Pharmacy

Pharmacies to be set up at 270 stations in Eastern Railway zone: Official

Healthcare facilities such as pharmacies and collection centres for pathology laboratories will be established at 270 stations in the Eastern Railway zone by the end of this year, a senior official said here on Thursday. Eastern Railway General Manager Arun Arora said 14 railway stations will also have doctors. "In a bid to spread healthcare facilities to the remotest corner of its network, the Eastern Railway has awarded the contract for setting up healthcare-focused multi-utility stores at 270 stations for a period of five years," Arora told reporters. He said the stores, to be set up in PPP (public private partnership) model, will fetch Rs 16.92 crore over five years as license fee to the railways. These stores will provide services to railway users, railway employees and locals, he said.

GUJCET 2023 exam date out. GSEB to hold GUJCET exam 2023 on April 3

GUJCET 2023 exam admit cards are now available. Candidates can use the direct link provided below to download their GUJCET 2023 hall ticket

BioNTech signs deal to co-develop OncoC4's cancer antibody drug

A late-stage trial for the drug has been planned for this year, the companies said

Medicines should be sold under supervision of pharmacists in medical stores

India's drug regulator DCGI has written to drug controllers of all states and Union territories and the Pharmacy Council of India asking them to ensure that pharmacists are physically present in retail medical stores and that medicines are sold under their direct supervision. In a letter, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi sought strict implementation of section 42 (a) of the Pharmacy Act 1947 and Rules 65 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1945 in retail pharmacies. Ensure that pharmacists are physically present in the retail pharmacies/medical stores, and that medicines are sold/dispensed under their direct supervision. Ensure that no prescription medicine is sold/dispensed from the retail medicines shop without a proper and valid prescription," the DCGI said in the letter sent on March 9. The drug regulator referred to a letter from Suresh Khanna, National General Secretary, IPA, Mumbai which highlighted issues pertaining to implementation of Section

Rules to regulate e-pharmacies need some more time: Centre to Delhi HC

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare draft rules were challenged in the plea to further amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules

Indian pharma R&D spends stay stagnant three years after pandemic downturn

Spends are now lower relative to sales than before Covid-19, stand at 4.4% of net sales, compared with 20% in the US

Centre plans to roll out research-linked incentive scheme for pharma sector

In the Union Budget 2023-24, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had hinted at fostering a research-driven climate in the pharma sector in India

Regulators halt eye products' production at Global Pharma Healthcare site

Firm under US FDA scanner for bacterial contamination of its eye drops

Budget wishlist: Pharma, healthcare industries seek simplified regulations

Fortis Healthcare MD & CEO Ashutosh Raghuvanshi said increased policy support is required to encourage, facilitate medical value travel to India

Drug pricing regulator NPPA revises ceiling prices of 128 medicines

As per the notification, the ceiling price of one Amoxicillin capsule has been fixed at Rs 2.18; one tablet of Cetirizine at Rs 1.68

Lal PathLabs targets leadership position in west India in 5 years

Om Manchanda, MD, Dr Lal Pathlabs said that the contribution of the west zone has gone up from 6 percent in FY15 to 8 percent in FY20 and 15 percent in the first half of FY23

India to focus on health emergency, digital health during G20 Presidency

India will focus on strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector

Lupin launches fixed-dose triple drug combination to manage asthma

Pharmaceuticals firm Lupin Ltd on Thursday said it has launched a fixed-dose triple drug combination of Indacaterol, Glycopyrronium and Mometasone for managing asthma. The product launched under the brand name DIFIZMA is being offered as a dry powder inhalation, the company said in a regulatory filing. "DIFIZMA is the only FDC (fixed-dose combination) that has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for the treatment of inadequately controlled asthma," it said. The product will help in the management of inadequately controlled asthma by improving lung function, providing better symptom control and reducing exacerbations. The drug will be available in one strength with a fixed-dose to be taken once daily, the company added. Lupin India Region Formulations President Rajeev Sibal claimed that DIFIZMA is a first-of-its-kind novel combination product available in India. It is aimed at catering to the unmet need of patients with inadequately controlled asthma and al

India recognised as pharmacy of world as we produce affordable drugs: FM

India is recognised as the pharmacy of the world as the country produces global standard medicine at affordable cost, Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. India supplies about 50 per cent of all of Africa's demand for generic medicine, 40 per cent of USA's need for generic medicine and 25 per cent of the UK's requirement of all medicines, she said at the 35th annual convocation of The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University here. Besides, she said India produces about 60 per cent of global vaccines and 70 per cent of the World Health Organisation's vaccines for essential immunisation schemes. Talking about the COVID-19 vaccination programme undertaken by India, she said, "The Centre, along with state governments, executed vaccination at a rapid pace that by the time Omicron variant of Covid attacked us, we were prepared to face it... India could stand up to face the challenge because of the preparedness of a democratically-elected ...

AMR action: Kerala to cancel licences of pharmacies selling antibiotics

Recognising that the misuse and overuse of anti-microbials are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens, the Kerala government has decided to cancel the licences of pharmacies selling antibiotics without a doctor's prescription. The government also announced steps to make all primary health centres in Kerala antibiotic smart primary health centres, as part of strengthening its anti-microbial resistance (AMR) activities in the southern state. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat. In a statement on Wednesday, the state Health Department said direct ...

Pharma logs 17% growth in Nov; anti-infective therapy drives market demand

Key antibiotic brands like Augmentin (GSK) and Clavam (Alkem) clocked 25 per cent and 29 percent growth, respectively, in November, the data showed

Zuventus first in world to launch aviptadil for ARDS commercially

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

Walmart latest pharmacy chain to propose to settle lawsuits with govts

Retail giant Walmart on Tuesday become the latest major player in the drug industry to announce a plan to settle lawsuits filed by state and local governments over the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies with state and local governments across the US. The USD 3.1 billion proposal follows similar announcements November 2 from the two largest US pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., which each said they would pay about USD 5 billion. The deals are the product of negotiations with a group of state attorneys general, but they are not final. The CVS and Walgreens deals would have to be accepted first by a critical mass of state and local governments before they are completed. Walmart's plan would have to be approved by 43 states. The formal process has not yet begun. The national pharmacies join some of the biggest drugmakers and drug distributors in settling complex lawsuits over their alleged roles in an opioid overdose epidemic that has been linked to

Covid virus infection changes functioning of host cell RNA, say scientists

The findings pave the way to novel treatments for Covid-19 and repurposing of known drugs, the researchers noted

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

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