Health Industry

[Guest]

I was worried about this so-called cheap medicine. When I was young, dispensaries was I think only option for Govt employees. Now I think my family back home rely on non-govt Chemist shops. I think quality issue.

Regarding election, can't bet on anything.

[Capt M Kumar]

<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> The doubts raised by you are expressed here also:
WHO drops plan to declare generic drugs 'spurious'
29 Jan 2009, 0222 hrs IST, Rupali Mukherjee & Kounteya Sinha, TNN
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NEW DELHI: Domestic generic industry can now breathe easy. A resolution if implemented posed a big threat to availability and production of
legitimate Indian generics — has been dropped by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The resolution was dropped after stiff opposition from developing countries mainly Brazil, Bangladesh, India and south east Asian countries. There were apprehensions that legitimate generic drugs may be declared counterfeit or confused with spurious, if a proposal pushed by developed nations, in particular European Commission and EU and US pharma bodies, was accepted at the WHOs executive board meet in Geneva.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health_...how/4044628.cms

[Husky]

Of course, chinadaily.com.cn was happy to repeat the following -

http://www.blnz.com/news/2009/01/18/Faulty...India_5953.html
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Faulty gene condemns millions in India to heart disease: study</b>
AFP
AFP Global Edition

Jan 17, 2009 19:00 EST

Tens of millions of people from the Indian subcontinent are destined to suffer heart disease due to a single genetic mutation, according to a study released Sunday.

The wayward gene, found almost exclusively among the more than 1.5 billion people in or from South Asia, is almost guaranteed to lead to heart trouble, usually later in life, the researchers reported.

Four percent of the region's population -- some 60 million people -- carry the mutation, concludes the study, published in Nature Genetics.

Scientists have long suspected that India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and probably Bangladesh carry an outsized share of the global <b>burden</b> of heart disease.
(Are they playing the <i>blame</i> game with this? So we're a "burden" now? How? Well, good news is: fewer people will hopefully want to intermarry with our kind. The loss of attention would be really welcome.)

One recent study predicts that by the end of this year India alone will account for 60 percent of the world's heart-related problems, which can have both lifestyle and genetic origins.

The new research by an international team of 25 scientists and doctors from four countries provides a partial answer as to why this is so: an unexpectedly common defect in a gene, MYBPC3, that provides the blueprint for a certain kind of heart protein.

"The mutation leads to the formation of an abnormal protein," said the study's main architect, Kumarasamy Thangaraj of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderbad, India.

"Young people can degrade the abnormal protein and remain healthy, but as they get older it builds up and eventually results in the symptoms that we see."

These include severe hypertension, an inflammation and weakening of the heart called cardiomyopathy, and death due to sudden cardiac arrest.

Thangaraj and colleagues first discovered the mutation -- the deletion of 25 bits of genetic code -- five years ago in two Indian families. But its significance only came to light with the new research.

In two separate clinical tests, researchers checked for the presence of the variant in 800 heart patients and 699 healthy individuals across India.

The link between the symptoms and the genetic defect "were almost off the scale," leaving no doubt that the mutation played a key role in causing heart disease.

Further tests in different parts of the country of 28 unrelated families carrying the mutation showed that more than 90 percent of the oldest members in each family had heart problems.

While virtually absent among peoples from other parts of the world, the deadly genetic variant is equally spread across most of India's regions, its social castes, as well as its language and religious groups.

In a follow-up sampling of more than 2,000 indigenous individuals from 26 countries across five continents, the telltale mutation showed up in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with some presence in Malaysia and Indonesia, but nowhere else.

The findings raise a perplexing question: if the bit of missing genetic code is so harmful, how did it become so common? Why did it not die out over the course of evolution, as usually happens to maladapted genes?

"The harmful effects are felt mainly late in life after people have had their children, so the mutation is essentially invisible to natural selection," explained co-author Chris Tyler-Smith, a researcher at The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England.

"When carriers have children, the genes remain in the population," he told AFP by phone.

While many diseases hit in old age, very few are caused by a single mutation.

"The only other example I can think of is Alzheimer's, where there is a variant that affects the very late-onset form of the disease," Tyler-Smith said.

The MYBPC3 variant, he added, probably accounts for no more than five percent of heart disease in India, but still affects tens of millions of people.

"The bad news is that many of these mutation carriers have no warning that they are in danger," said Perundurai Dhandapany of Madurai Kamaraj University in Madurai, India.

"But the good news is that we now know the impact of the mutation."

The researchers said the findings should lead to better screening to identify those at risk, and may ultimately pave the way for the development of new treatments.

An estimated 17 million people around the world die of cardiovascular diseases every year, particularly heart attacks and strokes.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->More reasons for Indians who want to make it longer to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

[Pandyan]

Instead of eating pakoras, maybe they could eat carrot sticks.

[shamu]

Rather than changing Indian food habits, Indians should return to their martial traditions. Practice, traditional martial arts, Yoga etc. and most of the health issues will go away.

It is the change in life style that caused more damages than food.

[Husky]

<!--QuoteBegin-shamu+Feb 4 2009, 10:15 AM-->QUOTE(shamu @ Feb 4 2009, 10:15 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Rather than changing Indian food habits, Indians should return to their martial traditions. Practice, traditional martial arts, Yoga etc. and most of the health issues will go away.

It is the change in life style that caused more damages than food.
[right][snapback]94238[/snapback][/right]<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->I agree completely.

Instead of sitting around watching junk (all bollywho movies and christomedia), Hindus should switch off the tele that has been taken over by terrorism in India, get up and do the things Shamu said.

Sorry Pandyan, there can be no compromising on food.
It's one thing to do away with bad taste (bollybleh movies, manufactured news), but it goes against all reason to get rid of good taste (Hindu fooood).

[Capt M Kumar]

<!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> A Pill a Day Keeps You Slaving Away
Tuesday, 06 January 2009 16:34

EMerck India Ltd, division of global pharmaceutical giant Merck has unveiled a new line of drug that will help millions of corporate employees in coping with recession and consequent fear of job loss by keeping them fit and healthy enough to reach their workplaces each and every day.

This new drug called Slavac (Generic formulation - Salaryde slaverine) developed by EMerck is an antirecessant and will be used for alleviating the paranoia caused by the prospect of losing one's job due to absenteeism under recessionary conditions in the job market.

The development of this miracle drug was prompted by reports of corporate professionals using antibiotics to avoid taking time off from their jobs in order to rest and recuperate after a flu or cold attack. Gruelling work schedules and intense pressure to perform by exacting superiors has made the option of rest and recuperation at home a far-fetched fantasy for most of employees in today's job market. As a result, many of them are left with no other option but to beg their physicians for antibiotic prescriptions to avoid being absent from work.

slavac-n"Slavac contains the formulation salaryde slaverine, which prevents viral attack by releasing a molecule that suppresses any viral activity in the body for the period of almost 24 hours. A single pill of Slavac taken every morning will ensure that the body doesn't succumb to cold or flu infection during the day" EMerck Chairman S.N. Talwar said during a press conference yesterday.

Continued Talwar, "Those wishing to never again suffer the ignominy of taking a day off from work, shame of wasting their valuable work hours restoring their bodies back to health or paranoia of being a given a pink slip for not being fit enough to slave 365 days a year for their bosses are advised to take a pill of Slavac every single day of their working lives."

"A pill a day will keep you slaving away" added Mr. Talwar who also informed reporters about the success of 6-week long double-blind trials during which the formulation was found to be effective in keeping the patient fit and sickness-free even after introduction of viral agents in the body.

Public reaction to the new medication has been generally positive. Millions of hard-working employees across the nation are scrambling for the opportunity, any opportunity, to temporarily escape from the anguish of spending few wasteful days relaxing at home, watching television and playing with their kids, due to sudden viral attack.

Mrs. Leena Chandra, who was one of those who took part in the trials was very happy with the results of the pill. "Taking this pill allows me to work for 18 hours instead of the normal 14 hours I used to work before. It helps me in keeping my concentration focused on my boring job throughout the day despite the terrible monotony of my work. Now I can keep working till I pass out from exhaustion"

Employers who supervised the trials of the antirecessant medication also are full of praise for the wonder drug. Mr. Rajiv Mehta, CEO of Gandhinagar Tubes Pvt.Ltd said "Slavac has the potential of increasing productivity in my factory and office even more than threats of salary cuts and job dismissals. It makes me very angry that my workers and office staff work only 14-15 hours a day. They also tend to frequently fall ill and take sick leaves. But if they start taking this pill everyday, their whole lives will belong to me."

"Now I will be able to work throughout the day and every day without taking any breaks and without suffering from any physical breakdowns. When your job is under threat due to recessionary market conditions, it is very important to stay ahead of the curve in order to survive. Otherwise how can you expect not to be fired from your job for succumbing to flu or cold frequently" said Leena Chandra.

Like every drug, Slavac too is not without dangerous side-effects. "Taking the pill everyday for several years could take a toll on the body in the long-run. While the formulation suppresses viral activity in the short-term, it can result in the weakening of the immune system and effectively reduce lifespan by 10-15 years." warned Talwar.

"But on the brighter side, shorter lifespans will preemptively cure employees of post-retirement blues. Employees who take Slavac dosage regularly will have the satisfaction of devoting their entire lives to their work and to their bosses. Working longer hours everyday, they will also be spared the burden of finding hobbies and interests to while away the extra hours they have at their disposal."

"In the long run, the biggest benefit of the drug will be reduction in unemployment statistics as shorter lifespans would create more jobs in the economy." added Talwar.

EMerck expects that Slavac would outsell every other pill in the market for the next few years. Whether it proves to be truly antirecessant or not for its millions of users, there is no doubt that Slavac will help keep EMerck free from recessionary pressures.

[Guest]

[url="http://www.dailypioneer.com/226737/25000-Indian-origin-British-doctors-to-return-to-India.html"]25,000 Indian-origin British doctors to return to India[/url]

Nearly 25,000 British doctors of Indian origin are set to return to India within two to four years and some of them are "most likely to join the seven AIIMS-like institutions" proposed to be set up by the central Government.



"There are around 15,000 young Indian-origin doctors undergoing training in different parts of Britain who will return to India," Ramesh Mehta, president of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, told IANS.

Well, already Govt hospitals are bad place to go, now with NHS trained doctors, it will go from bad to worse.

For Indian environment, India trained doctors are well suitable, NHS good for delay through paper work and no work.