The trade defence ties between India and the czech republic visa centre in city

Chennai: With trade and defence ties between India and the Czech Republic going strong, the Czech diplomatic mission plans to open six visa processing centres in association with VFS Global services across the country.

Inaugurating the Czech republic visa application centre in the city on Friday, Milan Hovorka, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to India, said bilateral trade between India and the Czech Republic stood at $1.2 billion in 2015.
He said the Czech prime minister would visit India later this year and the diplomatic modalities were being worked out.


With the opening of the centre at Ethiraj Salai in Egmore, the applicants would no longer need to travel to Mumbai, New Delhi or Bengaluru to apply for a Schengen visa.Around 15 Indian companies were doing business in that country in the fields of iron and steel, automobile, IT, textiles, and pharmacy.


He said Chennai topped the list in a survey on the preferred city done among travel agents.


with travel agents on which city would be preferred to launch a visa center Chennai topped the list. A number of Czech companies and experts have worked with Heavy Engineering Corporation. Skoda Power has been a technology licensor to BHEL. The now defunct Jawa established itself strongly in Indian market for decades with its popular Yezdi model (which means "it runs!"). Even now, the Czech Republic is spontaneously associated in India with world-famous Czech brands, such as Skoda, Tatra, Bata or Zetor. Since 2001, trade exchange between these two countries has been growing substantially, as proved by the fact that their mutual trade turnover has risen tenfold the envoy said.


He said the Indian market has become one of the most important destinations for Czech companies. India's role in Czech foreign trade is steadily growing thanks to the India's strong embarkation on liberalization process as the exponential growth of Indian economy has created opportunities for EU and Czech companies. India has become the second largest Asian trade partner of the Czech Republic, Milan Hovorka said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Czech-Republic-visa-centre-in-city/articleshow/53233921.cms

Growing e-commerce in India helping easy availability of pharma drugs and abuse

Growing e-commerce in India is facilitating significant increase in online pharmacies, leading to easy availability of pharmaceutical drugs and their abuse, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) says. In its annual report for 2015, published on Friday, the NCB says abuse of pharmaceutical drugs in India has assumed serious proportions in recent times and the problem seems to be more serious in the northeast and northwest region of the country.

"The emergence of illegal websites (Internet Pharmacy) established in the USA, Europe etc. offering unregulated trade in a range of prescription medicines over the Internet has taken firm root in India as a supplier. "These online pharmacies transmit orders from paying customers to agents in India, who then procure the medicines from either legitimate or illegitimate sources before dispatching them to customers by mail and courier," the NCB says.

The sheer volume of international post makes it impossible to screen every parcel and hence a vast majority of illegal consignments passes by undetected by the authorities."Internet pharmacies are usually highly vulnerable and keep the identity of organisers tightly veiled. In India, nevertheless, the NCB either on its own or in coordination with the outside agencies has been making at least one bust every year over the years," the report says. The pharmaceutical products that are abused include buprenorphine, codeine-based cough syrups, alprazolam, diazepam and other sedatives.

Many of these pharmaceutical drugs are easily available over the counter and this has become the major factor that encourages their misuse, the NCB says. There is also the perception that these pharmaceutical drugs are less harmful than hard drugs like heroin, cocaine etc. "However, this is a misconception, since these can be addictive and also have a debilitating effect on health.

Pharmaceutical preparations having narcotic/psychotropic substances are under the purview of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act and the NDPS Act in India," it says.

chemists and online e-pharmacies to reach courts

NEW DELHI: The fight between brick-and mortar chemists and online pharmacies is set to reach courts now. The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) will approach ten High Courts in India against the central and state drug regulators for lack of action against the "illegal" operation of online pharmacies, which could compromise patient safety.

On their part, online pharmacies are gearing up for the fight in the hopes that it would clarify misconceptions about process they follow and also "expose" public safety hazards offline pharmacies pose.

The move comes even while a health ministry sub-committee is evaluating online pharmacies and their impact on health. Online pharmacies are illegal in India and the central and state drug regulators' negligence in this matter risks public health, AIOCD general secretary Suresh Gupta told ET.



The current Drugs & Cosmetics Act (1940) does not allow online portals to sell medicines, he said. "A major problem (with online pharmacies) is that the medicine could maybe change in transit.


It could be spurious and threaten the health of the (patient)," said Gupta. "It is surprising that the government is not taking action even when there is no law at present that allows online sale of medicines.


We are moving High Courts in at least 10 states." AIOCD's state-level units are in the process of preparing petitions against the government and will soon approach the High Courts in states like Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, said Gupta.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Chemists-to-take-e-pharmacies-to-court/articleshow/53131252.cms

Pharma units face water, power supply problems:Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (GPMA)

Water, uninterrupted power supply and availability of skilled manpower are the major concerns affecting the working of pharmaceutical companies, highlighted the Goa Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (GPMA) recently.

The GPMA has asked to the government to take up the issues with various departments to help the industry. It also urged the EDC to come up with some incentives or schemes for upgradation of manufacturing units to meet ever growing requirements of regulatory guidelines.

The GPMA is also appealed to state FDA and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Goa to take up consultative meetings for updation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1945 to meet current scenario of export requirements.

The demands were made at the GPMA annual general meeting wherein Francis D’Souza, deputy chief minsiter was the chief guest. Speaking on the occasion D’Souza said that Goa’s pharmaceutical industry must take up upgradation of primary health centres as welll as discrict hospitals and Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC). He said that there are several companies whose units are located in the state. “They must take up development of government health facilities through CSR programs,” said D’Souza.

D’Souza also urged industry to keep prices of essential medicines under control for patients. The government will provide the necessary infrastructure for smooth functioning of units, he assured industry.

Siddharth Kuncalienker, chairman, EDC was also one of the guests and in his address, he promised that the EDC would extend a helping hand to units for up gradation of their existing facilities.

Salim Veljee, director, FDA, in his address strongly recommended that CSR activities for health care centres need to be given top priority by industry for centres of health care. He pointed out that the process of simplifying  the Drugs and Cosmetic Act is ongoing and that lot of initiatives have been carried out on that front.

Earlier Suresh Kamath, outgoing president, GPMA, stressed the need of manufacturing units contributing atleast one per cent of their profitability the society.  There are over 70 units operating in Goa of which 40 units are 100% export oriented. The industry does over Rs 10,000 crore business annually which is almost 12 per cent of India’s exports in pharmaceuticals, said Kamath.

GPMA he said conducts various free medical camps across the state and gives scholarships to students of the Pharmacy College on merit and need basis. In addition it also conducts various technical seminars for pharma professionals working in various units in Goa, he said.

K Narendran, CDSO in his speech requested members to submit a copy of application for renewal of GMP to the local office for effective and faster clearance so that COPP ( certificate of pharmaceutical product) can issued by local FDA.

Sanjay Priolkar is the new GPMA president for a term of 2016-2018. Pant, treasurer GPMA proposed the vote of thanks.


http://www.navhindtimes.in/pharma-units-face-water-power-supply-problems-gpma/

Delhi government is set to launch a two-year diploma course in Homoeopathy Pharmacy

The Delhi government is set to launch a two-year diploma course in Homoeopathy Pharmacy which will help aspiring pharmacists in this field to take up jobs in government hospitals as well as operate state-run dispensaries in the national capital.

According to a report in Press Trust of India (PTI), the Board' s chairman K K Juneja said, "The Board of Homoeopathic System of Medicine under the Health Department of Delhi government is going to introduce 'Diploma in Homoeopathic Pharmacy Course' as per provisions of Delhi Homoeopathic Act, 1956. Such a course is a landmark and milestone in the development of science of homoeopathy. It is a historic addition for homoeopathy in Delhi and India". He added saying that the course was notified in an official gazette by Delhi government.

The eligibility criterion for the course, also called Homoeopathy Compounder course, has been fixed as intermediate pass in science stream. It will provide theoretical and practical training. "Those completing Diploma in Homoeopathic Pharmacy will have job opportunities in government sector like homoeopathic medical colleges and hospitals, Delhi government dispensaries, private homoeopathic clinics etc. They can also open their own homoeopathic pharmacy or chemist shops," Juneja added.

Also, the Delhi government has directed the heads of schools in the national capital to issue swine flu advisory and to exhibit public notices about the respiratory disease on their notice boards.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/homoeopathy-pharmacy-delhi-government/1/505410.html

French startup 1001Pharmacies just raised $8.9 million (€8 million) from Newfund, CM-CIC Capital

French startup 1001Pharmacies just raised $8.9 million (€8 million) from Newfund, CM-CIC Capital Privé, and business angels, such as Xaviel Niel, Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet and Olivier Mathiot. As the name suggests, 1001Pharmacies is an online pharmacy.

The company first let you order your prescription goods from their website. In order to avoid legal issues, 1001Pharmacies partnered with hundreds of brick-and-mortar pharmacies and acted as the middleman, handling deliveries, payments and listings.

Last August, the company had to stop its prescription delivery service as a French court ruled that delivering prescription goods was illegal. That’s why the company refocused on non-prescription goods, from toothpaste to vitamin C effervescent powder. As long as you don’t need a prescription, you can find it on 1001Pharmacies.

And it looks like this strategy is working as the company managed to raise €8 million despite last year’s ban. 1001Pharmacies still hopes that it will be able to sell prescription goods in the near future.

As this is a highly regulated industry, 1001Pharmacies faces challenges that it wouldn’t face in other countries. But if the startup can crack the code in France, it will create a significant barrier to entry for other potential competitors.

Finally, the marketplace approach is interesting. Not having to manage a huge inventory and many of the less-scalable tasks of an e-commerce startup is a great asset. Clients can even order stuff online and then grab them at their local pharmacy. It’s a great way to know for sure that the pharmacy will have what you are looking.

Pharmacies get a new sales channel, 1001Pharmacies takes a cut, and clients have another way to buy non-prescription goods. As these goods have very high margins, 1001Pharmacies may have found a lucrative business.

techcrunch.com/2015/07/09/1001pharmacies-grabs-8-9-million-to-bring-your-pharmacy-to-the-web/

Indian American Pharmacists Pledge to Create NJ PAC

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey, United States

Over 200 New Jersey independent pharmacy owners gathered Dec. 10 at the Deewan Banquet Hall here during the “Winter Pharmacy Summit: Recognizing Key Policy Makers and Discussing the Issues Confronting the Practice of Pharmacy,” where lead organizer Ritesh Shah raised issues confronting retail pharmacies.

“We are dealing with an unleveled playing field, PBMs, mail order operations, and others are not playing by the same set of rules that we have to follow” he remarked. “Tonight, we take the first step toward leveling that playing field and restoring equality to the industry.”

The event brought the leadership and members of many prominent pharmacy organizations, including representatives from the New Jersey Pharmacists Association, Garden State Pharmacy Owners, Indo-American Pharmaceutical Society and the Independent Pharmacy Alliance.

The pharmacy group announced their intentions to create a Political Action Committee named NJRxPAC.
“We need to educate our elected representatives. There is a misperception that we count pills for a living. We are professionals on the front line of healthcare,” said Mahesh Shah, who is on the steering committee for the PAC and is also a member of the Board of Pharmacy.

The PAC will have an Advisory Board that includes many prominent pharmacy owners.
Shah announced a bold agenda for the PAC.

“We will go to Trenton in March to fight for Audit Bill of Rights, and ask for legislation that mandates PBMs to update their pricing on a regular and frequent basis,” the Indian American announced.

The event was attended by Monmouth County Democratic chairman Vin Gopal, newly-elected Assemblyman Raj Mukerjee from New Jersey’s 33rd Legislative District, and Assemblyman Gary Schaer from the state’s 36th District, who is also the deputy speaker for the New Jersey state Assembly.

Read more at http://www.indiawest.com/news/16288-indian-american-pharmacists-pledge-to-create-nj-pac.html#83SGP85hiV4M3Ppe.99

Pharmacy associations chalk out plans to empower pharmacists

Associations representing the pharmacy practice and trade have decided to initiate a number of steps to empower the pharmacist community, even as they vowed to continue with the efforts to bring in necessary amendments to the laws and press the government to implement the existing laws effectively.

With a view to fill the gap between the pharmacy education and the industry needs, the Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA) is planning to launch an orientation course for the fresh graduates, association leader P P Sharma disclosed, while taking part at a panel discussion in the just-concluded Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC) which had the central theme “Pharma Vision 2020: Empowering pharmacists.”

“Pharmacists should be empowered through legislation and can also earn empowerment through deeds. There is some representation of pharmacists in the manufacturing sector, but in the distribution sector enough opportunities are not there. We are pressing the government to make necessary rules to make sure that the basic qualification for wholesalers should be pharmacy, instead of the current norm of matriculation,” he said.

“We will take up with the government the issue of having a registered pharmacist in a drug store mandatory. Maharashtra has made an initiative and it has made good impact also,” said Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) president J A S Giri.

All India Drug Control Officers’ Association (AIDCOC) president Dhilipkumar said the organisation would approach the labour ministry to implement minimum wages rules for the pharmacists, especially working in the drug stores. “We are also trying to take the Maharashtra model across the country with the help of the officials in the drug administration,” he added.

Association of Pharmaceutical Teachers of India (APTI) president Dr M D Burande urged the government and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to amend the rules to make sure that each hospital should have a pharmacy post-graduate or D.Pharm holder to work as director of pharmacy, instead of leaving this job to the medical doctor.

“We can also empower ourselves through the commitment to the profession,” he reminded the pharmacists community, while calling for symbols, dress code and technical skills to empower the pharmacists.

Dr S L Nasa, president of Indian Hospital Pharmacists Association (IHPA), lamented that the hospital pharmacy in the country was yet to emerge. “We have been pressing the Medical Council of India (MCI) to make laws for appointing pharmacists as head of the hospital pharmacies. But nothing has happened so far,” he said.

PCI president Dr B Suresh asked the pharmacists to reach out to the community to make them aware of the significance of pharmacists in the health management.

http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=79432&sid=1

IPC urges govt to ensure only registered pharmacists dispense drugs in all chemist shops

The Indian Pharmaceutical Congress (IPC), the largest congregation of pharmacists and pharma professionals, has urged the union health ministry to make sure that registered pharmacists are present and they only dispense drugs in all the chemist shops across the county, thus implementing the laws in uniformity.

The 65th edition of the IPC, which concluded at Amity University, Noida near here on December 22 after three-days of intense deliberations and power-packed scientific sessions, said some states like Maharashtra, Goa and Tamil Nadu had taken the lead in this regard while it was blatantly violated in most of the other states.

“We urge the health ministry to take it up with all the states and agencies to make sure that the chemist shops do have registered pharmacists present all the time, in line with the laws under the Indian Pharmacy Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules,” said the resolution.

Speaking at the valedictory function as the chief guest, union minister for labour and highways Oscar Fernandes supported the demand and said he would take the lead to implement this resolution. “We have the largest network of ESI hospitals and I will see that the ESI hospitals would follow this rule. I will champion your cause,” said the minister who also holds the charge of ESI hospitals.

The minister also pointed out that pharma industry had made the country proud all over the world with its generic strides, especially in therapeutic areas like HIV where India supplies 80 per cent of the drugs to the world.

The resolution also pointed out that even the government dispensaries and even the district hospitals in the public sector did not follow the rules and did not have registered pharmacists. “The rule is only on the paper, and is not followed,” it said.

In another resolution, IPC recommended that the pharmacy education at all levels be brought under a single regulatory control and all powers should be vested with Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). It should have complete authority and accountability to improvise the educational standards at all levels. The dual control by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and PCI had led to mushrooming of colleges, deteriorating the quality of education, the resolution said.

The third resolution sought an amendment in Rules 71 (1) and 76 (1) under Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945 according to which candidates possessing bachelors in pharmacy shall only be considered as expert technical staff in drug manufacturing and analysis.

The three-day event, involving over 4000 delegates from different areas from pharma industry to pharmacy, from academics to research, from sales to quality control, from pharmacovigilance to marketing, saw thought-provoking scientific sessions. As many as 79 speakers led the discourses, spread over symposia, plenary sessions, memorial lectures and panel discussions.

The next edition of the IPC will be held at Hyderabad and the All India Drug Control Officers’ Confederation (AIDCOC) will be the host association, it was announced at the event. The present edition was hosted by Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA) and the theme for the conference was “Pharma Vision 2020: Empowering pharmacists”.

One of the major attractions of the meet was the job fair, first time held, for the pharmacy students. Organisers said as many as 20 topline companies interviewed and shortlisted large number of candidates who made a beeline before the pavilion.

The IPC also witnessed a successful Pharmaceutical expo, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The expo, focusing on pharma plant and machinery, had nearly 200 exhibitors, including 15 companies from Germany, USA, Korea, Japan, China and Switzerland.

http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=79434&sid=1

Sub-Saharan Africa’s healthcare market to hit $35bn by 2016 – IFC

The healthcare industry is set for huge growth, particularly in Africa, as Sub-Saharan Africa’s healthcare market (including Nigeria) is estimated to hit $35 billion by 2016, according to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) an arm of the World Bank Group report.

In a just released report titled “The Business of Health in Africa” the IFC says that the  growth will increasingly result in massive opportunities for people involved in the healthcare industry and that demand in hospital equipment, medical devices and pharmaceuticals is stepping up.

They add that this will result in better quality health services and improved acces to medicare across the region.

According to the report “Health care provision accounts for half the investment opportunity, with the remainder split across distribution and retail, pharmaceutical and medical product manufacturing, insurance and medical education.

These investments will fund capacity expansion, new businesses and renovation of existing assets.

“About half of these investments are expected to be made by for-profit entities, the remaining portion of private sector being equally spread between social enterprises and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The vast majority of the investment opportunities in the near term will be the SME sector. Only a quarter of the opportunities are expected to have a project size larger than $3million. Ultimately, the vigour of the private health sector in Sub-Saharan Africa will rely on the commitment, creativity, and integrity of the people of Africa.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO)  Africa’s Sub-Saharan region alone accounts for 11 percent of the world’s population yet bears 24 percent of global disease burden and commands less than one percent of global health expenditure.

The growth potentials within  Sub-Saharan Africa healthcare is coming as huge opportunities are in the offing for local drug manufacturers including Fidson Healthcare Plc GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Nigeria and East Africa region (NEAR), Evans Medicals, Swipha, and Neimeth Pharmaceuticals, to grow their revenues on the back of recent surge in non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Lured by an emerging middle class, rising disease burden, especially NCDs such as cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, cancer and diabetes, major pharmaceutical companies are increasingly looking to harness Africa’s opportunity by producing drugs to address these medical conditions.

Although the total size of the African market may seem small, compared to other global regions, analysts believe major big cities within the continent including Lagos, hold the key to unlocking the pharmaceutical industry’s lucrative potential. In these areas, increasing wealth, along with stronger health system infrastructure and rising demand for drugs treating chronic diseases, are driving demand for pharmaceuticals products.

“Urban centres have the highest concentration of the segments of the population that are more likely to be relatively wealthy, more likely to be educated and also possibly more likely to suffer from the chronic diseases of affluence that are becoming increasingly important in Africa,” Sarah Rickwood, director of Thought Leadership at IMS Health told CNN.

An IMS report titled “Africa: A ripe opportunity,” reveal that by 2020, the market could represent a $45 billion opportunity for drug makers, spurred in part by robust economic growth and demographic changes.

While infectious illnesses like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis still remain a huge problem, the continent is also projected to experience a surge in demand for treatment of NCDs in the coming years. The WHO estimates that by 2020 the biggest increases in NCD deaths will occur in Africa.

With major market-leading multinationals like Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline having a strong presence in Africa, diverse drug manufacturers have made significant inroads in recent years. Indian and Chinese companies have more than doubled their imports to Africa over the last decade.

With India being the world’s third largest producer of pharmaceutical products by volume, with an annual turnover estimated at over $20 billion, latest findings by BusinessDay reveal that the value of Indian pharma products exported to Nigeria, stood at $307 million as at March 31, 2012.

As investment in more specialised diagnosis centres relating to cardiovascular and oncological (tumour and cancer-related) diseases has continued to improve the level of patient diagnosis, increasing levels of affordability have spurred demand for prescribed chronic medicines.

While overall projections are optimistic, regulatory delays and continued proliferation of parallel imports and counterfeit products remain a primary market restraint. These restraints are however forecast to have a diminished effect in the long-term, as a result of sustained regulatory reform and improved regulatory efficiency.

Health investors believe the healthcare sector is well placed to take advantage of the expected growth on the African .


http://businessdayonline.com/2013/12/sub-saharan-africas-healthcare-market-to-hit-35bn-by-2016-ifc/

ICMR to approve formation of clinical researchers’ network to strengthen capacity building of experts

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) may soon approve formation of a network of representatives from the clinical research fraternity in the country. These could include experts from medical colleges, pharmacy colleges, government medical centres, private hospitals and research centres across the country. This network of professionals could be engaged in providing the required support and assistance for the conduct of drug monitoring  and human studies in country.

The move is expected to bolster efforts to register the disease registries in the country to be able to get a direction on the kind of novel drugs required in the country to tackle some of the infectious diseases.

The Council has assessed the shortfall of experts over the growing number of drugs available for any disease or disorder. Therefore, it is looking to ensure a system in place with the formation of a network of representatives. The working committees and expert groups are already formed to put in place a network of clinical research representatives.

“We have sent in a proposal to our parent body, ICMR, for the creation of a network of representatives from the clinical research space,” said Dr Nilima Kshirsagar, National Chair (Clinical Pharmacology), Indian Council of Medical Research, dean, ESI-PGIMSR MGM Hospital.

Dr Kshirsagar who was in Bengaluru for the IPSCON 2013 stated that the network of clinical research representatives identified by ICMR would look to partner with the Medical Council of India and the Department of Health Research. This would be the first effort to capacity building of human resources in the sector of clinical research and pharmacovigilance.

“India needs policy action and evaluation of the current protocols in the area of clinical research. There is need for studies with old generic drugs, evaluation of risks and cost availability benefits with the existing medicines. The lacunae  is that despite some of the excellent research centres, the country lacks the representative data of drug studies on humans. This has seen the delay in the regulatory approvals. If the necessary drug references are made accessible, it would also be easy for drug regulators to speed up clearances,” she added.

Now the key benefit of the network of representatives is that  it could provide the required efficiency and transparency in having a better understanding of a disease and plan for research. It could help the country to maintain a database of drugs in the market and in the pipeline. The big benefit would be to the regulatory authority in helping take faster decisions on the submitted application for dug clearances by the pharma industry, she noted.

http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=79415&sid=1

China Biotech Week In Review: Simcere Pharma Going Private

Chengdu Kanghong Pharmaceutical Group was granted CFDA approval for conbercept, a novel treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration. The drug is the first innovative, China-developed monoclonal antibody to gain regulatory approval, a significant milestone. The company believes its drug offers significant advantages over similar existing western MAbs.

MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, a San Francisco-Shanghai company focused on antibiotics, will start a China Phase II trial of its next-gen oxazolidinone antibiotic. The trial will enroll 200 patients with complicated skin and skin structure infections. MRX-I was developed to treat drug-resistant Gram-positive infections. The China trial is part of a larger global development program for MRX-I: the company is also starting a Phase I bridging study in Australia in a non-Chinese population.

Deals and Financings

Alvogen, a multinational maker of complex generic drugs, will buy 67% of Taiwan's Lotus Pharmaceutical for $210 million. Lotus makes generic oral and injection drugs in a wide variety of therapeutic areas. Lotus will manufacture Alvogen drugs, which will be sold in China and the rest of Asia, while, reciprocally, Alvogen will help Lotus obtain US approval for its products.

Hutchison China MediTech (Chi-Med) will form a drug distribution JV with Sinopharm (HK: 1099), investing $9.8 million to buy majority control (51%) of a Sinopharm subsidiary, HuYong Pharmaceutical (Shanghai). Chi-Med intends to use the JV to distribute its own drug products and to provide distribution/marketing services to other pharmas.

Simcere Pharma (NYSE: SCR) will go private, the last in a line of US-listed China pharmas to regain private-company status (see story). Shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of a deal that values the company at $506 million. A consortium led by the company's chairman and founder, Jinsheng Ren, offered $9.66 per ADS ($4.83 per ordinary share) last March. As a private company, Simcere will probably not be as inclined to report the progress of its innovative partnerships, a loss for those of us outside the company.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1911081-china-biotech-week-in-review-simcere-pharma-going-private?source=google_news

Pharma in good health, but shift to cyclicals will hurt

The BSE healthcare index outperformed the broader market indices in 2013, as was the case in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

This was on the back of issues such as subdued domestic growth on the back of implementation of NLEM 2011 and the tussle between distributors and retailers over trade margins coupled with an increased scrutiny and scores of warning letters from the USFDA which undid the robust growth on the back of stronger US traction.

On the domestic front, the current sluggish trend is likely to accelerate to 8-10 per cent growth in CY14 (on a lower base) driven by mid-teens growth in chronic therapies such as anti-dietetic, cardiology, neurology, etc. On the flip side, we expect some of the acute therapies like anti-infectives, gastro-intestinal and respiratory to continue to post flat to marginal growth.

On the exports front, we expect 15-20 per cent growth in dollar terms, as most players have developed a rich product pipelines over the past three or four years. Despite the passage of generic GDUFA, the pace of product approvals has not improved in CY13. Issues such as delay in approvals are likely to improve in CY14. We expect incremental approvals from the USFDA, going ahead

In CY13, product approvals from key emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Mexico and Turkey also witnessed delays due to events such as strikes at some of the regulatory offices (Brazilian ANVISA) and changes in registration process by some counties. We expect product approvals to normalise from these countries in CY14

To conclude, we expect buying interest to sustain as most players are likely to maintain the growth tempo based on manufacturing fungibility, geographical diversification, product appro­vals/pipeline and, hence, clear visibility. We do not envisage the US tapering having any impact on sector preference. However, we expect some impact depending on the election outcome as the new government is likely to put reforms on the fast track, hence, shifting buying preference towards cyclicals

Among key risks are FDA hurdles, pricing pressure in the US as well as various emerging markets.

Of late, the USFDA has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for adherence to GMP practices with more randomised scrutiny, which does not necessarily follow a set pattern. A recent flurry of import alerts and warning letters to domestic companies is a result of that.

 Consolidation of generic sourcing agencies (pharmacy chains) in the US is likely to put pressure on pricing in the US, especially for players that do not have a direct presence in the US (recent JV- CVS Caremark and Cardinal Health) Pricing pressure imposed by other emerging economies to arrest the spiralling healthcare cost is also likely to be the limiting factor Out top picks in the space include Lupin, Sun Pharma, Ipca Lab and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals.

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/sectoral-watch/pharma-good-health-shift-cyclicals-will-hurt-024

Partnering Deals and Alliances with Big Pharma 7th Edition

The Partnering Deals and Alliances with Big Pharma report provides the most comprehensive and in-depth insight into the dealmaking interests and activity of the worlds leading fifty big pharma companies.

Partnering Deals and Alliances with Big Pharma provides the user with the following key benefits:
Detailed partnering activity profiles for each of the top 50 big pharma companies
Over 300 charts showing a company's dealmaking activity since 2007, allowing quick identification potential partners

Partnering therapy focus revealed

Partnering activity since 2007 - number of deals per year

Full listing of partnering deals

Activity by deal type

Activity by industry sector

Activity by phase of development

Activity by technology type

Activity by therapeutic area

Comprehensive access to over 3,000 partnering deals as recorded at Current Agreement, together with contract documents if available

Insight into the terms included in a partnering agreement, together with real world clause examples, via contract documents

Understand the key deal terms the company has agreed in previous deals

Undertake due diligence to assess suitability of your proposed deal terms for partner companies
The Partnering Deals and Alliances with Big Pharma report provides the most comprehensive and in-depth insight into the dealmaking interests and activity of the worlds leading fifty big pharma companies.

This premier report provides all the information you require to better understand big pharma partnering.

One of the key aspects of partnering is finding those companies that are potential candidates for the development and commercialization of the next generation of therapies.

 A lot of resources are spent on finding partners, identifying their interests and making contact to initiate discussions.

Using this report, dealmakers will effectively and efficiently target their partnering activities to deliver the company's business development objectives. Over 300 charts allow quick understanding of each big pharma companies dealmaking trends over the last four years.

This report contains over 3,000 links to online copies of actual partnering deals as recorded at Current Agreement, together with contract documents if submitted to the Securities Exchange Commission by bigpharma and their partners.

Contract documents provide the answers to numerous questions about a prospective partner's flexibility on a wide range of important issues, many of which will have a significant impact on each party's ability to derive value from the deal.

http://www.sys-con.com/node/2903412

The pharmacist’s role in medication reconciliation

Gathering an accurate medication history for hospital patients is definitely a team effort shared by pharmacists, physicians, and nurses. To be successful, somebody has to take ownership of the process to monitor the medication reconciliation. The pharmacist must champion this process for it to work smoothly.

In the hospital

Hospitalists, attending physicians, medical residents, and interns all recognize how important it is to collect an accurate medication history and ensure precise medication reconciliation.

Hospitals should develop a clearly defined workflow for pharmacists and physicians to obtain and reconcile medication histories. Medication reconciliation, effectively conducted, will provide an accurate discharge medication list.

The electronic medical record system will maintain the medication histories; if patients are readmitted, this information will be readily available to the emergency department. However, the record must be reviewed and updated by clinicians.

In the community

The pharmacist in the community setting, whether it be in a chain store, an independent pharmacy, a big-box operation, a supermarket, or a hospital ambulatory care apothecary, will become involved in this process as well.

The hospital’s clinical pharmacist may rely on the community pharmacist for an accurate and updated list of the medications currently prescribed to the patient. In most cases, the primary care physician has an accurate record of the patient’s medications and will provide the patient with a printout, using the NextGen program. It is imperative for the patient to carry this list with him or her at all times — especially when being treated by a specialist or an emergency department clinician.

It is then up to the attending physician to determine which home medications the inpatient will continue taking while admitted, and which, if any, should be changed upon discharge.

Three types of meds

There are three major categories of medications that an inpatient can be prescribed during the admission process.

•     Ÿ The first group comprises the medications used to treat the symptoms that occasioned the admission. If a patient is admitted for bronchial pneumonia, he or she is usually given aggressive intravenous antibiotic therapy. If a patient presents with septic shock, therapy with vasopressors is usually initiated.
•     Ÿ The second group of medications includes those employed to prevent adverse events, such as heparin or enoxaparin used for prophylaxis against a DVT. Low-dose aspirin also falls into this category. Notice that heparin, norepinephrine, and vancomyin are not included in the patient’s home medication reconciliation list.
•     Ÿ The third category of medications prescribed for the inpatient includes the home medications. This is the list of medications that the patient takes on a daily basis. It should be provided to the emergency department physician upon admission to the hospital.

The attending physician or hospitalist will then determine which of these medications should continue and which should be stopped while the patient is a hospital inpatient. If intravenous metoprolol is prescribed, the physician might want to discontinue the patient’s PO carvedilol to prevent duplication of therapy. PO OxyContin and all combinations may be discontinued while the patient is being given IV morphine following a surgical procedure.

Teaching hospital

When pharmacists, retail or hospital, work in tandem with medical residents in a community teaching hospital, the collaboration should lead to a reduction in readmissions, emergency department visits, and hospital costs.

Complete and accurate medication reconciliation by the entire healthcare team will increase overall accuracy of the admission process.

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