Patient Counseling 2 Patients in our AU Dispensary responded very well to our services. When a patient entered , we first recorded his/ her weight and height.

Dear friends
Turmeric has many uses. But one important new addition to the list, found in our labs is, turmeric paste applied on breasts of female rats prevented breast cancer. This application was found to be more useful than oral administration of turmeric.
Work is still going on , on this aspect.

Nanotechnology in designing
Drug Delivery systems
Friends, I want to tell you all about some interesting things that I learnt when I went to Chandigarh to attend a conference on nanotechnology in February 2006 in NIPER.
Nanotechnology is immensely useful in designing drug delivery systems that can be used in targeting. Nanoparticles or nanoemulsions help in targeting drugs to a specific site, in reducing the dose to be administered and in reducing unnessary side effects.
When materials are broken down into nano size they look and behave differently.

Points on nanoparticles :
1.Surface to volume ratio increases
2.Surface properties change
3.Their optical, electrical and magnetic properties change.
4.Nanoparticles look and behave differently.
5.High chemical reactivity
6.Site specificity
7.They can be used as carriers for small drug molecules.

Case of DRUG ABUSE - Visakhapatnam 24-5-2008 I feel very perturbed about this incident. Visakhapatnam is known as a city where peace reigns and we are now witnessing incidents which indicate the presence of frustration and unhappiness among the people, especially among the youth. The city's police arrested the owner of Vaheeda Medical Shop in M.V.P. colony in Visakhapatnam on 24-5-2008, for possessing and selling addictive drugs to youth in an unauthorized manner. As reported in our Eenadu;

Herbal Antidiabetics which are being widely circulated and are being prescribed by quacks have become a menace. They are not subjected to the rigorous quality control which allopathic medicines are subjected to. I don't think they pass through clinical trials. There is no expected fall in glucose level which is authorized. I have seen people take these medicines; reduce their regular drugs and then suffer from a highly aggravated hyperglycemia. Herbal drugs have values; but they need to go through clinical trials and then only they should be used. Otherwise they can be a menace.

Indian Pharmacy Course is UNIQUE It has become customary for academicians, especially pharmacy academicians, especially after they return from a foreign tour to exclaim "Oh! The entire world is following one route and we are going by another! Everywhere pharmacy is a profession! A pharmacist is a respected member of the society who contributes immensely to the health of the society! But here in India, we are molding our pharmacy students into industrial laborers! How awful!"

Making spurious drugs through recycling Recycling involves getting hold of a used and empty drug container (whose label is intact) and filling it with contents that look similar to the original drug product. As per a paper written by Dr. Venkateswarulu, this recycling is more in the case of powder injections, like beta-lactam antibiotics, which are expensive, and over-the-counter products like iodex, gripewater etc and is operated by individuals who have an understanding of the pharma markets. The process involves collecting used vials with intact labels, removing the closures, filling the containers with enough material and resealing it by using hand operated sealing machines which are easily available.

I want to focus on the menace of spurious drugs in India. There are many angles to this problem. I want to discuss them one by one. I think, as intellectuals belonging to the field of medicines, we have a responsibility to help the world by being a think tank on issues such as the manufacture of spurious drugs in India.

I.Brands in antibiotics, analgesics and anti-diarrheals are the preferred target segments by the fake manufacturers.

So what can we do about it?

1. When we are purchasing these medicines we can be extra cautious.

Branded drugs and generic drugs In India, for many people (including doctors, scientists and pharmacy professionals) there is confusion between generics and branded drugs. Actually almost all the medicines produced in India are generics. As per the strict definition, a branded medicine is the one which is produced by the innovator; and a generic medicine is the one which is an equivalent and which is produced by companies other than the innovator company. When seen from this angle, all medicines produced here are generic equivalents. But many people in India claim they only prefer branded medicines and many doctors use brand names only in prescribing.