New way of measuring blood pressure could be a lifeline for thousands of people

A new method improving the accuracy of interpreting blood pressure measurements taken at the ankle could be crucial for people who cannot have their arm blood pressure measured.

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Prolonged use of desogestrel pill linked to small increased brain tumor risk

Taking the progestogen-only contraceptive pill desogestrel continuously for more than five years is associated with a small increased risk of developing a type of brain tumor called an intracranial meningioma, finds a study from France published by The BMJ.

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New index ranks 917 European cities on urban design for health and well-being

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has unveiled a new tool: the Healthy Urban Design Index (HUDI). The HUDI is a composite index that evaluates 917 European cities based on 13 indicators connected to peoples’ health and well-being and divided into four domains: urban design, sustainable transport, environmental quality and green space accessibility.

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Doctors raise concern over rise in recreational ketamine use

The rise in non-prescribed ketamine use across the UK in recent years is a cause for concern, say doctors in The BMJ.

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Among new dads, 64% take less than two weeks of leave after baby is born

When it comes to family leave, American fathers are left behind. In a survey of new fathers led by scientists at Northwestern University and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 64% of fathers reported taking less than two weeks of leave or no leave after the birth of their child. Only 36% of dads reported taking more than two weeks of leave. The survey is the first of a state-representative sample of fathers.

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Zydus gets USFDA EIR for Ankleshwar API facility

Ahmedabad: Zydus has announced that the company has received the Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) report from the US Food and Drugs Administration (US FDA) for the inspection conducted at its API manufacturing facility located
at Ankleshwar.

This facility underwent an inspection from 10th to 14th March 2025, and the
inspection has been classified as No Action Indicated (NAI). NAI means no objectionable conditions or practices were found during the inspection.

The USFDA has concluded that
this inspection is “closed”. 

Read also: Zydus Lifesciences venture capital arm to acquire stake in Agenus for USD 16 million

Zydus Lifesciences Ltd. is an innovative, global lifesciences company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a broad range of healthcare therapies. The group employs 27,000 people worldwide, including 1,400 scientists engaged in R & D. Over the last decade, Zydus has introduced several innovative, first-in-class products in the market for treating unmet healthcare needs with vaccines, therapeutics, biologicals and biosimilars.

Read also: Zydus Lifesciences to acquire India, Sri Lanka rights for Agenus cancer immunotherapy BOT/BAL

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Rourkela ESIC Beneficiaries Demand Dedicated Occupational Disease Centre

Rourkela: Hundreds of insured workers staged a protest in front of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Model Hospital in Rourkela on Monday, raising several demands and voicing their grievances. 

The protest was organised under the banner of the Sundargarh Industrial Mazdoor Union, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The demonstrators called for the conversion of the current 50-bed model hospital into a dedicated Occupational Disease Centre and Public Health Unit. They also pressed for the establishment of a full-fledged ESIC Medical College and Hospital (MCH) in Rourkela to cater to the growing needs of the region’s industrial workforce.

Jehangir Ali, vice-president of CITU’s Odisha unit, criticised the deteriorating services at the model hospital, attributing the decline to the recent transfer of 10 experienced doctors, including several specialists and the medical superintendent, to the new ESIC hospital at Angul.

According to the news reports, the model hospital at Rourkela currently has only 16 doctors against the sanctioned strength of 28. Protesters demanded that the government take immediate action to fill all vacant doctor positions to ensure adequate healthcare services.

Also Read: Dr Mansukh Mandaviya to Inaugurate 220-bed ESIC Hospital in Ranchi

Speaking to TNIE, Ali further said the western Odisha region has around 12 lakh ESIC beneficiaries, including their dependents, who are mostly tribals. They face a higher risk of occupational health hazards and endure healthcare inequalities. A dedicated occupational disease centre would serve as a regional diagnostic, treatment, and research hub focusing on industrial illness.

Similarly, a public health unit would ensure outreach, preventive care, health education and early detection services. There is also a need for setting up of ESIC MCH at Rourkela in the larger health interest of the beneficiaries, he added, reports TNIE.

Also Read: ESIC Plans to Establish 10 New Medical Colleges Across India

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Mansukh Mandaviya, announced that the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has given in-principle approval for the establishment of 10 new ESIC medical colleges across the country.

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India reports over 200 XFG COVID-19 cases, Experts call it natural evolution

New Delhi: As India records more than 200 cases of the newly identified COVID-19 XFG variant, Dr Balram Bhargava, former Director General of the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), emphasised that the emergence of the XFG variant is part of the ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2.

Dr Bhargava was part of the team at the forefront of managing the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The emergence of the XFG variant is part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s natural evolution,” he said.

His statement comes as India’s active COVID-19 cases crossed 7,000 as of June 11, with over 300 added in the last 24 hours and six deaths recorded in the same period, data from the Union Health Ministry shows, news agency PTI reported.

Also Read:163 cases of new COVID-19 variant XFG found in India, says INSACOG

According to the latest data from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), 206 cases have been linked to XFG variant, with the highest count of 89 infections coming from Maharashtra, followed by West Bengal reporting 49.

Dr Bhargava said the XFG variant of SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19) carries mutations which may improve its ability of binding to human cells and bypassing immune defences.

“Early reports suggest that the variant has high immune escape potential, but there is no current evidence to indicate (an) increased severity (of disease),” he said.

Other states reporting infections due to the XFG variant are Kerala (15), Tamil Nadu (16), Gujarat (11), Madhya Pradesh (6), Andhra Pradesh (6), Odisha (4), Puducherry (3), Delhi (2), Rajasthan (2), and Punjab, Telangana and Haryana (one each).

However, similar to how the virus adapts, so has India’s diagnostic infrastructure since the first wave of the pandemic, and the RT-PCR test, or ‘reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction’ — which detects the genetic material of SARS-CoV-2 in samples — remains its cornerstone, the cardiologist said.

He added that the widespread deployment of platforms such as Truenat — a rapid molecular diagnostic test that uses RT-PCR technology for diagnosis — puts India in a strong position to detect and contain emerging variants swiftly, even in remote and resource-limited settings.

Point-of-care testing, which detects antibodies in blood, played a crucial role during the pandemic then, and it continues to be a frontline tool for detecting emerging variants, such as XFG, Dr Bhargava said.

“Vigilance is critical now, and not panic. As we have done in the past, we should continue testing when symptomatic, masking in crowded spaces, and staying up to date with vaccinations”, he said.

India has seen 74 deaths in the current surge in COVID-19 cases, which started January this year. Kerala continues to be the most affected with over 2,200 cases, followed by Gujarat (1223) and Delhi (757).

Official sources have said that most cases are mild and can be managed under home care, even as all states have been instructed to ensure availability of oxygen, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines, amidst rising cases of COVID-19, reports PTI.

INSACOG data also shows that 21 of the newly emerging cases are linked to the LF.7 variant — Maharashtra and Gujarat reporting the highest with six cases each — and two to the NB.1.8.1 variant — one each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Also Read:Maharashtra reports 91 cases of new Covid subvariant FLiRT

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Alkem’s Revolutionary therapy TERIPARATIDE-GEMFRAC for weak bones now more accessible to all Indians

In a bid to make osteoporosis treatment affordable to Indian masses, Alkem Laboratories has slashed the price of its Teriparatide brand, Gemfrac.

Until now Teriparatide has been available in India at a monthly cost of therapy ranging from ₹7,000/- to ₹10,000/- limiting accessibility for many patients. Alkem has revised the rate of its Teriparatide brand. Gemfrac to make it available at ₹4,000/- per month, making osteoporosis treatment more affordable and accessible.

This reduction is expected to benefit a broader patient population, improving osteoporosis management in India.

Teriparatide, a recombinant fragment of human parathyroid hormone (N-terminal 34 amino acids), is a powerful osteoanabolic agent. Multiple clinical trials have confirmed its safety and effectiveness in treating osteoporosis.

Alkem Labs Management said, “At Alkem, we believe advanced healthcare should be accessible to all. With Gemfrac, India’s most affordable Teriparatide, we are redefining osteoporosis care by making this gold-standard treatment more affordable for millions. With over 61 million Indians affected by osteoporosis & 80% of which are women, access to effective treatment is crucial. By significantly reducing costs, we aim to improve treatment adherence and reduce fracture risks. This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to affordable innovation and patient-first healthcare solutions”.

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Assam: Sarthebari Hospital Functioning Without Doctors for 3 Days

Sarthebari: The 30-bed rural hospital in Sarthebari has reportedly been operating without a single doctor for the past three days, leaving the facility in a dangerously understaffed and nearly non-functional state. 

Currently, only two support staff members, categorised as third- and fourth-grade employees, are present at the hospital. In the absence of both doctors and nursing staff, essential medical services are being handled solely by two medical assistants, raising serious concerns about patient safety and the quality of care being provided.

This deeply inadequate arrangement has not only jeopardised routine patient care but also left the hospital completely incapable of responding to medical emergencies, particularly at night.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu bans leave for Govt Doctors amid staff shortage

According to local residents, the absence of medical professionals, particularly during night hours, has become a recurring issue. They allege that under the current Medical Officer In-Charge, Chamsul Hoque, such operational lapses have become routine, reports India Today NE.

Adding to the crisis, the hospital also suffers from a lack of essential infrastructure. The situation in Sarthebari reflects the deeper, systemic issues plaguing rural healthcare across Assam—persistent understaffing, inadequate infrastructure, and weak administrative oversight.  

Also Read: Margherita ASHA Workers Protest Doctors Transfer

Medical Dialogues had previously reported that in response to the transfer of key doctors to other hospitals in the state, ASHA workers at Margherita FRU/Civil Hospital staged a protest. The protestors expressed grave apprehensions about the negative impact the transfers would have on healthcare services in the region. The protest centred around the transfer of Dr. Keshab Goswami, the only radiologist at the hospital, and Dr. Namrata Sonowal, a microbiologist. The workers emphasised that the absence of these two doctors would severely disrupt diagnostic and treatment services, which are essential for the community, particularly in specialised fields such as gynaecology and maternal care.  

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