‘File fresh affidavit on COVID drugs’
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Prices of life-saving drugs should be brought down, says High Court
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Prices of life-saving drugs should be brought down, says High Court
The Telangana High Court on Wednesday directed National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) Director to file a fresh affidavit, observing that an earlier one filed by the authority in response to its direction in a batch of PIL pleas connected to COVID-19 was “ambiguous and lacked clarity”.
A bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy said it was unfortunate that NPPA had failed to comply with the HC’s direction over Coronavirus-related matters. “Central government would not be permitted to play with lives of people who are running from pillar to post to secure life-saving drugs meant for treating Coronavirus-affected patients,” the CJ observed.
Confronting head-on the vexed pricing of COVID-19 vaccines downtoearth.org.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from downtoearth.org.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Is it time to rethink PSE policy?
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Yes, especially in the pharma space where public sector units have the infrastructure, manpower and technical expertise
Recently, the government said that it will be using three public sector enterprises for manufacturing Covaxin to augment the manufacturing capacity under Mission COVID Suraksha.
These were Haffkine Biopharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, a State public sector enterprise (PSE) under the Maharashtra government; Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), Hyderabad a facility under National Dairy Development Board; and Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Ltd (BIBCOL), Bulandshahr, a CPSE under the Department of Biotechnology.
Why this late, many ask. It has also revived the debate on the relevance of PSEs and also whether the government needs to revisit its thinking on ‘Minimising presence of PSEs’ and creating new investment space for the private sector.
Big relief for import-dependent Indian pharma as Sichuan Airlines resumes cargo services
India is sourcing almost 70 per cent of drug intermediates, key starting materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) all essential raw materials needed to manufacture medicines from China
Joe C Mathew | May 12, 2021 | Updated 12:51 IST
Sichuan Airlines resumes cargo services to India
In a major relief to the import-dependent Indian pharmaceutical industry, Chinese state-owned Sichuan Airlines has resumed its cargo services to India. The decision of Sichuan to suspend its services to India due to increasing COVID-19 cases for 15 days from the end of last month had threatened to disrupt the pharmaceutical, medical devices and oxygen concentrator supply chains.
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Hyderabad: China’s state-run Sichuan Airlines, which had suspended its cargo operations to India following the second wave of COVID-19, will restart services from May 9, a top official of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) said on Thursday.
Recently, the Pharmexcil had sought the intervention of Indian Ambassador in China into the supply disruption caused by the suspension ofair cargo services of the airlines to India, for 15 days.
“Reference is invited to the above-mentioned subject.
In this regard, I am directed to inform that Sichuan Airlines is restarting its operations from Chengdu to Chennai from 12th May, and from Chengdu to Bengaluru on 9th May 2021, Director General ofPharmexcil, Udaya Bhaskar told PTI quoting an email from the Department of Pharmaceuticals.