October 2015

DelMar Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of new cancer therapies, announced that it presented positive preclinical data demonstrating the promising potential of its lead product candidate VAL-083 (dianhydrogalactitol) as a treatment for ovarian cancer.

The country has witnessed an increase in availability of allopathic doctors with their number standing at 9.38 lakhs, according to National Health Profile-2015, which was released by Union Health Minister J P Nadda. The National Health Profile-2015, published by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI), said that up to 2014, the country has 9,38,861 doctors possessing recognised medical qualifications under the Indian Medical Council Act.

India has one of the highest rates of antibiotic resistance in the world, said a recent report, stressing on limiting the use of antibiotics through improved water, sanitation and immunisation.

With a large number of tribal population suffering from sickle-cell anaemia and thalassemia, the government has established a research centre in Chandrapur in Maharashtra to help early detection and control of these blood related disorders. The Union Health Ministry said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has initiated efforts to set up a satellite centre of National Institute of Haemoglobinopathies (Mumbai) in the Chandrapur district. The Ministry said that since the establishment of a permanent centre may take time, ICMR has acquired a portion of the district TB Hospital in Chandrapur to start the research activities.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, a global leader in the science of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring, has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for aortic valve-in-valve procedures using the Edwards Sapien XT transcatheter heart valve.