Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of News Item titled "2 killed in blast at illegal cracker unit in Thanjavur appearing in The Hindu dated 19.05.2025". The application is registered suo-motu on the basis of the news item titled 2 killed in blast at illegal cracker unit …
Leading Indian pharmaceutical companies such as Nicholas Piramal, Orchid Chemicals and Jubilant Organosys, have tied up with foreign companies to leverage technology, talent and cost-benefits to develop new chemical entities (NCE). Zydus Cadila, the latest to join the bandwagon, announced on February 4 a collaboration with Karo Bio of Sweden, …
The Indian drug industry, which has proven its strengths in manufacturing cheap generic or off-patent medicines for the global market, may soon find a similar generic opportunity in the molecular diagnostic segment. This is after the patent protection on molecular diagnostics based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) platform expired globally. …
When pharmaceutical company Novartis challenged the rejection of its patent application for the leukemia drug Gleevec in Novartis AG v. Union of India, it became the first major legal challenge to India’s newly amended patent law. In 2005, India purportedly made the final changes required to bring its intellectual property …
A Kannan has been feeling dizzy with fever for days, his limbs are shaky. He has come to the government hospital in Tamil Nadu's coastal Cuddalore town with others from nearby Kudikadu village with similar complaints. A common scene in a hospital. But the shock comes when one begins counting. …
Recent progress in chemical water treatment has led to the development of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). AOPs are based on the generation of hydroxyl radicals that can often achieve oxidative destruction of compounds refactory to the conventional ozonation or H2O oxidation. Therefore, industrial wastewaters from bulk drugs (diltiazem hydrochloride and …
a vaccine against malaria, responsible for over a million deaths in the world annually, has shown some promise in tackling the disease in Africa. A study conducted in Mozambique showed that rts,s, the vaccine, may be the first safe vaccine in clinical trials for infants, a group particularly vulnerable. The …
lipitor patent revoked: Pfizer Inc said on October 29 a German court had revoked the drugmaker's patent covering the active ingredient in its blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor. The decision resulted from a patent challenge by generic manufacturers Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd and Basics GmbH, company sources said. The patent expires in …
The antibiotics we consume are now being found in effluents discharged by industrial estates in Andhra Pradesh. Shockingly, the quantities are not minuscule. Researchers who collected samples and then analysed them say the amount of antibiotics they detected has never been reported anywhere else in the world. These industrial estates …
Regulation has not worked for drug industryIt is not as if industry and government have not worked to control pollution. Two common effluent-treatment plants (cetps) were set up in Andhra Pradesh. The Patancheru cetp, which started functioning in 1994, has a capacity of 7.5 million litres a day (mld), while …
Rich producers, users must pay for clean-up Even after years of protest by people affected by this pollution, the problem remains. Waste is not being transported to effluent plants; it is not known how much waste is generated and so how much should be treated and how; and once treated …
Outsourcing polluting processes is common in pharmaceuticals, a fact admitted by both industry and regulators. M Narayana Reddy, president of Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association (BDMA) and owner of Virchow Chemicals, says outsourcing keeps profit margins high. "We at Virchow do not outsource. My profit is a third of what others …
rbx11160, the much-touted first anti-malarial drug developed by drug major Ranbaxy's public-private partnership, will not be out until 2011. The drug may also not be available at a price the poor can afford. A Geneva-based ngo, Medicines for Malaria Venture, has decided to stop funding rbx11160's research. After reviewing the …
Pharmaceutical giants Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have developed two vaccines that they promise will eradicate cervical cancer. Soon after the companies announced their products in mid-2006, public health agencies in the us and Europe began discussing how to integrate them into their vaccine programmes. Now, plans are afoot to deliver the …
diplomatic roadshow: Bangladesh and Myanmar recently signed a deal to construct the first major road between the two countries. The 25-km road is part of an Asian super highway to boost bilateral trade. It is hoped it will eventually connect India, Thailand and China. In another development, India plans to …
the verdict is heavy on symbolism. The Madras High Court dismissed a petition by pharmaceutical giant Novartis challenging section 3d of the Indian Patent (Amendments) Act 2005. Human rights groups said it will help ensure access of drugs to the poor. The company said the ruling will adversely affect innovations …
Attempts to patent inappropriate innovations in the country have met with opposition. In May 2006, drug major Glaxo filed a patent application in Kolkata for hiv drug Combivir, which was a combination of Lamivudine and Zidovudine. The company withdrew the application following opposition from human rights organisations like the Indian …
