Biopeer

Drug prices ease in India with new policy

It’s good news for consumers in India; the new pharma policy, which is set for Cabinet approval, will slash drug prices by almost 92 per cent.

From October 02, 2006, the new rule that caps trade margins came into effect. The new rule is expected to ultimately lead to a cut in prices of over 1,000 brands of commonly used medicines. The pharma industry has so far given a list of over 1,000 brands of ‘generic-generic’ and ‘branded generic’ drugs, whose retail and wholesale margins would be capped at 35 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. The industry has a month’s time to implement the cap on trade margins.

Two other notifications also came into effect on the same day. Now it is mandatory that drug labels be printed in English as well as in Hindi (the local language). Also consumers will now have to pay only the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) printed on the label, which will be inclusive of all taxes. Till now, taxes were levied additional to the MRP.

Making drugs affordable to the common man is a part of the government’s Common Minimum Programme. Also de-control and liberalisation led to reduction in prices in various sectors but not in the pharma sector. Trade margins in some areas of the pharma industry were unusually high. As a result, several rounds of negotiations between the industry and the government were held to resolve the issue. The new law is the fruit of these discussions.

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Asian neighbors rev up fight against Hepatitis B

In a major relief to those suffering from Hepatitis B in India, the first homegrown Hepatitis-B Vaccine called Elovac-B has been launched by the Human Biologicals Institute (HBI). With India emerging as a global medical hub—world class health care is available here at an affordable price—this launch is yet another milestone towards cementing the country’s numero uno position in the sphere. The Andhra Pradesh Finance minister, Rosaiah said on the occasion while complimenting HBI that immunity has been made affordable with the launch of Elovac-B. “There’s a need to achieve 100 per cent immunization among children and for that the Government as well NGOs should come forward to eliminate such diseases.” The vaccine, which has been prepared by HBI at a state-of-the-art plant, offers best purity and ensures best protection. The purity of Hepatitis-B surface antigen exceeds the purity specification provided by regulatory authorities.

In neighboring China, the Ministry of Health has begun a yearlong nationwide survey of the Hepatitis B situation. The survey will run till September 2007, and involves collecting blood serum samples, conducting lab tests, filing archives and making reports for future control plans. With about 100 million people suffering from Hepatitis B in China (of these approximately 20 million are chronic patients), the situation is indeed grim. Further, the government has started a two-year program aimed at preventing the spread of Hepatitis B from mother to child in four counties of Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.

The program will be first carried out in rural areas for women of childbearing age. The USD 200,000 program aims to teach nearly 340,000 women of childbearing age and nearly 600 grassroots doctors in pilot counties how to prevent Hepatitis B.

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Lapping up leech therapy

India’s health ministry has announced that it would soon come out with a set of standards and guidelines for leech therapists. After successful clinical trials proving the efficacy of leech treatment, the government has decided to recognize and market leech therapy for a range of diseases from arthritis to hematomas.

The first medical use of leeches probably took place around 1000BC in ancient India, when they were used to treat everything from headaches to ear infections to hemorrhoids. Egyptians used leech therapy 3,500 years ago and the treatment was in vogue during the Middle Ages. By the mid-1800s demand for leeches was so widespread that Europe’s principal exporter, Germany, shipped around 30 million a year. However, as ideas changed about what tools modern medicine should use, leeches were relegated to the footnotes of medical history. That was until present-day doctors needed help with some problems in reconstructive surgery.

Today, leeches are routinely used to drain blood from swollen faces, limbs and digits after reconstructive surgery. They are especially useful when reattaching small parts that contain many blood vessels, like ears, where blood clots can easily form in veins that normally drain blood from tissues. Scientists are also looking at using leeches to treat other ailments. A research study published four years back suggests leech therapy may lessen the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis.

Despite their somewhat unconventional nature, leeches have been shown to be effective in different areas of medicine. With the emergence of an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in recent years, doctors have been forced to reconsider nature’s more direct approach. Leech therapy is slowly creeping into hospitals and physicians swear that the leech’s bite is not nearly as bad as its reputation.

Perhaps it’s time to put skepticism aside and start regarding leech therapy as a serious option.

Simulating a super-pandemic

This fantastic article on WorldChanging describes, in depth and with great links, the efforts being made to simulate what a easily human transmittable strain of H5N1 (Avian Flu) could do.  It's pretty scary stuff.  I titled this "super-pandemic" because given the connectedness of our world today the scale of this kind of infection could make previous flu outbreaks look like a cold going around town.

One key factor cited in the WorldChanging post is reporting and surveillance.  Asian nations are going to be where this flu starts and they need to be vigilant.  They need to report.  For all of us.

 

Technorati Tags : h5n1, avian+flu, computer+simulations, pandemic

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Tristram Hussey, M.S.  is a professional blogger and blog consultant, the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software, and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.S. in Quaternary Studies.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com or tris AT trishussey DOT com.

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NIEHS wants to hear from you about its research goals

This headline caught my eye—A role for public and scientists in NIEHS research— for one main reason, the NIEHS was were I a) started my career in tech after leaving academia and it's where I learned HTML and web design.  Yes, this is where it all began for me.

 

Enough nostalgia, now to the meat of the article.  The NIEHS (National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences) is where chemicals are tested to determine their effects on human health and the environment.  In fact, research done at NIEHS revealed that the active ingredient in Ex-Lax was harmful to the liver.  The new director of NIEHS wants to take their mission a step further, he wants the public to help guide them in their research priorities.  What is it that the public, the American taxpayers, want to see researched.  For Dr. Schwartz it comes down to this:

"Almost every complex disease, from diabetes, to obesity and heart disease, to many cancers, is, in part, caused by exposures from the environment," said Dr. Schwartz. "NIEHS is uniquely poised to improve the health of this nation. We are not limited by any one organ, system or disease -- we can use the breadth of our knowledge on environmental exposures to understand and intervene in the disease process. We can use science to reduce morbidity, extend longevity and improve an individual's quality of life."

This is an inspiring research goal.  It, to me, encourages collaboration and creativity.  And having worked one on one (and fixed the computers of) with the researchers of NIEHS, I can say these are a group of people who really deeply care about improving human health.

 

 In the NIEHS Strategic Plan 2006 they want feedback on the following questions:

• What are the disease processes and public health concerns that are relevant to environmental health sciences?
• How can environmental health sciences be used to understand how biological systems work, why some individuals are more susceptible to disease, or why individuals with the same disease may have very different clinical outcomes?
• What are the major opportunities and challenges in global environmental health?
• What are the environmental exposures that need further consideration?
• What are the critical needs for training the next generation of scientists in environmental health?
• What technology and infrastructural changes are needed to fundamentally advance environmental health science?

Based on the publics responses and the decisions of the research team the research directions will be decided.

For more information on the NIEHS visit their homepage:National Institute of Environmental Health Science

 

Technorati Tags : NIEHS, environmental medicine

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Tris Hussey is a professional blogger and blog consultant, the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software, and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com or tris AT trishussey DOT com.

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Fictional pandemic blog...good way to illustrate the issue

The experts say it's coming.  The Avian Flu Pandemic.  It is scary stuff.  Most public health experts are saying we're no where near prepared for it.  Not enough capacity to even create vaccine, much less having one ready.  I found via Bloggers Blog- Fictional Weblog Shows Flu Pandemic this "blog-- Nature's Pandemic blog.  It isn't really a blog, it's an article, written like a blog taking place over several days.  It's chilling.  Tent cities of the sick and dying.  National guard troops.  This is not a good thing.  But, the article is effective.  It gives that personal touch, that compelling reading, to make it's point.

It might not be a "real" blog, it might all be fiction, but it is, nonetheless, good journalism and writing.

Technorati Tags : Avian Flu Pandemic, Nature, Fictional blog

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Tris Hussey is a professional blogger and blog consultant, the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software, and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com or tris AT trishussey DOT com.

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