Health

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) India’s food processing sector is on a transformative growth path, and with consumption trends aligning across urban and rural India, tier 2 and 3 cities are fast becoming the engines of economic growth, according to a new report.The sector supports over 7 million jobs across the value chain, directly and indirectly, while enabling rural industrialisation and reducing post-harvest losses.According to the report by Deloitte and FICCI, the sector accounts for approximately 7.7 per cent of India’s total manufacturing GVA (gross value added), and its critical role in generating employment, fostering rural development and enhancing value addition. The agriculture and food processing sector, representing nearly 30 per cent of the national food market, is gaining momentum...

Seoul, May 22 (IANS) Samsung Biologics, a biotech arm of South Korea's Samsung Group, on Thursday said it plans to spin off its biosimilar development business to streamline its operations and focus on its core contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) services.According to a regulatory filing, the company will establish a new entity, Samsung Epis Holdings, which will later incorporate Samsung Bioepis, a biosimilar drug developer, as a wholly owned subsidiary, Yonhap news agency.The spinoff process will proceed with submitting a securities report on July 29, followed by a shareholders meeting on September 16 for final approval.Samsung Biologics explained that the split will allow the company to concentrate resources on its CDMO business, which operates under a different re...

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Mankind Pharma on Wednesday reported a 10.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) decline in net profit to Rs 420.8 crore for the quarter ended March 2025 (Q4 FY25), down from Rs 471.2 crore in the same quarter last fiscal.The drop in profit came even as the company delivered strong revenue growth and continued its expansion in chronic therapies and consumer healthcare.The company’s revenue for the March quarter rose sharply by 27.1 per cent to Rs 3,079.4 crore, driven by consistent growth in chronic segments, rising demand in its consumer healthcare portfolio, and the integration of Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV), which Mankind acquired to strengthen its presence in gynaecology and super-specialty therapies.While the company’s EBITDA grew 16.5 per cent to Rs 683.2 crore duri...

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The health of adolescents is at a tipping point, with more than 46 crore adolescents globally estimated to be obese and face several health and mental disorders by 2030, according to an analysis published by the Lancet Commission on Wednesday.In the second analysis on adolescent health and well-being since 2016, the Commission estimates that by 2030, one-third of adolescents in high-income countries in Latin America, and the Middle East will be overweight, underscoring the shortcomings in combating adolescent obesity.The analysis, based on data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease study, projects that 46.4 crore (or 464 million) adolescents globally will be overweight or obese by 2030 -- 143 million more than in 2015.There will still be over 1 billion of the worl...

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Age-related decline in the immune system can have a measurable impact on CAR-T cell therapy -- one of the most advanced forms of cancer immunotherapy, according to a study.CAR-T therapy works by engineering a patient's T cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells.The study led by Swiss researchers found that CAR-T cells from aged mice had poor mitochondrial function, lower "stemness," and reduced antitumour activity.It was due to a drop in levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) -- a molecule essential for cellular energy and metabolism of mitochondria, said the team from the University of Lausanne (UNIL), the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)."CAR-T cells fr...

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) India has reaffirmed its commitment towards global health equity at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on Wednesday.Addressing the plenary session, the Indian delegation led by the Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava emphasised on the transformative strides made under flagship initiatives like Ayushman Bharat, which has dramatically expanded access to comprehensive healthcare.“The programme has expanded access to comprehensive healthcare, improved infrastructure, provided financial protection for advanced treatments and accelerated digital health adoption -- paving the way toward Universal Health Coverage,” she stated.The Union Health Secretary highlighted that India’s efforts in maternal health, family planning, childhood mortality and still...

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Fortis Healthcare, a leading Delhi-Based hospital chain, has reported a 7.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) drop in its net profit to Rs 188.02 crore for the fourth quarter of financial year 2024–25 (Q4 FY25) -- down from Rs 203.14 crore in the same period last fiscal (Q4 FY24).The decline in profit was mainly due to a sharp rise in total expenses and impairments in investments.Fortis said its total expenses rose 13.6 per cent to Rs 1,741.52 crore in Q4 FY25, compared to Rs 1,531.76 crore in the year-ago period.The company also incurred an exceptional loss of Rs 53.57 crore during the quarter. This was due to impairments on its investment in an associate firm and on some of its assets, including property and equipment.Despite the drop in profit, the company reported stron...

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Torrent Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday reported a 0.99 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) decline in its net profit for the fourth quarter (Q4) of FY25, with earnings dropping to Rs 498 crore from Rs 503 crore in the previous quarter (Q3 FY25).The homegrown pharma company's total expenses climbed to Rs 2,252 crore, an increase of nearly 4.70 per cent on sequential basis and 4.99 per cent year-on-year (YoY).The rise was driven by higher costs across key segments. The cost of materials consumed increased by 8.65 per cent to Rs 402 crore, while employee benefits expense rose by 2.19 per cent to Rs 561 crore.Depreciation and amortisation expense inched up 1.01 per cent to Rs 201 crore, and other expenses grew by 4.46 per cent to Rs 703 crore.Despite the dip in net profit, th...

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) A team of scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), has found drugs with potential to treat neurodegenerative disorders -- a major global health challenge.In the study, published in the Journal Drug Discovery Today, the team highlighted the potential of peptidomimetics to treat neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, by promoting neuronal growth and survival.Peptidomimetic drugs -- or synthetic molecules that mimic the structure of natural proteins -- can be repurposed to provide an effective therapeutic strategy to treat neurodegenerative diseases by promoting neuronal growth and survival.While neurotrophins, proteins...

Seoul, May 21 (IANS) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently conducting an on-site inspection of Samsung Biologics' production facilities in South Korea, industry sources said on Wednesday.According to the sources, the FDA launched the inspection at the company's facilities in Songdo, west of Seoul, and is scheduled to continue through Tuesday. Samsung Biologics is South Korea's largest bio company and a major global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO).FDA officials reportedly visited the company's third and fourth plants Monday to review operations and safety protocols, reports Yonhap news agency.Site inspections by overseas regulators at South Korean biomanufacturing plants are considered rare and are being closely watched by the industry.Samsung Bio...