Science Today

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The health ministry has banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 fixed dose combinations (FDCs) of drugs with immediate effect and restricted another six. This brings to an end a protracted legal  battle between manufacturers of these combination drugs and the ministry, which has been working since 2016 to get these “irrational” and “unsafe” drugs banned. Among the roughly 6,000 brands estimated to be affected by the ban are popular drugs like the painkiller Saridon, the skin cream Panderm, combination diabetes drug Gluconorm PG, antibiotic Lupidiclox and antibacterial Taxim AZ. The government had banned 344 FDCs on March 10, 2016 and later added five more to this list. However, manufacturers of these drugs contested the ban in various high courts and the Supreme Court. The SC on December 15, 2017 asked for the matter to be examined by the Drugs Technical Advisory Board. DTAB concluded in its report that there was no therapeutic justification f...

Discovery could enable development of new anti-viral therapies Date:September 10, 2018 Source:University of Cambridge Summary:Scientists have developed a new technique that can determine how viruses interact with a host's own RNA. As well as providing insight into how viruses direct the host cell to create new virus particles, this technique could allow researchers to design artificial molecules capable of blocking the virus replication process and preventing the virus spreading. RNA viruses are often considered to present the highest threat for triggering a worldwide pandemic. In the absence of effective and available vaccines or medicines, the diseases caused by RNA viruses such as Ebola virus, Zika virus and SARS coronavirus, exert a significant public health impact, while viruses attacking swine cause heavy losses to the pig farming industry. Meanwhile new RNA viruses continue to emerge, due to their rapid evolution. RNA viruses are so-called because they use RNA instead o...

Pfizer is shutting down two clinical studies assessing the anti-myostatin monoclonal antibody domagrozumab (PF-06252616) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A Phase II safety and efficacy study (B5161002) and an open-label extension study (B5161004) are being terminated, following a primary analysis of data. The Phase II study B5161002 - investigating the efficacy and safety of domagrozumab, administered in monthly IV doses, in 121 boys aged 6 to 15 with DMD, regardless of underlying mutation - failed to meet its primary efficacy endpoint of demonstrating a difference in the mean change from baseline in 4 Stair Climb (in seconds) following one year of treatment. “Further evaluation of the totality of evidence including secondary endpoints did not support a significant treatment effect,” Pfizer said, further stressing that the studies were not terminated for safety reasons. “We are disappointed by these results and while we are not progressing wi...

Presenting by: M. Mirza Riyaz Beig  Air pollution is dumbing us down, according to a study published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers found that exposure to toxic air could wield an average loss of one year's worth of education. The study, conducted in China, found that air pollution affects the cognitive performance of all age groups, though its effects were most pronounced for those over 64 years. Air pollution is responsible for 7 million deaths a year, according to The Guardian.