Mylan Introduces Critical Care Segment in India

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch commented, "The introduction of Mylan's Critical Care segment represents another milestone in the expansion of our commercial presence in India and supports our mission to expand access to high quality medicine around the world. Moreover, the Critical Care segment allows us to better satisfy the unmet medical needs of patients living with life-threatening diseases. The bacterial disease burden in India is among the highest in the world2 and as a result, critical care medicines play an increasingly important role in limiting morbidity and mortality."

Bresch continued, "As an indicator of disease burden, pneumonia causes an estimated 410,000 deaths in India each year.2 Many of these deaths occur because patients do not have access to life-saving antibiotics. We look forward to playing a central role in expanding access to affordable, quality medicine that these individuals desperately need."

Mylan President Rajiv Malik added, "This new segment further diversifies our product offerings in India. In the past 18 months alone, we have delivered on our commitment to providing high quality medicine to patients in India through the introduction of four unique and innovative segments – Antiretroviral, Women's Care, Oncology and, now, Critical Care. We are pleased to offer AmBisome as one of our first critical care products, and we look forward to introducing several more high-growth critical care products, including high-end antibiotics, in the near future."

AmBisome treats life-threatening, systemic fungal infections and the parasitic disease visceral leishmaniasis. The product is the innovator brand of Liposomal Amphotericin B and is widely accepted by hematologists, oncologists and intensivists for the treatment of suspected or definitive systemic fungal infections.

This press release includes statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including with regard to the company's future growth and performance. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the impacts of competition; changes in economic and financial conditions of the company's business; uncertainties and matters beyond the control of management; and the other risks detailed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

Mylan is a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting new standards in health care. Working together around the world to provide 7 billion people access to high quality medicine, we innovate to satisfy unmet needs; make reliability and service excellence a habit; do what's right, not what's easy; and impact the future through passionate global leadership. We offer a growing portfolio of more than 1,300 generic pharmaceuticals and several brand medications. In addition, we offer a wide range of antiretroviral therapies, upon which approximately 40% of HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries depend. We also operate one of the largest active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturers and currently market products in approximately 140 countries and territories. Our workforce of more than 20,000 people is dedicated to improving the customer experience and increasing pharmaceutical access to consumers around the world. But don't take our word for it. See for yourself. See inside. Mylan.com

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mylan-introduces-critical-care-segment-in-india-2014-03-11?reflink=MW_news_stmp

GlaxoSmithKline spices things up with £625m Indian deal

Britain’s biggest drugs company increased its stake from 50.7 per cent to 75 per cent in GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, which will remain publicly listed.

The 90-year-old Indian business has two manufacturing plants and a clinical development centre, employing more than 3,500 people.

Its products include prescription medicines in areas such as diabetes, oncology and respiratory ­diseases. It also offers a range of vaccines for the prevention of the likes of hepatitis, chicken pox, diphtheria and cervical cancer.

The investment follows the £550million it paid just over a year ago to lift its stake in another Indian spin-off, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.

Source:http://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/464175/GlaxoSmithKline-spices-things-up-with-625m-Indian-deal

IOC major partner to Tata Medical Center expansion

 Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), a major supporting partner for expansion of the Tata Medical Center at Rajarhat near here, has offered Rs 66 crore in phases toward the Rs 200 crore project.

"We are going for the second phase expansion soon and IOC is supporting the cause in a big way. They (IOC) have offered Rs 66 crore in phases toward the project. We hope to complete the expansion over the next 24 months," Tata Medical Center Deputy Director V R Ramanan said.

IOC has disbursed Rs 14 crore toward the expansion for 250 beds and state-of the-art cancer care medical equipment.

"The total estimated cost for the second phase is Rs 200 crore," CFO S K Agarwal said.

Tata Medical Center, the only super speciality cancer hospital in eastern India offered affordable oncology treatment. It opened 30 months ago and is funded and managed by trusts under the Tata group.

"We are offering treatment and diagnostics at an average price which is around 40 percent lower. Our business model offers free and subsidised cost to 50 percent patients," hospital Senior Medical Administrator Aseem Mahajan said.

Ramanan said the hospital wanted more corporate assistance. It is facing a deficit of Rs 1 crore a month for running the 165-bed first phase built at a cost of Rs 350 crore.

SBI has offered the single largest CSR exposure of Rs 6 crore for part funding a PET-CT scan machine to the hospital.

SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya on her first visit to city toured the hospital and expressed her intention of continuing support to such initiatives.

Source:http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/companies/ioc-major-partner-to-tata-medical-center-expansion_95782.html

Anti-tobacco drive in schools

 The Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (ICPO) will launch an anti-tobacco awareness drive among school students in Noida. Rsearch conducted by the institute showed that students begin tobacco consumption before they hit the age of 13.

ICPO director Ravi Mehrotra said the institute, in collaboration with a few schools, would organize the awareness programme on March 12, the eve of 'No Smoking Day'. "Long-term tobacco use has been a major cause of a rise in the number of cancer patients. It is the single greatest avoidable cause of cancer mortality worldwide," he said. He added that its prevention is the most cost-effective, long-term strategy to control spread of cancer.

In 2005, ICPO had conducted a survey among 4,786 government and private school students to assess prevalence of tobacco use in that age group. The survey revealed that 537 students (11.2%) had used tobacco in some form or the other. Of these, 197 students (4.1%) were tobacco users at the time of survey. The mean age of initiation of tobacco consumption was close to 12.4 years. More than 70% boys and 80% girls were initiated into the use of tobacco before the age of 11.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Anti-tobacco-drive-in-schools/articleshow/31634429.cms

Breast Cancer Patients See Improved QoL With Yoga

Besides easing fatigue, yoga also eases pain and depression for women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, according to a new study. Lorenzo Cohen, PhD, director of the Integrative Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Texas and colleagues found that beyond the benefits of stretching exercise, yoga appears to affect the physiology of breast cancer patients, boosting patients’ self-reported quality of life and providing long-term benefits. The results are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“We know yoga is useful for our population as a whole and it is important for everyone to engage in some type of mind-body practice on a daily basis,” said Cohen.

The study randomized 163 patients women diagnosed with stage 0-III breast cancer to either yoga (n = 53) or stretching (n = 56) for 1 hour three times a week for 6 weeks during radiotherapy, or to a control group (n = 54) that did neither yoga nor stretching. The median age of patients in the study was about 52. The retention rate was high with similar loss to follow-up numbers in each of the groups—only three patients in each group attended fewer than half the classes.

“What is unique about this study is the use of an active control group, the women who were taught stretching exercises,” said Cohen. “By comparing the women doing yoga to the women doing stretching exercises we see that the benefits of yoga go beyond just the physical aspects of yoga.”

At 1 and 3 months, patients in the yoga group reported significantly greater increases in their physical component scores through, as measured by a 36-item survey on medical outcomes, compared with patients in the non-active control group (P = .01). At all time points measured during the 6-month period, those in the yoga group had greater increases in physical functioning as compared with both the active and non-active control groups (P < .05).

Patients in both the yoga and stretching groups had reduced fatigue (P < .05). No differences in sleep patterns or mental health were seen among the three groups, consistent with a previous pilot trial.

Those in the yoga group had the highest decrease in circulating cortisol levels by the end of the study as compared to the active and non-active control groups (P = .02). A marginally significant effect was seen after 1 month of yoga (P = .01). The clinical significance of this finding is still unclear, state the authors, although this result may suggest that it does suggest positive effects of yoga on the stress hormone cortisol. Further studies are needed to understand the link if any, of stress hormone levels and yoga in cancer patients.

“We know that exercise in the form of stretching did help with fatigue and a little with physical functioning, but the benefits of yoga were apparent above and beyond stretching and included patient reports of their quality of life and better stress hormone regulation,” said Cohen. “Importantly, the benefits of yoga remained significant even 6 months later.”

According to Cohen, much more research is needed to understand exactly how yoga influences a cancer patient’s physiology during different cancer stages and treatments.

“Patients often ask which mind-body program is the best for reducing stress and improving quality of life. The answer is the one they will do every day and make a part of their life. Patients should be encouraged to find a mind-body approach that works for them and to practice it daily,” said Cohen.

In collaboration with India's largest yoga research institution, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore, India, this research is part of ongoing studies to validate, scientifically, mind-body interventions that may help cancer patients.

Source:http://www.cancernetwork.com/breast-cancer/breast-cancer-patients-see-improved-qol-yoga