October 2015

Nearly one billion people could be at risk of blindness by the middle of the century if an emerging short-sightedness (myopia) epidemic is ignored, said researchers.

The ebola virus has again been detected in a Scottish nurse who first contracted it in December 2014, a media report said.

Researchers have identified a type of vaginal bacteria that can protect women from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as well as other sexually transmitted infections.

A team of researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, has succeeded in sequencing the genome of Tulsi, a step which will help identify the genes responsible for production of compounds with potential medicinal benefits. The team which included researchers from NCBS, inStem and CCAMP (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms), all members of the Bangalore Life Sciences Cluster, used five different types of Tulsi, (Ocimum tenuflorium subtype Rama, O. tenuflorium subtype Krishna, O. gratissimum, O. saccharicum and O. kilmund) to collect the genomic data.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries announced that Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Ranbaxy), a wholly-owned subsidiary, along with its partners, Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Cipher) and Galephar Pharmaceutical Research, Inc. (Galephar) have entered into a settlement agreement with Actavis Group (Actavis) that dismisses the patent litigation suit relating to Actavis’ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for a generic version of Absorica (isotretinoin capsules). Absorica is the registered trademark of Ranbaxy Laboratories Inc.

Researchers have developed a new smartphone app that help food inspectors inconspicuously collect data related to food safety observations in restaurants and supermarkets without any fuss. The study was published in the journal Food Protection Trends.

Previous research has suggested that exposure to heavy metal toxicants can influence a person's global DNA methylation profile. A new study has revealed that mothers with high levels of lead in their blood not only affect the fetal cells of their unborn children, but also their grandchildren. The study appeared online in the Scientific Reports.

Impax Laboratories, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its generic version of glyburide tablets 1.25 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5 mg. The company is preparing for commercialisation of this product through Impax's generic division.