Pharma News

A substance originally found in bananas and carefully edited by scientists could lead to drugs that fight off a wide range of viruses, including those that cause AIDS, Hepatitis C and influenza, new research suggests.

With identification of a biomarker, researchers have found that a single blood test could reveal whether an apparently healthy person is likely to die of pneumonia or sepsis within the next 14 years.

UN agencies on Thursday declared an end to the 2013-2014 polio outbreak in Somalia, which affected nearly 200 people, most of them children.

Treating high blood pressure with antihypertensive medication can greatly reduce your risk for heart attack, stroke and heart failure, but such treatment cannot undo all of the previous damage or restore cardiovascular disease risk to ideal levels, says a study.

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta suggest that humans may be able to regrow their own teeth in the same way as a cichlid fish in Malawi lake. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Novartis acquire Admune, a clinical-stage biotech company focused on the development and delivery of cytokine therapy drugs for cancer, for the company’s IL-15 agonist program, currently in Phase I clinical trials for metastatic cancer. The fee is not being disclosed. Novartis also signed a $15 million licensing agreement with Palobiofarma. The company, based at Barcelona’s science park, focuses on the discovery and development of new drugs based on the modulation of adenosine receptors.

DelMar Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of new cancer therapies, announced that it presented positive preclinical data demonstrating the promising potential of its lead product candidate VAL-083 (dianhydrogalactitol) as a treatment for ovarian cancer.

The country has witnessed an increase in availability of allopathic doctors with their number standing at 9.38 lakhs, according to National Health Profile-2015, which was released by Union Health Minister J P Nadda. The National Health Profile-2015, published by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), said that up to 2014, the country has 9,38,861 doctors possessing recognised medical qualifications under the Indian Medical Council Act.

India has one of the highest rates of antibiotic resistance in the world, said a recent report, stressing on limiting the use of antibiotics through improved water, sanitation and immunisation.

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With a large number of tribal population suffering from sickle-cell anaemia and thalassemia, the government has established a research centre in Chandrapur in Maharashtra to help early detection and control of these blood related disorders. The Union Health Ministry said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has initiated efforts to set up a satellite centre of National Institute of Haemoglobinopathies (Mumbai) in the Chandrapur district. The Ministry said that since the establishment of a permanent centre may take time, ICMR has acquired a portion of the district TB Hospital in Chandrapur to start the research activities.