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  • A health ministry subject expert committee (SEC) approved Gujarat-based Meril Life Science’s bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) at a meeting, a senior government official told ET on condition of anonymity. The official approval of the government to market the stent is expected in a few weeks, said the official.The health ministry has approved the country’s first locally made bioresorbable cardiac scaffold, or naturally dissolving stent for clearing blockages in arteries that carry blood to the heart.

  • The Ministry of Health circulated a Cabinet memorandum on the 2016 National Medical Commission bill proposing to reorganize the Medical Council of India (MCI). The bill, based on the recommendations of the committee of experts Niti Aayog appointed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, proposes to create the commission in place of MCI.

  • No Complaints about shortage of stents even on my whatsapp number which is public and I Congratulate the Industry for ensuring smooth supplies”, Shri Bhupendra Singh, Chairman, NPPA, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry     of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India.

  • Parenteral medicines are administered by routes other than the mouth or digestive system. The survey was titled Survey on the extent of problems with non-essential quality non-standard medicines in the country.

    The Ministry of Health had asked the National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIB) to conduct the survey, in which a total of 47,954 samples were taken by drug inspectors from mid-2014 to mid-2016. A two-year national survey conducted under the supervision of the central government revealed that approximately 10% of government supply chain drugs are not of standard quality (NSQ).

    However, the estimated percentage of NSQ drugs in the retail supply chain was only 3 per cent. State drug monitors served as nodal agents and coordinated the collection of samples and sent them to NIB.

    Of the 47 954 samples taken, 98.03% were tested and analyzed in the laboratory. Of these 33,656 were retail outlets, 8,369 were from government sources and the rest of the samples came from ports. During analysis of samples declared NSQ from government supply chain, the following trend was observed: civil hospital stores: 11.03 per cent, state government medical store depots: 10.44 per cent, ESI (Employee State Insurance) dispensaries: 9.01 per cent, CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) dispensaries: 4.11 per cent,” the survey noted.


    “The estimated percentage of NSQ drugs from government sources in India was 10.02 per cent and for spurious drugs was 0.059 per cent.

    “The fact that the NSQ (drugs) from government sources are 3.17 times higher than in the retail highlights that there is something amiss in the existing procurement processes, especially in states where the NSQ is much higher than the national average. Further, lack of uniform levels of enforcement may be leading to difference in the extent of NSQ in retail outlets and government supply chain in different States/UTs(union territories). The NSQs are much higher in case of parenterals as compared with oral dosage forms and this area therefore needs special attention,” the survey commented.


    Understanding the gravity of the issue, the National Drug Survey recommended: "It is necessary for government procurement agencies to review their procurement guidelines with respect to manufacturers' qualification requirements. Should develop and implement risk-based pre-inspection standards for the selection of quality drug manufacturers and adopt quality testing of each shipment from NABL accredited laboratories (National Accreditation Board for Laboratories Testing and Calibration Laboratories ).

    It further added that government warehouses, medical store depots and pharmacies should have adequate storage facilities and provision for temperature and humidity control, sufficient air conditioned space, refrigerators, deep freezers etc. along with their annual maintenance contracts.

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  • Union Minister of State for External Affairs Gen VK Singh (ret) said that Indian missions abroad should promote alternative treatment methods such as Ayush and Ayurveda. "We have asked all our presidents and all our missions to make a serious effort to promote Ayush and Ayurveda," he said.

  • The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has begun scrutiny of such devices, even asking makers to log in every detail about their manufacture and cost. After cardiac stents, about 14 medical devices increasingly sold at inflated prices in hospitals could see price regulation in the months to come. The list includes orthopedic implants, intraocular lenses and artificial heart valves to consumables such as syringes, needles and catheters.

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