The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) found one spurious and 220 not of standard quality (NSQ) drug samples from a batch tested randomly as part of the August drug surveillance exercise, according to the drugs regulator’s NSQ and Spurious Drug Alert issued on Tuesday. The failed samples during routine regulatory surveillance included 29 tested by the Central Drugs Laboratories and 191 identified by the State Drugs Testing Laboratories. NSQ drugs are those that fail to meet quality standards or specifications, including those pertaining to labelling, dissolution, weight uniformity, and sterility. Besides NSQs, some quality-related defective products are also categorised...

The action follows the department’s investigation into a large-scale unlicenced drug repacking and relabelling racket uncovered at a farmhouse in Bengaluru South district’s Bidadi on August 18. The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) has cancelled the licences of 16 pharmaceutical retailers and wholesalers and suspended those of eight others, including the licence of multinational firm Pfizer’s depot in Nelamangala, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged distribution and sale of spurious drugs. The action follows the department’s investigation into a large-scale unlicenced drug repacking and relabelling racket uncovered at a farmhouse in Bengaluru South district’s Bidadi...

Patients for Patient Safety Foundation (PFPSF) Partners with CAHO to RollOut an Excellence Program New Delhi: Thanks to some well-meaning organizations, patients are going to be lord of all they survey in Indian hospitals in times to come. Excellence will be judged on the basis of how friendly accredited hospitals are with patients. Patients for Patient Safety Foundation (PFPSF) has partnered with CAHO to rollout an Excellence Program to judge them on the new yardstick. CAHO is the name of the revolution that is catching up fast in India for ensuring patients’ safety and improving quality of care . Very...

Health is a human right – yet not everyone can access the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. Primary health care (PHC) provides a whole-of-society approach to achieving universal health coverage, putting people and communities at the centre of health systems. Despite nearly 50 years of global commitment to PHC, implementation remains fragmented. We need to be clear on what PHC means and how to put it into practice. As WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has reflected, despite its importance, “Primary health care is one of the most misunderstood concepts in public...

Bengaluru: The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has called for stronger scientific evidence, safety monitoring and translation of research into market-ready technologies to improve the credibility and adoption of Ayurveda. Speaking at the National Symposium on Pharmacovigilance in Ayurveda at the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), Bengaluru, CCRAS Director General Dr Rabinarayan Acharya stressed the need for scientific validation of innovations and sustained efforts to strengthen pharmacovigilance in Ayurveda. The two-day symposium, held on Thursday and Friday, brought together researchers, physicians and experts to discuss safety and evidence-based Ayurvedic care, particularly for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Acharya traced...

The Team Meticulously averted the Risk of Thrombosis, Husband was Donor Delhi/NCR : Doctors at Yashoda Medicity have successfully performed a high-risk kidney transplant in a 28-year-old woman with Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APLA), a serious autoimmune disorder that significantly increases the risk of potentially life- threatening blood clots, who also had Donor Specific Antibodies (DSA) resulting from previous sensitisation. The transplant, performed on 18 August 2026, involved an ABO-compatible kidney donated by the woman’s husband and required extensive preparation to manage the risk of blood clotting as well as potential immunological complications. The patient, Mrs. Morifat Rashid, was diagnosed with...

Avacta, a UK-based clinical stage biotech, is differentiated clinical-stage oncology specialist, increasingly defined by continuing progress with its second-generation pre|CISION tumour-activated Peptide Drug Conjugate (PDC) platform. The lead Gen Two programme, AVA6103 (FAP-EXd, an FAP-activated, controlled-release exatecan), has delivered initial Phase Ia safety and pharmacokinetic data from the FOCUS-01 trial. These data provide early human validation that the platform successfully replicates the targeted tissue localisation seen in preclinical models. They show a three-fold reduction in systemic payload exposure compared to market-leading antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) benchmarks and avoid the severe myelosuppression typically associated with free topoisomerase I inhibitors. Further clinical news...

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Fayuvi (rebisufligene etisparvovec-hopf), the first treatment for paediatric patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPS IIIA), also known as Sanfilippo syndrome type A, MPS IIIA is a rare inherited disease that progressively damages the brain and nervous system, causing children to lose cognitive, language and other developmental abilities over time. Until today, treatment was limited to managing symptoms; there was no US FDA-approved therapy designed to change the underlying course of the disease. This innovative gene therapy offers a new option for children with a rare, progressive neurodevelopmental disease. "The Trump Administration is committed...

Access to advanced treatment for heart diseases, in tandem with the growth of technology to support cardiac care, is growing in India and continued investment in infrastructure, clinician training and patient access are key to further improvement in this therapeutic segment, says senior official from healthcare and medical devices major Abbott. "India is making significant strides in cardiovascular care, driven by growing awareness, increasing healthcare investments, and the adoption of advanced technologies. Hospitals across the country are increasingly embracing minimally invasive and catheter-based procedures, which can enable faster recovery, shorter hospital stays, and reduced procedural trauma," says Sudheer Mirajkar, country...

Puresta Lifestyle Private Limited announced the launch of EVERQ, an AI-powered skin-health platform designed to bring skin assessment, dermatologist consultations, personalised treatment and ongoing skincare together in one connected journey. EVERQ is part of Puresta’s integrated skin-health ecosystem, which also includes SKINQ Rx and SKINQ. EVERQ serves as the consumer-facing platform connecting AI-led skin assessment with dermatologist-led care. SKINQ Rx provides targeted, dermatologist-led treatment solutions based on the consultation, while SKINQ extends the experience into clinically validated everyday and maintenance skincare. The platform is being developed with a focus on Indian and melanin-rich skin, recognising that concerns such as pigmentation,...

Stem cell interventions that have not been approved for routine clinical use, including those offered for autism, should not be provided as routine, standard or commercial clinical services, the advisory said. The Union Health Ministry has asked States and Union Territories to ensure that stem cell therapy is offered as standard clinical care only for disease conditions and indications approved by the Ministry, with its use for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) restricted to duly approved clinical trials. In an advisory issued on September 16, the Ministry reiterated the existing regulatory framework governing stem cell research and therapy. The advisory was...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the final design of the Expedited Investigational New Drug (IND) Pilot. Accelerating clinical trial timelines and eliminating regulatory hurdles to maintain American leadership in global medical innovation is a core priority for the Trump Administration. Driven by the President’s directive, the pilot seeks to accelerate the time it takes from identifying a drug to initiating a first-in-human clinical trial by partnering drug companies with qualified research institutions (QRI) that have scientific expertise to support efficient development of IND applications. The FDA will accept applications to participate in the pilot until October 30,...

The plea, filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, sought directions to the Centre and states to complete investigations into fake medicine cases within three months and trials within one year. New Delhi: A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a comprehensive national framework to curb the manufacture and sale of counterfeit and adulterated medicines, including vaccines and cough syrups. The PIL, filed on Tuesday by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, made union ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Law and Justice and Women and Child Development, all states and union territories (UTs) and the Law Commission as parties. The plea,...

Ghaziabad: Five people were arrested after a racket linked to counterfeit gym supplements’ packaging and supply was busted on Wednesday in Ghaziabad, police said, adding that items worth an estimated market value of ₹50 lakh were also seized “A gang that prepared and sold fake supplements and related medicines was unearthed… The seized items, having an estimated value of ₹50 lakh, included fake medicines, food supplements, steroid injections, etc., which they sold locally as gym supplements. They had come up with a storage godown in Shalimar Garden, and the facility was used to store and package items for further supply,”...

Hisar: Police and drug control teams raided 22 medical stores across Hisar district in a crackdown on misuse of medicines as intoxicants. Seven outlets were found stocking dual-use drugs without proper records, while registered pharmacists were absent at three stores, officials said. Teams of 11 drug control officers from eight districts, along with police, inspected stores in Barwala, Uklana, Adampur, Agroha and Hisar city. They checked stocks and mandatory purchase, sale and stock records, and collected 14 medicine samples for testing. The licensing authority will initiate action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act against violators. SP Siddhant Jain said surprise...

BENGALURU: Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader on Tuesday said the probe into a major interstate counterfeit drug racket has led to the arrest of the owner of a healthcare firm, with investigators now probing the suspected supply of fake medicines and ICU injections to hospitals and clinics. Khader said the Karnataka government had busted the fake drug racket in what he described as one of the biggest crackdowns of its kind in the country. Sharing a news report on X, Khader recalled that on August 18, the state's Health & Family Welfare Department and the Karnataka Food Safety and...

Max Healthcare Foundation announced the launch of the fourth edition of its flagship Max Medical Scholarship Programme, expanding its annual intake to up to 250 new students this year, compared with 100 students in previous years. The expansion will significantly widen the programme’s reach and enable more meritorious students from economically weaker sections to pursue medical education. The scholarship will fully fund the medical education of up to 250 new students this year who have qualified for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET examination) and secured admission to the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme in...

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued a warning against sales and distribution of two unauthorised cosmetics products with excessive heavy metals labelled as "Made in Pakistan." The warning has been issued against Goree Beauty Cream and Chandni Whitening Cream, after the CDSCO through test and analysis verified that these cosmetics products are unauthorised and have not been issued a registration certificate for import by the competent authority for sale in India. The drugs regulator said that these products "are unauthorised and contain excessive heavy metals beyond the specified limits which may pose health risk to the consumers...

Investigators suspect that low-cost rebranded medicines were purchased and sold under different brand names. Expired medicines were allegedly collected, transferred into new containers and repackaged using counterfeit labels and packaging material. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of police and drug inspectors, formed to probe the fake medicine racket busted near Bidadi recently, raided a private facility, Krupa Healthcare near Minerva Circle, on Saturday and recovered a large stock of suspected counterfeit medicines. This raid was part of simultaneous raids at 10 locations in six states including Karnataka, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The owner of Krupa Healthcare, Veeresh...

With heroin availability falling, Punjab Police claims the pattern of drug consumption and supply is changing. Pharmaceutical narcotics have now emerged as the state's biggest drug enforcement challenge. Chandigarh: The availability of heroin on Punjab streets has been reduced because of the stemming of cross-border smuggling, according to the state government. However, a new kind of menace has started to pose a fresh challenge to Punjab's law enforcement -- pharmaceutical drugs being smuggled in from other states. Punjab Police has claimed its multi-layered anti-drug operation along the Pakistan border includes 09 anti-drone systems, with three Baaj Akh systems operational in...