Pioglitazone
ban: Health Ministry’s decision draws ire from all corners
The Union Health Ministry’s decision
to ban anti-diabetes drug pioglitazone has come in for sharp criticism from the
pharma industry in the country. Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) secretary
general DG Shah said, ‘There is complete secrecy and confusion about what led
to banning the drug by the government which will adversely impact around 30
lakh patients who are using the drug at present.’
Some have even believe that this
move is calculated which will force patients to consume more expensive drugs like
gliptins. The industry is justifiably peeved because the drug is available in
many countries including extremely regulated ones like the US (with a warning),
Japan, UK, Switzerland, Canada and Australia. The only major country where
pioglitazone is banned is France.
It was banned along with analgin (a
painkiller) and deanxit (an anti-depressant) and while these drugs have a
controversial history, the ban of pioglitazone has taken the entire industry by
surprise. In its response to a parliamentary committee the health ministry
said, ‘It has since been decided that whenever a drug is banned due to adverse
drug reactions in countries with well-developed and efficient regulatory system
viz. USA, UK, EU, Australia, Japan and Canada, the manufacture, import and
marketing of such drugs would be immediately put under suspension till the
safety of the drug is examined and established in the country’.
But as the industry insiders
correctly point out, the drug pioglitazone isn’t banned in any of the
aforementioned countries. We spoke to our expert Dr Rajiv Kovil,
renowned diabetologist and the founder of the Diabetes Care Center,
to find out more about the ban, and how it can affect patients.
Source: http://health.india.com
28.06.2013
Kashmir, northeast worst-affected by
cancer of the oesophagus
Cancer of the oesophagus – or what is commonly called food
pipe – has been detected as the third most common cancer in India, with people
from the northeast and Jammu and Kashmir found to be the highest affected by
the disease, said experts Tuesday.
Cancer of the oesophagus – the tube in the throat that
carries food and liquid to the stomach – is known to be a very morbid condition
which affects the upper digestive tract of the human body.
‘As per the Indian Council of Medical Research, every 8-10
people per 1 lakh population suffer from the cancer of oesophagus. The figures
are even higher for northeast India,’ Bhushan Bhole of the Pushpawati Singhania
Research Institute (PSRI) told IANS.
Jammu and Kashmir and the northeastern states of India also
fall under the Asian belt of oesophagus cancer together with China, primarily
due to the cold weather conditions and increased consumption of smoked meat.
‘There is a place in Mizoram, where 25-26 people per one lakh
population suffer from the cancer of oesophagus,’ added Bhole, and added that
for easier treatment and faster recovery, the doctors at PSRI have been
conducting the surgery with minimal incisions (laparoscopic surgery) and
creating awareness about the growing disease.
‘The new surgery with minimal incisions is better than the
open surgery, as it entails less blood loss, lesser hospital stay for the
patients who are especially elderly in the age of 55-60 years,’ said Sanjay
Chaurey, a laparoscopy consultant at PSRI.
The open surgery undertaken earlier would involve the
opening of the abdomen, the chest and the neck for the treatment of oesophagus.
‘Recurrence of acidity for a few weeks and difficulty in
swallowing are the main symptoms to the cancer of oesophagus,’ added
Chaurey.
Source: http://health.india.com
28.06.2013
Little by little. A
little becomes a lot
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