Pharma News

Enzymes, which are crucial to controlling how cells replicate in the human body, could be the very ingredient that encourages DNA to spontaneously mutate – causing potentially permanent genetic errors, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have revamped an anti-cancer drug to better target cancer cells and leave healthy tissues unharmed. Scientists have dubbed this type of targeted approach a “prodrug” — a medicine designed to release its payload in a particular area of the body and in no other areas. The Johns Hopkins-discovered prodrug, called DRP-104 (sirpiglenastat), is in early-stage clinical trials in people with advanced solid tumors.

Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh today said, India is among the top five countries in the world manufacturing life-saving high risk medical devices but the cost of our devices is about one-third of those manufactured by the other four countries.

On Monday, the Mumbai High Court directed the Maharashtra government to re-examine samples of Johnson & Johnson baby powder produced in government or government approved labs.

The division bench of Justices SV Gangapurwala and SG Dige asked additional government pleader Milind More to submit names of labs on November 16.

The state government has dissolved Odisha Pharmacy Council (OPC) and all the present council members have been debarred from attending any meetings of the council over alleged financial irregularities and improper management.

The decision to dissolve OPC was taken based on the recommendations submitted by the enquiry committee headed by the Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Government of Odisha. The Committee also recommended a fresh election.

The process by which the mRNA codes for a particular protein is known as translation. It is the final step in which an mRNA carrying information from DNA synthesises proteins. It is a necessary process performed by almost all living cells, leaving erythrocytes (Reb Blood Cells or RBCs), which are believed to be the only exception. A research team led by Sandeep M Eswarappa, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has identified that mature human RBCs can also make their proteins.

Currently, various classes of drugs are available for the treatment of mental illnesses - such as depression and anxiety disorders. However, although these drugs confer benefits, they are also associated with adverse side-effects. Conseqeuntly, medical researchers continuously thrive to improve the pharmacological properties of therapeutic agents to optimize the benefit-to-side-effect ratio.

BioNTech SE announced its Singapore affiliate BioNTech Pharmaceuticals Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. had entered into an agreement with Novartis Singapore Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Pte. Ltd. to acquire one of its GMP-certified manufacturing facilities. The acquisition is part of BioNTech’s expansion strategy to strengthen its global footprint in Asia. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (“EDB”), the facility will serve as BioNTech’s Regional Headquarters and become its first mRNA manufacturing facility in Singapore.

A recent study by the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital shows that carnitine intake in the first postnatal weeks promotes better growth and larger brain size at term equivalent age in very preterm infants. Carnitine intake from breast milk in particular seems to be associated with better growth. The findings were published in Nutrients.