Exim policy as Chinese checker

Click on Read more to view....

Chalk powder as ‘life saver’

Sale of spurious drugs has been increasing causing near nightmare to major drug manufacturers all over the country. Bhagirath Place, located in the Capital’s walled city and known to be the Mecca of fake drugs trade, alone accounts for a revenue loss of over Rs 200 crore. Not too long ago, a health official from a visiting African delegation physically produced samples of fake drugs to his Indian counterpart in full public view. Yet, the patients continue to face the brunt of the fly-by-night manufacturers, paying for with their lives due to the callousness of the authorities.

Huge price difference between the branded and the generic drugs, coupled with complete inaction of the law-enforcing agencies, provides enough incentive to the drug mafia to play merry hell with system. So systematic has the parallel trade become that unless tested at the laboratory, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the genuine and the fake. Be it anti-tuberculosis, cancer, cardiovascular or any other drug/injectables, they all could be coming from a small group of spurious manufacturers engaged in churning out loads of nicely packaged chalk powder.

EDITORIALS & ANALYSIS

Eating out of the general’s hands

There is no big difference between Osama bin Laden and Maulana Masood Azhar

HARINDER S. SIKKA

CNN has been airing views and interviews on General Musharraf’s speech as well as the build-up of troops at the LOC that are tilted in Pakistan’s favour. It often tends to read more than what is stated by Musharraf, only to be repeatedly quoted verbatim by the Pakistani media. Similarly, on January 12, barely did the general finish his speech than the CNN went to town lauding his effort. Opinions began pouring thick and fast out of thin air, urging India to respond to the Pakistani president’s historic move.

 EDITORIALS & ANALYSIS

US’ job is yet not done

It must find those missing nuclear scientists

HARINDER S. SIKKA

The UN hopes to create peace and tranquility in war torn Afghanistan. It is a tall order indeed. It will not be easy to contain the volcano of anti-US hatred that still simmers. 

A patent problem called anthrax

HARINDER SIKKA

 THE Canadian governments decision to manufacture the generic version of the antibiotic drug, Ciprofloxacin, has expectedly met with no voice of dissent from the patent holding MNC. Even the US government is understood to be considering inviting pharma companies from the third world in order to ensure availability of stocks of Cipro, for the simple reason that it accords the highest priority to the safety of its people and therefore deems it fit to overlook patent regulations.