Domestic drug major Alembic has decided to restructure its business to focus on three strategic areas nutraceuticals, antidiabetics and antibiotics which will be the main drivers for growth in the
The Kerala State Government is planning to impose a ban on the use of antibiotics in aqua culture farms in Kerala in order to meet the quality standards required by the importing countries, Minister
Applying an antibiotic to the noses of some surgery patients can sharply reduce their risk of developing a severe infection in the surgical wound, a new study has found. Doctors discovered years ago
An agent that could detect anthrax and also help treat the victims has been developed by biologists at the Rockfeller University. The new drug could foil bioterrorists attempt to engineer antibiotic
U.S. proposals aimed at protecting people from antibiotic resistance may limit options for livestock producers trying to keep animals healthy for the food supply, industry groups said. Consumer
Choloroquinine the most widely used antibiotic against malaria, is no more the only answer. The parasite has developed resistance to the drug. And the same is the case with Doxixycline, another anti
Two city hospitals have undertaken an exhaustive study on overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Preliminary studies in medical institutions indicated the percentage of misuse was high as 60-90 per cent.
As antibiotics are readily available over the counter, Pakistani microbiologists and physicians should take extra care in prescribing such medicines, said a British expert. Delivering a plenary
Shrimp farms are faced with limitations on the use of chemicals including antibiotics while they have to tackle shrimp disease outbreaks. Prevention through better pond management is the answer,
The use of the antibiotic virginiamycin as a growth promoter in livestock should be banned to protect human health, Australia's veterinary regulator said, backing a European Union ban on the drug.
One in five poultry companies that abandoned the use of antibiotics to make chickens grow faster are now using them again. Producers and retailers have quietly reintroduced growth promoters despite
The World Health Organisation has undertaken a project to ascertain the extent of antibiotic resistance in India. The project started in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Health, is to be
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd (RLL) on Wednesday said that it had received approval from the US-based regulatory authorities for its generic version of antibiotic Ofloxacin. The original patent holder for
Upset over the concerns being expressed by the developed nations such as the US and Japan on the antibiotic residues in the Indian shrimp exports, the Government is seriously considering a proposal
Pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (RLL) launched a high-end injectable antibiotic under the brand name Cilanem, eyeing the Rs 150-crore market in the country. The city-based drugmaker said
Forget vision, the Indian scientific establishment lacks even basic infrastructure to tackle known diseases. Surveillance to unravel the mysterious ones seems a far cry
Strange but true. Health workers in Africa are successfully using antibiotics to slow down the spread of AIDS
UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS If you have been effectively treated for tuberculosis or an ear infection, you may have to try three or more antibiotics before you find one that works. What will
it could be a while before genetically engineered products gain worldwide acceptance. The Switzerland-based multinational Ciba-Geigy's bid to market its genetically engineered maize
Since heat destroys the H5N1 virus that causes bird flu, threat to birds and humans is expected to diminish with a rise in mercury level as the summer comes closer. These views were expressed by Dr Faisal Mehmood, Assistant Professor at Infectious Diseases Department of Aga Khan University Hospital, in his presentation at the PMA House on Saturday. He said that avian virus did not affect humans until 1997 when an outbreak of bird flu infected 18 people and caused six deaths in Hong Kong. Since then, human cases of bird flu had been reported in different parts of the world, including Asia and Europe, he added. "Most cases were traced to be in contact with infected poultry or bird-contaminated surfaces,' he said, adding that avian influenza virus often originated in areas where people live in close proximity to chickens. Dr Mehmood observed that an outbreak of bird flu was not as big a risk for general public as for the poultry workers. It could be controlled by culling the infected birds. However, he warned that available research did hint that the virus could mutate at some point in the future and trigger a lethal human flu pandemic. He elaborated that H5N1 mutated quickly and was able to incorporate large blocks of genetic code from viruses that infected other species, a process called re-assortment. For that reason, he said, H5N1 had particular potential to combine with a human flu virus, creating a new viral strain that was feared to spread rapidly from person to person. Under all conditions the most practical precaution effective at preventing a repeat of the dreadful bird flu history of the past could be hand hygiene, he stressed. "Over 90 per cent of viruses like bird flu enter our bodies through contact between the mucous membranes of eyes, nose and finger nails,' he said. The speaker mentioned that the exact incubation period of bird flu in humans was not clear though illness appeared to develop within one to five days of exposure to the virus. People fell sick after direct contact with infected birds or bird-contaminated surfaces and not from contact with other animals, he added. He regretted that a very few people were aware of the possible risk factors though the reported human cases of avian influenza included people from all ages. When asked about its treatment, he said no effective vaccine could be developed till bird flu virus mutated and the patients were prescribed antiviral drugs and antibiotics. He stressed that improved public amenities like running water and improved hygiene could be the first and most practical line of defence against killer viruses like the bird flu. Earlier, PMA Karachi General-Secretary Dr Samreena Hashmi introduced the speaker and highlighted the objectives of the session.
