Health

New Delhi, Sep 25 (IANS) The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes have succeeded in strengthening India’s pharmaceutical, bulk drugs and medical devices manufacturing ecosystem, which has helped to reduce import dependence and encouraged technology adoption to build globally competitive capabilities in the pharma and medtech sector, according to a factsheet issued by the government on Friday.The government approved the 'PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs' in 2020, with a total financial outlay of Rs 6,940 crore. The scheme was launched to strengthen domestic manufacturing of 41 identified critical products and reduce dependence on imports, particularly for APIs and other essential pharmaceutical building blocks.An investment of Rs 5,210.74 crore has been made under the scheme (as on June 2026)...

Mumbai, Sep 24 (IANS) Shares of insurance distribution platforms PB Fintech and Turtlemint witnessed heavy selling pressure on Thursday after the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) proposed sweeping changes to insurance distribution economics, raising concerns about the future earnings prospects of intermediaries.PB Fintech, the parent company of Policybazaar, plunged 34 per cent to close at Rs 1,244.50, compared to its previous close of Rs 1,886.30. The stock had gained 4.5 per cent in the previous session. Turtlemint shares also came under severe pressure and ended the day 20 per cent lower at Rs 109.04 apiece.The sharp decline followed the release of IRDAI's consultation paper titled “Recalibrating Economics of Insurance Distribution”, which proposes signifi...

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) India’s food regulator has proposed to prohibit manufacturing and sale of analogue paneer across the country, notifying draft amendments for consultations.According to the FSSAI draft, “the amendment is proposed in the following regulation to restrict manufacturing and sale of analogue product as paneer so as to prevent misleading consumers regarding the nature and composition of the product”.Products already licensed or registered under 'Analogue in Dairy Context' category shall discontinue the use of the term “Paneer” in their nomenclature, labelling or marketing. It added.Several state governments have banned the sale and manufacturing of analogue paneer.FSSAI has decided to introduce draft amendments in the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction...

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) India highlighted progress on universal health coverage, hepatitis elimination and sickle cell care at two global health events on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, an official statement said on Thursday.Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, AB‑PMJAY and e-Sanjeevani as tools bringing healthcare services closer to communities, the statement from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.Srivastava at the Seventh Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Friends of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) & Global Health highlighted India’s efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery across primary, secondary and tertiary health care, while protecting people from financial hardship."India ...

New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a single-phase implementation of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling (FoPL), introducing prominent warning labels on packaged food products that are high in salt, sugar or fat. The proposal was submitted through an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, which had sought a clear timeline from the food regulator and the government on the rollout of front-of-pack warning labels.Under the proposed framework, packaged food products exceeding prescribed thresholds for nutrients of concern would be required to display a red hexagon on a white square background on the front of the pack.The warning label is intended to provide consumers with clear and easily identifiable nutritional information at the ti...

Chennai, Sep 22 (IANS) With dengue and other fever cases rising in parts of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Tuesday directed district administrations to intensify disease-prevention measures and strengthen preparedness for the Northeast Monsoon. Vijay issued the instructions while chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat for the second consecutive day to assess precautionary and disaster-management measures in Coimbatore, Dindigul, Erode, Karur, Madurai, the Nilgiris, Sivaganga, Tenkasi, Theni and Virudhunagar districts.The Chief Minister asked the district Collectors to prepare location-specific plans after evaluating the vulnerability of individual areas. He said particular attention should be given to rain-prone and hilly regions in the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Dindigul, ...

New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) The Centre has released Rs 6,406.99 crore through the National Ayush Mission (NAM) to States and Union Territories between financial years 2014–15 and 2025–26 to expand and integrate Ayush healthcare into conventional medical systems, an official factsheet said on Tuesday.The funding, with further support from the National Health Mission (NHM), has financed modernisation of local Ayush clinics, co‑location of services in public health facilities and the establishment of new traditional medical colleges.Nearly 12,260 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (Ayush AAMs) were functional as on September 19, 2026, against a NAM target of 12,500, and that NHM now offers Ayush services alongside standard care in 13,249 public health facilities.The government funds salaries for 25,322 Ayu...

New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) The Central government on Monday launched the 7th Edition of the National Formulary of India (NFI) and the ADR-PvPI 2.0 Mobile App for iOS users at the 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week programme organised by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) here.Union MoS Health & Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilisers Anupriya Patel also unveiled new initiatives to strengthen patient safety and pharmacovigilance and released the guidance document for hospitals in India for 'Safety Monitoring and Reporting of Medical Device-Related Adverse Events.'The 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week, being observed from 17–23 September 2026, drew senior government officials, regulators, healthcare professionals, academicians, researchers and other stakeholders working t...

New Delhi, Sep 19 (IANS) Ayush Ministry is now advancing artificial intelligence (AI) as the next frontier for Ayurveda and the wider Ayush sector, it said on Saturday.The ministry said it has been exploring AI across healthcare, research, education, information services and investment facilitation, with an emerging ecosystem that includes both specialised AI applications and broader collaborations with national AI initiatives.The ministry's broader AI ecosystem is being advanced through participation in the IndiaAI Innovation Challenge, with a focus on developing AI-enabled solutions tailored to the Ayush sector.Key use cases include voice-based Electronic Health Records, disease-trend detection, and personalised treatment-support solutions, aimed at leveraging Artificial Intelligence to ...

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday said that it has initiated three separate adjudication cases against Nestlé India over alleged regulatory non-compliance involving its infant nutrition products, including NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 and Lactogen Pro 1.According to a notice shared by the food regulator on Instagram, FSSAI examined the products and promotional material listed on e-commerce platforms and flagged certain claims associated with the infant nutrition products.In the case of NAN Excella Pro Stage 1, the regulator raised concerns over claims related to “5 HMOS” and “Whey Protein”. For Lactogen Pro 1, FSSAI flagged a claim describing whey protein as being easy to digest.The food regulator said it had sought clarifications from N...