Pharma & Health News Top Stories Today – HealthChina unveils first diagnosis guidelines to battle escalating obesity crisis 22/10/2024The guidelines, made public on Oct 17, come as China experiences an upward morbidity trend of its overweight and obese population. The rate of overweight or obese people could reach 65.3% by 2030, the NHC said.Indian doctors call off protest hunger strike over medic's murder 22/10/2024A police volunteer was arrested for the crime, which sparked nationwide protests in August and September, after the woman's body was found at the city's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital on Aug. 9.Kerala to provide elaborate medical facilities for Sabarimala pilgrims 22/10/2024Emergency cardiology treatment and cath lab facilities would be ensured at Pathanamthitta General Hospital, the minister said in a statement after chairing a high-level meeting.Genome sequencing developed to trace COVID now protecting babies in intensive care from infectious diseases 21/10/2024NICU outbreak surveillance usually involves monitoring rates of illness and identifying spikes and long-term trends that may point to a pathogen circulating on the ward.'Demanding sex detection': IMA President advocates for legalising prenatal gender tests 21/10/2024Since the enactment of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act in 1994, prenatal gender determination and sex-selective abortions have been illegal in India. This legislation was intended to combat female foeticide and enhance the sex ratio in the country.Pandemic Fund allocates $ 418 million for second round of grants to boost pandemic preparedness in 50 countries 21/10/2024This latest allocation is in addition to the $128.89 million approved on 19th September for five fast-tracked projects to support 10 countries impacted by the mpox Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), bringing the total funding awarded under the second round to US$547 million, which will mobilize an additional US$4 billion for investments in […]1.5 lakh wellness centres being set up across country to prevent NCDs: Union minister 21/10/2024He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with bringing in a preventable healthcare ecosystem in the country, saying before the Covid pandemic, this concept was alien to India.GST on term life insurance premium, senior citizen's health coverage likely to be exempt 19/10/2024Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary said, "Every GoM member wants to give relief to people. Special focus be on senior citizens. We will submit a report to the council. A final decision will be taken by the council".kolkata: Junior doctors continue hunger strike; 324 hours and counting 19/10/2024The strike came after doctors demanded justice for a fellow resident doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.Sugar content in baby food comes under Parl panel lens 19/10/2024The parliamentary standing committee on consumer affairs, food and public distribution, chaired by DMK leader Kanimozhi, has decided to examine issues such as ensuring availability of essential commodities with a specific reference to petroleum and petroleum products and control measures to curb wastage of foodgrains in FCI godowns. Pharma & Health NewsEylea offers equivalent efficacy with fewer injections for wet AMD, DME management: Dr Ashish Gawde 18/10/2024The most pressing challenges include the financial and emotional burdens associated with frequent, long-term treatments for conditions such as Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) and Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).TIFR study uses psychedelic drug to trace neuron that can reduce anxiety 06/10/2024A team at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai have steered a first-of-its-kind study to come out of India, using a psychedelic to identify a neuron that can activate the ventral hippocampus in the brain—which processes emotional information and regulates stress—in a manner that could alleviate anxiety.ICMR to study efficacy of Metformin, Inositol in PCOS treatment 06/10/2024The ICMR has recently invited expression of interest (EOI): "To undertake a multi-centric randomised controlled trial for evaluating the efficacy of Metformin vs Inositol to improve fertility and birth outcomes among PCOS women".Alembic Pharma gets USFDA nod for generic medication 03/10/2024The approved ANDA is therapeutically equivalent to GlaxoSmithKline LLC's Lamictal XR extended-release tablets in strength of 200 mg, 250 mg, and 300 mg, it added.US CDC warns of overdose risk from fake prescription medicines online 03/10/2024The counterfeit pills sold through illegal internet-based pharmacies frequently contain fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States, the health agency said.PM Modi to inaugurate Penicillin-G plant in Andhra Pradesh, reviving India's antibiotic production 22/09/2024The Penicillin-G (Pen-G) facility, located in a SEZ at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, has a production capacity of 15,000 tonne per annum and also 1.8 lakh tonne of glucose, while 6-Amino Penicillanic Acid plant has a capacity to produce 3,600 tonne annually, the drug maker had earlier said in a statement.Bone marrow cancer drug shows success in treatment of blood disorder, finds study 20/09/2024The New England Journal of Medicine published the trial results, which show that patients with HHT who were administered the medication, pomalidomide, had a significant decrease in the intensity of nosebleeds, required fewer blood transfusions and iron infusions than HHT frequently requires, and had a better quality of life.US Senator Sanders says generic drugmakers could sell Ozempic for less than $100/month 18/09/2024Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Jorgensen is set to testify before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), which Sanders chairs, in a hearing next week focusing on U.S. prices for its widely popular Ozempic and weight-loss drug Wegovy.ICMR partners with industry leaders for groundbreaking First-in-Human Phase-1 clinical trials 14/09/2024ICMR will engage in collaborative research on a small molecule for multiple myeloma with Aurigene Oncology Limited, partner with Indian Immunologicals Limited for the development of a Zika vaccine, coordinate a seasonal influenza virus vaccine trial with Mynvax Private Limited, and advance CAR-T cell therapy for a new indication of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in collaboration […]Fulcrum stock slumps after muscle disorder drug fails in late-stage study 13/09/2024FSHD is a genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and wasting in the face, shoulder blades and upper arms. The estimated prevalence of the disease is about 4 cases per 100,000 individuals, according to the Muscle Dystrophy Association.Zenas BioPharma raises $225 mln in US IPO 13/09/2024The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company, which was incorporated in 2019, plans to use the IPO proceeds to advance the clinical development of obexelimab and prepare for its potential launch in the United States and Europe, pending approval.Moderna lays out plan to slice research and development spending 13/09/2024Moderna developed the Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, and regulators approved this year its vaccine for RSV or respiratory syncytial virus. The company also has a combination flu/COVID vaccine and an RSV vaccine for high-risk younger adults that it expects to submit to regulators in 2024.Bavarian Nordic sees potential to ramp up mpox vaccine capacity 13/09/2024 Bavarian Nordic said on Thursday it could supply 13 million doses of its mpox vaccine by the end of 2025, up from a previous forecast of 10 million doses, and is exploring options to significantly expand its capacity.Neurocrine halts development of schizophrenia drug as trial fails 13/09/2024The company said the drug, luvadaxistat, did not replicate the results from a previous mid-stage trial that showed improved cognitive performance, due to a large variability in the cognitive measures across the patients and a potential imbalance in their baseline characteristics.Alkem joins $3 bn race for JB Chem as Torrent pauses talks 13/09/2024After the acquisition, KKR appointed Cipla veteran Nikhil Chopra in October 2020 as JB’s chief executive. He put the Mumbai-based drugmaker on an accelerated growth path, making four acquisitions and investing $200 million in the last four years along with a fresh go to-market strategy involving therapy diversification, raising the productivity of medical representatives, optimising […]Panacea Biotec gets $20 million loan from US government for hexavalent vaccine capacity expansion 13/09/2024Panacea Biotec has secured a $20 million long-term loan from the US International Development Finance Corporation to expand its hexavalent vaccine production. This funding will help the company meet global demand for childhood immunization, supplying vaccines to UN agencies. The hexavalent vaccine, EasySix, protects against six diseases and is expected to see significant demand growth […]Moderna forecasts lower sales next year, shares near four-year low 12/09/2024Its cost savings would include a cut of $1.1 billion from research and development from 2026, with most of the actions in 2027. "I hope you can see...why we're daunted by the commercial challenge of launching all those products really just in the next three years, and that causes us to want to actually start […]Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw calls for innovation-driven value creation in India's biotech sector 12/09/2024Mazumdar-Shaw called for a shift in focus toward value creation through innovation. "India ranks 14th in terms of value in the global pharma landscape. We need to invest in R&D and foster a culture of intellectual property to capture greater value," she said.Eli Lilly invests $1.8 bln in Ireland sites to scale up Alzheimer's, obesity drug production 12/09/2024In the U.S., Lilly quickly built a market share of around 40% since launching Zepbound in December. Analysts believe that as Lilly increases its manufacturing capacity, the market could be roughly split 50-50 between Lilly and Novo Nordisk by the end of this year.US FDA expands J&J's psoriasis drug for inflammatory bowel disease 12/09/2024J&J has been betting on Tremfya, as its other blockbuster drug for psoriasis and ulcerative colitis, Stelara, is looking at a patent cliff - which occurs when a company loses its patent protection, allowing cheaper biosimilars to enter the market. WHO newsWHO global network expands digital health certification for Hajj pilgrims 21/10/2024The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a new milestone digital health collaboration today to expand the Hajj health card initiative to support the roughly 3 million pilgrims who undertake the holy pilgrimage every year.The Hajj health card, built on the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network’s public key infrastructure, […]Egypt is certified malaria-free by WHO 19/10/2024The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Egypt as malaria-free, marking a significant public health milestone for a country with more than 100 million inhabitants. The achievement follows a nearly 100-year effort by the Egyptian government and people to end a disease that has been present in the country since ancient times.WHO in Lebanon working to stop cholera spread amid conflict 17/10/2024On 16 October, the Ministry of Public Health of Lebanon confirmed a cholera case, highlighting the escalating health risks amidst ongoing conflict. The case was identified in Akkar governorate in the north of the country, marking the first case since the October 2022-June 2023 outbreak was declared over. Authorities are investigating the extent of the […]Signing ceremony for contribution agreements between WHO and France 17/10/2024Geneva 17 October 2024 – This afternoon, His Excellency Mr Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in Geneva, and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met in the WHO headquarters for the signing of seven contribution agreements.The contribution totalling €24 million comes through the Ministry of Europe & Foreign Affairs. It […]Parliamentarians unite in Berlin to sign global statement supporting the WHO Pandemic Agreement 16/10/2024Parliamentarians from across the globe gathered at the UNITE Global Summit in Berlin to sign a statement in support of the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement. The statement, signed by the President of UNITE, members of its board, and parliamentarians around the world, marks a significant commitment from parliamentarians to strengthen pandemic preparedness, response, and […]Attacks on hospitals and health workers jeopardize provision of health in Lebanon 15/10/2024Since the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon on 17 September 2024, WHO has verified 23 attacks on health care in Lebanon that have led to 72 deaths and 43 injuries among health workers and patients. Fifteen incidents impacted health facilities, while 13 impacted health transport. Hospitals in Lebanon are already under massive strain […]US$ 1 billion in new and reaffirmed funding commitments announced for WHO’s ongoing Investment Round 14/10/2024In a powerful demonstration of high-level support, the World Health Organization (WHO) today received nearly US$ 700 million in new funding commitments from European countries, foundations and others, and another US$ 300 million in reaffirmed commitments.Announced at the WHO Investment Round Signature Event at the World Health Summit in Berlin hosted by Germany, France, and […]Qatar-WHO partnership leaves legacy for safer, healthier mega-sporting events 14/10/2024Capturing and building on the experiences of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, the State of Qatar and World Health Organization today launched a new report providing lessons learned and recommendations for staging healthy and safe mega and grassroots sporting events around the world.WHO Youth Council releases bold call for a healthier world 14/10/2024The WHO Youth Council has launched its first Youth Declaration on Creating Healthy Societies, with a range of calls to action informed and developed by young people from around the world and geared towards empowering youth to play a central role in creating healthier and safer societies for all."The WHO Youth Council is proud to […]Second round of polio vaccination in the Gaza Strip aims to vaccinate over half a million children 11/10/2024The second round of an emergency polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to start on 14 October 2024 in Gaza, to vaccinate an estimated 591 700 children under ten years of age with a second dose of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) vaccine.This follows a first round, which was successfully implemented from 1-12 September […]