacies with a pharmacist as they don't even need one."


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/11-drug-stores-sealed-30-chemists-lose-licence/articleshow/54859712.cms

The Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (Amrit) pharmacy at Gauhati Medical College Hospital

GUWAHATI: The state got its first Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (Amrit) pharmacy at Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) on Wednesday.

Inaugurated by Union health minister JP Nadda, the store will provide life-saving drugs at heavily discounted rates. Patients can also buy oncology and cardiovascular medicines and implants. Similar Amrit stores will be opened on the premises of five medical college hospitals in Jorhat, Barpeta, Tezpur, Dibrugarh and Silchar soon.

"We are trying to provide affordable medicines and treatment to people. Drugs for cancer and other diseases will be available at the GMCH outlet," said Nadda, who was accompanied by state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

In August, Sarma had said if the six Amrit pharmacies in medical college hospitals were successful, the state government would open more such outlets elsewhere.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/Assam-gets-first-Amrit-pharmacy-at-Gauhati-Medical-College-Hospital/articleshow/54575859.cms

Online pharmacy Netmeds marketplace for medicines pluss

Online pharmacy Netmeds.com is in advanced stage of discussions to acquire Pluss, a hyperlocal drugs delivery startup, owned by Alpinismo Online Ventures Pvt. Ltd Company. The combined entity is expected to take on rival 1mg, an online marketplace for medicines.

Pluss’ existing investors IDG Ventures India, Singapore’s M&S Partners and US-based Powerhouse Ventures will all receive stakes in Netmeds, The Economic Times reported citing unnamed sources.

Messages and email queries sent to the founders of Netmeds and Pluss did not elicit a response at the time of filing this report.

Pluss had raised $1 million (Rs 6.65 crore) in pre-Series A funding from its existing ventures in November 2015. The firm allows users to order medicines, baby care, pet care, personal wellness and daily essential products through its on-demand delivery app. The firm was launched in 2015 by BITS, Pilani graduate Atit Jain, former Bharti Airtel executive Madhulika Pandey, and IIT-Bombay alumnus Tarun Lawadia.

In October last year, Netmeds received funding worth $50 million (Rs 325 crore) from healthcare focused global private equity firm OrbiMed, with participation from existing investors MAPE Advisory Group and CEO and founder Pradeep Dadha’s family investment fund.

Other online pharmacy startups that have been in the news are Zigy, 1mg and CareOnGo, to name a few.

Last month, Zigy, founded by former Infosys director and IGATE CEO Phaneesh Murthy, said it was scaling back its operations due to paucity of funds, but does not intend to halt operations.

Online drug marketplace 1mg secured funding from Swiss investment firm HBM Healthcare Investments in May this year. The investment was an addition to the startup’s Series B funding, which the company had raised in April. Maverick Capital Ventures, and existing investors Sequoia Capital and Omidyar Network invested $15 million (Rs 100 crore) in a Series B round in 1mg.

In April 2016, Careongo, which runs a chain of co-branded online pharmacies, secured pre-Series A funding from Farooq Oomerbhoy of FAO Ventures and a group of other investors.

Online drug startups have been facing regulatory hurdles as the Drug Controller General of India has put a restriction on the sale of medicines online. However, startups in this segment claim that the regulator’s warning has not affected their business.

A number of brick-and-mortar chemists such as MedPlus and Guardian Lifecare, too, have ventured into the online segment. Bengaluru-based Practo, an appointment booking platform for patients and doctors, has also begun online delivery of medicines.


http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2016/10/05/netmeds-in-talks-to-acquire-drugs-marketplace-pluss/

The fighting cancer by making changes to her lifestyle and eating healthy

A small swelling constantly reminds Radhika Singh of what is she up against — breast cancer. But the 51-year-old isn't on medication; she's trying to fight cancer by making changes to her lifestyle and eating healthy.

"There's no guarantee that the cancer won't come back after chemotherapy so I didn't want to go through it and deal with the side effects," says Singh, who moved from Delhi to Mashobra in Himachal Pradesh to be in a cleaner environment. Since 2010 when she got her cancerous lump removed, she's been on a strict diet of organic fruit and vegetables, which she grows herself, and avoids dairy and gluten (wheat and wheat products).

While Singh might have taken a drastic route by saying no to chemo, for other survivors, a cancer diagnosis offers a bittersweet opportunity to make lifestyle changes that may ultimately save their lives. The changes are simple: cut the crap (no smoking, drinking, processed food and sugars), exercise, and eat food that's free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and growth hormones.

There's no clear scientific evidence to show that lifestyle and diet can cure cancer, but patients point out that there are no guarantees in life — all one can do is maximize your chances with healthy habits.

Amit Vaidya came to India from the US in 2012 after doctors told him that he didn't have long to live as his gastric cancer had returned after being in remission since 2009. He had undergone 70 rounds of chemo, and radiation therapy. "My decision to come to India was to get palliative care. As part of that plan, I changed my lifestyle and diet, and underwent cow therapy. To my surprise, I started getting better and stronger," he says.

He documented his experiences in the book 'Holy Cancer: How a cow saved my life'. Vaidya wakes up at 4.30am every day, meditates and does yoga, and walks 10km. He chews raw tulsi and neem leaves, and drinks a glass of warm water with organic honey before breakfast. He says it is very important to know where his food is coming from, and he lives close to the source of the food. "I only consume ghee and milk of desi cows, which have not been fed on a diet of hormones," says Vaidya, 38, who lives on Vypeen, an island off Kochi in Kerala. He says the lifestyle changes are life-long and cannot be abandoned if cancer goes into remission. Delhi-based nutritionist Ishi Khosla says people with cancer often seek her help to manage their symptoms with diet. While it doesn't work in every case, Khosla says "most people do feel some difference".

Anjali Sapra, an artist based in Delhi, says eating right can make a difference even while undergoing chemo. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, Sapra underwent surgery and chemo, which left her sense of taste and smell compromised, thus affecting her appetite. "It's important to eat well during chemo as it boosts your immunity. But most patients are unable to because of the side-effects of chemo. Even, carers, often, don't know what to cook for the patient," explains Sapra. Dr Ramesh Sarin, senior oncologist at Apollo Hospitals in Delhi, says there's no well-controlled study to support any diet that prevents cancer. "While some studies indicate sugar is bad for cancer, there's no solid study to say cut sugar completely from the diet. Similarly, we know that some insecticides have been shown to cause cancer but not all. So while eating organic is good, we cannot say eating non-organic food is bad," says Dr Sarin. Overall, oncologists encourage patients to cut down on refined sugar, consume fruit and vegetables, and avoid red meat.

Mumbai's The Health Awareness Centre (THAC), an institution that promotes healthy eating and living, sees about five people with cancer every day. Started by nutritionist Dr Vijaya Venkta, THAC recently conducted a small study in collaboration with Tata Memorial Hospital on the effect of diet and lifestyle on managing cancer.

During the study, five palliative cancer patients in Bhakti Vedanta Hospital (Mira Road), were exposed to a corrective diet and corrected exposure to sunlight for 14 days. At the end of the period, four patients reported no symptoms, one had reduced symptoms and all were on reduced dosage of morphine. "We have seen patients benefiting from such changes. In some cases, tumours have reduced, in some the size has remained the same...how much each person improves is different. But, clearly, food seems to the pharmacy now," says Anju Venkat, nutritionist at THAC.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/Fighting-cancer-with-common-sense/articleshow/54633285.cms

The invention of a ‘super condom’ by a team of researchers headed by an Indian American researcher of HIV and AIDS

The breakthrough invention of a ‘super condom’ by a team of researchers headed by an Indian American researcher has opened an innovative way to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS by killing the virus through antioxidants contained in the condom.

The new condom was developed by Professor Mahua Choudhury and her research team at Texas A&M University. She claims that it would help in fighting the spread of the deadly virus.The super condom is made of an elastic polymer called hydrogel, which has antioxidants collected from plants that have the power to kill the HIV virus.

Choudhury, an assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, said in a statement, “We are not only making a novel material for condoms to prevent the HIV infection, but we are also aiming to eradicate this infection, if possible.”

She added: “Supercondom could help fight against HIV infection and may as well prevent unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases and If we succeed, it will revolutionize the HIV prevention initiative.”

Choudhury who completed Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Genetics degree in India got her Ph.D. in the US. Since then she has been researching diabetics and obesity epidemic.

Choudhury was one among the 54 people who were awarded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Grant for Global Health Challenge.

This year’s challenge for the winners was to develop a latex free condom to help battle the epidemic of HIV, which has by now affected 35 million people in the world.

“If you can make it really affordable, and really appealing, it could be a life-saving thing,” Choudhury said.

The material used in the condom to kill the virus is already in use as a water-based hydrogel for medical purposes such as contact lenses.

In addition to protecting from STDs and pregnancy, the super condom’s antioxidant quercetin is also capable of preventing the replication if HIV and in case if it breaks the quercetin would be released for additional protection.

The researchers also claim that the new design of the condom will escalate the sexual pleasure and people will use it more often.

The condom has already been created and is now awaiting patent approval so that it can go on sales in the market after testing.

Choudhury is hopeful that she can make the condom available to everyone including those in rural areas, where these types of resources are limited.

Since the HIV outbreak in 1981, the deadly virus has killed 39 million people worldwide.


https://www.americanbazaaronline.com/2015/12/16/indian-american-researcher-mahua-choudhury-invents-super-condom-to-fight-hiv/

The disappearance of life saving drug D-Penicillamine from the market

Alarmed at the disappearance of life saving drug D-Penicillamine from the market, which is used to treat Wilson’s disease, the central drug regulator has called a meeting with five major pharmaceutical companies, which are involved in its sale, on Friday.

The five firms which have been requested by Central Drug Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to attend the meeting “without fail” are German Remedies, Panacea Biotec, Samarth Lifesciences, VHB Lifesciences and Chandra Bhagat Pharma Private Limited.

Wilson’s diseases is a rare genetic disorder which prevents the body from getting rid of extra copper. The build up of copper may damage liver, brain, kidneys and eyes. D-Penicillamine is known to remove excess copper via urine.

“As per the representations (to CDSCO), the drug has disappeared from the market in the recent past and it is no more available in the country. The availability of the drug is very important as there are no alternatives for the treatment of Wilson’s disease,” said the letter written by Deputy Drugs Controller R Chandrashekhar to the five companies.

Panacea Biotec, Samarth Lifesciences, VHB Lifesciences and Chandra Bhagat Pharma Private Limited have been selling this medicine in India under the brand name Cilamin, Distamin, Artamin and Atrmin, respectively.
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“Therefore, a special meeting on the subject matter will be held by Dr G N Singh, Drug Controller General of India on September 30 (Friday)…to gauge the situation and examine the remedies to make the drug available in the country,” the letter added.

According to a September 16 petition on change.org by Wilson’s disease patient Piyush Gattani, the reason for this ‘real or artifical’ shortage is the government’s decision to bring this drug under price control.

“This drug’s price has been fixed by drug price controller at Rs 138 per strip of 10 capsules. This molecule is not manufactured in India and it is imported, then capsulised and then sold by few pharmacy companies like VHB Lifesciences, Samarth Pharma, Chandra Bhagat Pharma. Due to non availability of raw material and higher cost due to duties, etc, it is no longer cost effective for them to import and sell this medicine.

Probably this is the reason for the shortage,” Gattani said in his petition which requests government aid for patients suffering from the disease.

“Government might have taken the decision in interest of the patients, however it has become counterproductive. DPCO should have kept the price which would have not caused the pharmaceutical companies to go in losses. This would have helped,” he added.


http://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/d-penicillamine-life-saving-drug-disappears-from-market-cdsco-calls-for-meeting-3056870/

The organized a programme to mark world pharmacy day celebrated

AURANGABAD: As a part of Pharmacist's Day celebration marked on Sunday, around 150 pharmacists, all members of Aurangabad Jilha Chemists and Druggists Association (AJCDA) took pledge to develop a sense of loyalty and duty to the pharmacy profession.

"With a view to spread awareness among the masses regarding right use of medicines, AJCDA organized a programme to mark World Pharmacy Day, at Aushadhi Bhawan, in Gulmandi, Aurangabad," said AJCDA president Raosaheb Khedkar.

AJCDA secretary Manohar Kore said, "Pharmacists represent the third largest healthcare professional group in the world and working in various positions, applying their unique knowledge and skills, contributing to the health of the nation." He added, "Pharmacy profession contributed significantly in the area of good health and prosperity. No one can think about good health without medicines, because medicine is crucial and key factor in the health sector. WPD signifies the immense contributions of pharmacists and the pharmacy profession to our world."

On the occasion Khedkar also appealed to all pharmacists to wear apron while working at drug stores to create an identity.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/Pharmacy-Day-celebrated/articleshow/54624876.cms

Indian Pharmacists Association Pharmacists play an important role when it comes to medicines to chemical and physical properties

AURANGABAD: Pharmacists across the city organised a series of events, including a rally in Waluj, to mark the World Pharmacists Day (WPD) on Sunday.
This year the day was observed under the theme "Pharmacists: Caring for you" with the aim of updating the knowledge base of the dispensers while creating awareness among people regarding proper use of medicines.

Sanjay Toshniwal, secretray Indian Pharmacists Association (IPA), Aurangabad, said, "Pharmacist community is one of the three main pillars of the healthcare system with doctors and nurses being the other two. The day aims to recognise the relentless efforts of pharmacists as healthcare providers."

He said the IPA will also organise a series of lectures by Sheikh Jahangir, popularly known for his innovations such as converting second-hand scooters into super machines capable of working as a washing machine and even a flour mill.

The extraordinary innovation of this uneducated man from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, the scooter-powered flour mill was also exhibited in the Hindi blockbuster, 3 Idiots, said Toshniwal.

Meanwhile, the WPD was also marked by Yash institute of pharmacy, Waluj. The day was celebrated by organising different programmes like poster-making, elocution competition. Also, a rally was organised to spread awareness on safe use of medicines.

Hiral Majmudar, principal of Yash Institute of Pharmacy, said pharmacy as a profession contributes immensely in the field of health.

"Pharmacists play an important role when it comes to medicines as they are aware about their composition, chemical and physical properties, manufacturer, uses, side-effects and interactions with food and other medicines. "They also provide specialized information to doctors, nurses and other health professionals. Pharmacists are involved in every aspect of the preparation and use of medicines, from their research and development to eventual supply to a patient," said Suyog Joshi, assistant professor, Yash Institute of Pharmacy.

A pharmacist as a health partner who advises patients on proper use of medicines for maximum effect, how to reduce side effects, how to avoid drug drug interactions especially for patients taking plenty of drugs, medications to prevent untoward drug- food interaction, said Joshi.

It is an undoubted fact that pharmacists are authority on drug matters. Pharmacists are drug experts.

Pharmacists are trained as communicators, counsellors and work within a code of professional ethics that encompasses their relationship with other health professionals and the public, he added.

The Government of India's gazette notification on Pharmacy Practice Regulations-2015 could kindle a new symbiotic relationship between a pharmacist and patients. The Pharmacy Practice Regulations-2015 has sought to widen the role of present day pharmacists, bring in a uniform ethics code, clear-cut definitions of roles and responsibilities of pharmacists towards patients. Interestingly, the new regulations could well boost the concept of community pharmacy, he said. The new pharmacy regulations empower pharmacists to go a step ahead and, in addition to giving drugs, they also can counsel patients at the time of dispensing and provide drug information to patients.

The pharmacist has to interact with patients, doctors and other healthcare providers, and educate patients about medicines and other line of treatment that might have been prescribed to them, he added.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/Events-to-celebrate-role-of-pharmacists/articleshow/54534835.cms

The government apathy towards the institute in the state for pharmaceutical studie

Patna: Students of Government Pharmacy Institute near Agamkuan celebrated the World Pharmacist Day with fun and frolic on Sunday. The entire institute campus was decorated with balloons to mark the day. Amid celebrations, the students, however, did not forget to mention about poor infrastructure and government apathy towards the institute.

Pradeep Kumar, a pass out of 2007 batch, said this is the only government institute in the state for pharmaceutical studies. "Pharmacists are health professionals most accessible to the common people. The state government, however, is not bothered about their proper studies," he added.

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They must give free service to the poors.kumarmithilesh55Priyatam Abhinav, a final year student, also rued lack of infrastructure at the institute. "Despite playing a key role in healthcare sector, pharmacists are not getting due importance. Hardly any initiative is being taken by the government to improve facilities at the state's lone pharmacy institute," Abhinav said.

He added that the state government has also not appointed pharmacists for many years. "Drug inspectors and pharmacists have not been appointed at drug retail centers for the last 15 years. At times, drug dealers have to provide alternative medicines to people when prescribed drug is not available. Only a skilled pharmacist can do so," Anubhav said.

"Chief minister Nitish Kumar is talking about Kaushal Vikas Yojana to create jobs for unskilled people. What about students like us who are skilled but still unemployed? Several pharmacists have turned medical representatives due to lack of employment opportunities," he added.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Pharmacy-students-lament-govt-apathy/articleshow/54513004.cms

The e-pharmacies will create a digital medical record of the patient’s medicine consumption and ensure antibiotic resistance in india

Online pharmacies are seen to be the right platform to stall the increasing antibiotic resistance. The antibiotic abuse is an epidemic which is slowly expanding to mar drug efficacy in India’s patient population. The overuse and irregular usage of antibiotics has created a crisis of microbial resistance in the country, stated Dharmil Sheth, co-founder, PharmEasy.

The stark reality is that antibiotics are abused in needless situations like common colds or diarrhea. While some efforts have been made by the government, academicians and professionals to stop its misuse, but there is a long way to go. India, with its high propensity for infectious diseases has fallen prey to antibiotic resistance. The reality is that antibiotics which is the core of modern medical practice, may become ineffective that even minor infections and surgeries could prove fatal, according to PharmEasy chief.

Stating that fatalities ensuing from antibiotic resistance are a cause of concern, Sheth sees e-pharmacies for drug sales proving to be an apt solution to stall the menace. It enables the right medicine for the right patient in the right dose. Prudent use of antibiotics is vital to prevent the emergence and spread of drug resistance. It is here that the e-pharmacies will create a digital medical record of the patient’s medicine consumption and ensure antibiotic resistance control, Sheth told Pharmabiz in an email.

There are several direct benefits by embracing the e-pharmacy model. Every transaction is recorded and tracked. There is no possibility of medicines being sold without prescriptions because this can easily be audited and verified. Dispensation is done by a registered pharmacist and from licensed pharmacy premises. Further, the e-pharmacies that are part of Indian Internet Pharmacists Association do not even allow sales of Schedule X and habit forming medicines through the online sales platform. Therefore, this model is best suited to enable drug recalls as there are purchase records of every transaction with the patient’s name, address, telephone number and email. The e-pharmacies also ensure all sales are recorded by batch number, expiry date with proper invoice and by a licensed pharmacist, he added.

We have already commenced medicine sales via e-prescription. From the PharmEasy’s mobile app, the consumer orders for a prescription pick-up which is authentic formats and approved by the doctor. The nearest physical pharmacy store, registered with PharmEasy sends the delivery person to collect the prescription and get the medicines delivered, explained Sheth.

The e-prescription model has a good acceptance as the patients trust the source of the medicines that they are consuming. Further the e:pharmacy customers have appreciated the convenience of the model to purchase the drugs much more efficiently, he said.


http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=97649&sid=1

The Karnataka government is exploring all possibilities to introduce clinical pharmacy departments

The Karnataka government is now exploring all possibilities to introduce clinical pharmacy departments in all its 30 state-run hospitals. The move follows the proposal put forth by the Indian American Pharmacists (IAP), a not-for-profit organisation which is keen to strengthen Indian healthcare infrastructure with clinical pharmacy services to support patient care.

According to IAP, the clinical pharmacy services at the government hospitals should be manned by the qualified Pharm D candidates. The new talent pool is armed with a six-year rigorous degree course: Doctor of Pharmacy. While the corporate hospitals have already gone ahead to create dedicated teams of Pharm D to support the medical experts in evidence based practices and promote medication safety, in the government sector SDS TB Research Centre & Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD), Bengaluru has taken lead in this space.

The 470-bed SDS TB Research Centre and RGICD only focuses on pulmonary medicine and thoracic surgery and has now recognised the importance of medication management to monitor the interactions and adverse drug reactions of tuberculosis drug regime.

At the inauguration of the Indian American Pharmacist Clinical Pharmacy Library for the benefit of professionals and the pharmacy students in the state, Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, minister for medical education said the government would examine the proposal to set up medication management centres across its 30 government healthcare centres. This would also provide the 540 Pharm D candidates passing out annually with a promising career opening.

The lack of trained personnel to handle medication errors is a concern and in this regard a qualified team of Pharm D candidates would give a fillip to patient care in the government sector, noted Dr. Patil adding that the state would be keen to consider supporting this initiative.

According to Basavaraj Banapur, president & CEO, Indian American Pharmacist, India also needed a digital medication record (DMR) that includes patient-family history, current laboratory results, diagnosis and the treatment plan. As a pilot initiative, we maintain the health-medication database of the entire population of Haligeri village, Ranibennur taluk, Haveri district in Karnataka.

The US healthcare space revolves around 3 Ps: patient, physician and pharmacist. In India it is only the patient and physician. The presence of pharmacist is critical in the Indian healthcare space. We need more education than medication and our hospital staff needs to be aware on the important role of a pharmacist in medication management, pointed out Banapur.

Despite the growth of mobile phones in India, the people here have no access to a single page DMR which provides their disease prevalence and basic treatment protocols in an easy-to-view and retrieve format via mail or what’s app. Now only a pharmacist can enable a DMR at a faster pace in India. Going by the paucity of medication management centres, there are considerable opportunities in clinical pharmacy in the country. We intend to make RGICD as the centre for training doctors, nurses and pharmacists via this maiden platform.

Dr. DA Gundu Rao, president, Karnataka State Pharmacy Council urged the state government to permit conducting Pharm D courses at the Government Pharmacy College in Bengaluru and the second centre coming up at Kalburgi.


http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=97627&sid=1

Health services in government health centres affected as pharmacists employed at the district hospital

NOIDA: Health services in government health centres were seriously affected as pharmacists employed at the district hospital, CHCs and PHCs across Gautam Budh Nagar went on a strike. Around 46 pharmacists deployed at the different government centres on a regular basis stopped work at the emergency, OPD at the centres including CHC Bhangel, Dadri, Dankaur, etc. Work was gravely affected at CHC Bhangel and district hospital and pharmacists could be seen jostling with policemen at the latter, where pharmacists refused to allow the authorities to break the lock of the pharmacy. Pharmacists had on Monday taken in possession keys of the pharmacies of some of these centres and the district hospital. A number of patients were seen waiting for medicines for around three hours even as patients reporting fever and other ailments continued to flow in. Some complained that they were being handed over wrong medicines as work was handed over to the contractual employees working at the hospital.


Chief Medical Superintendent NM Mathur had to call police to break the lock of the district hospital's pharmacy in the morning.

A team of policemen led by ASP Gaurav Grover and Sector 20 SHO Amarnath Yadav reached the spot and tried to intervene even as the pharmacists refused to budge saying that they would not allow the pharmacy to run. "We had instructions from the CMO to relent the strike. We understand that the patients are huge in number but our demands have been on hold for years now. Earlier too, the government said that they will meet our demands but nothing happened. We now want the Chief Minister to take cognisance of our demands," Kapil Chaudhary, state Joint Secretary, Diploma Pharmacists Association (DPA) told TOI.


He along with Sanjeev Sharma, district secretary (DPA) started an indefinite hunger strike after the hospital authorities started work at the pharmacy with police's mediation around noon. Sources told TOI that contractual employees from the private hospitals were roped in for disposal of services. Pharmacists say that the strike will continue till the chief minister's office takes action on their demands regarding wages and creation of more posts. The pharmacists are demanding creation of more regular posts saying that the number of regular pharmacists are disproportionate as compared to the rising number of patients.


"We have seven pharmacists and four chief pharmacists at district hospital. Only four of them work at pharmacy where thousands of patients turn up. Moreover, pharmacists are made to work at the OPD, post-mortem duty and emergency as well. The number is far lower than what is required," Sharma said. Chaudhary said that they are also demanding a raise in pay-scale as compared to the scale of diploma engineers and removal of anomalies of the seventh pay commission.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Work-at-govt-health-centres-affected-as-pharmacists-strike-work/articleshow/54432893.cms

The government facility providing vital free care to delhi the biggest threat to modern medicine

Like medical centres across India’s sweltering capital, the Kalawati Saran hospital in north Delhi is bearing the brunt of an outbreak of mosquito-borne disease.

Entire families are camped out in its corridors, alongside stocks of food and water. Women sleep nearly 20 to a room on mats inside the neonatal ward. Outside, a bin overflows with rubbish and a stray dog shuffles up the stairs.

Few people wear masks and even fewer use foot covers, which might keep Delhi’s incorrigible dust from entering treatment rooms.

Hospitals such as Kalawati, a government facility providing vital free care to Delhi’s poorest, are ground zero for antibiotic-resistant superbugs – described at the UN general assembly this week as the biggest threat to modern medicine.Nowhere is the growing global threat of antibiotic resistance as stark as in India, researchers say.

One of the resistance-enabling enzymes that most concerns doctors was discovered to be rampant in Delhi in 2008, and named after the city: NDM-1. It has since spread to 70 countries around the world.

But poor conditions inside some Indian hospitals, cities and villages are only part of the problem. A 2010 study found Indians were the largest consumers of antibiotics in the world, and the Indian Medical Association has estimated that about 50% of prescriptions might be inappropriate or unnecessary.

“Doctors try to be on the cautious side, so they usually prescribe antibiotics for conditions where it is not required,” says Dr Ajay Kumar, a senior specialist in paediatrics at Kalawati Saran.

There are also financial incentives: doctors routinely receive commissions from drug companies for prescribing particular medicines.

Over-prescribing isn’t limited to hospitals. At a pharmacy close to Kalawati Saran, it was possible on Wednesday to buy the antibiotic Nflox-TZ without a prescription – just a vague description of a stomach ache. The pharmacist agreed to sell a single strip – half the full course – for about 69 rupees (80p).

Hundreds of strips and packages of antibiotic were also being sold, seemingly without prescription, from the rows of pharmacy stalls opposite the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), a major hospital in south Delhi.

But cracking down on antibiotic use, or making the drugs more expensive, would have its own toll: more Indians still die for lack of access to the powerful medicines than from their overuse.

Delhi’s newborns often bear the brunt of poor conditions and antibiotic overuse. A landmark study published in the Lancet last week followed 13,530 babies admitted into intensive care units in the city’s three largest hospitals, and found an “alarming degree” of antibiotic resistance.

Nearly 500 babies died from sepsis, many contracting the disease from the bacteria acinetobacter. Of those, 82% simply could not be treated by any known antibiotic.“We are now staring at overwhelming evidence of rampant antibiotic resistance, across all ages, all over the country,” Dr Vinod Paul, the chief of paediatrics at AIIMS, told the Hindu newspaper.

Awareness campaigns have proliferated among India’s medical establishment to persuade doctors to prescribe alternatives. “We don’t use antibiotics indiscriminately, and we closely monitor the common bugs, and which antibiotics would be best to treat it,” says Kumar, from Kalawati Saran.

“We avoid broad-spectrum drugs, and we try to use specific antibiotics for specific conditions. We are more aware, and really very finicky about it.”

However, he added: “Developing countries are the same … There’s nothing unique to this place or this city. The reasons are all the same.”

On Tuesday, all 193 member states of the UN agreed to take the threat of antibiotic resistance as seriously as climate change, and report back in two years about the results.

But superbugs are spreading fast and, in Delhi, are a daily reality. “No doubt about it,” says Kumar. “The resistance is already there.”


https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/21/delhi-hospitals-fighting-uphill-battle-against-drug-resistant-superbugs