CORONAVIRUS
Health minister stresses on surveillance and genome sequencing as COVID-19 cases mount
The review meeting came on a day India reported 13,313 new infections in a day and active cases went past 83,000
TRENDS
Blood test that can detect breast cancer, available in India now
The makers of the test EasyCheck Breast aim to reduce the number of cases of advanced breast cancers in the country.
TRENDS
Interview | Virtual reality has the capacity to transform learning outcomes for medical students: Adith Chinnaswami, co-founder, MediSim VR
The company, in April this year, launched India’s first virtual reality (VR) lab in a medical college; it hopes to enhance traditional training methods and provide institutions with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered competency assessment tools to understand and improve students’ performance
CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19 shots administered in India about to overtake count in all of Europe, North America
This is a remarkable feat, considering that all the vaccine doses administered in the country are made locally
CORONAVIRUS
Active COVID-19 cases mount; Mumbai shows signs of flattening curve
Many experts say the surge in cases may have already lost momentum.
TRENDS
Explained | Poliovirus detected in sewage water in Kolkata: how worried should we be?
Experts say that as the live polio virus is administered through oral polio vaccine among kids under 5 years of age in India, it is not uncommon to sometimes find the pathogen in sewage as it is shed in stools. But it is important to track the type of virus that is leaking in the environment.
CORONAVIRUS
Covaxin more effective for kids and adolescents than adults, Bharat Biotech publishes trial data
The company said that no adverse events of special interest have been reported to date. However, a supplementary surveillance study is going on, which will provide more information on rarer adverse events
TRENDS
India’s largest private hospital in Faridabad looks at a launch date this August
The first 500 beds of the total 2,400 beds planned will be operational beginning August 24
TRENDS
Demand for COVID-19 booster shots sluggish despite surge in cases
India now has 53,637 active coronavirus disease cases. On June 15, 27 states and Union Territories reported an increase in active infections
TRENDS
Senior care, lifestyle diseases may now get wider insurance coverage as norms change
Health insurance companies are getting ready to launch a flood of products as IRDAI approval won't be mandatory for a number of policies. The demand for customised policy products and continuum of care has increased in recent times, say experts
BUSINESS
Interview | Doing everything in India means we can offer CAR-T cell therapy for cancer patients at an affordable rate: ImmunoACT founder and CEO
CAR-T cell therapy for patients of blood cancer and lymphoma has a cure rate of about 40-50 percent, studies have shown
BUSINESS
Ray of hope for blood cancer, lymphoma patients as CAR-T cell therapy to be available in India
ImmunoACT, an Indian Institute of Technology- Bombay spin-off, says it is working to make the therapy available for specific types of cancer at a fraction of what it costs in countries like the US
BUSINESS
Interview | Our focus is on using technology to get better outcomes for cancer patients, says CTSI South Asia group CEO
Cancer Treatment Services International, formed in 2016, is one of the large cancer hospital chains in India. It was acquired by medical technology company Varian Medical Systems in 2019. The company’s business model is focused on daycare chemotherapy, radiation therapy and diagnostics.
TRENDS
Explainer | Dostarlimab for cancer cure: Hope or hype?
The drug was manufactured by a small biotechnology company called Tesaro, which was later acquired by GlaxoSmithKline. The medicine, sold under the brand name Jemperli, was first approved for the treatment of a specific type of endometrial cancer in the US and the European Union in 2021
CORONAVIRUS
Current surge in Covid-19 cases not start of fourth wave, say authorities
Active cases in India have been rising for the past 16 days and 19 states and union territories reported an increase in active infections on June 8
HEALTH-TRENDS
Hike in cash aid for patients with rare diseases raises hopes for entry of new ‘orphan drugs’ in India
The change has come through a modification in the National Policy for Rare Diseases, which was first notified in 2021
CORONAVIRUS
Top virologists weigh in for Corbevax booster after primary vaccination with Covishield, Covaxin
The pharma regulator has approved the first mix-and-match of COVID-19 vaccines in India, but the final say-so lies with the government
CORONAVIRUS
Fresh Covid cases at 84-day high; government official says no change in hospitalisation pattern
There is no official word on whether this is a fresh wave of infections but Kerala and Maharashtra are reporting the sharpest surge
TRENDS
Explainer: Is West Nile Fever that killed a Kerala man this week going undetected in other parts of the country?
The World Health Organization says that up to 80 percent of the people infected with the West Nile virus do not show any symptoms, but the pathogen can cause a fatal neurological disease in some of those infected.
TRENDS
Why are young Indians increasingly dying of heart diseases?
Most cardiologists say that over the past decade there has been a rapid rise in heart attacks in people aged 25-55 in India and the issue has been exacerbated after COVID-19
BUSINESS
Interview I Government can regulate emergency, essential health treatment costs in private hospitals: Azad Moopen, founder chairman and MD, Aster DM Healthcare
Aster DM Healthcare runs a chain of hospitals, clinics, laboratories and pharmacies that provide primary to specialised healthcare services. .
INDIA
Health Ministry releases guidelines for management of Monkeypox. Details here
In the recent outbreak, over 200 monkeypox cases have been confirmed from more than 20 countries outside Africa
INDIA
Monthly revenue from Jan Aushadhi shops cross Rs 100 crore for first time
These stores, that sell, generic medicines are already operational in 739 districts of the country
BUSINESS
Weekly COVID-19 cases rises 20% in India; active cases up by over 18%
As of May 31, active coronavirus infections have risen in 16 states and UTs, with Kerala registering the highest increase.
