Drug research for children lags behind that for adults; WHO steps in to change it
Bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, neonatal sepsis, and gastrointestinal infections, are the leading causes of death among children worldwide
Only 5 per cent of people infected with hepatitis B virus receive treatment
While 94 million people out of 292 million hepatitis B patients in 2016 were eligible for antiviral treatment, just 4.8 million got it, says a study
India, the antibiotic capital of the world
Antibiotics are often used to treat diarrhoea and upper respiratory tract infections, which can be reduced by improving sanitation and personal …
US sound and fury over drug prices
The US Senate is outraged by the rapacious pricing policy of drug firms but will it act to reform the system?
Millions to die from superbug infections: report
2.4 million people could die from superbugs by 2050 if urgent action is not taken to stop antimicrobial resistance, says a report by the …
RCEP deal to make investors stronger, people weaker, says trade group
The deal will affect access to medicines and seeds by raising the standards of intellectual property rights, claims Forum of Trade Justice
WHO sounds alarm on India-made cough syrups linked to children’s death in The Gambia
Consuming the products leads to ‘active kidney injuries’ in children, said WHO director-general
Centre yet to decide trade margin of expensive drugs despite providing assurance in 2016
Parliamentary panel expresses displeasure over Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers not fulfilling promise to cap trade profits of …
Patients pay for high margins of pharma firms
Patients in India end up paying more for medicines and all kinds of treatment as prevailing conditions do not allow the market to function …
Online drug sale ban: Is there a need to regulate e-pharmacies?
Following an interim ban on online sale of medicines, many questions have been raised on the need for checks and balances
Can activism check Big Pharma’s profit motives?
As prices of life-saving drugs skyrocket, people from diverse fields are getting together to fight Big Pharma
Child cancer drugs neither available nor accessible to the poor in Delhi
A study reveals that a lowest-paid government employee will have to spend 55 days’ wages to get a child treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma and …
Why Modi's razzmatazz diplomacy isn't serving African interests
Missing from Modi’s foreign trips is a focus on issues most pressing for Africa’s people
After India, China rejects patent claim for hepatitis C drug Sovaldi
Activists claim that the drug was developed using previously published information and an existing compound
After cough-syrup, now eye drops: India-made solution causes 1 death, several infections in US
This could be particularly damning for India’s drug regulatory system since it is coming on the heels of cough-syrup-associated deaths in …
Indian pharma firms receive 34% of FDA warnings this year
These warnings were for misbranding, selling unapproved medicines and violating Current Good Management Practices
‘Immediate action’ needed on sub-standard drugs causing deaths: WHO
At least 300 deaths reported so far in The Gambia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, most children
Beware of Japan's trade ambitions
Japan is pushing for higher levels of intellectual property protection that will cut access to affordable medicines
Boost to pharma production: Africa inches closer to setting up own drug regulator as member states ratify treaty
Agency will ensure drug manufacturers get approval from all African Union member states without a lengthy bureaucratic process
Lessons learnt tackling COVID-19 can be used in global AMR response: Report
Increased investment, availability and accessibility of health infrastructure and global cooperation key to tackling AMR, it says
Effective oral drug for Hepatitis C approved by European agencies
Various patent barriers hinder its availability and affordability, especially in countries with high burden of disease
Vaccine hope
While Africa gets its first vaccine to fight malaria, India is still in the early stages of clinical trials
Medicines Pool Swirls
Drug companies are slowly joining the UN effort to offer life-saving patented medicines to poor countries but the terms are sometimes restrictive
Profits and not improving accessibility matter to Indian drug makers
FICCI conference organised to discuss access to generic medicines focuses more on increasing exports
Accident at Sainor unit in Vizag more proof of companies bypassing rules
Life-saving equipments were absent on-site though the company had approvals to show they were present