OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma may settle legal claims with a new ‘public trust’ that would still be dedicated to profit
Two similarly ambitious efforts to build alternatives to the profit-driven pharmaceutical model during and immediately after World War II suggest …
The NATCO CL fallout
The compulsory licence granted to Natco may not be a trendsetter but it will shake up the pharmaceuticals market
Drugs and cosmetics amendment bill withdrawn from Rajya Sabha
Newer areas like stem cells, regenerative medicines, medical devices and clinical trial cannot be effectively regulated under the existing law, …
Why Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere else globally
The root of the problem is a patent system that allows pharma companies to keep out competition and keep prices sky high
Microplastics all around: A silent epidemic
All types of sea creatures ingest microplastics; as they move up the food chain, the plastic ends up in the human gut
Monsanto's troublesome trait
Bayer is battling seed companies and farmers in several countries over royalty on Monsanto's GM seeds
Bedaquiline patent win is a half victory
India’s ability to eliminate its huge TB burden by 2025 will be a test of both its patent laws and healthcare policy
Fake medicines are a dangerous threat in Africa: 3 ways to spot them
The most common fakes tend to be the most popular medicines: Painkillers, antibiotics to treat infection, anti-malarials, anti-retrovirals, …
Evergreening rampant in India
India's patent office has ignored the strict safeguards against evergreening and allowed a flood of secondary drug patents
Memories of a city
Book>> Ahmedabad, Shock city of Twentieth Century India, by Howard Spodek, Orient Blackswan, Rs 795
When Big Pharma has all the answers
IFPMA, the biopharma trade body, has made its claim clear: COVID-19 vaccine management should be left to these handful of companies; and all …
Germany to phase out glyphosate by 2023
The country took this step to protect insect populations that play a pivotal role in ecosystems and pollination of food crops
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
In poll season, Punjab debates legalising poppy seed and opium farming
Proponents feel the two crops will help farmers, save Punjab’s groundwater and wean its youth from synthetic drugs
Big Pharma and intellectual property: Why is India afraid of compulsory licences?
While rich nations are discovering the virtues of compulsory drug licences, India has resolutely turned its back on this tool despite nudges from …
Vaccines without needles: New shelf-stable film could revolutionise how medicines are distributed worldwide
A research group claims to have developed a method to stabilise live viruses and other biological medicines in a rapidly dissolving film that …
AI for drug development: How trustworthy is the tech?
Pharma companies today deploy artificial intelligence with a potential to reduce the drug development cycle by half
Software outsmarts drug research
Now, a programme can bypass patented drug pathways and create synthetically-produced medicines
Dark underbelly of Big Pharma lobbying
Recent protests and campaigns in the US have focused on the proposal by India & South Africa at WTO to keep TRIPS in abeyance till the …
Beware of a deal with Trump
As the US president comes visiting to India there is worry about the demands he will make on intellectual property
Rise of AMR could result in up to 10 million annual deaths by 2050: UN report
Some 24 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty due to rising AMR, the UNEP said
COVID-19 exposed dependence of world, India on China for active pharma ingredients
APIs are crucial for drugs and countries have put their eggs in a single basket; India has been discussing the issue for sometime
The end of meat and GMOs or the end of us: Part 1
The first in a three-part series series on effects of GMOs and the meat industry on our environment
The world needs pharmaceuticals from China and India to beat COVID-19
Chinese manufacturers make around 40% of all APIs used worldwide; China, India are the source of 75-80% of APIs imported to US
AMR driven by manufacturing our next big challenge
Antibiotics production is an important yet often forgotten driver of antimicrobial resistance; an alliance of pioneers has decided to pave the …