November 2010 to January 2011

UP govt approaches QCI for accreditation of district hospitals

Business Standard, January 27, 2011
The Quality Council of India (QCI) will accredit 23 district hospitals and 10 Community Health Care centres, following an application by the Uttar Pradesh government. This would help in capacity building of the administration of these public hospitals for maintaining a certain standard of quality, and in keeping them under surveillance. More

Natco may seek compulsory license for Bayer’s cancer drug

Economic Times, January 24, 2011
Natco Pharma plans to seek a compulsory license from the government to make amendments in local laws to make and sell patented drugs cheaply if the medicines are unaffordable. They are also demanding voluntary license for one of Bayer’s cancer drug and Viiv Healthcare’s AIDS/HIV drug – given these drugs are completing their three year patent periods. More

India’s ailing health system drives poor to private clinics

Financial Times, January 12, 2011
Public hospitals lack both the staff and facilities to cope with patients demand. India is among countries with lowest levels of government spending on healthcare in the world. Indian households shoulders about 80 percent of the country’s total healthcare burden from their own pocket – an astonishingly high level for a country with so many families living at or below the poverty line.

Drug retail sales up 18% in 2010 as cos take rural roads

Economic Times, January 01, 2011
Entering into rural markets to expand business is being considered the main driver of the domestic drug retail market, with sales growing by 18.36% during 2010, attracting more foreign investments. The BSE Healthcare captured double digit growth in Pharma generating 31% returns to shareholders. More

Patients more satisfied with private healthcare services

The Hindu, December 26, 2010
Patients are relatively more satisfied with private healthcare services than with dispensaries, polyclinics, etc. run by the central government health services (CGHS), and the ex- servicemen’s contributing health service (ECHS). More

Drug panel to recommend some generics have no brand names

Livemint.com, December 24, 2010
The Drug Consultative Committee is set to recommend that all single ingredient generic drugs be promoted by their generic names and not by their brand names. More

PM’s help sought to bring down medicine prices

The Hindu, December 18, 2010
The small and medium enterprise pharma industries confederation has approached the prime minister to work out a solution to reduce the escalating prices of medicines More

New pharma policy to focus on cheaper drugs for poor

Financial Express, December 16, 2010
The centre is expected to announce a new Pharma Policy in the next few months, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has discussed with concerned stakeholders and will seek further inputs on the matter before placing the draft note to a group of ministers (GoM) for final touches. More

Universal health coverage dilemmas

Business standard, December 12, 2010
Instead of depending heavily on private healthcare, there is a need to strengthen the public healthcare system. To this end, recently, the Planning Commission of India has setup a high-level expert group to develop a blue print for attaining universal health coverage in the country by the year 2020. More

R & D firms should compensate clinical trial injuries : DCGI

Business Standard, December 10, 2010
Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) the apex drug regulator, has included a new clause in the trial approval letters making it obligatory for firms to compensate for possible adverse effect of clinical trials in the country. More

FDA set to provide SMS alerts on banned drugs

Economic Times, November 29, 2010
Gujarat Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the only state that has developed an innovative technology (software) that sends warning SMS alerts to all pharmacists with substantial market share, informing them about the list of non-standard and banned drugs. More

High medical bills push millions into Poverty every year: WHO

Times Nation, November 24, 2010
Exorbitant cost of healthcare is pushing million of peoples into poverty every year. Millions of people suffer and die because they do not have money to pay for healthcare services More

MNCs revive OTC drug sales plan via post offices

Financial Express, November 19, 2010
Various Multinational pharma companies are planning to approach the Health Ministry with a proposal calling for the utilisation of the 1.7 lakh post offices across the country to distribute drugs over the counter. More

Fixing prices of essential drugs may be difficult: NPPA

Business Standard, November 03, 2010
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is finding it difficult to curb prices of all 354 medicines under National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), owing to non-compliance of the market size, competition and turnover as per the Drug Policy of 1994. More