Medicine Cabinet

AIHI to launch media campaign on AIDS

August 29, 2008 on 11:08 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off
KOHIMA : Australian International Health Institute (AIHI) decided to launch a multi pronged media campaign in Nagaland and Manipur to fight stigma and discrimination toward HIV/AIDS as, despite having high level of awareness, cases of HIV/AIDS has been rising in Nagaland.

This was disclosed by officials of AIHI during a state level dissemination programme on HIV/AIDS here yesterday where officials from Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS), police department, DIPR, NGO representatives PLWHA (people living with HIV/AIDS) participated in the deliberation.

Dr Joyce of AIHI informed the participants that the institute, which is part of the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, had conducted a foundation assessment to understand the knowledge, attitude practices and the media reach and consumption pattern in six districts of Nagaland.

Summing up the programme Project Director NSACS, Dr. Neiphi Kie, stressed on the power of electronic and print media and said that NGOs, implementing agencies media and different departme ts should stick together and move forward with a rational appr ach to fight the menace of HIV/AIDS.

The level of awareness is high yet the epidemic is on the rise so we have a lot of things to do, he mentioned.

Hoardings, posters, radio and TV spots, press-ads and other literature will be used in their media campaign which will be launched in September next in two high prevalence states of the north eastern region.

Tata co ties up with Genzyme, Medicines for Malaria Venture

August 27, 2008 on 11:07 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off Mumbai: Advinus Therapeutics, a Bangalore-based research pharma company promoted by the Tata group, has announced a new collaboration with Genzyme and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).

The collaboration seeks to develop new, improved treatments for specific patient groups most at risk for malaria, particularly pregnant women and infants.

Genzyme is a leading biotechnology firm while MMV is a not-for-a-profit virtual R&D organisation. The ongoing MMV/Genzyme partner-ship also includes The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The collaboration will focus on identifying new molecules effective at fighting malaria, from early-stage screening to the first steps of preclinical assessment.

One important aim is to develop therapies to address the danger of emerging drug resistance that current anti-malarial treatments face.

“This collaboration is a powerful example of how industry can partner with others to fight the devastating impact of diseases affecting the de-veloping world,” said Henri A Termeer, chairman and CEO of Genzyme.

Delhi, neighbouring areas face shortage of 12,500 doctors

August 27, 2008 on 11:07 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off NEW DELHI: Delhi and adjacent areas are facing a shortage of over 12,500 qualified doctors due to high attrition rate and to overcome it, recruitments should be made on priority basis, a study by an industrial body said.

Hospitals, run by government and by charitable trusts, in and around Delhi are experiencing acute shortage of qualified doctors, according to estimates of the Health Committee of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

"The shortage has more than doubled and gone up to over 12,500 against 6,000," the study said.

Before 2000, about 3,200 doctors were treating around one crore patients in various government and charitable trust-run hospitals in and around the national capital.

The committee, headed by B K Rao chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and assisted by H K Chopra chief cardiologist in Moolchand Medicity, found that now about 5,500 doctors are taking care of over one crore patients.

Releasing the estimates, ASSOCHAM general secretary D S Rawat said, "presently leading governments like AIIMS, RML, Safdarjung, Guru Teg Bahadur, Jaiprakash Narayan Hospital and other leading charitable trust run hospitals like Sir Ganga Ram have around 10,000 doctors on their payrolls, who caters to Delhi's 1.3 crore population."

But due to huge inflow of patients from neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, the number of doctors is inadequate, he added.

To overcome this shortage of 12,500 doctors, the committee has recommended for their recruitment on priority basis.

Fortis to acquire a hospital next month

August 27, 2008 on 11:07 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off NEW DELHI: Fortis Healthcare will acquire a hospital by next month as part of its expansion strategy to have a chain of 40 hospitals in coming three years, a top company executive said.

"Fortis is always looking for a growth, both in a organic and inorganic way and will probably close one deal in September," Fortis Healthcare CEO Shivinder Singh told reporters here today.

When asked about the targeted hospital, its size, Singh said it would be another 100-200 beds medical center.
"Today it is only 100-200 beds hospital is what you get in the market."

He, however, declined to give further details but said the hospital could be located either in the western or southern part of India.

Fortis reported a higher profit after tax in the quarter ended on June 30, this year, and the company is expecting all of its hospitals to become profitable by the end of current financial year.

He also announced the appointment of renowned cardiologist Dr Ashok Seth as Cheif Cardiac Sciences and Chief Cardiologist in Escort Hear Institute and Research Centre.

Prior to this appointment, Dr Seth was working as Chairman and Cheif Cardiologist with Max Heart and Vascular Institute.

"We are hopeful that along with Dr Seth some more people will join Escorts, which will help us in taking Escorts to new level,"Singh said.
Fortis has acquired Escorts in 2005 from Nanda family and last month the company has won a case challenging the acquisition.

ICICI Venture closes in on US buy

August 25, 2008 on 11:06 am | In Uncategorized | Comments Off MUMBAI/BANGALORE: ICICI Venture-controlled RFCL (formerly Ranbaxy Fine Chemicals) has emerged as a strong contender to buy the speciality chemicals business of Mallinckrodt Baker, a division of healthcare giant Covidien, in a deal which could be valued at around $450 million, industry sources said. The transaction is in the final stages of due diligence and could be finalised in about two weeks.

This comes after speculation that RFCL was on the trail of a large US acquisition. If the transaction goes through it will be the biggest overseas M&A play for ICICI Ventures, which acquired RFCL around four years ago from Ranbaxy Labs for Rs 125 crore. A business TV channel had earlier reported that the deal was in the works.

The international deal is over four times RFCL’s current size. The transaction could make the Indian company a critical player in the consolidating global fine chemicals industry, especially in the laboratory products space. RFCL has three divisions — animal healthcare, fine chemicals and the diagnostics business.

“I am unable to confirm anything now,” ICICI Ventures MD Renuka Ramnath said. Another official with India’s largest domestic private equity fund said Mallinckrodt Baker was one of the targets on RFCL’s radar. In February this year, the $10-billion Covidien, formerly Tyco Healthcare, unveiled plans to divest its speciality chemicals business in a bid to stay focused on medical devices and imaging solutions. Commenting on Covidien’s divestment plans, analysts said Mallinckrodt Baker was an attractive fine chemicals business with “a steady operating margin and limited ongoing investment requirement”.

Mallinckrodt Baker Chemicals, which reported annualised revenue of $422 million in FY07, has over 2,000 employees with four plants in the US, the Netherlands, Mexico and Malaysia. It supplies chemicals for laboratory research, microelectronics devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology therapeutics.

Incidentally, in 2003, RFCL and Mallinckrodt Baker had entered into a marketing alliance for scientific laboratory products in the Indian market. It is believed that RFCL has been chasing a few acquisition targets in the US, with YES Bank roped in as an advisor for potential transactions. Speculation in recent weeks also linked it to another smaller entity, AIM Fine Chemicals, which is controlled by private equity fund Jina Capital. However, ICICI Venture had distanced itself from the rumour.

The timing of RFCL’s big-ticket buyout is not lost on industry observers. “With already four years behind it, ICICI Ventures is now pushing for global scale in a sector with few Goliaths. That may be the best bet for a blockbuster exit,” an analyst, who did not wish to be named, said.

However, what exit mode ICICI Ventures might take from a unique sector like fine chemicals is not very clear, he added. A slowdown in manufacturing — speciality chemical companies supply high value-added chemicals used in the manufacture of a wide variety of products — might be a concern for the private equity fund.

RFCL has strung up a slew of small acquisitions last year, starting with the buyout of Wipro BioMed, Godrej Diagnostics, and Alved Pharma & Foods in veterinary healthcare.