Does science need spiritualism?
At the time of Independence, India saw 'big' science and technology as the only way ahead. Perhaps with good reason. Fifty-odd years later, though,…
The best of Indian science
In this and the following issue, DOWN TO EARTH presents a review of India's ten best scientific research projects. The selection is based on the …
The revolutionary who transformed health care
ZAFRULLAH Chowdhury draws inspiration as much from Hippocrates as from Mao Zedong. To the first, he owes his medical ideals and to the second, …
'I am rewriting Ayurvedic knowledge'
Vaidya Balendu Prakash is presently carrying out research work on Rasayan Shastra (metal therapy), based on ayurveda. He has been successfully …
"Biodiversity treaty is misleading the Third World"
A known a crusader for traditional Indian medicine. P Pushpangadan, who completed his Ph.D from Aligarh University, is currently the director of …
Yet another hypothesis to explain decline in vulture population
Another theory has implicated a commonly used veterinary medicine for the large-scale disappearance of vultures from the Indian sub-continent. …
Will the boom last?
Fifteen years after it rose and went limp, the biotech sector, globally, as well as in India has seen a bull run of sorts. In January this year, …
TRIPPED
On December 26, 2004, the Union government of India issued the Patents (Amendments) Ordinance, which will change the way the country does …
`Many doctors are simply businessmen'
Samiran Nundy, chairperson of the department of surgical gastroenterology and organ transplantation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and editor-in-chief …
The inside story
Bad health is good business. The pharmaceutical industry knows that. But now bad health is turning out to be good business for the food industry …
What's in your honey?
Ayurveda prescribes it for a range of ailments. People eat it for rejuvenation and boosting immunity. An Indian homemaker’s kitchen shelf …
Manipulating Research
Private funding has given a new meaning to scientific research today. With rising corporate research budgets, academic institutions are leaning …
Cockpit
In early December 2007, the country prided itself on providing the world with a road map to check the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5NI.…
Non-profit diseases
There is a logic to the idea of neglected diseases. Historically the diseases poor people get--largely in the poorer parts of the world--haven't …
Troubled Beautiful Minds
They are there—each residential area has its mentally disturbed people; each family has anecdotes of crazy relatives. Nobody wants to …
Colour code for generic medicines a no-brainer
There are a number of systemic gaps without addressing which the government’s latest plan for the pharma sector won’t work
328 combination medicines banned
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare prohibited the manufacture and sale of these medicines after the Drugs Technical Advisory Board …
A Patient's Dilemma
Doctors continue to push for branded medications, after the government's launch of an affordable medicine campaign, at the expense of their …
Is India moving towards legalising marijuana?
More than 18 countries across the world have legalised the use of marijuana for medical use; India may soon join the club
Veterinary drug may be repurposed for human cancers: study
Used to treat infections caused by parasitic worms in animals like horses, Fenbendazole has a good potential for development as an effective anti-…
Centre bans sale of 14 over-the-counter steroid creams
The ban applies to skin creams that contain steroids or other prescription drugs and not for ordinary face-cleansing and moisturisers
Common drugs can affect our minds and morals—but should we be worried about it?
A study shows that propranolol, sometimes prescribed for hypertension, affects normal people’s memories, making them less likely to …
10 per cent drugs in government supply chain below standard
National drug survey published by the health ministry also found that 0.059 per cent of government-sourced samples were spurious
A strike for affordable medicines
Recently, the Delhi High Court allowed makers of generic medicines in India to export patented drugs to importing countries for regulatory approval
Pills by jugaad: Excerpts from Bottle of Lies
A new investigative book, Bottle of Lies, says that Indian cancer drugs are contaminated; cholesterol medication has shards of glass; and, blood …