Price Cap On 12 Cancer Drugs In India

Finally some relief to the cancer patients and their relatives who are equally suffering both mentally and financially thanks to the excessive prices of the Cancer drugs. With the government of India’s decision to revise the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) and national Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s recommendations, the prices of 12 cancer medicines in India may slash soon. The cost of the cancer drugs enlisted by the NELM will see a cut soon by DPCO (Drug Price Control Order).

The effort of controlling the price of the cancer medicines had to face a lot of controversies and opposition and challenges from the both side; people who were asking for reconsideration of the medicine prices and were agitating since the price hike since the last April as well as the pharmaceutical companies who were not in the favour of price slash and wanted to set their own prices.  A list of drugs that can save the patients from some of the life threatening diseases staring from breast cancer to leukaemia have come under the price control. These drugs usually costs from three thousand to eight lakh. In order to make the treatment available and affordable to all the cancer patients belonging to every strata of the society, Pharmaceutical pricing Authority of India has suggested to include 12 essential drugs in the list of NLEM. If the recommendation is accepted then many of these lifesaving cancer drugs will be available at an affordable price in India.

This significant step can help to drop the total cost of cancer treatment effectively. For example, the treatment for brain tumour using Temozolomide right now costs 2.16 lakh for the innovator brands while the generic variants are available at 20 thousands. Similarly, Irinotecan which is required mainly for treating ovaries and lung cancers costs around 1.87 lakh for innovator while it is available at 25 thousands for the generic variants. According to a number of renowned oncologists in India, this step will help a number of patients suffering from various types of cancers.

Though it is completely depended upon the Department of Pharmaceuticals whether they will give the approval to national Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s proposal, it is somewhat clear that Indian government is also strongly supporting the proposal. In a question answer round in Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament, the honourable minister of Chemicals and fertilizers has confirmed that a core committee of some experts has been formed in order to review the proposal. He further confirmed that a chain of pharmacies has been established countrywide where these medicines will be available at an affordable price. This would be an ideal way to promote the cancer medicines in India among the people.

India is a poor country if we consider the average income group which rule the society. There are very few people who can afford to spend thousands of rupees for treatment or get health insurance coverage. Therefore, it is expected that, these people will definitely find it difficult to access the cancer drugs which costs around $47 to $12600 i.e. Rs. 3000 to 800000 in Indian currency. People falling in the average income group will be benefited hugely if the suggested 12 cancer medicines India come under the price control.

Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best! Let's pray for the recovery and good health of the Cancer patients. 

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Parental Nutrition In ICU Is A Safe Therapy To Go With

Parenteral nutrition is the method where a person who can not eat and digest normally anymore, is being fed intravenously. The nutritional formula that include certain nutrients like amino acid, glucose, dietary minerals, lipids and vitamins is being received by the person.

There are two types of parenteral nutrition. One is total parenteral nutrition and the other one known as peripheral nutrition. Total parenteral nutrition is being applied when there no other way is left to obtain nutrition. Peripheral nutrition is the process that eases the access in the limb. Parenteral nutrition has become very much familiar to people as it can sustain fat-free mass in those patients who are experiencing crucial situations like chronic diseases, sarcopenic, ageing, obesity and pre-existing undemutrition that can be resulted into increased muscle catabolism and hyperglycaemia.

Steps to use of parenteral nutrition in ICU:

There are few steps to use of parenteral nutrition in ICU. Generally doctors recommend the parenteral nutrition without specific indication for the first forty eight hours. At first the medical team take the option of feeding route in the patient admitted in ICU. The clinical outcome may get worsened if enteral nutrition all alone is being linked with inadequate coverage of energy requirements. After that the patient is being recommended to experience certain method like third lumber vertebra-targeted computerised tomography, tigh bioimpedance electrical analysis, thigh ultra-sound imaging in order to keep the track of fat free-mass during ICU days for obvious reasons. Then the nutrition administration is being advised within the four days after the patient got admitted. This is how the fat-free mass loss gets reduced and clinical outcomes get improved. Medical researchers have already given some demonstration of controlled trials if there any complication arises while feeding the patients intravenously.

Things to be avoided:

Make sure that glycaemia of the patient must be controlled and the ovemutrition must be avoid while using parenteral nutrition in order to make the process cautious. 

Supplemental parenteral nutrition:

Supplemental parenteral nutrition is being advised in most of the cases in order to improve the nutritional status as well as the energy provision. Supplemental nutrition is the combination of enteral nutrition and parenteral nutrition that eases the calorie delivery and boosts the energy during illness. It also reduces the chances of side effects that may take place because of enteral nutrition. Enteral nutrition aims to combat with sixty percent of energy target and diarrhoea where as the supplemental nutrition cures the whole problem fast. 

Overfeeding is strictly restricted:

Make sure the patient must not be overfed in the name of parenteral nutrition. Overfeeding does not help in increasing the energy level and combating with the diseases. On the contrary it triggers the risk of various infections and metabolic disorders. It also causes liver dysfunction.

On the other hand, if enteral nutrition and parenteral nutirition get combined in a perfect manner, it may balance the control of glycaemia. It also decrease the needs of insulin and reduce the risk of hyperglycaemia. Therefore this sequential approach must be considered and the supplementary parental nutrition should be applied in order to reach the energy target, to avoid the risk of infection and overfeeding. However, it can be said easily that parenteral nutrition is a safe therapy in ICU as long as overfeeding is avoided. It is not only being proved as a safe therapy but also as an affordable therapy. Therefore, it has become very much popular in clinical studies.

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Why You Should Not Buy Cheap Cancer Drugs

In the developing world like India, infectious diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS can be treated with comparatively cheaper drugs. In past few years, health officials have refused to give patents to two breast cancer drugs. This decision is to limit patents on the costly branded medicines. Such move is creating another tension, where it is being found out that cancer-related deaths are more often in India than US. That’s the reason makes the medicine makers focus their sales growth in medium developed nations.

One of the rejections occurred when a member of Indian federal board of patent officially canceled a patent on a medicine for breast cancer named lapatinib, sold as Tykerb. It is sold by the famous pharmaceutical company named Glaxo Smith Kline. Another drug is trastuzumab, which is sold as Herceptin was not granted the patent, as accused by Roche, a Swiss drug company. It states that a patent office which is situated in Kolkata has declined to grant a patent for the medicine. The officials, however, have allowed other patents that will prevent both the medicines from the competition which is generic. This will continue till the year 2019. This action will allow an opportunity for the generic drugs manufacturers to step in beyond 2019.

The pressure is ever increasing on medicine companies to keep the pricing of medicines in such a way that the medicines will be charged differently in various part of the country depending on their income. A company like Roche claimed that they have already offered such pricing via special programmes. But their own business figure show that they have only sold medicines which covers only 15% of the patients who suffer from breast cancer. If the percentage can be turned into numbers, we can see that they have treated only 3700 Indian women.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia is a type of cancer. It mostly affects blood. The age of the people who are affected by the cancer are in their 40s and 50s. Compare to another form of cancers, this particular one spreads very slowly. 4-5 people are affected by this disease in India out of 1,00,000 people. It includes 10% of total cancer population. The treatment which includes bone marrow transplant and targeted therapy. The therapy involves oral medicines and the medication continues for five years. But in few critical cases, the patient might need the medication for a lifetime.

Glivec is a medicine which cures chronic myeloid leukemia. Specific bone marrow cells get damaged and start producing white blood cells in an excessive manner. This action causes fatigue. It also causes hip pain in the initial stage. The impact used to be acute. But the medicine Glivec, its success rate is more than 95%.

The supreme court has rejected a patent against a life selling cancer drug. The name of the medicine is Glivec. Glivec is a medicine from the house of Novartis AG. This decision relieved a huge number of patients in India as well as other developing countries. The reason being, the decision has brought down the drug escalation cost to a great extent. But again, this is a very big setback for those multinational pharmaceutical companies, which were denied a patent for their series of medicines which are life-saving for a very long period of time.

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A Complete Guide To Nutrition, Food And Health

1. What do we understand about nutrition?

Nutrition is the process where we get the necessary food for our physical growth. It is the science of food which is related to health. Lack of nutrition can cause complex diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and osteoporosis. Nowadays we are more cautious on how to prevent diseases rather than let the disease affect us and then we try to cure it. The most common nutrient deficiency is Vitamin C deficiency.

A poor diet which lacks the nutrients beneficial for our body can directly affect us both physically and mental health. Children are highly prone to the negative effect of bad nutrition. For them, bad diet can cause poor dental health. It is always better to avoid foods which are high on processed sugar and fat. Instead, you can replace their snacks with varieties of nuts, fruits and veggies instead of candies, burgers and chips.

2. Food and health: 

Food is essential part of our lives as this is our primary requirement. This needed to feed our physical and mental energy. There is a common saying, we are what we eat. So it definitely matters what we eat as it effects our efficiency of mind and body. Balanced diet means the balance of proteins, fats and minerals in our food. That is the reason dietitians always suggests us to have balance diet which is are the best foods and minerals.

The physical structure of food changes during consumption which alters the nutrients and other components are delivered to the body. As a common man, we have very little knowledge about how food effects our mind and body.

We get our energy from food but at times we tend o overeat. If you eat more even when you are not hungry then it reduces the benefits of food To digest more food, the digestive organs needs to work more. In that way our body loses its energy and body organs are deprived of energy. Thus, the organs become weak and fails to perform their regular functions. It is always better to give your digestive system a rest at least once a week. Thus you will get rid of the toxins from your body as the digestive organs are getting rest.

3. Types of food you should eat:

Fruits and vegetables:

Always prefers fruits and vegetables which are seasonal and fresh. It will be cheaper as well. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a good option only when you have time to shop from fresh ones.

Grains:

Grains include rice, barley, millet, maize, wheat, oats and cous cous. They are used to make bread, noodles and pasta. Whole grain food provide you more vitamins and minerals and fibre. Refined grains are white rice and white flour.

Carbohydrates and sugar:

It’s a common belief that rice and potatoes are carbs. But these are only examples of a vast food range which are carbohydrate rich. There are few more food items which has carbohydrates, such as, Grains, fruits and vegetables, sugary food items.

Dairy:

Dairy foods are rich in calcium which is essential for your bones. A healthy amount of calcium reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Milk, Curd, cheese, yogurt, ice-cream and butter are a considered as dairy products.

Salt:

Processed food is the main source from where we get the maximum amount of salt. Excess amount of salt intake can increase blood pressure as well as heart diseases. 

Fats and oil:

Fats are essential part of our diet but like anything else, don’t overdo it. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats are good for health. But saturated and trans fat can harm your health.

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Pros And Cons Of Adapting Artificial Parental Nutrition

What is parental nutrition?

Parental nutrition which is also known as intravenous feeding is a mechanism where the body gets the nutrition through the veins. Parental nutrition delivers nutriments such as carbohydrates, sugar, proteins, lipids and trace elements to the body. This nutrition is used for those who cannot get their core nutrients from food. Few examples include patients with the short bowel syndrome, cancer and Crohn's disease. It is also used for patients who suffer from conditions that results in low blood flow to the bowels.

The objective of nutritional support is to restrict fat-free mass loss which has its own negative consequences. Critical illness is characterised by metabolic and nutritional disorders, which results in hyperglycaemia and fat-free mass loss. Enteral nutrition is frequently associated with energy requirements but with insufficient coverage. Subsequent energy declination worsens the clinical outcome.

Side effects of parental nutrition

Few of the most common side effects of parental nutrition are skin changes, mouth sores and poor night vision. Patients should consult the doctor if the problems persist. The other common side effects are

• Memory loss
• Fatigue
• Difficulty in breathing
• Muscle weakness and cramps
• Irregular heartbeat
• Swelling of limbs
• Irregularities of weight
• Fever or chills
• Stomach ache
• Reflexes
• Tingling of hands and limbs
• Thirst
• Vomiting

Benefits of parental nutrition

Few of the most common problem of using parental nutrition is getting Liver disease, catheter infection, bone disease and blood clots are few other risks.

The most common risk of using parental nutrition is developing catheter infection. Other risks include blood clots, liver disease, and bone disease. It is mandatory to maintain needles, catheters, clean tubing and other equipment to minimize these risks.

What is artificial parental nutrition?

Artificial parental nutrition is used for patients who desire to prolong their life at their earlier stages of serious illness. At the end of life, there are no benefits to support the use of artificial parental nutrition. Artificial nutrition or hydration is a treatment that delivers fluids or nutrition of any means other than a human being, providing him something in his mouth and make the patient swallow it.

There are two types of artificial nutrition and hydration.

1. Enteral: When nutrition via fluids is delivered through a tube placed in the patient’s gastrointestinal tract. The tube may be placed via nose and throat to the stomach (nasogastric tube) or small intestine. The way is when the tube is surgically placed in the intestine (jejunostomy tube) or through the abdomen wall in the stomach (gastrostomy tube).

2. Parental: When a catheter is being used to deliver nutrition or fluids, which is usually placed in a vein of the body. It may be placed in a central vein (one of the larger veins of the body which is closer to the heart) or in a peripheral vein (which is placed in the lower part of the arm).

Here are few pros and cons of artificial parental nutrition:

Pros

• Ease of administration
• Nutrition in setting of mucositis
• Easier correction of fluid and electrolyte disturbances

Cons

• High financial cost
• Catheter-associated infections
• Fluid overload
• Hyperglycemia
• Catheter-associated thrombosis
• Hepatic dysfunction
• Promotes enterocyte atrophy leading to loss of gut barrier function
• Abnormalities due to blood electrolyte 
• Additional nursing time for activities which are nonclinical

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Top Sports And Bodybuilding Supplements – A Complete Guide For You

People who are associated with sports and body building will definitely accept the fact that nutritional supplements are of great help! It will be help them not only build up the right body structure but will also help in gaining the required energy for better performance. There are different types of nutritional supplements available in the market and one has to choose the best option available for them. 

Let's take a look at the complete guide to sports and body building supplements: 

Creatine: It is one of the most economical supplements available in the market for people who are into high-intensity activity. But, you should also note here that if you are more into aerobics and planning to increase your work capacity, this nutritional supplement will not be the best for you. There are very few  nutritional supplements that can match creatine. It can be naturally found in meat. So, if you are in a habit of consuming meat, then you might not be in need of creatine supplements. The main aim of this supplement is act as backup phosphate donor in order to replenish ATP. Well, ATP is the most elemental form of energy and also the major source of energy for all muscular contractions. 

Casein Whey Protein Supplements: This protein supplement helps in promoting positive nitrogen balance in the body of the bodybuilders and athletes. Milk protein consists of 80 percent casein and 20 percent whey. So, if you are having milk protein, it can help you to avoid consuming this protein supplement. It should also be noted here that any longer acting protein similar to that of casein will help prevent too much breakdown of protein ultimately promoting growth. It should also be noted that whey is a primary endogenous antioxidant as well as a liver detoxifier in the body.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids: These nutritional supplements are easily available in fatty fish like sardines, mackerel as well as herring. You need to eat fatty fish at least 3 times in a week so that you do not go deficient on it. However, if you do not eat fish, then you will have go for nutritional supplements that are rich in Omega 3 Fatty Acids. If your body does not have proper amount of these fatty acids, then the brain neurotransmitter function can be hampered leading to depression and aggression.

Antioxidants: Many of the fruits, vegetables, meat and fish are rich in antioxidants. You can consume them in order to get the right amount of antioxidant for your body. It should be noted that exercise produces different oxidative reactions which are normally toxic to the bodies. As the body's antioxidant system normally gets disturbed by exercise, supplemental antioxidants will help to stabilize the body. They will also help you deal with toxic oxidants. 

Post workout recovery drinks: These drinks are similar to protein drinks. These nutritional supplements contain simple carbs as well as other nutrients which helps in promoting growth as well as muscular recovery. One of the best proteins that can be found in these drinks include whey. They rapidly get absorbed. Moreover the simple carbs found in these drinks help in promoting glycogen replenishment and insulin release.

Now you have a list of five major nutritional supplements that can help athletes as well as bodybuilders. So, if you are one of them and if you are planning to get some nutritional supplements, then you know which ones to go for!

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Fake And Safe Online Pharmacy – 5 Ways To Distinguish Between Them

Online pharmacy or online medicine shopping has grown very popular in the recent times. Similar to Flipkart and Amazon, various medical e-commerce websites have come up which will help you in getting medicines delivered now at the doorstep. Many people are buying medicine through this option mainly because they do not have to visit the pharmacy to buy medicines as well as many of the online pharmacies give quite a large amount of discount. Thus, it helps people to save money.

However, though there are so many benefits of online medicine shopping, it should be noted that there can be various problems associated with them. You should be careful about fake and safe online pharmacy in order to choose the best medicine option for your family. 

Here are some of the symptoms which will show whether or not the online pharmacy is fake: 

Buy drugs without prescription: At the fake online pharmacies, you will be able to buy medicines without prescription. You can just list the medicine in your shopping cart and get them delivered at your home. 

Too good to be true prices: When you are dealing with fake online pharmacies, you will find that they will provide you with deep discounts or extra cheap rates that might seem to be too good to be true. 

Unsolicited e-mail: Fake online medical shops will send you spam and unsolicited e-mails that will claim to offer some cheap drugs. 

Located outside the country: Normally the fake online medicine shops will claim to be located outside the country. So, you should check the contact address before placing medicine orders. 

Not licensed in the country: Fake online medicine shops will not have the registration from the government agency within the country. Rather, they might show some registration of some other country or some unknown agency. 

So, how will you know which online medicine shopping agency is genuine? Well, there are certain signs which you should look for in order to be on the safer side with an online pharmacy: 

Doctor's prescription: Any genuine online pharmacy will require doctor's prescription. Thus, while placing the order for medicines, you will be asked to provide a scan copy of the prescription. It will prove the authentication of the deal. 

Provides mailing address and telephone number within the country: You should definitely check out whether or not the website of the online medicine has their physical address and telephone number mentioned on it. This will help you to know their authentication. 

Availability of a pharmacist: A genuine online medicine shop will have a pharmacist at your service. You will be able to ask your queries to the pharmacist and in turn get the best advice. Moreover, the pharmacist will be able to let you know whether or you should go for a specific medicine or change to some other option. 

License from the state board of pharmacy: You should definitely check out whether or not the online pharmacy from where you are buying the medicine has the license from your state board of pharmacy. 

Now that you know the various guidelines through which you will be able to judge whether or not the online shop is genuine, it will be easier for you to choose between the fake and the genuine online pharmacy. Thus, you be at a safer side if you follow these tips!

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