Health Care Blog

May 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Customs duty on imported Tamiflu, the drug used for the treatment of H1N1 influenza or swine flu, has been lifted to create adequate stocks of the medicine in the country, the government said Wednesday. In an order dated May 21, the Central Board of Excise and Customs issued an exemption order for duty-free import of one million capsules of Tamiflu 75 mg by pharmaceutical company Roche India.

June 30th, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - The South African Treasury has indicated that it will oppose a court application by Indian pharmaceutical company Aurobindo, which is disputing the awarding of a $400 million supply contract to two local firms despite Aurobindo's tender being the lowest. The Indian giant, a leading producer of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), has alleged that its tender to supply ARVs was on an average 30 percent cheaper than those of South African manufacturers Aspen and Adcock Ingram, to whom over half the tender was awarded in 2008.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indian Government on Thursday said it would be lodging a protest with China against fake anti-malarial 'Made in India" drugs detained by Nigerian authorities, as the consignments which originated from China was damaging the Indian pharmaceutical industry. "Taking serious note of the action by scrupulous elements to malign the Indian generic pharma industry, Embassy of India in Beijing, has been requested to lodge a strong protest with concerned Chinese authorities and also to impress upon them to take stringent action against such scrupulous elements," a Commerce Ministry statement said.

May 8th, 2009 Brazil, Argentina confirm first cases of swine fluSAO PAULO — Brazil and Argentina have confirmed five swine flu cases within their borders as the virus affects more nations in South America. Brazilian Health Minister Jose Gomes Temporao says four young adults contracted the flu outside the country, which is home to the continent's largest population.

August 3rd, 2009 SAO PAULO - A 15-year-old girl with swine flu symptoms died on a flight from the US to Sao Paulo city in southern Brazil, media reports said Monday. The teenager died aboard a Copa Airlines plane that arrived at the Sao Paulo airport Sunday.

August 4th, 2009 Brazil VP heading to US for cancer treatmentSAO PAULO — Doctors say that Brazil's vice president has been released from the hospital 11 days after undergoing surgery for cancer. Now he's reportedly headed to Texas for treatment.

February 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has halted review of drug applications from Indian drug major Ranbaxy's Himachal Pradesh plant, alleging that it falsified data and test results in approved and pending drug applications. Announcing the action Wednesday, the FDA said it is continuing to investigate the matter to ensure the safety and efficacy of marketed drugs associated with Ranbaxy's Paonta Sahib site, which has been under an FDA import alert since September 2008.

May 10th, 2009 ADDIS ABABA - India has urged African countries not to put barriers on the production and import of generic drugs to the continent, especially in the current economic slowdown, which could adversely affect the purchasing power of patients. 'For the sake of their own people, Africa should not allow the ratification of banning generic medicine products,' Rajeev Kher, joint secretary in India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, told IANS on the sidelines of a four-day conference of African ministers for health here.