Morning MEDtalks with Dr K K Aggarwal

July 22, 2018
Morning Medtalks with Dr KK Aggarwal

Morning Health Talk:

New Delhi, July 22, 2018:

Valsartan Update

DCGI has enhanced checking of the Chinese bulk drug Valsartan at the ports after the American regulatory agency recalled Valsartan early this week over potential cancer risks.

The Drugs Controller General of India instructed the ports to examine each and every batch of the imported consignment of a Chinese bulk drug named Valsartan API, manufactured by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals.

Earlier this week US FDA recalled Valsartan over potential cancer risk due to the presence of an impurity – a chemical known as NDMA or N-nitrosodimethylamine. Later European Medical Agency too issued an alert. So far, more than 20 countries recalled this Chinese API.

Oxytocin Ban Deferred for Two Months

The government had banned the import of oxytocin formulations and restricted its manufacture to the public sector only from July 1 earlier. “The ban has now been deferred by two months, as decided by the Health Ministry.” – S Eswara Reddy, Drug Controller General India (DCGI)

The government has to put on hold by two months its decision to restrict the manufacturing and supply of oxytocin only through the Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL). Accordingly, this ban is likely to come into effect from 1st September 2018.

Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceutical Ltd (KAPL), a public sector unit (PSU), is the only manufacturer for the drug in the country. KAPL will be the sole supplier to registered hospitals and clinics in both public and private sector. The same order prohibits the retail sale of the oxytocin by chemists and druggists.

Registered hospitals and clinics in public and private sector in the country are advised to contact KAPL to place their orders with the company at MD KAPL

Source: Dr. Dinesh Baswal

Around the globe

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in nine adults age 45 and older experienced confusion or memory loss — and is one of the earliest noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Shifts in gut bacteriophages, viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria, are implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease said George Tetz, MD, PhD, head of R&D at the Human Microbiology Institute, in New York City
  • One of the studies, which was published online July 18 in the BMJ, shows that from 1999 to 2016, the annual mortality rate from cirrhosis increased by 65%. During the same period, the annual mortality rates from liver cancer doubled.
  • Federal officials in US are investigating a potential link between grain-free dog food and deadly canine heart problems. The FDA says grain-free dog foods that contain peas, legumes, lentils, and potatoes as sources of protein may be leading to a taurine deficiency, which can cause a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM.
  • It is this Government that is bringing a programme like Ayushman Bharat that will give top quality healthcare to the poor: PM @narendramodi in the Lok Sabha
  • Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission: The West Bengal government today signed an MoU with the NHA for implementing the health insurance scheme in the state, following a long-drawn negotiation. The National Health Agency (NHA) is the apex body for implementation of the insurance scheme.

Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
Vice President CMAAO
President HCFI

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