15 November 2022 Ahmedabad: Cadila Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest privately-held pharma companies in the country, was felicitated at the International Leprosy Congress (ILC) in Hyderabad on Thursday 10^th November. Cadila Pharmaceuticals was chosen for the honour in recognition of its significant contribution to the cause of leprosy treatment and eradication from India over the years. The company has been working tirelessly and has launched highly-effective drugs to help alleviate the pain and suffering of leprosy-affected persons.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals was felicitated during the plenary session of the 21st International Leprosy Congress, which took place in Hyderabad from November 8 to 11. The Award of Recognition was accepted on behalf of the company by Rajnikant Patel, Sales and Marketing Head, Derma division.

“The International Leprosy Congress is the biggest and most recognized global platform of its kind. Being recognized at the ILC in front of key stakeholders in the field of leprosy from all over the world is a big achievement and speaks volumes about the work Cadila Pharmaceuticals has been doing for the past many years. I extend my sincere gratitude to ILC for this honour and dedicate the award to the entire team at Cadila Pharmaceuticals,” said Jawed Zia, CEO – BSBU, Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

The ILC said that the success story of the reduced burden of leprosy has been achieved due to the development and access to effective leprosy medicines worldwide over the last four decades. It noted that even as physicians, scientists, and leprologists have been responsible for developing key molecules, the pharma industry and leading companies have also contributed significantly by ensuring widespread access to treatment and breakthroughs in treating leprosy.

Also Read: Nippon foundation aims India to be a leprosy free nation by 2030 

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Stroke, normally considered a disease that affects the elderly, is now affecting more youngsters, according to leading neurosurgeons. “We are now seeing increasing cases of stroke among youngsters. It has become very common, and it is largely due to lifestyle, stress levels, smoking and other factors,” Dr. Rohin Bhatia, a leading neurosurgeon from Jaipur in a conversation with Hardeep Sodhi, founder of Stroke Support India, as a part of Cadila CNS, Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ awareness initiative on various neuropsychiatry disorders. Numbness of hands, visual blurring, and slurring of speech are among the symptoms of stroke, he said further.

Dr. Makarand Hirve, senior neurologist from Bhopal, said that stroke could happen to anyone at any age. “Strokes happen suddenly, affecting limb movement or sight. The trend of clotting of blood vessels is relatively more common in India due to various factors. Post-stroke seizure, headaches, and vascular dementia are some of the other post-stroke disorders,” Dr. Hirve said.

In his comments, Dr. Sunit Shah, senior consultant neurologist, Jaipur, said that time is of the essence in stroke cases. “90 million brain neurons get damaged every minute following a stroke. Recovery of damaged brain parts is very challenging and it all depends on how soon treatment begins. But due to lack of awareness, barely 1%  of stroke patients reach the hospital within the window period of four hours, leading to loss of valuable time,” said Dr. Shah.

Dr. Saurabh Srivastava, a leading neurosurgeon from Gorakhpur, said that medical and non-medical aspects are equally crucial for stroke patients’ recovery. “Medicines help to a certain extent in cognitive matters, but emotional support of a family is a must for stroke recovery. The patient should not be seen as a burden,” said Dr. Srivastava, stressing the need for regular monitoring and taking medicines as directed for proper recovery.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals is one of the largest privately-held pharma companies in the country and has been engaged in the development and production of high-quality but affordable medicines for patients around the world. Stroke Support India was formed in 2013 with the mission to raise stroke awareness and support stroke survivors and their families. It runs a free patient support group for stroke survivors in association with stroke management experts. It is also an active member of the World Stroke Organization.

All stroke affected are invited to become members of Stroke Support India community by visiting https://strokesupport.in

Also Read: Stroke disorder is a state of Medical Emergency 

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Hansot: Two Smart Anganwadi Centres were launched in Hansot taluka of Gujarath recently,(On Friday, 22 April 2022), under the auspices of District Development Officer Shri Yogesh Chowdhary and other key government officials. The Anganwadi Centres in Utraj and Dhamrad villages have been renovated and equipped with tools to ensure a safe and positive learning environment for young children and adolescent girls.

These renovations were completed by Project SAAHAS in collaboration with Kaka-Ba Hospital. SAAHAS, which stands for Strengthening Access and Awareness of Health in Hansot, has been working in the region to reactivate key health schemes that safeguard child and adolescent health and nutrition. Spearheading the project is Dr. Bharat Champaneria, Trustee, Indrashil Kaka-Ba and Kala Budh Public Charitable Trust, a CRS initiative by Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

Also Read: Kaka-Ba hospital: New hope for rural people with severe disability 

“This project has made inter department convergence very easy and strong. All schools are giving Weekly Iron & Folic Acid Supplements (WIFS) to students on regular basis. This had helped in reducing anaemia among boys and girls and cases of malnourishment have also decreased,” said Shri Yogesh Chowdhury, DDO, Bharuch, who has been providing his continued guidance to Project SAAHAS to ensure that all children in the block receive the care and nutrition they require. “I request all Gram Pradhans to get associated to this initiative and make it a replicable model in other geographical areas. I have seen that most of the initiatives are focused on infrastructural development, but this is a unique model which focuses on physical as well as social development,” he added.

Dr. Champaneria, who was present at the event, has been an important figure in the block, having spent over thirty years working to provide quality health care to local residents at Kaka-Ba Hospital. “The key to successful implementation is collaboration between government, technical experts & CSR. I humbly request you to come forward & work together to make this district & block a model of excellence for the future,” said Dr Champaneria at the launch event.

Global Health Strategies and Kaka-Ba Hospital have been working in close collaboration with Government of Gujarat for the last year to strengthen the health and wellbeing of communities in Hansot. With a strong focus on the health and nutrition of child and adolescent, Project SAAHAS has successfully reactivated key government health schemes that aim to protect child health. One of their major priorities has been to strengthen Anganwadi Centres.

Among other officials present at the event was Taluka Development Officer (TDO), Dr. Alpana Nair. Dr. Nair has been instrumental in driving progress in the block, to improve the health and nutritional status of children. “I have received a lot of insights and information on health and education ever since project Saahas has started. They have brought together all the departments, keeping in mind inter departmental convergence sharing their issues on daily basis and making this block stronger,” Dr. Nair said.

Mr. Ghemal Singh Prabhubhai Patel, Taluka Pramukh, Hansot, made a special address at the event. “We request all the parents to send their children to Anganwadi Centres on regular basis and make the best use of the facility,” he said.

Following the speeches, a ceremonial handover of the keys of the Utraj Smart Anganwadi Centre was conducted with Anganwadi Worker. A tour of the newly refurbished AWC was conducted. Besides tools such as LED TV screens, improved sanitation and hygiene facilities and storage capacity, the centre had also been equipped with creative communications materials to inform students about good health practices, nutrition and overall development. The renovations at Smart Anganwadi Centres, will allow workers to best utilize available resources and schemes and ensure that children at the centres have access to a safe, healthy, and productive environment.

SAAHAS has been conducting trainings with Anganwadi Workers every month since October 2021, to increase their interpersonal skills and ensure efficient communications with parents and caregivers. This training has been critical in convincing caregivers of children with health issues, such as Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), to take urgent and proactive steps to seek timely health care. SAAHAS also reactivated Anganwadi Centre health screenings, which had been disrupted for over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Ahmedabad: In an important breakthrough pharma major Cadila Pharmaceuticals has developed a novel three-dose recombinant nano-particle based rabies G protein vaccine. Aiming at a Rabies-Free India the novel vaccine was launched by Cadila this month with the campaign ‘One, Two, Three. Rabies Free.’ It is estimated that globally, rabies kills 59,000 animal bite victims every year, mainly in Asia and Africa. Over 20,000 people die in India alone, mainly because many animal bite victims do not complete the full course of the available vaccine.

All existing rabies vaccine regimens require five injections spread over 28 days to complete the full regimen. Many animal bite victims are unable to complete the full course of the vaccine due to their complicated dosing schedule, frequent visits to the hospital or clinic and potential loss of income associated with these visits. This leaves many victims unprotected and susceptible to developing rabies, which is a fatal condition.

The ‘Cadila Against Rabies’ event held in Ahmedabad was attended by key experts from the Association for the Prevention and Control of Rabies in India (APCRI) Founder President and Mentor Dr. MK Sudarshan; President Dr. DH Ashwath Narayana; Secretary General Dr. Sumit Poddar, and Treasurer Dr. HS Ravish and other leading experts. They spoke about the need to eradicate rabies and appreciated Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ efforts. The panel discussion was followed by the launch of ThRabis® – World’s 1^st novel three-dose rabies vaccine.

“With this three-dose innovative vaccine, many more lives will be saved – lives that continue to be lost to a preventable disease like Rabies. This vaccine can be a game-changer in our global flight to eliminate rabies through a simpler and more convenient regimen. Continuing our journey of making affordable innovations available to the last man in society, ThRabis® is one more addition to our portfolio of indigenous innovations,” shared Dr. Rajiv Modi, CMD, Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

About ThRabis®

The vaccine – ThRabis® is prepared by using Virus-Like Particle technology (VLP). The VLPs self-assemble from this recombinant G protein which is produced from genes cloned into baculovirus expression vectors and expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells. The vaccine generates antibodies against rabies G protein, which leads to virus neutralisation, as well as prevents virus attachment to the cell to confer protection against rabies.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals successfully tested immunogenicity and safety of three doses, i.e. 50 µg (microgram) on days 0, 3 and 7 of the novel vaccine in Phase-I/II and Phase-III clinical trials in healthy volunteers as well as preclinical models. The safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine were established in the trials. Besides being convenient, ThRabis® is an intramuscular vaccine and less painful for the recipients. It is also extremely convenient for doctors as it is a ready to use vaccine  and does not require  reconstitution prior to use (Adding water for injection and mixing it thoroughly).

“ThRabis® is a major breakthrough vaccine that can help in preventing many rabies related  deaths. Unlike other approved rabies vaccines, ThRabis® is a three-dose vaccine and is administered within a week. This ensures clinical effectiveness with just three doses in seven days, and will improve compliance to complete the vaccine course,” said Mr. Suresh Gupta, President, Domestic Business, Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

Also Read: First aid for – poisoning, snake bite & dog bite 

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Pharma major, Cadila Pharmaceuticals has received a licence to manufacture a generic version of Pfizer’s oral antiviral Covid-19 medication – nirmatrelvir, through a license from Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), an UN-based public health organisation working to increase access to life-saving medicines for low- and middle-income countries.

“We are pleased to partner with MPP. to make a generic version of the innovative medicine  PAXLOVID for the global community and contribute towards reducing the health burden due to the pandemic. We reiterate our commitment to make affordable innovations available to the last man in society,” said Dr Rajiv Modi, CMD, Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

Cadila will cater to Indian and export markets since many countries with high COVID 19 burden lack access to effective therapy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was the first regulatory agency to authorise the use of PAXLOVID,  nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, co-packaged for oral use to treat high-risk mild-to-moderate Covid-19  adults and paediatric patients above 12 years of age weighing at least 40 kg.

Pfizer’s PAXLOVID™ consists of nirmatrelvir, which inhibits a SARS-CoV-2 protein to stop the virus from replicating, and ritonavir, which slows down nirmatrelvir’s breakdown to help it remain in the body for a longer period at higher concentrations. PAXLOVID is administered as three tablets (two tablets of nirmatrelvir and one tablet of ritonavir) taken together orally twice daily for five days, for 30 tablets. The drug is available by prescription only and should be initiated as soon as possible after the diagnosis of Covid-19 and within five days of symptom onset.

The FDA granted the emergency use authorisation to PAXLOVID based on clinical data from Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR (Evaluation of Protease Inhibition for Covid-19 in High-Risk Patients) trial, which enrolled non-hospitalised adults aged 18 and older with confirmed Covid-19 at increased risk of progressing to severe illness. The data showed an 89% reduction in the risk of Covid-19 related hospitalisation or death from any cause in adults treated with PAXLOVID, compared to placebo, within three days of symptom onset (primary endpoint).

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (www.cadilapharma.com) is one of the largest privately held pharmaceutical companies in India. Over the past seven decades, Cadila has been engaged in the development of affordable medicines and making them available to patients across the world.

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New Delhi, February I : The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) has welcomed the union budget. Mr. Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) said,  ” This is India’s first post vaccination budget and the policy consistency is maintained. The planned increase in capital expenditure is likely to boost economic growth and employment. There is a thrust on macro areas like digital, VC-ecosystem, ease of doing business and supportive measures for R&D and industry-academia collaboration with Pharma included in the Sunrise sectors.

The extension time limit for the commencement of business to claim benefits of concessional tax regime for manufacturing companies has been extended by a year to 31 March 2024. This will support the investment in pharma manufacturing. Details are being examined and the implementation will be key going forward., he added.

According to Vinod Jain , CFO of Cadila Pharmaceuticals ltd the budget is a  growth and development-oriented budget with focus on infrastructure, transport & logistic, manufacturing, education, health, and digital economy.  He further added ” The budget emphasizes supportive policies, regulations, and ease of doing business to build domestic capacities, promote R&D and generate employment opportunities which will ensure sustainable growth for the country in years to come.  Launch of the National digital health Eco System and National Tele Mental Health Programme will go a long way to serve health care needs of society.  “

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Scoliosis is a disorder of the spine, and its surgeries are generally done only in large hospitals in big cities. Kaka-Ba performs scoliosis surgery on 17-year-old Surat girl. Girl from Surat has undergone surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, a disorder in which an abnormal curvature of the spine appears in late childhood or adolescence, at Bharuch’s Kaka-Ba hospital, which is run by Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ CSR arm.

Dency Akbar, a resident of Amroli in Surat, was detected to be suffering from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis 4-5 years back. Instead of growing straight, her spine had developed a side-to-side curvature and was turning into an ’S’ shape. “Dency was in extreme pain because of the disorder for some time. Her deformity had also started to worsen, which is why we decided to perform the surgery on her spine. This technically demanding surgery and not the normal spine surgery, Hence, we used the  Neuro monitoring System for the surgery, a high end instrument which helps/ guides the surgeon to avoid any damage to nerves”  says Dr. Alpesh  Patel of Kaka-Ba Hospital.

“This was a technically demanding and rare surgery, but we accomplished it successfully. The X-rays also show the difference in the shape of the spine, which is straight now,” he added. The cost of the surgery was approximately Rs. 5 lakh, but Dency’s family did not have to pay any money, as the entire cost was covered under the central government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme.

While the surgery has changed Dency’s life, it is also a big achievement for Kaka-Ba Hospital. Kaka-BA hospital is established by the visionary founder of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited, Shri Indravadan A Modi to provide quality healthcare services at affordable cost to the poor. Kaka-Ba hospital has been instituted in the memory of his cousin who died due to typhoid due to lack of medical facilities at Hansot, a small village in South Gujarat.

About Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that most often is diagnosed in adolescents. While scoliosis can occur in people with conditions such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, the cause of most childhood scoliosis is unknown. Most cases of scoliosis are mild, but some curves worsen as children grow. Severe scoliosis can be disabling. An especially severe spinal curve can reduce the amount of space within the chest, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly.

Children who have mild scoliosis are monitored closely, usually with X-rays, to see if the curve is getting worse. In many cases, no treatment is necessary. Some children will need to wear a brace to stop the curve from worsening. Others may need surgery to straighten severe curves.

Its symptoms include:

• Uneven shoulders
• One shoulder blade that appears more prominent than the other
• Uneven waist
• One hip higher than the other
• One side of the rib cage jutting forward
• A prominence on one side of the back when bending forward
• Deformity increase- lung capacity decrease
• Hampers overall growth

 “Scoliosis surgeries are very risky and are generally done only in large hospitals in big cities by or under the close supervision of highly qualified super-specialists. That Kaka-Ba Hospital was able to perform the surgery successfully speaks volumes about the quality of our doctors and healthcare personnel, and the advanced technology and equipment available,” says Dr. Bharat Champaneria, Trustee of Indrashil Kaka-Ba and Kala-Budh Public Charitable Trust, which runs the Kaka-Ba hospital.

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Ahmedabad-based Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited has launched Trastuzumab, with the brand name TARZED.  Tarzed is a humanized monoclonal antibody, recommended in HER2 Positive Early Breast cancer and Metastatic Breast Cancer. According the latest audit report of Globocan Incidences of Breast Cancer are highest among all types of Cancers in Indian Population.

In a commitment to further strengthening the oncology portfolio Cadila’s TARZED is available   as       440 mg injection. The pharma giant has always been focused in making sure high quality, affordable and life-saving treatments are within the reach of patients. TARZED is considered safe and more efficacious compared to conventional treatment medicines for breast cancer.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (www.cadilapharma.com) is one of the largest privately-held pharmaceutical companies of India. It has recently concluded and cleared USFDA inspection successfully in February 2020. Over the past six decades, Cadila Pharmaceuticals has been engaged in development and manufacturing of affordable medicines and in making them available for patients across the world. Its innovation-driven drug discovery processes ensure the health and well-being of people around the world.

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Functional gastrointestinal disorders are very widespread, and dozens of crores of people in India suffer from these disorders in one or the other form, a leading gastroenterology expert shared. Dr. Govind Makharia, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said, “Functional gastrointestinal disorders are very common disorders. It is estimated that one-third of our country’s population has some form of these disorders, either in the form of dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome amongst others.”

Dr. Makharia made the comment while addressing a session at the Indravadan Ambalal Modi Innovation Conclave (iamicon) 2021, the country’s largest virtual knowledge conclave. The conclave celebrates innovation and excellence in the pharmaceuticals and life sciences sector, and was launched in 2013 by Cadila Pharmaceuticals as a tribute to its late founder Indravadan A Modi, fondly known as the ‘Medicine Man of India’. He further said the medical fraternity has yet to understand the functional gastrointestinal disorders completely, but added interest in them has gone up in the last decade or so.

Dr. Manish Bhatnagar, Director & HOD of Gastroenterology at ICON Hospital, Ahmedabad, who moderated the session on functional gastrointestinal disorders, said these disorders are asymptomatic and stressed the need for a patient-centric approach. “The treatment for functional gastrointestinal disorders has to be symptomatology driven. We do not have any investigation that proves or disproves the disorders, and sometimes there is a lack of satisfaction at the patient’s level because we are unable to give them a particular diagnosis based on a particular test. In such cases, doctors need to treat the psyche as well as symptoms. The treatment of these disorders will be more art than science,” he said.

iamicon 2021 is also a platform to award the students excelling in their education and having high potential in the field of medicine. Over 45,000 doctors, from across the globe took part in iamicon 2021, where topics related to Dermatology, Orthopaedics, Gynaecology, Cardiology, Diabetology, and critical care were discussed.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

In a session on Gynaecology at IAMICON 2021, experts discussed about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is identified as the most common endocrinopathy in women, affecting 10-20% of women of reproductive age and 25-30% of women facing infertility. It is a metabolic disorder that has health implications throughout life.

Professor Robert Norman of Robinson Research Institute at the University of Adelaide, said present-day lifestyles have caused the global epidemic of PCOS which parallels the global epidemic of obesity. He also spoke about advances in the understanding and treatment of PCOS.

Dr. Sunita Lamba, Professor and Head of department (Obstetrics and Gynaecology), Mata Chanan Devi Hospital, New Delhi, said, “6 to 18 per cent of adolescent girls have PCOS. It is important to identify adolescents at risk to prevent the development of possible complications. Diagnosis is a challenge due to overlapping symptoms of normal puberty and PCOS.”

Dr. Manoj Pandya, Senior Consultant at Kadam women’s hospital, Ahmedabad, said, “Irregular menstrual cycle and ovulatory discharge are amongst the symptoms of PCOS. Other symptoms include ovaries having large or many cysts, excess body hair, including chest, stomach and back (hirsutism), and weight gain, especially around the abdomen.”

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Drug major Cadila Pharmaceuticals has introduced an Ayurvedic general health tonic that helps keep the body young, active and fit. The key ingredients of Healtherbs include Gokhru (Tribulus terrestris), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Musli (Curculigo orchioides) and Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), which are proven to have several health benefits.

Healtherbs works mainly on digestive fires and liver to detoxify the body from accumulated undigested food (Ama), which is responsible for vitiating vata and pitta doshas and adverse effects on general body health and energy level. The presence of Ashwagandha in Healtherbs helps in restoring hormonal balance in the body.

“Healtherbs works entirely on the Ayurvedic concept. It helps in keeping the healthy body healthy and treats if the body is unhealthy. Healtherbs is a general health tonic suitable for all irrespective of age or gender,” says Dr (HC) P.K. Rajput, Vice President, Sales and Marketing,Cadila Pharmaceuticals.

Healtherbs helps in restoring energy levels :

Among major benefits, Healtherbs helps in restoring the desired energy levels for daily activity and immunity. It also boosts sexual performance among males. It is effective in neuropathy induced by deficiency of vitamin B12 because of the presence of Ashwagandha. The tonic also acts as an adjuvant therapy in chronic diseases to regain lost energy.

Healtherbs is processed with advanced modern extraction methods to maintain the aromatic principles of Ayurveda. The tonic is free of alcohol and preservatives. The formulation is available in 110 and 220 ml packs. It is packaged in glass bottles to ensure the efficacy of the ingredients remains intact.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd.  is one of the largest privately held pharmaceutical companies in India. Over the past seven decades, Cadila Pharma’s focus on innovation and a strong record of accomplishment in research and development have produced several first-in-the-world innovations, which have made a profound impact on lives globally.

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