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Monday, July 7, 2025 9:46 AM

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Mandaviya asks the G20 to focus on genome sequencing data sharing

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya proposed to G20 members an institutional structure to allow for speedy sharing of genome sequencing data, as well as a neutral and aggregate data-sharing approach among countries, on Monday. He went on to say that this could be done across various pathogens with equitable benefit sharing under the Nagoya protocol, which he was virtually addressing at the G20 Health Ministers meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. “A boost to digital health data systems to enable seamless interoperability of data and creation of longitudinal electronic health records within a country and at the global level is crucial”, Mandaviya added. Mandaviya added that India agrees to mutual recognition of vaccine credentials, including its wider application for interoperability of health data, and expressed hope that the continuous lowered trajectory of COVID-19 is a hopeful sign that the pandemic’s end is near. “The ongoing pandemic has posed multiple challenges on the health systems across the globe, developed and developing countries alike. The present pandemic has highlighted the fault lines in the global health governance and has brought to the fore the importance of strengthening Global Health Architecture. It has reinforced the need to assess health ecosystems, health financing and their linkages in light of the experience in managing the current pandemic”, Mandaviya added while addressing the session. The Union Health Minister advocated for an inclusive, agile and responsive emergency management framework that is supported by a global mechanism of surveillance, sustainable financing and equitable distribution of medical countermeasures.”G20 countries account for 80% of the world’s GDP and share 80% of the world’s cross-border trade, so G20 involvement and leadership will manage the world’s health architecture and future health emergencies. It is essential for strengthening, “said Mandavia. Emphasizing the need for global cooperation, the Minister of Health said, “global health resilience must be created by working towards mutual recognition of vaccine credentials to aid seamless cross-border travel, and the need for expanding research network, m-RNA manufacturing hubs and distributed manufacturing of medical countermeasures with particular focus on the global south.” “G20 countries must prioritize establishing an ecosystem for VTD research, technology transfers and regional manufacturing hubs, especially in Global South. India will also support this endeavour and will collaborate proactively to develop an mRNA vaccine hub in the global south by extending its manufacturing and research capacity”, he added. Source: IANS

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FSSAI has asked online food platforms to adhere to the nutritional value display guidelines

From July 1, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has urged online food platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato to ensure compliance with its standards regarding the display of nutritional value by food service establishments. FSSAI has asked all e-commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs) to ensure provisions on their platforms, including mobile apps, for the display of calorific value and nutrition and allergen information. FBOs would be able to feed data into online platforms as a result of this. In 2020, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued labelling and display requirements for food service establishments. FSSAI said in a letter that “all e-commerce food business operators are hereby directed to enable provision in their online platforms including mobile applications for display of nutritional information… so that FBOs registered on your respective platforms would be able to feed and update such information in respect of each dish/food they are offering for sale.” When contacted, a spokesperson for Zomato stated, “We already showcase nutritional and allergen status where a restaurant voluntarily shares the required information with us. As per the FSSAI guidelines, we are working with the restaurant partners who have now been mandated to enable our customers to make an informed choice.”  Swiggy, on the other hand, did not comment. The FSSAI has also directed its regional directors to ensure that e-commerce FBOs comply with the regulations. The FSSAI directed that the regulations for “Display of Information in Food Service Establishments, as per the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations” 2O2O, which will take effect on July 1, 2022, be followed. Food service enterprises with a central licence or outlets in 10 or more locations are required to list the calorific content (in kcal per serving and serving size) against the food items shown on menu cards, boards, or booklets, according to these laws. They should also give nutrition, allergen, and ingredient information, among other things. The FSSAI also stated that the laws require e-commerce FBOs to obtain the necessary nutritional information from their respective food business operators and post it on their websites where relevant. According to the food regulator, this information will only be displayed for FBOs that meet the standards. Menu labelling will apply to food service enterprises with a central licence, outlets with ten or more locations, and e-commerce FBOs selling food items of those foods that are required to be declared under menu labelling. These requirements do not apply to event caterers or food service establishments that operate for less than sixty days in a calendar year (consecutively or non-consecutively).

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MoU between India and the United States in the health sector has been approved by the Cabinet

The Union Cabinet approved a Memorandum of Understanding between India and the United States on Wednesday, allowing the two countries to collaborate on the development of new, improved, and innovative biomedical tools and technologies to prevent and treat HIV, tuberculosis, Covid-19, and other emerging infectious and neglected diseases. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Biotechnology have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) in the United States. “This Memorandum of Understanding will further boost relations between India and the United States within the context of international scientific and technology collaboration in domains of mutual interest,” according to a Cabinet statement. “Govt led by PM @NarendraModi Ji approves the signing of MoU between India and USA in the field of the health sector. This will further strengthen relations between both countries in fields of mutual interest. #CabinetDecisions,” Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union minister of health and family welfare, tweeted shortly after the cabinet announcement.

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Sun Pharma reports a Rs 2,277 crore loss in the March quarter

Sun Pharma reported a surprising loss of Rs 2,277 crore in the March quarter, owing to one-time charges related to settlement costs and operations restructuring in some countries. In the previous fiscal year, the pharma had a net profit of Rs 894 crore. The Rs 3,936 crore one-time exceptional charge is mostly due to a $485 million (about Rs 3,761 crore) antitrust settlement on three Ranbaxy drugs — Valganciclovir, Valsartan, and Esomeprazole — announced on March 23. A one-time expense of Rs 56 crore is also included in the item, which is related to restructuring operations in several regions. After deducting exceptional items (Rs 3,936 crore) and exceptional tax gain of Rs 76 crore, the company’s adjusted net profit for the quarter was Rs 1,582 crore, up 18 percent over the previous quarter. The company’s revenue increased 11% year over year to Rs 9,386 crore, with India formulation sales jumping 16 percent to Rs 3,095 crore. Revenue from formulations in the United States reached $389 million (about Rs 3,016 crore), up 5% from the previous year. “FY22 was a good year with strong top line and ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) growth,” Sun Pharma MD Dilip Shanghvi said. Despite increased prices, all of our geographies have had double-digit growth, and profitability has improved. The specialty business is continuing to grow rapidly, with global Ilumya sales increasing by 81 percent to $315 million in FY22. Our India business continues to outperform the market, resulting in a larger market share. We’re still concentrating on building our global speciality business, as well as all of our other businesses and improving operational efficiencies.” For the first time, the company exceeded $5 billion in sales for the entire year, with an adjusted net profit of $1 billion. For the whole year, consolidated sales from operations totaled Rs 38,426 crore, up 15.6 percent from the same period last year. Adjusted net profit for FY22 was Rs 7,667 crore, up nearly 29% year-on-year, excluding exceptional items. The reported net profit for FY22 was Rs 3,273 crore, up from Rs 2,904 crore the previous year, a 13 percent increase.

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Honeywell and Narayana Health have partnered to look into co-creating healthcare technologies

Honeywell signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Narayana Hrudayalaya Limited (Narayana Health) on Thursday in Bengaluru to discover, appraise, and collaborate on prospects for the latter’s digital transformation journey. In a statement, Honeywell said, “This will enable Narayana Health to offer technology-driven, affordable, and accessible healthcare for all.” “The Memorandum of Understanding with Narayana Health, one of India’s leading healthcare service providers, offers us with an opportunity to develop a strategic technology development roadmap that will eventually transform India’s healthcare industry,” said Suresh Venkatarayalu, Honeywell’s Chief Technology Officer. “Sensors and digital technology will disrupt healthcare delivery. Narayana Healthcare is delighted to work with Honeywell to develop digital technologies for making healthcare safer, more accessible, and more affordable, “Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman and Executive Director of Narayana Health, stated. According to the statement, Honeywell and Narayana Health will collaborate on product innovation and introduction, establish technology development centres, co-create joint capabilities in technology development and research, and develop fire safety codes that ensure an end-to-end life safety system to make hospitals safer.

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India registers 1,675 COVID-19 cases, 31 deaths

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in India has surpassed 192.52 crore. This was accomplished after 2,42,67,393 sessions. The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination has been given to almost 3.30 crore adolescents so far. COVID-19 precaution dosage administration for the age group 18-59 years began on April 10, 2022, and will continue until April 10, 2023. In the last 24 hours, 1,635 patients have recovered, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 4,26,00,737. As a result, India’s recovery rate is 98.75 percent. In the previous 24 hours, 1,675 new cases and 31 deaths have been reported. The number of active cases in India is presently 14,841. Active cases now account for 0.03 percent of all positive cases in the country. In the previous 24 hours, 4,07,626 COVID-19 tests were done. India has completed approximately 84.74 crore tests in total. The country’s weekly positivity rate is currently 0.49 percent, with a daily positivity rate of 0.41 percent.

India registers 1,675 COVID-19 cases, 31 deaths Read More »

Government has issued an alert for ports and airports due to an increase in monkeypox cases

India has increased surveillance and ordered its port and airport employees to remain vigilant and isolate sick people travelling from impacted countries who have symptoms or a history of monkeypox. The health ministry has also instructed officials to conduct thorough thermal screenings of suspected foreign travellers who have travelled to monkeypox-affected nations in the previous 21 days. According to official sources, the health ministry has asked the National Center for Disease Control and the Indian Council of Medical Research to keep a close eye on the situation and boost community surveillance in the occurrence of a positive case.

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First two cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Canada

The first two cases of monkeypox virus infections in Canada were verified by Canada’s public health ministry on Thursday, after authorities in Quebec province announced they were examining 17 suspected cases.  Monkeypox has been recorded in several countries recently, including Portugal and Spain, with a case in the United States identified by Massachusetts public health officials on Wednesday in a man who had just gone to the Canadian province of Quebec.  “Tonight, the Province of Quebec was notified that two samples received by the NML (National Microbiology Laboratory) have tested positive for monkeypox. These are the first two cases confirmed in Canada,” in a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) claimed that monkeypox had never been seen in Canada previously. Monkeypox is a rare viral infection that is similar to human smallpox but is milder. It’s most common in western and central Africa. It was first discovered in the 1970s in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the previous decade, the number of cases in West Africa has grown. Fever, headaches, and skin rashes that begin on the face and progress to the rest of the body are among the symptoms.  Earlier on Thursday, health officials in Montreal, Quebec’s largest city, told reporters that there was a link between a case of monkeypox in Massachusetts and a few suspected cases in the Montreal region. According to the PHAC, a US citizen who recently travelled to Canada by private transportation “may have been infected before or during” his visit to Montreal. Source: Reuters

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Takeda launches hemophilia drug Adynovate in India

Takeda Pharma has expanded its unique rare diseases portfolio in India with the launch of Adynovate, an extended half-life recombinant Factor VIII (rFVIII) medication for haemophilia A patients that uses existing technology (controlled PEGylation). It also stated that Adynovate, when used in conjunction with MYPKFIT, the first and only FDA-approved app, provides a personalised and interactive prophylaxis treatment option that allows both healthcare professionals and patients to monitor factor VIII levels in real time from the comfort of their own homes using a mobile phone. Patients on prophylaxis receive alerts when their predicted factor VIII levels are low, as well as reminders when their infusions are due, ensuring excellent prophylactic coverage. Adynovate, which is administered in three phases with the BAXJECT III system, avoids the requirement for vial disinfection because vials are fully built in the system housing. It can be stored at room temperature for up to three months without exceeding the expiration date, provided that the temperature does not exceed 30°C (86°F). Takeda Pharma has been focused on driving thorough research to enable the development of successful and novel treatments in the company’s chosen therapy areas as a global leader in pharma, according to the corporate statement.

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Tamil Nadu steps up vigil on border as tomato fever spreads in Kerala

After reports of tomato fever or flu spreading among children, the Tamil Nadu health authority has enhanced its vigilance at all checkpoints bordering Kerala. To scan youngsters under the age of five, health, police, and revenue authorities have been stationed at Walayar check post in Palakkad district, Kalliyakavali in Thiruvananthapuram, and Theni check posts. “The tomato flu or fever is a self-limiting one and there are no specific drugs for it,” a senior official with the Tamil Nadu health department told IANS. “If someone is affected with this disease, they should be kept in isolation as it spread fast from one person to the other.” The tomato flu, also known as tomato fever, is characterised by red rashes and blisters, thus the name. This flu causes severe fever and body aches in children under the age of five, as well as blisters and rashes on the skin. Three teams have been deployed at each check post, according to a Tamil Nadu health department official, to prevent children with rashes and blisters from entering the state. Dehydration, stomach pain, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting are very common symptoms among infected children. Tomato flu has been reported in numerous districts across Kerala, prompting state health minister Veena George to send a caution about the disease. Source: IANS

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