Access to Healthcare

Each day is a brand-new opportunity for Taj Pharma Taj Pharmaceuticals has established itself as a top generic pharmaceutical company. With a product range that exceeds 4600 compositions across all therapeutic areas, it has successfully won the heart of consumers across the globe. The company is acclaimed as one of the top 10 pharmaceutical firms in India and the world’s leader in generics. Taj Pharma India is a market leader in therapeutic fields like Critaical care, transplantation, virology, and cancer. Taj Pharma’s generics and pharmaceuticals businesses work well together, and our knowledge of the bio-similar generic drugs enable us to create individualized therapeutic strategies and integrated healthcare solutions. The range of healthcare services and products offered by Taj Pharmaceutical includes genetic risk factor screening, disease diagnosis, disease prevention, treatment, and monitoring of the effectiveness of those treatments. Manufacturing of Lyophilized Products Taj Pharmaceuticals has spent the last ten years creating a brand-new category of healthcare organization. Building trust-based, long-lasting partnerships with Taj Pharma stakeholders is a goal shared by the whole Taj Pharma Group. This is clear in several ways. Through the discovery and development of cutting-edge, scientifically sound medications and services that enhance people’s health and general well-being worldwide, […]

Pharmaceutical firm Taj Pharma has announced that it has introduced Covid-19 treatment drug Molnupiravir under brand name “Molnutaj” in India. Molnupiravir is for treatment of adult patients hospitalised with COVID-19, under certain conditions, drug maker said. 

What are the best foods for people with diabetes? Overview | Leafy greens | Whole grains | Fatty fish | Beans | Walnuts | Citrus fruits | Berries | Sweet potatoes | Probiotics | Chia seeds | Foods to limit | Gestational diabetes | Outlook

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Linking DNA methylation to Aspirin use and breast cancer survival

New evidence supports inverse association between cancer and Alzheimer  Among patients with a history of cancer, risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) might be lower: a study published in JAMA Network Open showed that elderly cancer patients had modestly higher memory function and slower memory decline both before and after their diagnosis compared with similarly aged individuals who remained cancer free. This result suggests that the risk of cancer may be lower among patients with AD, and that cancer survivors may have a lower risk of developing AD than people who did not develop any tumour.  The inverse association between cancer and AD or other neurodegenerative diseases has been already described extensively in the literature, however evidence remains scarce on the long-term cognitive trajectories, as Monica Ospina-Romero, MD, from the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues wrote.   To compare long-term memory trajectories before and after cancer with those memory trajectories of individuals cancer free, researchers conducted a population-based cohort study which included over 14.500 U.S. adults from the Health and Retirement Study. Biennially, they assessed participants from 1998 to 2014 to determine composite memory score and compare the rates of memory change. Of 14,583 participants included […]

{Taj Pharma} Users of alternative remedies tend to refuse cancer treatments, with increased mortality

Reports suggest such is the medicine residue in water bodies that fish is changing character; oral contraceptive residue makes them ‘feminised’ Imagine this pollutant: It treats illness, but when it escapes into the environment it remains there; unregulated, it keeps affecting millions, making them further ill. Many of them end up with damaged organs. It not only impacts unsuspecting humans, but also other living beings. To sum up, the new pollutant is an agent of mass health disruption — it is the residue of our medicines, or pharmaceuticals, left unregulated and untreated. A new study by the Organisation for Economic cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that a “vast majority” of the 2,000-odd active ingredients in use in human and veterinary medicines are not regulated. They have not been yet evaluated for their risks once they escape to the environment. Every year more and more such active ingredients are approved for use. Thus, it adds to the pile of such unregulated residues in the environment. Residue of medicines enters into our environment — water bodies, streams, air and food — at all the stages of medicine preparation starting from manufacturing, uses and disposal. But the biggest source of it is the natural process of medicine absorption by […]

Down To Earth talks to doctors to get a sense of the ailments that residents of NCR are exposed to It has been more than a week of breathing heavily polluted air for Delhiites. It is safe to say that for more than 150 hours they breathed a toxic cocktail, with the air quality ‘severe’ or ‘severe +’ since October 30. Particulate matters (PM) 2.5 and 10 remained at least five times more their safe standards. These ultrafine particles can enter the respiratory system and reach the bloodstream. On an average, a person breathes 25,000 times a day. For those living in Delhi and the National Capital Territory (NCT) regions, this means breathing toxic air 25,000 times a day. Toxins once deposited in lungs cannot be cleansed.  What does such continued exposure to ultrafine PM does to our bodies?  According to doctors, such continued inhalation of toxic gases affects all organs and not just lungs. It even has the potential to cause hormonal imbalances. Being in such an environment full of pollutants constantly also affects the central nervous system of the brain. “Impairment in concentration abilities has been seen. There can be other short-term disturbances to what you normally do,” Prashant Saxena, who heads the department of Pulmonology […]

Preschool children who had taken 2 or more antibiotic courses for acute respiratory tract infections in the preceding year had around a 30% greater chance of not responding to subsequent treatment GPs in the UK carry out over 300 million patient consultations every year and at least a quarter of these deal with children. Almost two-thirds of such appointments are for coughs, sore throats, or earaches — illnesses that young children commonly get. Doctors and nurses group these types of illnesses as “acute respiratory tract infections”. They are considered to be “self-limiting”, meaning that antibiotics have little or no benefit and that the illness will go away in time. Yet, in at least 30 per cent of these consultations, antibiotics are prescribed. That’s an estimated 13 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. This is not only wasteful but may also have unintended consequences for the child’s health. Indeed, in our new study of over 250,000 children in the UK, we found that preschool children who had taken two or more antibiotic courses for acute respiratory tract infections in the preceding year had around a 30 per cent greater chance of not responding to subsequent treatment (including the need for hospital referral and admission) compared […]

Big Pharma Bets on Body’s Garbage-Disposal System to Beat Cancer New drugs called “degraders” could take disease-causing proteins out with the trash. Craig Crews pioneered protein degrader drug technology. At their most basic level, many of the deadliest diseases are caused by nests of misguided proteins. Most medicines work by attaching themselves to these proteins and temporarily shutting them down. In the 1990s, Yale University scientist Craig Crews and a colleague had a radical idea: What if a drug could destroy a bad protein by making it a target of the body’s own molecular trash disposal machines? For years, the idea remained a lab curiosity. Biotech investors wouldn’t initially back a company based on the concept, which Crews and a few other academics labored to prove could be a practical way to make drugs. The field got a big boost earlier this decade when scientists started discovering that some of the most successful medicines turned out to work by piggybacking onto these human trash collectors. Now it’s become one of the hottest new technologies for making pills. Crews and a biotech he founded, Arvinas Inc., are racing some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical and biotech companies—Novartis, Amgen, and Gilead Sciences—to […]

A study compared the prices of drug compounds across the world and found that only Thailand, Kenya, Malaysia and Indonesia are cheaper than India. Indians have to pay 70 per cent less than the rest of the world to buy medicines, a study has revealed. According to Medbelle, the London- and Berlin-based digital healthcare provider, India is among the five cheapest countries in the world for medicines, with prices that are 73.82 per cent less than the global median. Thailand tops the list, with 93 per cent lower prices than the global median for both branded and generic drugs, closely followed by Kenya, Malaysia and Indonesia. Methodology The study is based on a comparative index across 50 countries, which reveals the cost differences for some of the world’s most widely-used medicines, such as erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, high cholesterol drug Lipitor, common antibiotic Zithromax and insulin Lantus.  Medbelle selected 13 popularly used pharmaceutical compounds and made “a comparison on a pound-for-pound basis of how much medicines cost in different countries, regardless of whether covered by a healthcare system, or paid directly from the individual’s pocket”.  “The medications chosen for comparison span a variety of common conditions; from heart disease and asthma, […]

Compliance and Competitiveness in Indian Pharmaceuticals Industry: by Ms. Priyanka Singh Director Taj Pharma Group The word “compliance” in India took on a whole new meaning in 2012 when key Indian Pharma Products exports pushed to USA and European Markets without much apprehensions. In the sophisticated Indian pharmaceutical market, some local firms are increasingly looking to export not only to the Africa, Russia but other highly European regulated markets like the One such firm is Taj Pharma Group, a Mumbai based Generics Medicines exporter and Manufacturer. Compliance and Competitiveness in Indian Pharmaceuticals Industry: by Ms. Priyanka Singh Director Taj Pharma Group The word “compliance” in India took on a whole new meaning in 2012 when key Indian Pharma Products exports pushed to USA and European Markets without much apprehensions. That new status, known as the “Generalised System” of Preferences plus is linked to the implementation of 27 international conventions including labor rights, sustainable development, and good governance. In the sophisticated Indian pharmaceutical market, some local firms are increasingly looking to export not only to the Africa, Russia but other highly European regulated markets like the One such firm is Taj Pharma Group, a Mumbai based Generics Medicines exporter and Manufacturer. […]

It might be difficult to implement compulsory prescription of generics The enforcement by the drug regulator will not be easy given the shortage of drug inspectors – {Taj Pharmaceuticals Generic Drug Division} Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to defeat the doctor-pharmaceutical company nexus and make medicines affordable by making it compulsory to prescribe drugs in the generic name. But, the good intentions may not give the desired results. The enforcement will not be easy given the shortage of drug inspectors. At an industry event at Surat last month, Modi announced plans for a new law to make generic prescriptions mandatory. Parallelly the government is already initiating steps to push for generic prescriptions. In a recent communication to all the states, the Centre has asked states to make sure all physicians write generic names of drugs in a legible manner. Business Standard has reviewed the letter. The government has issued a draft amendment which will make it mandatory for companies to print generic names of the drug in a bolder font than the brand name on the packaging. But, the government will face a difficult task in enforcing its decisions. Food and Drug Administration offices across the country are short staffed. […]

Read more on what is lung cancer here. Etoposide is the chemotherapy drug and is classified as a plant alkaloid (Epipodophyllotoxin) and a topoisomerase II inhibitor. Plant alkaloids are substances that are made from plants. Etoposide is available under the trade name VP-16 or Toposar. The drug acts by inhibiting topoisomerase II, thereby inhibiting DNA synthesis. Availability, Dosage and Administration of Etoposide Etoposide is available in tablet form and can be taken orally. It is also available in injectable form and can be administered as an infusion into the patient’s vein, it can be a short infusion or can be an infusion that lasts for over 24 hours. Availability In the oral form it is available as capsule with the dose strength of 50mg and in the injectable form it is available as 20mg/ml. Uses Small cell lung cancerNon-small cell lung cancerGerm cell tumorsNon-Hodgkin’s LymphomaStomach cancerAs a high dose therapy in the setting of transplantation. Dosage The recommended dose depends on the indication or use. It is generally given at 100 to 120 mg/m2, for 1 to 3 days, every 3 weeks. Side effects Most people do not experience side effects while being treated with etoposide. Even if side effects […]

The higher price of new cancer drugs is rarely justified Most cancer drugs introduced since 2004 provide low added value compared to previously approved medications, but have much higher prices, according to a French study presented at the congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO 2019) currently underway in Barcelona. Taj Oncology «Most of the new cancer drugs had low added value, so doctors and patients shouldn’t assume that just because a drug is new, it’s going to be better» said Marc Rodwin, Suffolk University, Boston (USA), co-author of the study. Researchers calculated the correlation between prices and value of medications for solid tumors registered by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) from 2004 to 2017. They found that 48% of drugs had low added value on the ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS) and 70% scored equally low on the and Added Therapeutic Benefit Ranking (ASMR). Overall, new drugs were in average 2,500 euro more expensive than their older counterpart, but this price increase price did not correlate with added value. A second study analysed 63 new drugs for adult solid (46) and hematologic (17) cancers approved by the US Food and Drug Administration from 2009-2017 and approved […]

Lung cancer mortality expected to decrease over the next half century

Diabetes drug price to halve as patent expires; cheaper versions expected soon Diabetes drug price: Companies are talking of a significant price cut. Intas Pharmaceuticals, according to a senior official in the company, will hit the market today with two versions Diabetes drug price: There are currently four brands in the Indian market today There is good news for diabetic patients in India. The patent for Vildagliptin, a leading drug to treat diabetes has expired, opening doors for several companies to launch generic versions. Going by the fatigue doctors experience sending away medical representatives who pitch for their version of the drug at prices less than half of what is currently in the market, it is apparent that there are many rushing in. “As Indian pharma companies get ready to launch the branded generic version of Vildagliptin, we might see over 50 new brands launched over the next few days in the Rs 800 core Vildagliptin market in India (in terms of annual sales),” says Hari Natarajan, who has tracked Indian pharma retail sales for years and is the founder and managing director of Pronto Consult, an independent consulting company specialising in doctor perception studies and market Insights in India […]

Biosimilar drugs are often confused with generic drugs. Both are marketed as cheaper versions of costly name-brand drugs and are designed to have the same clinical effect as their pricier counterparts. But biosimilar drugs and generic drugs are very different. Biosimilar drugs are often confused with generic drugs. Both are marketed as cheaper versions of costly name-brand drugs. Both are available when drug companies’ exclusive patents on expensive new drugs expire. And both are designed to have the same clinical effect as their pricier counterparts. But biosimilar drugs and generic drugs are very different, mainly because while generic drugs are identical to the original in chemical composition, biosimilar drugs are “highly similar,” but close enough in duplication to accomplish the same therapeutic and clinical result. Another key difference is that generics are copies of synthetic drugs, while biosimilars are modeled after drugs that use living organisms as important ingredients. But many experts hope the two will share a critical commonality and that, like generics, biosimilars will dramatically lower the cost of biologic drugs. “ Branded drugs are either synthetic, meaning they’re made from a chemical process, or biological, meaning they’re made from living sources. Synthetic branded drugs can be exactly […]

Biomarkers could predict which diets are best for weight loss

Vegetarian diet more effective for weight loss and metabolism

Insufficient sleep raises type 2 diabetes risk in children

Coffee compound may prevent type 2 diabetes

Eating chilies cuts risk of death from heart attack and stroke, Research Says {Taj Pharmaceuticals} That delicious penne all’arrabiata may have benefits that go further than putting a smile on your face, according to a new study. For many years, chili has been hailed for its therapeutic properties, and now researchers have found that eating chili peppers regularly can cut the risk of death from heart disease and stroke. Carried out in Italy, where chili is a common ingredient, the study compared the risk of death among 23,000 people, some of whom ate chili and some of whom didn’t. Participants’ health status and eating habits were monitored over eight years, and researchers found that the risk of dying from a heart attack was 40% lower among those eating chili peppers at least four times per week. Death from stroke was more than halved, according to results published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “An interesting fact is that protection from mortality risk was independent of the type of diet people followed,” said study lead author Marialaura Bonaccio, an epidemiologist at the Mediterranean Neurological Institute (Neuromed). “In other words, someone can follow the healthy Mediterranean diet, someone […]

Ranitidine is a commonly prescribed medicine for countering acidity and is on the WHO’s Model List of Essential Medicines. Our drug Ranitidine Tablets are safe: Taj Pharmaceuticals Amid a raging controversy over commonly used heartburn drug Ranitidine, Mumbai-based Taj Pharmaceuticals Limited today said that its formulation drug is safe. The company said that the test results found that Taj Pharmaceuticals’ Ranitidine tablets was within the “acceptable limits” for the presence of a probable cancer causing substance. On 29th September 2019 US FDA had raised a global alarm over the presence of a probable cancer causing substance—NDMA or N-Niteosodimethylamine—in some Ranitidine medicines. The company is likely to continue Ranitidine drug sale, following the report. “The Company intends to provide additional updates in the next coming days, including potential recommencement,” it said in a statement. Taj Pharma Ranitidine Free of ALL NDMA / NDEA Impurities NDMA Risk Assessment Report is done in much more advanced for all potential APIs (Valsartan) on our ROS of Ranitidine Hydrochloride and analyzed few batches for NDMA content in Ranitidine HCL API by validated LC-MS/MS and GC-MS methods. As per our initial investigation and assessment report, it is found that the formation of NDMA in ROS of our […]

FDA Approves First Generic of Popular Blood Thinner The first generic versions of the powerful blood thinner Eliquis (apixaban) were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday. Heparin Sodium Injection – Taj Pharmaceuticals “Today’s approvals of the first generics of apixaban are an example of how the FDA’s generic drug program improves access to lower-cost, safe and high-quality medicines,” Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. “These approvals mark the first generic approvals of a direct oral anticoagulant,” Woodcock noted. “Direct oral anticoagulants [blood thinners] do not require repeated blood testing.” The two types of generic tablets were approved to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic clotting in the lungs of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which may lead to pulmonary embolism (lung clots), in patients who have had hip or knee replacement surgery. Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder that raises the risk of blood clots. It is estimated that between almost 3 and 6 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these […]

{Taj Pharmaceuticals} Stomach cancer symptoms, diagnosis and treatment: STOMACH cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and one of the top causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Survival rates for the deadly disease stand at just 14 percent. With these worrying statistics its imperative for one to spot the early signs of stomach cancer, and feeling a certain burning sensation could mean you’re at risk. Stomach cancer is characterised by a growth of cancerous cells within the lining of the stomach. Also known as gastric cancer, it’s a type of cancer that is difficult to diagnose. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates there’ll be approximately 28,000 new cases of stomach cancer in 2017. Since stomach cancer usually doesn’t cause any early symptoms, it often goes undiagnosed until after it spreads to other parts of the body. Feeling an acid reflux that persists and a burning sensation could signal the deadly disease. Stomach cancer is directly linked to tumours in the stomach. Risk factors for the disease include a group of blood cancers, a common stomach infection that can sometimes lead to ulcers, tumours in other parts of the digestive system or abnormal growths of tissue that form on […]

{Taj Pharmaceuticals} Finding a cure for hepatitis B: The NIH announced a plan to “intensify” ongoing hepatitis B virus research that is focused on finding a cure and improving screening and treatment for the infection. For nearly 40 years, there has been an effective vaccine to prevent HBV, but the virus still causes an increasing number of illnesses and deaths worldwide each year. Focusing on three critical research areas, the Strategic Plan for Trans-NIH Research to Cure Hepatitis B aims to address the global public health challenge that HBV presents. Healio spoke with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, about the plan, the “crucial” role that clinicians play, and how close the world is to a cure for HBV. – by Marley Ghizzone Q: What was the impetus for the plan? A: Hepatitis B is a prevalent and serious disease. The global disease burden is approximately 257 million chronic infections worldwide — 850,000 to 2.2 million in the United States — and approximately 900,000 deaths per year, with those numbers increasing. There are new scientific opportunities to pursue due to the identification of a cell receptor for HBV, more advanced cell culture systems and […]

Schedule daily ‘me’ time and start practicing mindfulness, says Hong Kong-based life coach Steffi Lopez Gonzalez As 2020 looms on the horizon, many people see it as an opportunity to better themselves and start working on new projects and goals through New Year’s resolutions. Often, our resolutions revolve around things like getting fit, getting better grades or spending less money. Mental health often takes a back seat, despite the fact that it affects our emotional, physical and social well-being. With the help of certified NLP Life Coach and speaker Steffi Lopez Gonzalez, who runs the Hong Kong-based Your Life Your Playground, which focuses on yoga, meditation and life coaching, we’ve assembled a list of New Year’s resolutions you can make to improve your mental health in the new year.  The quest for perfection can lead to depression – don’t let it take over Take one day a week off social media “Social media has addictive qualities,” says Lopez Gonzalez.  “It’s easy to become obsessed with the rewards of ‘likes’ or ‘retweets’ and get caught up in chasing the approval of others instead of being involved and interested in your own life and the lives of those around you.” Not only can […]

FDA Allows for a New Generic Valsartan Approval comes in response to ARB shortage The FDA approved a new generic for valsartan tablets after a priority review, according to an agency announcement. This valsartan product is made by Indian company. Approval comes in the middle of a valsartan shortage stemming from multiple rounds of recalls of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). Products were taken off the shelves starting last year in response to findings of potentially carcinogenic impurities, including N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), in numerous lots of generics. “So to address the public health consequences of these shortages, we’ve prioritized the review of generic applications for these valsartan products,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, in a statement. “For this approval, the FDA evaluated the company’s manufacturing processes and also made sure they used appropriate testing methods to demonstrate that the valsartan product approved today does not contain NDMA or NDEA,” the statement continued. “The FDA’s assessment of the manufacturing processes for the product determined that there is no known risk for the formation of other nitrosamine impurities.” “We hope that today’s approval of this new generic will help reduce the valsartan shortage, and we remain committed to implementing measures to […]

Solving the ‘parking’ problem in the drug monopoly game Drug prices are too high. One reason is that brand-name drug firms delay generic entry. Another is that generic companies themselves delay entering the market. And they delay not only their entry but those of other generics as well. Congress is considering addressing this “parking” of generic exclusivity. One proposal, the BLOCKING Act of 2019, would not solve the problem. Another, the recently-introduced Expanding Access to Low-Cost Generics Act, would. The BLOCKING Act has received significant attention. Supported by the White House and included in legislation approved overwhelmingly by the Senate HELP Committee and House Energy & Commerce Committee, the Act provides that a generic that does not quickly enough receive FDA approval will lose exclusivity. It promises to address the “parking” of exclusivity. But it would not. Why? Because there’s no guarantee, a later generic will enter the market just because the first filer has lost exclusivity. These later generics might not be ready to launch or might be unwilling to challenge the first filer’s patents or launch “at-risk” (before a court decision). In addition to the BLOCKING Act not introducing competition, the first filer could lose exclusivity through no […]

We need a common regulator for pharma sector: FICCI chairman The pharmaceuticals and medical devices sector, which is currently governed by multiple regulators and ministries, needs a common regulator to simplify processes, said Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) chairman here. Speaking at the sidelines of a seminar at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here, Pankaj Patel, chairman and managing director of Cadila Healthcare and said that there was a need to simplify the regulatory processes governing the pharmaceutical sector. “A common regulator for the entire sector covering drugs, medical devices and others would simplify the processes and improve ease of doing business,” Patel who is also the chairman of FICCI said. He added that now there were multiple regulators including the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and others which come under the purview of various ministries. Department of Pharmaceuticals The NPPA which comes under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of chemicals and fertilisers looks after drug pricing in the country and comes out with directives on the same. The CDSCO, in turn, has regulatory control over the import of drugs, approval of new drugs, clinical trials, among several others. […]

Govt’s generic push will dent Rs 90,000-cr branded pharma market Pharma companies may soon start wooing chemists as the Narendra Modi government plans to make it mandatory for doctors to prescribe pure-generic drugs, instead of branded generics as they do now. Medicines Though the plan was first announced in this year’s Budget, the prime minister spoke about it for the first time at a public event on Monday. The health ministry has now started working on amending the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to this effect. “Indian patients may face quality issues without price benefit as intense competition among marketers will lead to incentivising a chemist,” says D G Shah, secretary-general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance. India, like most of other emerging markets, is predominantly a branded generics play with a 90 per cent share in the Rs 1-lakh-crore market. Which means that drug makers sell these off-patent drugs through their relationships with doctors. In developed countries such as the US, only patented drugs are sold under a brand, which is marketed through their ties to doctors. Off-patent drugs are sold only as pure generic, without using any brand name. It helps in making pure generics cheaper. It is this nexus […]

Global Call To Action on Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Aims to Improve Diagnosis and Treatment Worldwide The FH Foundation and the World Heart Federation announced today a Global Call to Action on familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a vastly under-recognized and poorly managed public health concern. Published in JAMA Cardiology and authored by a global panel of scientific experts, advocacy leaders, public health officials, and individuals with FH from 40 countries, the report notes glaring gaps in screening and guideline-based care for FH, the most common cause of early and aggressive heart disease.  FH is an inherited metabolic disorder found in all races and ethnicities and impacts 34 million people worldwide. FH causes high LDL-cholesterol from birth and should be diagnosed and treated within the first two decades of life. Left untreated, individuals with FH have a 20-times higher risk of illness and death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, if diagnosed and treated, heart attacks, strokes and the need for surgery can be prevented. The international coalition was convened by the FH Foundation and World Heart Federation to reexamine and update key recommendations issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in their report on Familial Hypercholesterolemia in 1998.  In the 20 years since that report, […]

Half of pediatric cancers undiagnosed and untreated worldwide Nearly one in two children with cancer are never diagnosed and may die untreated, according to a a new model proposed in a study published in The Lancet Oncology  by Zachary Ward and colleagues  from Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In fact, the model estimates that there were 397.000 childhood cancer cases globally in 2015, while only 224,000 had been previously recorded as diagnosed that year, leading ultimately the researchers to say that over 43% of childhood cancer cases were undiagnosed. But there was substantial regional variation: it ranges from 3% in both Western Europe (120 undiagnosed cases out of 4,300 total new cases) and North America (300 of 10,900 cases), to 57% (43,000 of 76,000 new cases) in Western Africa. With such path, at current levels of health system performances, If no improvements are made, the study authors estimated that nearly three million out of 6.7 million total cases will be missed between 2015 and 2030. Accounting for underestimation is vital: accurate estimates of incidence are important for policy makers, however, many countries do not have cancer registries that quantify that incidence (and often even if they do […]

World Oncology Forum articulates the case for investing in affordable cancer care

Kids born with assisted reproduction are not at higher risk of getting cancer Recently, Allison and Honjo have been awarded with the Nobel prize for their findings leading to the new cancer treatment approaches known as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Thanks to these discoveries in fact, the management of the disease has profoundly changed, producing remarkable results on several tumors, even if checkpoint inhibitors have significant side effects, that according to an analysis published in Jama are still poorly known by many health professionals. It is “urgent”, according to authors, “to identify who is at highest risk of severe outcomes, and then develop evidence-based therapies to manage toxicity”. Understanding these adverse effects is essential not for oncologist only, but for every physician in any discipline, as said by Douglas B. Johnson, MD, of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues. Indeed, they underlined what are the most common effects which occur in practice in an article published online in JAMA. Many organs can be involved, commonly the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the lungs, endocrine organs, musculoskeletal, renal, nervous, hematologic, cardiovascular, and ocular systems, thus counting such side effects as a problem to be faced jointly among the various physicians. Autoimmune events are […]

Does the ketogenic diet work for type 2 diabetes? The ketogenic diet and diabetes Side effects Alternatives Criticisms Outlook

Diabetes | Diabetes Causes | Diabetes Diagnosis | Diabetes Outlook | Diabetes Risk factors | Diabetes Symptoms | Diabetes Treatment and prevention | Diabetes Type 1 | Diabetes Type 2 | type 2 diabetes | types 1 Diabetes

Magnetised molecules used to monitor breast cancer {Taj Pharmaceuticals} [Mumbai Chronicle]

Immunotherapy comparable to chemo for some advanced stomach cancers [Taj Pharma Global Cancer initiative]

Researchers have found that men and women with major depression have opposing changes in gene expression.

China coronavirus: All you need to know – A new virus has killed 81 people in China and infected almost 3,000 people, with cases confirmed in several countries. Coronavirus: Everything you need to know Health authorities around the world are grappling with an outbreak of a new coronavirus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan. At least 81 people have died in China and almost 3,000 have been infected worldwide. What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), according to the World Health Organization (WHO). They circulate in animals and some can be transmitted between animals and humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. The new coronavirus has been named novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It is the seventh coronavirus known to affect humans. What are the symptoms? Common signs of infection include fever, coughing and breathing difficulties.  In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, SARS, kidney failure and death. The incubation period of the new coronavirus is thought to be between one and 14 […]

WHO officially names new coronavirus disease Covid-19 The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially named the disease caused by the new coronavirus, initially identified in Wuhan, China, as Covid-19.

Here’s the timeline of how the Coronavirus outbreak evolved from Wuhan city in China and spreading its tentacles across the world. Update: DBS evacuates 300 after one is infected – Singapore’s DBS bank has evacuated 300 employees after one employee was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. Japan cruise cases increase to 174 – The total confirmed cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, quarantined in Japan, have surged to 174. Death toll reaches 1,115; recoveries rise – Deaths from the new coronavirus have reached 1,115, while the total number of cases exceeded 45,100, including 44,653 reported in mainland China by authorities as of the end of 11 February. – According to NHC official Mi Feng, the proportion of recovered patients in China increased to 8.2% as of 10 February, from 1.3% on 27 January. WHO gives name to new coronavirus disease – The WHO has officially named the disease caused by the new coronavirus as ‘Covid-19’. – Ukraine is screening five of its citizens for the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Zoriana Skaletska said at a press briefing on 11 February. – According to Skaletska, three of the five suspected patients returned from China while the remaining two were in […]

{Taj Pharma Cancer Awareness Initiative} Genetic ‘fingerprints’ implicate gut bacterium in bowel cancer

This is how HIV decides to become active Researchers have found the molecular mechanism underpinning HIV’s decision to remain in an active or dormant state. This may lead to new therapies that work by keeping the virus in a permanently dormant state. The study, led by a team from the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, CA, features in a paper now published in the journal Cell. The findings may also explain cell fate decisions that occur elsewhere in biology — such as how stem cells decide whether to remain as stem cells or differentiate into specialized cells, including brain or heart cells, when they divide. Senior study author Prof. Leor S. Weinberger, the director of the Center for Cell Circuitry at the Gladstone Institutes, likens the process to how we “hedge our bets” when we make decisions about financial investments. To “protect against volatility in the market,” we may choose to place some funds in high-risk stocks with potentially high yields and the rest in low-risk, low-yield options. “Similarly,” he explains, “HIV covers its bases in a volatile environment by generating both active and dormant infections.” HIV latent reservoir: Once it enters the human body, HIV inserts its genetic material […]

Combining carbs and sweeteners could affect insulin sensitivity :{Taj Life Sciences} Eat good; Look good

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