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Mumbai: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has announced that the Australian Therapeutic Goods
Administration (TGA) has granted regulatory approval for Winlevi (clascoterone cream 1%).
As stated by Hellen de Kloet, Business Head – Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Sun Pharma
“Winlevi is an exciting addition to our expanding dermatology portfolio of innovative medicines in Australia.
Winlevi’s novel mechanism of action will be a welcome addition to the physician’s toolkit while treating acne.”
Diana Harbort, President of the Dermatology Division of Cosmo, said, “We are very pleased that Winlevi will
soon be available to patients in Australia. This is another achievement in the mission of Cosmo and Sun Pharma
to improve the lives of patients affected by skin conditions.”
Winlevi will be available in Australia this June.
Winlevi is approved for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in people 12 years of age and older.
Although the
exact mechanism of action for Winlevi is unknown, laboratory studies suggest the active ingredient, clascoterone,
competes with androgens, specifically dihydrotestosterone (DHT), for binding to the androgen receptors within
the sebaceous gland and hair follicles.
Androgens are widely recognized as the most important of all hormones in terms of regulating sebum production.
Within the skin, androgens bind to androgen receptors, causing increased sebum production and inflammation.
In particular, the skin of patients with acne vulgaris produces higher levels of the androgens testosterone and
dihydrotestosterone (DHT) than the skin of healthy individuals.
Winlevi binds to the androgen receptor competing with androgens such as DHT on cells within the sebaceous
gland. Although its precise mechanism of action is unknown, studies suggest Winlevi inhibits androgen
receptors in the skin and reduces production of sebum and inflammation. Additionally, Winlevi is rapidly
metabolized in the skin, limiting systemic absorption.
Sun Pharma has received from Cosmo the exclusive right to develop and commercialize WINLEVI in US, Japan,
Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico and Russia.
Sun Pharma is a specialty generics company with presence in Specialty, Generics and Consumer Healthcare products. It is the largest pharmaceutical company in India and is a generic company in the US as well as Global Emerging Markets. Sun’s high growth Global Specialty portfolio spans products in dermatology, ophthalmology, and onco-dermatology and accounts for over 16% of company sales. Its manufacturing facilities are spread across six continents.
Read also: Sun Pharma topical acne treatment Winlevi now available in Canada
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Chennai: The aspirants preparing for the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) examination in Tamil Nadu are expressing dissatisfaction with the Health Department’s handling of vacant positions and the allocation of merit marks.
They are particularly concerned about the department’s decision to issue a fresh notification for 2,553 assistant surgeon posts, despite 1,251 vacancies remaining unfilled from the April 2023 MRB exam.
Dr Parthiban Shivan, representing the aspirants, plans to challenge this move in the Madras High Court, arguing that according to regulations, new notifications cannot be issued until all previously announced posts are filled.
Speaking to EdexLive, Dr Parthiban said, “As per the rules, they cannot issue new notifications until all the previously notified posts have been filled. I will move the court against the new notification.”
The Medical Services Recruitment Board on Friday, March 15 issued a job notice inviting candidates through online mode for Direct Recruitment to the post of 2,553 Assistant Surgeon (General) temporarily in Tamil Nadu Medical Service.
Following this, Dr Shivan filed a writ petition in February 2024, addressing this issue, and although the Madras High Court had directed the Health Department to review the matter and take necessary action within four weeks, no action has yet been taken, said the aspirants.
Furthermore, a dispute exists regarding the distribution of merit points, particularly the five additional marks granted to doctors who rendered their services during the COVID-19 outbreak in the MRB 2023 examinations.
Medical Dialogues team last year reported that house surgeons serving in COVID wards across various government or government-approved private medical college hospitals sought incentive marks in the upcoming government doctor recruitment drive conducted by the Medical Recruitment Board.
Expressing their concerns, the house surgeons sought equitable treatment with doctors recruited on contract and post-graduate professionals assigned responsibilities during the pandemic. They argue that the nature of their duties, especially in COVID-19 wards, warrants recognition in the form of incentive marks during the recruitment process.
“These five grace marks had a huge impact on the merit list. A majority of the candidates who appeared for the exam were given these marks and due to this, doctors who had scored on pure merit faced a disadvantage,” said Dr Parthiban Shivan, who filed a writ petition in Madras High Court in February 2024.
The last MRB exam was held in 2023 after five years for 1,021 assistant surgeon posts and as a result, a large number of candidates appeared, aspirants informed. The department called nearly 1,600 candidates for the 1,021 posts, of which, 777 were posted.
Also read- NMC Gives Deadline To 320 Students With Pending Eligibility Certificate Applications, Issues Warning
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Tension prevailed at the LPS Institute of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Kanpur after a patient admitted for chest pain died during treatment. The patient’s kin alleges that the death was due to the doctor’s negligence.
Following the complaint, the Director of Cardiology, Dr Rakesh Verma has formed a five-member team to investigate the allegations. After two days, the team will submit the report and further action will be taken.
For more information, click on click on the link below:
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Lung diseases have become more prominent since the pandemic
to create more awareness about them. The Global Initiative for Chronic
Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) has published the complete 2023 GOLD report. It
contains important changes compared to earlier versions, and incorporates 387
new references.
A study in Journal of The Pan African Thoracic Society
(JPATS) published by Scientific Scholar presents an executive summary of this
GOLD 2023 report that summarizes aspects that are relevant from a
clinician´s perspective and updates evidence published since the prior
executive summary in 2017.
The definition of a disease should only include the
characteristics that distinguish it from other diseases. Accordingly, GOLD 2023
proposes a new definition of COPD that, at variance with previous documents,
focuses exclusively on these characteristics, separately from its epidemiology,
causes, risk factors and diagnostic criteria.
GOLD 2023 defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung
condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms (dyspnea, cough,
expectoration and/or exacerbations) due to abnormalities of the
airways (bronchitis, bronchiolitis) and/or
alveoli (emphysema) that cause persistent, often progressive, airflow
obstruction.
Factors like cigarette smoking is a key environmental
risk factor for COPD. Cigarette smokers have a higher prevalence of respiratory
symptoms and lung function abnormalities, a greater COPD mortality rate than
non-smokers; yet fewer than 50% of heavy smokers develop COPD.
Occupational exposures, including organic and inorganic
dusts, chemical agents, and fumes, are an under-appreciated environmental risk
factor for COPD.
Air pollution, which typically consists of particulate matter, ozone, oxides of nitrogen or sulfur, heavy metals, and other greenhouse gases, is a major worldwide cause of COPD, responsible for ~50% of the attributable risk for COPD. Genetic factors like are the most relevant risk factor for COPD identified are mutations in SERPINA1, leading to α-1 antitrypsin deficiency, a major circulating inhibitor of serine proteases.
The lungs grow and mature until about 20-25 years of age (earlier in females), when lung function reaches its peak. This is followed by a relatively short plateau and a final phase of mild lung function decline due to physiological lung aging. Lung diseases are common in both males and females.
Many different studies have reported that asthma and atopy in infancy may be a significant risk factor for COPD in adulthood. Severe lung infections in childhood have been associated with reduced lung function and increased respiratory symptoms in adulthood.
Therefore, it was noted that COPD is a common, preventable, and treatable disease, but extensive under-diagnosis and misdiagnosis leads to patients receiving no treatment or incorrect treatment. The realization that environmental factors other than tobacco smoking can contribute to COPD, that it can start early in life and affect young individuals, and that there are precursor conditions opens new windows of opportunity for its prevention, early diagnosis, and prompt and appropriate therapeutic intervention.
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According to experts, early detection is crucial for boosting treatment for endometriosis which are often dismissed as painful periods.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining inside the uterus (endometrium) grows outside of it. This tissue can be found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, outer surface of the uterus, and other organs within the pelvis. During the menstrual cycle, this tissue thickens, breaks down, and bleeds. However, because it has no way to exit the body like menstrual blood, it becomes trapped. This can lead to inflammation, scar tissue formation, and severe pain.
Although there is currently no known way to prevent endometriosis, early diagnosis, and management can help slow down “the natural progression of the disease and reduce the long-term burden of its symptoms, including possibly the risk of central nervous system pain sensitisation”, as per the World Health Organization.
“The symptoms of endometriosis can vary from person to person and may not correlate with the severity of endometriosis. Most women with endometriosis tend to have painful periods which may be attributed to the normal menstrual cramps and diagnosis is often delayed,” said Gayathri D Kamath, Senior Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.
“Excessive pain during menstruation (dysmenorrhea), painful intercourse (dyspareunia), chronic pelvic pain, severe backache, or constant painful urge to defecate during and around periods are some of the red flags. In addition, difficulty getting pregnant (infertility) can also be associated with endometriosis,” said Gayathri.
Therefore, recognizing the significance of early clinical diagnosis is crucial in the evolving paradigm of endometriosis management. Consistently adopting a standardized approach to both diagnosis and treatment is essential to enhance patient care and improve outcomes.
Reference: IANS
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A recent study explored the predictors of early endodontic treatment failure which helps in enhancing the ability of clinicians to forecast outcomes and improve patient care. The key findings of this study were published in the recent edition of BMC Oral Health.
This retrospective cohort analysis by Young-Eun Jang and team from South Korea included the cases of 1262 patients who underwent endodontic treatment at dentistry department. After meticulous examination, 175 cases were deemed suitable for thorough analysis. Various factors potentially contributing to treatment failure were scrutinized, including the quality of obturation, coronal status, presence of additional untreated canals, anatomical complexity, instrument separation, iatrogenic perforation, cracks and endodontic-periodontal lesions.
The investigation into the influence of time since initial treatment was found to be of paramount importance. The patients were categorized into “short-term” (less than 5 years since treatment) and “long-term” (over 10 years since treatment) groups. This temporal distinction provided critical insights into the dynamics of treatment outcomes over time.
The findings revealed a significant association between the presence of untreated additional canals and short-term treatment failure. Also, untreated additional canals were prevalent in 36.9% of short-term failure cases when compared to the 6.4% in long-term failure cases. Further analysis demonstrated that these additional canals posed a substantial risk of failure within the first four years following treatment.
The outcomes urge clinicians to prioritize thoroughness during initial root canal procedures. The detection and treatment of all root canals at the outset significantly improved the long-term prognosis for the patients who underwent endodontic treatment. In conclusion, this emphasis on the meticulous treatment enhance the individual patient outcome and also contribute to the overall advancement of endodontic practice.
Source:
Jang, Y.-E., Kim, Y., Kim, S.-Y., & Kim, B. S. (2024). Predicting early endodontic treatment failure following primary root canal treatment. In BMC Oral Health (Vol. 24, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-03974-8
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According to research published in the journal Molecular Medicine, consumption of tobacco and alcohol has been linked to rising cases of head and neck cancers (HNC) accounting for a 35-times higher risk.
When tobacco is smoked or chewed, it exposes the cells in the mouth, throat, and other parts of the head and neck to harmful chemicals. These chemicals can damage the DNA in cells, leading to mutations that can eventually result in cancerous growth. Similarly, alcohol consumption can irritate the cells in the mouth and throat, making them more susceptible to carcinogens. Additionally, alcohol can interfere with the body’s ability to metabolize and eliminate these carcinogens, further increasing the risk of cancer.
In two case-control studies, researchers investigated the link between tobacco/alcohol consumption and head and neck cancer risk. The first study, conducted at the ENT Department of the University hospitals of Heidelberg and Giessen included 200 male patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer and 800 matched control subjects. Results showed that 4.5% of patients never smoked compared to 29.5% of controls. Patients had roughly double the tobacco and alcohol consumption of controls, with the highest consumption seen in oropharyngeal cancer patients. Tobacco and alcohol increased cancer risk in a dose-dependent manner and were independent risk factors. Heavy smokers (> 60 pack-years) had a relative risk of 23.4 (adjusted for alcohol).
In the second study conducted at the University of Heidelberg’s ENT Department, 164 males with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 656 matched controls were examined. Results showed that 4.2% of cases never smoked, contrasting with 28.5% of controls. Risk of laryngeal cancer increased with tobacco consumption, peaking at 9.1 (adjusted for alcohol) for consumption exceeding 50 tobacco-years (TY).
The findings concluded that the consumption of tobacco and alcohol lead to cellular damage, DNA mutations, and impaired cellular functions, all of which contribute to an increased risk of developing cancer in the head and neck area.
Reference: H. Maier, A. Dietz, U. Gewelke, W. D. Heller & H. Weidauer; Journal: Molecular Medicine; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00184668
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