Tag: healthcare

IHH Healthcare says Fortis remains its main platform for growth in India

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date November 14, 2022
1 Comment on IHH Healthcare says Fortis remains its main platform for growth in India

Synopsis

The company, which acquired a 31.17 per cent stake in Fortis by infusing fresh capital of Rs 4,000 crore in November 2018, is currently waiting for a go-ahead from capital markets regulator Sebi to proceed with its stalled open offer to acquire additional 26.1 per cent stake in the domestic healthcare major.

Malaysia’s IHH Healthcare has stressed that it is committed to the Indian market on a long-term basis and Fortis Healthcare remains its main platform for growth in the country.

Terming the freeze on its open offer to acquire additional 26.1 per cent stake in Fortis as ‘unfortunate’, the Malaysian entity feels that the ongoing legal battle has prevented it so far from injecting additional capital into the Indian healthcare provider.

The company, which acquired a 31.17 per cent stake in Fortis by infusing fresh capital of Rs 4,000 crore in November 2018, is currently waiting for a go-ahead from capital markets regulator Sebi to proceed with its stalled open offer to acquire additional 26.1 per cent stake in the domestic healthcare major.

The open offer, which was originally scheduled to commence on December 18, 2018 and close on January 1, 2019, entailing a total sum of Rs 3,300 crore, could not materialise due to a Supreme Court order.

In an interaction with PTI, IHH Healthcare Managing Director and CEO Kelvin Loh said the last four years have turned out to be very frustrating for the company which counts India as one of its key markets.

“Is there frustration? Yes there is,” he said when asked about the legal proceedings which began in 2018.

“We feel that we are the aggrieved party here because the Supreme Court case was really between Daichii Sankyo and Singh brothers, in which we really had no part,” he noted.

Loh noted that IHH counts India, Turkiye, Malaysia and Singapore as its major markets even as it operates 82 hospitals across ten nations. “When we say we are committed to healthcare in India, we see a lot of opportunity for growth. We will be here for the long term because we are not financial investors, we are a strategic healthcare operator and the main platform for growth in India for us is Fortis,” Loh said.

The IHH-Fortis deal got stuck due to a legal battle between Daiichi and the former promoters of Fortis Healthcare.

The former promoters of Fortis Healthcare — Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh — were facing the court battle after Japanese firm Daiichi Sankyo challenged the Fortis-IHH share deal to recover the Rs 3,600-crore arbitration award that it had won before a Singapore tribunal against the Singh brothers.

In 2018, when some Indian lenders sold the pledged shares of Fortis Healthcare to the Malaysia-based firm, Daiichi went to court alleging that the former promoters of Fortis had assured them that their shares in the Indian hospital chain will cover the arbitral award amount.

Later, the Supreme Court ordered status quo with regard to the sale of controlling stakes of Fortis Healthcare to IHH Healthcare by Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh, and put on hold IHH’s open offer for an additional 26.1 per cent stake in Fortis.

The 26.1 per cent stake would have increased IHH’s shareholding in Fortis to 57 per cent.

“But unfortunately it got stuck. Even more unfortunate has been the suspension of the (open offer) process for four years now and that really frustrates us,” Loh noted.

IHH has already brought in management and operational changes in Fortis helping the company, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, recover financially.

IHH, however, aspires to help Fortis grow even faster, Loh said.

“We are committed to Fortis, we are committed to healthcare in India. We keep transforming and improving the healthcare product that we provide here in the country… and of course we aspire that we can grow even faster. Maybe inject more capital to grow on this,” he noted.

Fortis through its own means can grow from its current 4,000 beds capacity to 5,000 beds in the next two years, Loh said.

“With our support it can grow even faster. If we can bring in additional capital for growth for greenfield expansion or even acquisitions, it can grow even more. We would like to do that,” he noted.

Fortis Healthcare Chairman Ravi Rajagopal said it was unfortunate the way things have turned out for IHH Healthcare.

“In its ruling (the Supreme Court), according to my mind, has not cast a single negative aspersion either on IHH or Fortis. Despite that, the fact that it has taken so long, the frustration for Fortis is that it has been bereft of capital to grow its business,” he said.

IHH stake consolidation would have resulted in capital infusion in Fortis helping it scale up operations.

Rajagopal said that the majority of the initial Rs 4,000 crore capital infusion by IHH went into buyback of assets and debt payoff, leaving Fortis with little funds for expanding operations.

“If we want to grow in the way the rest of our peer group has grown, through both internal investments as well as inorganic, then we would need that extra capital. As a major shareholder, we look at IHH to help us secure that capital. Till such time, till September (this year), while the status quo was in force, those possibilities could not have been explored, but now those options are open,” he said.

In a statement last week, IHH Healthcare noted that following the recent judgment of the Supreme Court of India, the special leave petition, the original contempt petition and the suo moto contempt petition are disposed of.

“The honourable Supreme Court has not found nor indicated any wrongdoing by IHH in terms of our investment into Fortis in its final written judgment dated September 22, 2022. There is also currently no court order pending against IHH in these proceedings,” it said.

Accordingly, IHH is now in discussion with Sebi to determine the next steps pertaining to the mandatory tender offer in Fortis, in full compliance with all requisite regulations, the Malaysian firm said.

On replacing Fortis brand name with Parkway, Rajagopal said: “The Fortis board had decided a year ago to change the brand name to Parkway because the Fortis brand does not belong to Fortis Ltd, it belongs to a company which was owned and controlled by the former Fortis promoters.”

He further said: “We filed a notice with the stock exchange as well as with the Supreme Court last year on our intent. Now with the Supreme Court order behind us we will be moving very quickly to change the brand name.”

When asked for the timeframe for the same, Rajagopal said the matter involves trademark registration.

“We already have checked out the trademarks, but there is a process of filing it formally and going through that due process. It should take a few months,” he added.

IHH had pipped rival Manipal-TPG combine in the race to acquire Fortis Healthcare.

Yoga for asthma: Breathing exercises for patients with bronchial asthma

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date November 12, 2022
2 Comments on Yoga for asthma: Breathing exercises for patients with bronchial asthma

Yoga expert suggests the following Yoga asanas or easy breathing exercises for patients with bronchial asthma. Here are their steps and health benefits.

Every organ, muscle and system in the body is affected by our breathing, which happens naturally and without our conscious involvement however, when we breathe intentionally like during Yoga practice, we may change this especially for the better for patients with bronchial asthma. Once the entire body is in balance, our thoughts and actions will be in harmony as breathing’s roles include bringing the body into alignment, calming it down and reawakening it.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar, Founder of Akshar Yoga Institutions, Himalaya Yoga Ashram and World Yoga Organisation, explained, “Controlling our breathing can aid in emotional regulation. You’ll notice that when we cry, when we’re angry, etc., our breathing becomes laboured and shallow. Therefore, by just controlling our breathing, we can control our emotions. We can learn to remain composed and support our own growth.”

Talking about Yoga for patients with bronchial asthma, he suggested, “It is advised to begin with Shaant gathi (Slow Speed) while learning these techniques for the first time and gradually increase your practise intensity before progressing to Madyam (Medium Speed), then Tivra Gami (Fast Speed). By practising in Tivra gami, you can graduate to that level but Shant gati is still ideal for experienced practitioners because all three of these levels have positive benefits on the body and the mind.”

He recommended the following Yoga exercises or easy breathing techniques:

1. Bhastrika Pranayama

Breathing exercises are known as pranayama and this one is referred to as bhastrika. Your breath should make a sound similar to the bellows blacksmiths use while performing this pranayama.

The practice of bhastrika helps the body’s capacity grow. As you deepen your practice of this breathing method, you’ll benefit in a number of ways—physical, psychological, and spiritual.

Method

• Take up any comfortable position for sitting, such as Sukhasan, Ardhapadmasan, or Padmasana.

Close your eyes, arch your back, and place your hands in the Prapthi Mudra on your knees.

• Take a full, deep breath in and out. Inhalation to exhalation should be a 1:1 ratio. For instance, if you take six breaths in, you must also take six breaths out.

2. Anulom Vilom

The term anulom vilom refers to a specific type of controlled breathing (pranayama) utilised in the practise of yoga. In order to do it, you must keep one nostril closed when inhaling and the other closed while exhaling. After that, the process is repeated in reverse.

A few of the many stated medical and psychological benefits of alternate nostril breathing include stress reduction, improved breathing, and improved circulation. Scientific evidence backs up some of these statements.

Method

• Sit down in a relaxed position, ideally cross-legged. (such as Ardhapadmasan, Sukhasan, or Padmasana) • Align your spine and close your eyes

• The technique entails breathing via your opposing nostrils, with your left nose inhaling and your right nostril expelling.

• To complete a breath cycle, close your right nostril for left-sided inhalation, your left nose for right-sided exhalation, and your right nostril for right-sided inhalation.

• Use your thumb to gently press the air out of your nostril. The right nostril’s airflow is intended to be stopped.

• Make sure that when you inhale through your left nose, your right nostril feels equally pressured.

• Breathe deeply as you inhale.

• As you open your right nose, close your left nostril to let

Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar concluded, “These four pranayama breathing techniques—Basthrika, Udgeeth, Anulom Vilom, and Kapal Bhati—will be very helpful to you. When carried out correctly, it enables us to go deeper and gain a number of physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. Every practitioner should take the time to completely master them as a result.”

‘Measles deaths’: Health ministry sends team to Mumbai

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date November 10, 2022
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“The team will also undertake field visits to investigate the outbreak and assist the state health department in terms of public health measures, management guidelines, and protocols to manage the increasing cases of measles being reported in Mumbai,” said the ministry in a statement.

AFTER REPORTS of increase in suspected measles cases and three deaths in children, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday rushed a multi-disciplinary team to Mumbai. It is yet to be determined whether the deaths could have been due to measles that can sometimes lead to complications such as encephalitis (swelling in the brain), blindness, and pneumonia.

“We don’t even know whether the deaths are because of measles; the state government has also not categorised these deaths as measles. The team of experts from different fields will determine whether these were in fact measles cases. The team will also see the vaccination status of the children who have died; measles deaths should not occur because our vaccination coverage is nearly 100%,” said an official from the Health Ministry. The team is likely to submit a preliminary report by Thursday evening.

‘Measles deaths’: Health ministry sends team to Mumbai

The three-member team is headed by Dr Anubhav Srivastava, Deputy Director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), NCDC.

India has seen an increase in the number of measles cases – 11,156 cases of measles have been reported in 2022 till September, according to data from the World Health Organization. To compare, there were 6,078 recorded in 2021, 5,598 cases in 2020, and 10,708 cases in 2019.

Measles is a highly contagious infection with vaccination considered to be one of the most effective intervention for reducing cases and deaths. With a goal of eliminating measles and rubella (another similar viral infection), India launched a one-time immunisation campaign for all children between the ages of 9 months to 15 years in a phased manner 2017 onwards, with almost all states including Maharashtra having completed the vaccination.

Blood oxygen monitors don’t work as well on people with darker skin: FDA

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date November 5, 2022
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Synopsis

As smartwatches now claim to read blood oxygen levels, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised fresh concerns over pulse oximeters that monitor blood oxygen levels in the hospital and at home.

As smartwatches now claim to read blood oxygen levels, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised fresh concerns over pulse oximeters that monitor blood oxygen levels in the hospital and at home.

According to an FDA advisory panel, blood oxygen monitors need to be more carefully regulated as they don’t work as well on people with darker skin tones.

In 2021 during the pandemic, the FDA had issued an alert saying that these devices have “limitations”.

“As part of its premarket evaluation of pulse oximeters, FDA has long required premarket data assessing pulse oximeter performance in subjects with different skin pigmentation. However, a December 2020 published report suggests that pulse oximeters may be less accurate in patients with darker skin pigmentation,” said the FDA panel in its report.

The panel reviewed multiple research studies that show oximeters don’t work as well on darker skin.

It delayed Covid treatments in Black patients because the devices didn’t show dropping oxygen levels, according to one study.

The over-the-counter pulse oximeters or “wellness” devices aren’t reviewed by the FDA.

An assessment of the US pulse oximeter market demonstrates the use of these devices increased during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since the December 2020 study, additional real-world studies have been published suggesting increased risk for missed diagnosis of “occult hypoxemia”, delays in treatment eligibility decisions and worse patient outcomes among subjects with darker skin pigmentation.

“Occult hypoxemia” is defined as Sao2 less than 88 per cent despite a Spo2 of greater than 92 per cent, based on previously published parameters.

Pulse oximeters are widely used by many types of healthcare providers and consumers to obtain an indirect measure (SpO2) of arterial blood oxygen saturation (SaO2).

“We need to take appropriate steps to remove the growing uncertainty around these devices and ensure the health and safety of the public,” anesthesiologist Jesse Ehrenfeld told the panel, reports The Verge.

India to see 80% increase in investment of digital healthcare tools in the next 5 years: MoS Jitendra Singh

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 31, 2022
1 Comment on India to see 80% increase in investment of digital healthcare tools in the next 5 years: MoS Jitendra Singh

Synopsis

Singh added that India has all the essential ingredients for the exponential growth in this sector, including a large population, a robust pharma and medical supply chain, smartphone users, and technical manpower.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies across industries, including health care, which resulted in new innovations and an uptake in virtual care.

Speaking at the Global Digital Health Summit, Expo & Innovation Awards Addressing the summit, Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, said, “This summit is an excellent opportunity to focus on research and innovation priorities, particularly in relation to the digital advances in the healthcare sector. Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid digitisation, increasing internet and smartphone penetration, and government initiatives like Make in India and National Digital Health Mission, the healthcare sector is digitizing and innovating at an accelerated speed,” said Singh.

The Minister added that under PM Modi’s leadership healthcare has become more focused on innovation and technology over the past few years. 80% of the healthcare systems are aiming to increase their investment in digital healthcare tools in the coming five years. Indian innovators are developing pathbreaking health-tech products and solutions. The government is applying these digital health developments through the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission,” said Singh.

Singh added that India has all the essential ingredients for the exponential growth in this sector, including a large population, a robust pharma and medical supply chain, smartphone users, and technical manpower. “As the pace of digital innovation accelerates, the opportunities for healthcare companies and manufacturers will multiply and patient outcomes will improve,” Singh said.

In a bid to address issues critical to building a digital ecosystem aiming at digital health for all and how organisations can adopt digital technologies, the Global Digital Health Summit, Expo & Innovation Awards kicked off at New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan on October 28, 2022 with an attendance of more than 1500 delegates from 50 countries.

The two-day summit began with a welcome address by the Summit co-chair Brian O’Connor and a keynote address by Bakul Patel, Senior Director – Global Digital Health, Strategy and Regulatory, Google. It was followed by a panel discussion on ‘Return on Investment in Digital Health’. Chaired by Rajendra Pratap Gupta, Chairman – Dynamic Coalition on Digital Health, IGF – United Nations, and the panel featured Cathy Wolfe, President & CEO, GGM, Wolters Kluwer, USA; Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman & Executive Director, Narayana Health; Rustom Lawyer, Co-founder & CEO, Augnito; Anand Iyer, Chief Analytics Officer, Welldoc Inc, USA; and Manivannan Selvaraj, Founder & MD, Kauvery Group of Hospitals. The session highlighted the importance of the clinical decision support system (CDSS), challenges, and the way forward for affordable and accessible healthcare.

“In India, as of 2020, the ratio of doctors to population stands at 7.35 to 10,000. It is important to overcome the ratio and provide cost-efficient access to quality care and onboard into digital health. CDSS provides evidence-based medicine, which is way faster and diverse than experience-based medicine. This arrangement not only helps with reducing physician burnout but also ensures improved patient outcomes. Equitable healthcare, the right care at the right time, improved outcomes can result in immediate ROI,” said Wolfe.

Commenting on the way forward, Lawyer shared, “I believe that better healthcare for all is possible by leveraging the power of digital tech artificial intelligence. For best results, we need to build ICT strategy and framework keeping technology investment as a profit centre rather than a cost centre, drive population health analytics by investing in technology that introduces and enhances EMR adoption, invest in solutions that make it easier for doctors to adopt digital solutions such as ABDM, and invest in technology that augments current workforce as shortage of doctors cannot be solved overnight.”

The second half of the event had Patricia Mechael, Co-founder – Global Digital Health Index, delivering the keynote address wherein she highlighted the challenges in data sharing and accessibility, followed by a panel discussion on ‘Adoption of digital health across the continuum of care: hospitals, pharma, clinicians- challenges and solutions’, featuring Rajesh Ranjan Singh, CEO – WISH Foundation; Uma Nambiar, MD – Zeeden Life Sciences; Sudarashan Jain, Secretary-General, Indian Pharmaceuticals Alliance; Manivannan Selvaraj, Founder & MD, Kauvery Group of Hospitals; Ruchi Tushir, VP & GM – Wolters Kluwer GGM India; and Binu Sharma, Senior Director Nursing, Max Healthcare Institute.

“Data accessibility plays an important role in delivering high quality patient care as it provides clinicians with immediate access to patient records, including medical history, test results and relevant information provided by other clinicians. With access to the right data, clinicians can deliver exceptional healthcare by making informed decisions substantially faster,reducing wait times and contributing to providing better healthcare at a better cost. However, access to data that is clean, complete, accurate for use is still an ongoing battle in the healthcare sector. This needs to be addressed immediately,” said Mechael in her keynote address.

The summit concluded with another panel discussion on ‘Making India a World Leader in Digital Health Implementation’ featuring Bharat Lal, Director General – National Centre for Good Governance, GoI; Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary – AYUSH, GoI; Vivek Sehgal, Director General – Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India; and Sanjay Sood, Project Director – eSanjeevani (National Telemedicine Service), C-DAC Mohali.

Other highlights of the event included the release of ‘Women’s Health Guideline’ and ‘Digital Health for All – By 2028’, and launch of Project Concern 2028 and Health Parliament.
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Tags #Healthy, #Medicalcare, COVID-19, Digital Healthcare, Global Digital Health Summit, health and medicine, health news, healthcare, medical updates, Minister of State for Science and Technology, National Digital Health Mission

COVID-19 Medical Equipments Medical Updates

BXX variant of Covid virus spreads, but less severe

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 29, 2022
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Synopsis

According to him the proportion of BXX which is a recombinant variant has increased gradually by20-30% in the country. BA2.75 continues to be the dominant variant accounting for 60% of Covid-19 cases. An INSACOG member said they are monitoring the spread. A review meeting was held on Friday to evaluate the Covid-19 situation across the country.

The Indian Sars-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), a network of laboratories monitoring genomic variations of the Covid-19 virus, has found the proportion of BXX sub-variant increasing in the country. However, the good news is that the severity and hospitalisation have not increased, a member told ET.

According to him the proportion of BXX which is a recombinant variant has increased gradually by20-30% in the country. BA2.75 continues to be the dominant variant accounting for 60% of Covid-19 cases.

An INSACOG member said they are monitoring the spread. A review meeting was held on Friday to evaluate the Covid-19 situation across the country.

In the last few weeks multiple Omicron subvariants like BQ.1, and BXX have been detected along with other emerging sub-variants like BA5.1.7 and BF.7. BQ.1 is an offshoot of the variant related to the BA.5 version that drove the surge in the US.

Keeping in view the expected rise in the number of cases due to the festival season, the Union health minister also held a meeting to review the situation last week.

Cancer drugs could potentially be used to fight Malaria: Research

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 28, 2022
1 Comment on Cancer drugs could potentially be used to fight Malaria: Research

A cancer medication undergoing clinical testing has demonstrated the potential to protect from, cure, and prevent transmission of malaria.

A cancer treatment presently in clinical testing has the potential to guard against, cure, and prevent malaria transmission. The groundbreaking discovery by a multinational team led by Penn State researchers gives new hope against a disease that kills over 500,000 people each year, disproportionately impacting children under the age of five, pregnant women, and HIV patients. (Also read: Here’s how to take care of malaria patients )

The research team, led by experts from the University of Cape Town (UCT), published their findings in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

“Disruptions to malaria vaccinations, treatment, and care during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with increasing reports of resistance to first-line artemisinin-based combination therapies have led to an increase of malaria cases and deaths worldwide,” said Manuel Llinas, distinguished professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of chemistry at Penn State. “The identification of new ways to treat the disease is crucial for malaria control. Ideal treatments would operate differently than current front-line drugs to circumvent current drug resistance and act on multiple targets or stages of the parasite’s life cycle in order to slow future resistance.”

The researchers wanted to see if sapanisertib, a medicine now in clinical trials for the treatment of tumors such as breast cancer, endometrial cancer, glioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, and thyroid cancer, could be used to treat malaria.

Sapanisertib has the ability to guard against, cure, and prevent malaria transmission by killing the malaria parasite at various phases of its life cycle inside its human host. This includes when the parasite is in the host’s liver, where it first develops and multiplies; when it is in the host’s red blood cells, where clinical signs are detected; and when it splits sexually within the host’s red blood cells to generate the parasite’s transmissible forms. Because the transmissible form is normally taken up by the female Anopheles mosquito during a blood meal and carried on to infect another person during subsequent blood meals, eliminating the parasite should also prevent subsequent infections.

The researchers also discovered that sapanisertib inhibits various proteins called kinases in the malaria parasite, which is how the medicine kills the human malaria parasite.

Sapanisertib’s multistage activity and antimalarial efficacy, combined with potent inhibition of multiple protein targets — including at least two that have previously been shown to be vulnerable targets for chemotherapeutic intervention — will serve as the foundation for future research into the potential of repurposing sapanisertib to treat malaria.

Repurposing existing drugs

The research team used a technique known as drug repurposing, which tries to uncover new uses for an existing drug approved by a regulatory agency in one illness area but not in another. This strategy is used to avoid the difficulties of discovering and developing a new medicine from scratch, which is a time-consuming and expensive procedure with minimal returns in terms of the number of drugs that eventually make it to market.

“The problem is amplified in neglected and tropical diseases such as malaria where existing resources are strained and the financial returns low,” said Kelly Chibale, founder and director of the UCT Drug Discovery and Development Centre, Neville Isdell Chair in African-centric Drug Discovery and Development at UCT, and leader of the research team. “The drug repurposing approach of investigating existing drugs as potential therapies for other diseases shortens the process as in most cases the candidates, in this case, sapanisertib, will have been through several stages of clinical development and will have well-known exposure and safety profiles in humans.”

While novel uses for approved treatments have occasionally been discovered by chance in the drug repurposing approach, strategies exist to identify drugs that can be used for other diseases rationally. In this investigation, the researchers used medicines that act on human protein targets and may be active on similar protein targets in the malaria parasite.

Tarrick Qahash, an undergraduate turned technician in Penn State’s Llinas lab, employed mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to determine the parasite’s reaction to a number of antimalarial drugs as part of the Malaria Drug Accelerator project supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“In cancer, sapanisertib inhibits a protein kinase called mTOR that regulates a variety of cellular processes, including immune response and autophagy. However, until this study, it was unclear how it would affect the malaria parasite,” said Llinas. “We used a process called metabolic fingerprint profiling and found that the parasite’s response to sapanisertib resembled inhibition by other protein kinase inhibitors we had investigated. Through its effects on the parasite’s metabolism of hemoglobin–a protein that carries oxygen through the blood–we determined that sapanisertib primarily inhibits the kinase called PfPI4Kb, but we also found that it can target a kinase called PKG.”

Because of their relevance in cellular function, kinases have been widely researched as therapeutic targets in numerous disorders. This makes them appealing for use in other disorders, such as malaria. Kinase targets that are required for various phases of the malaria parasite life cycle have previously been discovered.

Potential impact

This research opens up new possibilities for the rational creation of malaria medications that target two or more protein targets in the malaria parasite. This could also benefit patients in a clinical setting since it makes it more difficult for the parasite to build resistance to a treatment that kills through numerous routes.

Recognizing the possible safety issues associated with utilizing a cancer medicine to treat malaria, the study team is now working to understand the drivers of sapanisertib efficacy, dose needs, and therapeutic window for malaria. The goal is to assess how the estimated human dose of sapanisertib for malaria differs from the maximum tolerated dose used to treat cancer.

“This work highlights the importance of local and international research partnerships to solve critical human challenges based on mutual interest and responsibility,” said Chibale. “It demonstrates how advances in science and medicine can be made when industry and academic institutions share knowledge and expertise.”

Centre of Excellence for cancer care and blood disorders at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 22, 2022
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Synopsis

Amrita Hospital’s Department of Hematology, Medical Oncology and BMT helps patients treat blood disorders, benign diseases, as well as blood cancers and solid cancers in adults and children.

Established in 1998 as the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Amrita Hospital is recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Quality Healthcare, Education and Research. Over the years, Amrita Hospital has provided affordable healthcare to over 1.21 crore outpatients and 8.87 lakh inpatients. The hospital has spent over Rs. 700 crores exclusively towards healthcare charity and has performed more than 23,000 surgeries annually. Needless to say, the hospital has earned a reputation for being affordable and providing quality medical care to the general population.

When it comes to people who are suffering from diseases that need extra care, expert care is crucial. For instance, people suffering from diseases like cancer need special healthcare facilities and constant medical attention. If we are to look at the number of cancer cases in India, which stands at around 8,00,000 new cases per year, the availability of quality healthcare in Oncology is the need for the hour for the general population.

This is where Amrita Hospital and its Department of Hematology, Medical Oncology and BMT come into the picture. The department treats blood disorders, benign diseases, as well as blood cancers and solid cancers in adults and children. The treating team has been trained at some of the best centres in India and abroad.

Alongside managing the disease, the department strongly believes in spreading awareness and preventing cancer. In fact, the doctors state that about 70% of cancers are preventable just by stopping tobacco use, moderating alcohol intake, consuming sufficient fibre in the diet, avoiding red meat ingestion, and engaging in adequate physical activity.

The most common cancer in India is breast cancer, with a high fatality rate, mainly because 75% of women are diagnosed at an advanced stage. As per the doctors at Amrita Hospital, breast cancer is curable if detected at an early stage. This can be done by self-breast examination and breast cancer screening. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in India, and more than 90% can be prevented by having the cervical cancer vaccine (Human papillomavirus/HPV) at the appropriate age. The ideology at Amrita Hospital is to reach out to the community at the grass-root level and make people aware of tobacco cessation and cancer screening.

The hospital promotes and nurtures a strong culture of evidence-based treatment backed by a robust tumour board environment where all treatment plans are rigorously reviewed and discussed between various allied departments like Medical Oncology, Hematology, Radiation oncology, Surgical oncology, Nuclear medicine, pathology, and Radiology to ensure optimal outcomes.

Amrita Hospital offers a state of the art precision oncology, systemic anti-cancer therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy for appropriate clinical situations after appropriate molecular and genomic work-up. For the elderly, the department provides age-applicable solutions and personalised treatment strategies. Patients and families are actively encouraged to participate in the tumour board discussion so that treatment plans are communicated transparently, and a mutual decision can be taken.

Amrita Hospital has a Blood and Marrow transplant (BMT) unit for all kinds of bone marrow transplants, including autologous transplants, allogenic transplants, matched siblings, as well as unrelated and haploidentical transplants. The transplant unit looks after pediatric and adult patients in need of stem cell transplants for haematological disorders such as aplastic anaemia, thalassemia, immunodeficiency disorders, sickle cell disease, myeloma, lymphomas and leukaemias. The hospital has the support of various ultramodern departments and support services, including laboratories, a blood bank, interventional radiology and Intensive Care Units within the hospital.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor – T (CAR- T) cell therapy will also be available as a therapeutic as well as a research tool in the cancer centre soon. The focus of the department is not only on treating blood disorders and cancer but also in helping the patient and the family holistically and compassionately, which will help them deal with the emotional, social and financial distress associated with the diseases.

Serum Institute to produce Ebola vaccine for use in Uganda outbreak

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 21, 2022
1 Comment on Serum Institute to produce Ebola vaccine for use in Uganda outbreak

Synopsis

The Serum Institute of India plans to manufacture 20,000 to 30,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine by the end of November for use in trials against an outbreak in Uganda, its developers and a company source said.

The Serum Institute of India plans to manufacture 20,000 to 30,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine by the end of November for use in trials against an outbreak in Uganda, its developers and a company source said.
The response to Uganda’s outbreak has been blunted by the absence of a proven vaccine against the Sudan strain of the virus.

There have been 54 confirmed cases and 19 deaths since last month and the first case in the capital, Kampala, was recorded last week. But health authorities believe the actual numbers could be higher.

Vaccines against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola have proven highly effective during recent outbreaks in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, which developed a COVID-19 vaccine with AstraZeneca, has an Ebola vaccine that has been shown to induce an immune response to both the Sudan and Zaire strains in Phase 1 trials.

Its developers said it could be deployed in Uganda as part of a clinical trial once the authorities there gave regulatory approval.

“We are working very closely with Serum Institute to rapidly scale up the manufacture of this vaccine,” said Teresa Lambe, the chief scientific adviser on Ebola at the Jenner Institute.

“We are hoping to have a large number of doses, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 or more by mid-to-end of November,” she told Reuters.

A source at the Serum Institute, the world’s biggest vaccine maker and part of a conglomerate run by Indian billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla, confirmed this information. The source said the Ebola vaccine doses would be supplied free of cost.

‘PLAYING CATCH UP’

Uganda’s Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi said in an interview on Saturday that he did not have any information on a vaccine rollout but that the outbreak was under control.

President Yoweri Museveni said the same day that the government would implement an overnight curfew and restrict movement into and out of two districts in central Uganda affected by Ebola for 21 days.

World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last week that clinical trials of two vaccines could begin in the coming weeks pending Ugandan government approvals, without naming the vaccines.

There are at least six vaccines in development for the Sudan strain, including three with Phase 1 data, according to WHO.

The Oxford researchers voiced frustration that their vaccine was not ready to be rolled out when the outbreak hit, saying governments around the world had not made investing in vaccines enough of a priority in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vaccine has been in development for several years but its progress through clinical trials has been slowed by funding shortfalls, they said.

“With better investment the world could easily have ready-made vaccines sitting in vials for this and a number of other diseases,” said Sandy Douglas, an investigator at the Jenner Institute.

“We’re spending a couple of months now playing catch up on work that could have been done ahead of time.”

Harnessing the power of partnerships in expanding Covid vaccine coverage

Post author By Pragya sharma
Post date October 20, 2022
No Comments on Harnessing the power of partnerships in expanding Covid vaccine coverage

On the first anniversary of India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Hon’ble Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, observed that Jan Bhagidari helped to fuel India’s achievements in its successful vaccination journey. This, in fact, echoes the sentiment of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who emphasizes that the functioning of any robust democracy lies in the power of the collective that Jan Bhagidari stands for.

As someone with extensive experience in of public health, this principle has always resonated with me. I do believe that it’s the coming together of so many people – healthcare professionals, the larger scientific community, vaccine manufacturers, development partners, local leaders and frontline health workers all under the leadership of the Government of India – that has ensured India’s success in administering more than 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to its eligible population in record time.

I am proud to be associated with a project that has contributed in its own way toward India’s exceptional vaccination trajectory: the MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity Project. Operational across 18 states and union territories, and supported by USAID, the project has been a key driver in augmenting the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to improve the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination across states in record time. In many ways, it carries forward the country’s legacy of reaching the unreached, leaving no one behind and ensuring everyone has equitable access to vaccines.

From hard-to-reach areas; tribal communities where confidence in and awareness about vaccines tends to be lower; vulnerable groups such as migrant workers, transgenders, elderly, disabled people, pregnant and lactating mothers– the project has helped to weave a safety net for those at the margins. Most importantly, the project has reiterated the country’s strength of successful collaborations — in this case, with multiple local partners at the state and community levels across a diverse mix — health workers, community champions, faith-based leaders, beneficiaries-turned-influencers and others.

For instance, in Chhattisgarh, an influencer from the trans community ensured that gender doesn’t become a barrier to availing the benefits of a life-saving vaccine. This influencer, Kanchan Sendre, worked hard to ensure an uptick in vaccinations for her community – she was so effective that she earned the title, ‘Vaccine Didi’. In Punjab, collaborations were done with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee which ensured that all visitors could undergo the immunization process during their visit to the iconic Golden temple. In Madhya Pradesh, key religious and community leaders of Taj-Ul Masjid — one of Asia’s biggest mosques — came forward to help organize a large-scale COVID-19 vaccination-cum-awareness session. More than 400 key religious leaders from various parts of the state and the Director of Immunization of MP participated to increase awareness levels about COVID-19 and the vaccine.

Assam saw the innovative ‘Wellness on Wheels’ initiative — a vehicle with Covid-19 vaccination messages. The vehicle enabled vaccinators to reach out to remote villages and vaccinate vulnerable people who may otherwise struggle to access healthcare. In fact, this initiative saw a total of over 51,000 vaccinations (as on Sep 30, 2022), covering over 1200 villages.

To a large extent, the project typifies the essence of Jan Bhagidari. At every level, every stakeholder has played a significant role to ensure that the greater goal of vaccines for all is achieved. It is only apt to say that that these achievements have come at a time when India is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. This is also a time to acknowledge that projects such as this have successfully developed strategies to mobilize communities by developing locally contextual interventions.

In this context, there are two standout cases illustrative of the power of people: polio and tuberculosis. In Uttar Pradesh, perhaps the most inventive tool was the Bulawa Toli – a children’s brigade would go through neighborhoods shouting slogans and inviting younger children to visit the nearest polio booth for the vaccine. When it comes to TB, community engagement has been critical too. Earlier this year, another strong example of community-focused initiative by the government came in the form of the Ni-kshay Mitra under the ‘Pradhan Mantri TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.’ As part of this initiative, a range of stakeholders – cooperative societies, corporate entities, elected representatives, non-governmental organizations, political parties and individuals etc. – can consider supporting and adopting districts and blocks or even one or more TB patients across states in India, in the fight against TB.

From the time of its launch on September 9, approximately 10.5 lakh TB patients have consented to receive nutritional, diagnostic, and vocational support in their journey of battling TB. As of now, over 33,000 people from various backgrounds have signed up as Ni-kshay Mitras, who will now be providing nutrition and other support to over 10.2 lakh patients – an example of how society can truly unite to overcome any adversity. And the numbers are increasing at a rapid pace.

Across different public health issues, the nature of interventions may change. But what has consistently helped our country overcome all obstacles, has been the ability to galvanize the community. And to further strengthen the efficacy of community action vis-à-vis public health, it’s important to continually work toward devising locally-relevant solutions for optimal impact. All this ties in with the broader tenets of Jan Bhagidari, too. I am confident that with such strong foundations, the country’s healthcare systems will be secure and stronger than ever before.