Health

Mumbai, Nov 7 (IANS) The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), led by Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, has suspended 43 food business licences and seized 17,824 kg of food articles worth Rs 63.09 lakh during a special enforcement drive ahead of Diwali, according to a statement on Saturday.The inspections were conducted on November 6 and 7 across 73 establishments in the state’s seven divisions -- Greater Mumbai, Konkan, Nashik, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Amravati.The drive covered businesses dealing in sweets, khoya, paneer, farsan, Diwali snacks, dry fruits and edible oil, as well as hotels, clubs, canteens, grocery stores, e-commerce platforms and catering establishments.Food articles were seized from 29 establishments. Perishable items deemed hazardous to public h...

New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The revised prices of 137 anti-cancer drugs will come into effect from November 9, after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) capped trade margins on these medicines, an official statement said on Saturday, adding that this will generate annual savings of around Rs 3,502.31 crore for consumers.The statement from the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said that more than 1000 medicines of different brands show marked price reductions.As many as 76 pharmaceutical companies have so far reported revised maximum retail prices (MRPs) for 1,225 anticancer formulations covering 121 drugs.Reduction in the MRP has been reported in 1,031 formulations of anti-cancer medicines, with 600 brands reporting above 50 per cent reduction and the highest reduction bei...

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) India's move to cap trade margins on 137 non-scheduled anti-cancer medicines has led 70 companies to cut maximum retail prices by an average 20 per cent to 70 per cent on 120 medicines, with estimated patient savings of Rs 3,357.49 crore, an official factsheet said on Friday.The government said the price revision for 120 drugs have been made as of November 4, with the steepest reduction reaching 96.45 per cent and that the revised prices will take effect from November 9.The government has capped excessive markups along the pharmaceutical supply chain, in retail and hospital pharmacies across the country, to make cancer treatment in India more affordable.The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on October 17 capped the trade margin on medicines, including...

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), in collaboration with the ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), concluded a two-day national tabletop exercise on preparedness against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) serotype SAT-1, a strain that has not been reported in India but is increasingly being monitored due to its spread beyond Africa into parts of West Asia, it was announced on Friday.Held under the theme “Detect Early, Confirm Fast, Contain Together,” the exercise focused on strengthening India's readiness to respond to potential incursions of the transboundary animal disease and safeguarding livestock health, farmers' livelihoods, and the broader livestock economy.The exercise brought together 83 par...

Mumbai, Nov 5 (IANS) Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Thursday reported a 56.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 264 crore for the quarter ended September 2026 (Q2 FY27), compared with Rs 610 crore in the corresponding period last financial year (Q2 FY26).The drugmaker's revenue from operations fell 29.8 per cent to Rs 4,247.3 crore from Rs 6,046.8 crore a year earlier, according to its stock exchange filing. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped 63.4 per cent to Rs 864 crore from Rs 2,360 crore, while EBITDA margin contracted sharply to 20 per cent from 39 per cent in the year-ago quarter.Despite the decline in reported earnings, the company said its underlying business remained resilient and that it continues to be on ...

New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Ayush, Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav has called on citizens to make health and preventive healthcare an integral part of Dhanteras celebrations, emphasising that good health is the foundation of prosperity and well-being, an official statement said on Wednesday.While the festival is traditionally associated with purchasing gold, silver and other assets, Jadhav said it should also serve as an opportunity for families to invest in their long-term health through healthier lifestyle choices and preventive healthcare practices.He encouraged families to prioritise disease prevention and make conscious investments in their long-term health. He emphasised that families should give as much importance to safeguarding their health as th...

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday proposed changes to the Drugs Rules, 1945, aimed at enhancing accountability and traceability in pharmaceutical manufacturing by mandating the appointment of authorised personnel for batch release of drugs.Under the proposed amendments, drug manufacturers seeking licences under the relevant provisions of the Drugs Rules, 1945, will be required to nominate a suitably qualified and experienced individual to undertake batch-release functions. Manufacturers will also have to maintain prescribed records related to the release of each batch and issue batch-release certificates in a specified format.The ministry said the move seeks to address a regulatory gap in the existing framework. While manufacturers are alrea...

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Medical costs in India are expected to rise 10.1 per cent in 2027, moderating from 11.5 per cent in 2026, but healthcare expenses will continue to grow substantially faster than overall inflation, a report said on Tuesday.The report from professional services firm AON said the net medical trend rate is expected to fall from 7.4 per cent in 2026 to 6.1 per cent in 2027 after adjusting for India's projected inflation rate of about 4 per cent.The report indicated that healthcare costs will continue to rise materially faster than general prices.India's projected medical trend rate remains above the Asia Pacific average, which is expected to decline from 11.3 per cent in 2026 to 9.7 per cent in 2027. India's rate is expected to exceed China's projected 6 per cent, while ...

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) India is emerging as a global healthcare partner through affordable medicines, large-scale public health programmes, digital innovation and traditional medicine research, offering a model that developing economies can emulate to improve healthcare access and resilience, a new report has said.The report from Morocco-based publication Assahifa said India's healthcare transformation demonstrates how domestic efforts to expand access to medical services expands beyond national borders through technology transfer, institutional expertise, pharmaceutical manufacturing and public health programme implementation.“By sharing technology, strengthening pharmaceutical supply chains, and developing local capabilities, India can help countries across the Global South build more i...

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Neuland Laboratories Limited on Tuesday reported a sharp decline in earnings for the September quarter (Q2 FY27), with net profit falling nearly 47 per cent year-on-year (YoY) due to lower revenue and margin contraction. The company's profit after tax (PAT) fell to Rs 51.6 crore in the second quarter from Rs 96.9 crore in the corresponding period last financial year (Q2 FY26), according to its stock exchange filing.Revenue from operations declined 12.5 per cent to Rs 449.7 crore during the quarter, compared with Rs 514.2 crore a year earlier.Operating profitability also came under pressure. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) dropped 37.2 per cent year-on-year to Rs 97.6 crore from Rs 155.5 cro...