OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma may settle legal claims with a new ‘public trust’ that would still be dedicated to profit
Two similarly ambitious efforts to build alternatives to the profit-driven pharmaceutical model during and immediately after World War II suggest …
Pharma is getting high on marijuana
As drug companies develop cannabis-based medicines for serious illnesses, generic firms are trying to get into the act
The NATCO CL fallout
The compulsory licence granted to Natco may not be a trendsetter but it will shake up the pharmaceuticals market
More give than take in secret trade deals
The tight secrecy over trade negotiations means citizens are not privy to the deals that affect them directly
Why Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere else globally
The root of the problem is a patent system that allows pharma companies to keep out competition and keep prices sky high
Microplastics all around: A silent epidemic
All types of sea creatures ingest microplastics; as they move up the food chain, the plastic ends up in the human gut
Drugs and cosmetics amendment bill withdrawn from Rajya Sabha
Newer areas like stem cells, regenerative medicines, medical devices and clinical trial cannot be effectively regulated under the existing law, …
The right pill
Africa will be setting up its first agency to check the spread of spurious drugs
Bedaquiline patent win is a half victory
India’s ability to eliminate its huge TB burden by 2025 will be a test of both its patent laws and healthcare policy
Fake medicines are a dangerous threat in Africa: 3 ways to spot them
The most common fakes tend to be the most popular medicines: Painkillers, antibiotics to treat infection, anti-malarials, anti-retrovirals, …
Monsanto's troublesome trait
Bayer is battling seed companies and farmers in several countries over royalty on Monsanto's GM seeds
COVID-19 exposes India’s dependence on China for active pharma ingredients
India imports around 90 per cent of APIs used to make antibiotics, says an expert
Evergreening rampant in India
India's patent office has ignored the strict safeguards against evergreening and allowed a flood of secondary drug patents
Memories of a city
Book>> Ahmedabad, Shock city of Twentieth Century India, by Howard Spodek, Orient Blackswan, Rs 795
Second guilty verdict against Monsanto in the US
Federal jury finds that Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide caused a man’s cancer
When Big Pharma has all the answers
IFPMA, the biopharma trade body, has made its claim clear: COVID-19 vaccine management should be left to these handful of companies; and all …
Germany to phase out glyphosate by 2023
The country took this step to protect insect populations that play a pivotal role in ecosystems and pollination of food crops
Suspect claims in Teva’s suit against Cipla
The US Federal Trade Commission has warned the Israeli drug firm its patents are wrongful as it sues Cipla aggressively
Centre fails to weed out substandard drugs, reign in prices: Parl panel
It recommends that the government adopt cost of production-based pricing system
10 per cent drugs in government supply chain below standard
National drug survey published by the health ministry also found that 0.059 per cent of government-sourced samples were spurious
Big Pharma and intellectual property: Why is India afraid of compulsory licences?
While rich nations are discovering the virtues of compulsory drug licences, India has resolutely turned its back on this tool despite nudges from …
Vaccines without needles: New shelf-stable film could revolutionise how medicines are distributed worldwide
A research group claims to have developed a method to stabilise live viruses and other biological medicines in a rapidly dissolving film that …
In poll season, Punjab debates legalising poppy seed and opium farming
Proponents feel the two crops will help farmers, save Punjab’s groundwater and wean its youth from synthetic drugs
AI for drug development: How trustworthy is the tech?
Pharma companies today deploy artificial intelligence with a potential to reduce the drug development cycle by half
Dark underbelly of Big Pharma lobbying
Recent protests and campaigns in the US have focused on the proposal by India & South Africa at WTO to keep TRIPS in abeyance till the …