Glaxo to bring in anti-HIV drug
global trials on for hepatitis--B indication : British multinational Glaxo has registered its potential blockbuster anti-AIDS drug, lamivudine (also known as 3-TC), with the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). Glaxo's move is significant, given that lamivudine is presently undergoing clinical trials in several countries for the treatment of hepatitis--B, …
Western MP reels under AIDS outbreak
AIDS has established its roots in western Madhya Pradesh at an alarming rate. According to official sources, of the 208 AIDS patients identified in the state till March this year, 144 belonged to western region. And of the 48 AIDS-related deaths in this period, 30 were from western Malwa.
Biopiracy by the West reaches alarming proportions
The theft by Western corporations of centuries of collective knowledge and innovation developed by Third World women is now approaching epidemic proportions. A prime example of this "biopiracy" is the claim by the US Rice Tec corporation that basmati rice-which for centuries has been grown for centuries in the Doon …
Europe debates state funding for Viagra
Europe's state-funded health care systems are in a blind over whether the government should fund, purchases of Viagra, amid fears that health budgets may be unable to bear the extra financial burden, media report said.
New software to analyse cardiac risk launched
A new interactive software that could analyse health parameters of a person and indicate his risk status and factors with regard to cardiac diseases, has been launched at Bangalore.
HP to control cataract blindness by 2000
Himachal will be the first state in the country to control cataract blindness by the turn of the century. This was stated by Mr P K Dhumal, Chief Minister, while presiding over the state convention of the National Society for Prevention of Blindness today.
Baby boom
Japan has too much money and too few people-too few of the right age, anyway. Japan's medium age is now 40, and the birth rate is well below the replacement level. Two-thirds of women under 30 remain unmarried. Japanese over 65 years old now exceed those below 15.
Roche pulls heart drug
Pharmaceutical firm Hoffmann-La Roche has voluntarily withdrawn its heart drug Posicor from all markets. The move follows concerns that the drug can causepotentially fatal complications when taken in conjunction with other common heart treatments.
Bhutan bans sale of Indian mustard oil
The Bhutan government has banned the sale of mustard oil imported from India. Bhutan imports more than 4 million kg of cooking medium from India every year out of which more than 2 million kg is mustard oil.
WHO group on gene foods
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set up a working group to look into the issues related to the use of genetically engineered foods and other products, the WHO Director-General, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, has said.
Time to learn more about ageing
A research initiative to understand the normal process of ageing-as opposed to diseases such as Alzheimer's -was launched at the British Association meeting being held in Cardiff. The government's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council announced 29 research grants worth 5m pounds and promised more to come over the next …
DNA-based rabies vaccine is tested
Researchers have tested successfully the first DNA-based vaccine against rabies, a virus that has been well known for thousands of years and still kills 40,000 people around the world each year. A report describing the new approach appears in the August issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
CFC-free regrigerant unveiled in Hyderabad
Premier Care, a CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) free refrigerant of the Secunderabad-based Rockwell Industries Ltd (RIL) was formally launched in Hyderabad on Tuesday by the State Chief Minister Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu.
'Ultrasound causes cancer'
Repeated exposures to ultrasound waves, being increasingly used in biology and diagnostic medicine today, might induce cancer, says a study. A joint study, conducted by Dr SN Chatterjee of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics and R Pratima Sur of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, warns laboratory workers who …
A dose of pesticide comes free with full-cream milk
It is safer to consume curd, skimmed milk and lassi than full-cream milk, butter and ghee as the level of pesticide contamination is higher in the latter category of edibles. Presently India consumes about 92,000 tonnes of pesticides, which constitutes 3.75 per cent of the world consumption.
Illegal pesticides used in Bangladesh
The recklesss use of illegal pesticides is posing a major health risk to people in rural Bangladesh, according a study released on Sunday 7 June. The National Minor Irrigation Development Project, incollaboration with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, found residues of the chemicals DDT and heptachlor in sub-soil water which …
Black hole is found in centre of galaxy
An enormous black hole has been discovered at the centre of our galaxy, one that could shed light on how galaxies form, according to findings presented on Monday at a scientific conference. Proof of the long-suspected black hole was presented by Ms Andrea Ghez of the University of California at …
Water authority plays it safe on danger bugs
Melbourne Water has confirmed that it tests reservoirs for contamination every month, including checks for the giardia and cryptosporidium parasites that have crippled Sydney's supply for a month. This counters statements made yesterday by the New South Wales Urban Affairs Minister, Mr Craig Knowles, that Sydney's problems had come to …
Cancer test for mobile phones
With up to a third of Australians now using mobile phones, the Federal Government has commissioned a study to determine if they damage users' brains. With almost six million Australians connected to the mobile phone network, concerns have increased that they could be bombarding brains with harmful doses of electromagnetic …
