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Business Standard
14 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Chemists urge crackdown on instant online delivery of high-risk medicines
India's leading chemists' association has warned that e-pharmacies and quick commerce platforms are delivering high-risk prescription drugs without adequate oversight — a practice, it says, could drive drug abuse and endanger public health, according to a report in The Economic Times. Why it matters The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) said that this 'unchecked' online supply undermines drug regulations, fuels substance misuse among youth, and threatens small pharmacy businesses. • In an August 11 letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, AIOCD accused platforms like Zepto and Blinkit of delivering Schedule H, H1, and X drugs within minutes, skipping mandatory prescription verification. • The group flagged 'ghost prescriptions', where medicines are approved without genuine verification — including late-night approvals for distant patients. • It warned that easy online access to habit-forming drugs like Pregabalin could cause a spike in misuse. 'Foreign-funded start-ups are treating medicines like ordinary commodities, undermining India's domestic market and causing unemployment,' AIOCD wrote. The Economic Times report quoted AIOCD President JS Shinde and General Secretary Rajiv Singhal emphasising that offline chemists face strict rules, while 'illegal online players' remain unchecked — contributing to a 55 per cent surge in drug abuse. They also alleged misuse of telemedicine guidelines to bypass safeguards. Drug price monitoring Last month, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) told drugmakers that it will closely watch price hikes for medicines outside the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). • Non-scheduled drugs can only see a 10 per cent price increase in a 12-month period. • Any increase above that will require repayment of the overcharged amount with interest and penalties. • NPPA has also directed that the same drug sold under multiple brands must have an MRP difference of no more than 10 per cent. What's next in prescription protocols? If the government acts on AIOCD's request, quick commerce players could face stricter prescription verification rules and limits on the delivery of high-risk medicines.
Local Norway
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local Norway
Norway extradites Rwanda genocide suspect
Francois Gasana, 53, was detained in Norway in 2022 by police who said at the time Kigali had accused him of "committing a murder during the 1994 genocide". An Oslo court ruled the following year that conditions had been met for his extradition. An appeal was later rejected and his extradition confirmed in June this year. An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed over 100 days of slaughter triggered by the assassination of Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana in April 1994. Rwanda's National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) spokesperson Faustin Nkusi confirmed that Gasana had returned to the country "following his extraction from the Kingdom of Norway". He was "convicted and sentenced to 19 years in prison by Nyange Gacaca Court for his role in the crime of genocide," Nkusi said in a statement. In the aftermath of the genocide, Rwanda established the people's "gacaca" courts across the country, in which attackers faced their victims. Nkusi said that Gasana had lived during the genocide in Western Province and attended the Save Secondary school. But the statement gave no further details. He said that Gasana had found his own lawyer, explaining that upon a suspect's return "the Gacaca rulings are declared null and a trial starts afresh". It was unclear when the trial would begin. Nkusi praised Norway "for the extraction of genocide fugitives, continued cooperation in matters of mutual legal assistance and contribution to the global effort to fight impunity". Ahishakiye Naphtal, executive secretary of the genocide survivors' group, Ibuka, welcomed the news. Advertisement Gasana was a young man who "due to the genocide ideology he had been fed on... committed such heinous crimes," he said. However, he said that many more suspects remained at large abroad and urged other nations to act like Norway. Norwegian authorities confirmed the extradition, saying in a statement it was "in accordance with the final decision made by the king in council on 24 June 2025". Norway has seen a string of extradition requests for genocide suspects in recent years and is among half a dozen Western countries where courts have handed down convictions since 2009.
News24
4 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Rwanda genocide suspect extradited from Norway
Norway has extradited a man suspected of involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to the Great Lakes country, officials in both nations said on Friday. François Gasana, 53, was detained in Norway in 2022 by police who said at the time Kigali had accused him of 'committing a murder during the 1994 genocide'. An Oslo court ruled the following year that conditions had been met for his extradition. An appeal was later rejected, and his extradition was confirmed in June of this year. An estimated 800 000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed over 100 days of slaughter triggered by the assassination of Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana in April 1994. Rwanda's National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA) spokesperson Faustin Nkusi confirmed that Gasana had returned to the country 'following his extraction from the Kingdom of Norway'. READ | Last Rwanda genocide fugitives sought by int'l court confirmed dead, but 1 000 more still at large He was 'convicted and sentenced to 19 years in prison by Nyange Gacaca Court for his role in the crime of genocide,' Nkusi said in a statement. In the aftermath of the genocide, Rwanda established the people's 'gacaca' courts across the country, in which attackers faced their victims. Nkusi said that Gasana had lived during the genocide in Western Province and attended the Save Secondary school. But the statement gave no further details. He said that Gasana had found his own lawyer, explaining that upon a suspect's return 'the Gacaca rulings are declared null and a trial starts afresh'. It was unclear when the trial would begin. Nkusi praised Norway 'for the extraction of genocide fugitives, continued cooperation in matters of mutual legal assistance and contribution to the global effort to fight impunity'. Ahishakiye Naphtal, executive secretary of the genocide survivors' group, Ibuka, welcomed the news. Gasana was a young man who 'due to the genocide ideology he had been fed on... committed such heinous crimes,' he said. However, he said that many more suspects remained at large abroad and urged other nations to act like Norway. Norwegian authorities confirmed the extradition, saying in a statement it was 'in accordance with the final decision made by the king in council on 24 June 2025'. Norway has seen a string of extradition requests for genocide suspects in recent years and is among half a dozen Western countries where courts have handed down convictions since 2009.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
These emergency-use medicines may get cheaper as govt fixes ceiling price
The ceiling prices of four emergency-use medicines have been fixed by the government, which means manufactures currently selling them for higher will have to lower the amount they charge. An employee sorts medicines in a medicine wholesale shop in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025 (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)(AP) According to a Times of India report, four emergency-use medicines -- Ipratropium, Sodium Nitroprusside, Diltiazem and Povidone Iodine, have fixed ceiling prices now, and the retail prices of 37 other drug formulations have also been fixed. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has reportedly said that manufacturers selling these branded or generic medicines will have to reduce the pricing if the current rate exceeds the ceiling price (plus GST). Ipratropium, usually used to treat pulmonary diseases and for asthma, shortness of breath or runny nose, etc has been fixed at ₹2.96 per ml. Sodium nitroprusside, used for heart-related ailments and to lower dangerously shot up blood pressure, has been fixed at ₹28.99 per ml. Diltiazem, another medicine used to control high blood pressure, and chest pain, has been capped at ₹26.72 per capsule. The last emergency-use medicine is Povidone Iodine, used to treat skin disinfection before and after surgeries or minor wounds, and has been capped at ₹6.26 per gram, the TOI report further added. Besides, the retail prices of 37 drugs from companies has been fixed, including antibiotics and painkillers. "Manufacturers selling branded or generic or both versions of the medicines at a price higher than ceiling price (plus GST) shall revise the prices downward not exceeding the ceiling price...," the publication quoted the NPPA as saying. Meanwhile, those already selling the medicines at a price lower than the cap can continue to do so.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Ceiling price of 4 emergency-use meds, retail price of 37 others capped
NEW DELHI: Govt has fixed the ceiling price of formulations of four emergency-use medicines and fixed retail price of 37 other drug formulations, including antibiotics and painkillers, of certain companies. The emergency-use medicines include Ipratropium, used to prevent wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and chest tightness in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its ceiling price was fixed at Rs 2.96 per ml. For Sodium Nitroprusside, an injectable used to rapidly lower BP in hypertensive emergencies, during surgery to reduce bleeding, and in cases of acute heart failure, it was fixed at Rs 28.99 per ml; for Diltiazem, used to treat high BP and chest pain, it was fixed at Rs 26.72 per capsule; and for Povidone Iodine, used for skin disinfection before and after surgery and minor wound care, it was fixed at Rs 6.26 per gram. "Manufacturers selling branded or generic or both versions of the medicines at a price higher than ceiling price (plus GST) shall revise the prices downward not exceeding the ceiling price...," National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said. Manufacturers having an MRP lower than ceiling price shall continue to maintain the existing MRP, said NPPA.
