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New Delhi:  The expert panel which recommended a continuation of the ban on fixed dose combinations (FDCs) has found that many FDCs were formulated without due diligence, with dosing mismatches that could result in toxicity. Panel finds dosing mismatches in many FDCs The committee found that most pharma companies had not generated the “safety and efficacy data” of their own FDCs. After reviewing 349 fixed drug combinations (FDCs), the expert panel of the health ministry on Wednesday recommended that 343 of them be “prohibited” and the remaining six “restricted or regulated”. According to the experts, the pharma companies whose products were under scrutiny provided “irrelevant” data that relied on biased studies. “In FDCs where there is a dosing mismatch among the ingredients, FDC use would result in toxicity. An inability to adjust doses of individual ingredients is specially risky, if an ingredient has a narrow safety margin,” reads the executive summary of the report, reviewed by 

Shares of Dr Reddy’s Laboratories gained over a percent on Thursday morning as investors bet on the stock ahead of Q1 results. The numbers will be declared later in the day. The stock touched an intraday high of Rs 2,118.45 and an intraday low of Rs 2,075.60. The drug maker is likely to report a four-fold jump in the first quarter of FY19, led by low base of previous year, when sales were affected by the GST rollout. The company will also benefit with sales of US complex generic portfolio holding out despite pricing pressure and lack of major approvals. India business is expected to grow 30 percent YoY on a favourable base. In the first quarter of FY18, the company posted a profit of Rs 66.6 crore. A Reuters poll of analyst forecasts an increase in net profit to Rs 302.8 crore. It estimates revenue to rise 21.48 percent YoY to Rs 3946.8 crore in Q1FY19. HDFC Securities expects topline of Dr Reddy’s to grow 10 percent YoY. “With no big product launches in the US, Dr Reddy’s to report o

New Delhi:  Pharmaceutical companies awaiting report on the safety of those fixed dose combinations (FDCs) that were earlier banned by the ministry of health and family welfare are unlikely to get a breather. The expert panel probing the efficacy of 349 (344+5) banned FDCs is likely to reinforce the ban. According to the people with knowledge of the development, out of 349 drugs under scrutiny, only three are likely to get relief. The panel will give its report to India’s top drug advisory body, the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), in a meeting slated to happen on 25 July, thereby settling the dust on the fate of “irrational” FDCs in India. Panel reviewing efficacy of 349 FDCs may reinforce ban As per the same people quoted above, the panel after considering these drugs “irrational”, citing safety issues and lack of therapeutic justification, has recommended continuing the ban. Panel reviewing efficacy of 349 FDCs may reinforce ban However, three drugs are likely to come out of t

Hero MotoCorp, the country’s largest two-wheeler maker, is expected to post a 10 percent increase in its net profit for the quarter ended June on the back of a sustained rise in demand for budget bikes. According a poll of 21 analysts done by Reuters, the company’s net profit is seen rising to Rs 1,001 crore for the quarter under review, up from the Rs 914 crore reported for the corresponding quarter last year. The Delhi-based maker of motorcycles and scooters will announce its June quarter results on Wednesday, July 25. The company, which makes bikes under the brands Splendor, HF Dawn, Karizma, and scooters under the brands Maestro, Pleasure and Duet, saw its volumes grow 14 percent to over 2.1 million units during the quarter. Domestic sales grew 14 percent year on year to 2.06 million units, while exports grew slightly slower at 9 percent to 46,287 units. The company’s is seen reporting a total revenue of Rs 9,067 crore for the reporting quarter, around 5 percent higher than its re

Gurugram-based bike taxi startup, Baxi has raised an undisclosed amount in a latest funding round from several investors in partnership with renowned consumer products brand Patanjali. Motorbike taxi startup Baxi to start delivery app in partnership with Patanjali Talking about the funding round, Johri said that the co-founder of fintech startup Indifi Technologies was one of investors in the company. He added that new investors who participated in the round were Ashish Chhaparwal, founder of US-based children transportation firm KidzJet, Mohit Khurana and Deekshant Sahrawat, co-founders of Roots Education and Ramesh Awtaney, founder and chairman of information technology firm ISON Technologies. According to Johri, the startup will use the capital to launch its hyperlocal ordering app, which will deliver groceries, pharmaceuticals, health supplements, personal care products, food and dairy products to customers. He confirmed that they have partnered with FMCG manufacturer Patanjali fo

Suzuki Motorcycles, the lesser known two-wheeler subsidiary in India of the Japanese auto giant, on Thursday launched the Burgman Street that was showcased at this year’s New Delhi Auto Expo. Priced at Rs 69,000, it is billed as India’s first “maxi scooter”, loosely defined as big touring scooters that have engines bigger than 250cc. The Street, however, has a 125cc engine, which it shares with the company’s existing Access scooter though it has looks inspired by its bigger siblings from Suzuki’s global Burgman portfolio. This is Suzuki’s third scooter in India after the Access and the 113cc Lets and comes at a time when the scooter segment has started showing signs of slow growth after years of exponential increase in sales. In the first quarter of this year, sale of scooter in the country grew by 10.35 per cent at 1.8 million units while mobikes grew 19.47 per cent at 3.65 million units. Till last year, the situation was the reverse. In 2017-18 scooters had grown by 19.90 per cent a

Her name is Cherry and she is the smallest baby ever born in India. At birth, she was just about 26 cms in length – that is about the size of your palm — and weighed 375 grams, making her perhaps the smallest not just in India but in the whole of South Asia. Normally, babies at birth weigh between 2.5 kg and 3 kg. Cherry was born on February 27 and was kept in the hospital for 128 days after her birth, under a high-end incubator and ventilator at an advanced neonatal intensive care unit. She was finally discharged weighing 1.98 kg. She weighs 2.4 kg now. 375 grams to 2.4 Kg: Smallest baby ever born in India survives, thrives According to Dr Dinesh Kumar Chirla, director, neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care at Rainbow Children’s Hospital, where she was born, today 10 per cent of all deliveries in India run the risk of being premature. That is less than 37 weeks. Cherry was born in 25 weeks and therefore womb-like conditions had to be created with right humidity and temperature