Page 9 - Drugs

Delhi police destroys 2,800 kg drugs worth Rs 1,500 cr seized in 8 years

The Delhi Police on Wednesday destroyed over 2,800 kgs of drugs worth Rs 1,513.05 crore seized under a campaign in the last eight years, officials said. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and members of the disposal committees were present when the drugs were destroyed in an incinerator in Delhi's Nilothi, they said. The police said effective action is being taken against traffickers under the Centre's 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' to eradicate the drug menace from Delhi-NCR. According to an official statement, Saxena expressed satisfaction over the efforts being undertaken by Delhi Police to curb the drug menace in the capital. The Drug Disposal Committees (DDC) of Delhi Police's Crime Branch and Special Cell shortlisted the seized drugs which were no longer required for any legal proceedings and approval of the competent court was obtained for their destruction, the statement said. The DDCs physically examined, verified the weight and other detai

Shah says battle against drugs delicately poised, asks states to join hands

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said the battle against drugs was delicately poised and urged states to fight the menace together with the central government, keeping aside politics. Responding to a short-duration discussion in the Lok Sabha on the drug-abuse problem in the country and steps taken by the government to control it, Shah said the Modi government has zero tolerance policy towards drugs and vowed to put behind bars drug traders, howsoever big, in the next two years. "We have mapped the drug network across the states. No matter how big the criminal is, in the next two years there will be a situation that they will be behind bars," Shah said. He said the issue of drug menace is a serious one as profits from this trade are also used to finance the acts of terror. He said the presence of dirty money also destroys economy and the government will leave no stone unturned in achieving the target of drugs free India. Shah said Rs 97,000 crore worth drugs were destroy

Drugs, illicit liquor spreading roots across national capital: Survey

Easily available at various hotspots, which include JJ clusters and parks, at prices ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 5,000, anyone can get ganja in the quantities that they require

Drug regulators, pharma firms step up action on fake and substandard drugs

Detection of spurious and substandard drugs was up by 47% from 2020 to 2021, according to an ASPA Report

Drug trials on human tissues, cells made in labs soon; new rules in offing

Pre-clinical trials of new drugs could soon be done on human tissues and cells developed in laboratories and not just on animals as the Union Health Ministry is working on bringing in amendments to the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019. A recent draft notification to amend the rules stated that alternative technology platforms such as human organ on chips, micro-physiological systems and other in vitro or cell-based assays can be used prior to and in conjunction with animal testing to establish the safety and efficacy of new drugs before human clinical trials. Pre-clinical tests are important for establishing the safety and efficacy of investigational drugs. In September, the US Congress approved a landmark FDA Modernization Bill that allows a pharmaceutical drug developer to use alternative methods -- including cell-based assays, organ on chips, micro-physiological systems and other human biology-based test methods -- for establishing the safety and effectiveness of new or

Innovator drugs maintain market hold even after patent expiry, shows data

Merck's anti-diabetic molecule sitagliptin retains 81% market share in value terms

World's most expensive drug approved to treat Hemophilia at $3.5 mn a dose

CSL Behring's Hemgenix, administered just once, cut the number of bleeding events expected over the course of a year by 54%, a key study of the therapy found

Security forces recovered heroin worth crores of rupees in J-K's Baramulla

Security forces recovered heroin worth crores in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Sunday. During a routine check at AD Post in Hathlanga area of Uri, security forces intercepted a suspicious looking man who tried to flee when they tried to approach him, a police spokesperson said. When police searched him, he was found to have four packets of heroin-like substance worth crores of rupees in his possession, he said. The person was identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Sahoora area of Uri, he said. Bhat was arrested and taken to a police station where he remains in custody, he said. A case has been registered and investigation set in motion, the spokesperson added.

Suven starts Phase 3 trial for first home-grown Alzheimer's drug

Clinical trial randomisation is the process of assigning patients by chance to groups that receive different treatments

Police arrest 98 people, seize narcotics during search operations in Punjab

Punjab Police on Tuesday apprehended 98 people, including three proclaimed offenders, and recovered narcotics and weapons during a five-hour statewide cordon-and-search operation aimed at checking the movement of anti-social elements and drug smugglers. The police lodged 97 FIRs during the operation, which was conducted simultaneously from 11 am to 4 pm. Over 12,000 personnel under the supervision of additional director general (ADG), inspector general and district police chiefs took part in the operation. The police recovered 1 kg heroin, Rs 10.91 lakh in cash, 158 litres of illicit liquor, 660 kg 'lahan' (raw material used to manufacture illicit liquor), 103 kg poppy husk, 19 kg 'bhang' and 10,460 intoxicant tablets. They also seized two pistols, a rifle and a gun along with ammunition and 30 motorcycles, the police said. Frisking of suspects and complete search of houses were done under the supervision of senior officers, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. Sni

Soon, 300 drug formulations to have mandatory bar codes on packages

To curb the menace of spurious medicines, the government is finalising the process of mandating pharmaceutical companies to print bar code on the packages of 300 drug formulations so that information such as manufacturing licence and batch number can be accessed upon scanning. The amendments to Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945 which, once approved, will come into force from May next year. "A sizable of the drugs mentioned in the list are mostly bought over the counter exposing people to the possibility of consuming counterfeit medicines. This amendment aims to prevent supply of fake medicines and ensure improvement in public healthcare," an official source told PTI. "A bar code or QR code will authenticate whether a particular drug is original or not," the official added. The Union health ministry had issued a draft gazette notification regarding the same in June seeking comments and feedback from the public. Based on the comments and further deliberations, the ministry is in the ..

Europe approves world's first one-dose drug to protect babies against RSV

The European Commission has authorised the world's first one-dose drug against a respiratory virus that sickens millions of babies and children globally every year. In a statement on Friday, drugmakers Sanofi and AstraZeneca said the European Commission had given the green light to nirsevimab, a laboratory-developed antibody designed to protect infants during their first exposure to RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a highly contagious common infection that infects nearly all babies by age 2. At the moment, babies at high risk of the disease can be given monthly shots to protect them during RSV season. In September, the European Medicines Agency recommended that nirsevimab, sold as Beyfortus, be authorised based on advanced research that showed the drug reduced the chances that babies with RSV needed medical attention and appeared to be safe, compared to infants who got a dummy treatment. The drug is given in a single injection. We are excited about the opportunity to expand ...

Yes, I was addicted to cocaine: Wasim Akram makes shocking revelation

Former Pakistan captain and legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram has revealed that he was addicted to cocaine after the end of his playing career but quit following the death of his first wife.

Hong Kong customs seize record meth haul worth $140 million: Official

Hong Kong customs seized 1.8 metric tonnes (2 tonnes) of liquid methamphetamine in the city's biggest-ever meth bust, authorities said Saturday. The drugs, which were seized October 23, had been concealed in bottles labelled as coconut water in a cargo shipment that arrived in Hong Kong by sea, according to a government statement. The haul is estimated to be worth 1.1 billion Hong Kong dollars (USD 140 million). Authorities found that 1,800 bottles out of the total 7,700 bottles contained liquid meth. The bust is the largest on record among meth cases in terms of the amount and market value. Authorities are still investigating the case, and no arrests have been made. The stash of drugs were bound for Australia, and had been shipped from Mexico via Hong Kong, according to authorities who spoke Saturday at a news conference. In Australia, the market value of the drugs could reach about HK dollar 8 billion (USD 1 billion). The cargo had raised suspicion as it was unusually large f

NCB files charge-sheet against Bharti Singh, her husband in 2020 drug case

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has filed a charge-sheet against comedian Bharti Singh, her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa and a drug peddler in connection with a 2020 drug case, a senior official said on Saturday. The charge-sheet, which runs into around 1,200 pages, was submitted by the NCB in a court here recently, he said. The couple was arrested by the anti-drug agency in November 2020 following the seizure of ganja (cannabis) at their residence in suburban Andheri, the official said. Both the accused were booked under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, including section 8 (c) (possession of drugs) and 27 (consumption of drugs), he said. During the investigation, the NCB team had arrested one more person who had played a role in the supply of the banned drug, he said. Accordingly, the NCB team investigated the case and submitted the charge-sheet a few weeks ago, he said. The couple was granted bail after two days of custody on a bon

Drug smuggling through darknet, cryptocurrencies increased, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that there has been an increase in drug smuggling through the darknet and cryptocurrencies, which is also responsible for terrorism.

India's opioid fix: The growing drug menace, heroin seizures in India

The number of cannabis users stood at 31 million in India

Advisory board urges ban on codeine cough drugs, regulator to take call

Codeine formulations constitute 8% of cough and cold market; pharma industry asks govt not to ban a 'safe' medicine for abuse by some

25,000 kgs narcotics seized by NCB to be destroyed in presence of Amit Shah

About 25,000 kgs of drugs, seized as part of a massive drive carried out by the Narcotics Control Bureau, will be destroyed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah here on Saturday, officials said. Shah will also chair a regional meeting on 'Drug Trafficking and National Security' here to discuss drug scenario in the northeastern region and ways to mitigate it. Chief ministers and DGPs of all northeastern states will participate the meeting. About 11,000 kg of narcotic substances will be destroyed by the NCB here on Saturday. Additionally, approximately 13,675 kg of confiscated narcotics (heroin, ganja, codeine cough syrup, narcotic pills) will be destroyed by Assam (2,531 kg) and Tripura (11,144 kg), an official said, adding approximately 25,000 kg of drugs will be destroyed. Exhibiting the commitment of the Narendra Modi government to make the society drugs-free, the NCB, which functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs, is running a special mission from June 1 to des

NCB seizes mephedrone worth nearly Rs 120 cr from Mumbai, Gujarat; 6 held

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized 60 kg mephedrone drug worth more than Rs 120 crore from Mumbai and Gujarat and arrested six persons, including a former Air India pilot, a senior official said on Friday. The action was taken based on specific information received by the Naval Intelligence unit at Jamnagar in Gujarat, said Sanjay Singh, Deputy Director General of the NCB in a press briefing here. "Following the tip-off, the officials from the NCB headquarters in Delhi and its Mumbai zonal unit conducted a raid at Jamnagar on October 3 and seized 10 kg mephedrone," he said. The NCB team had arrested one person from Jamnagar and three more were held from Mumbai in this connection, Singh added. "On Thursday, the NCB team raided a godown located on S B Road in Fort area of south Mumbai and seized 50 mephedrone," he said. After that, the anti-drug agency arrested two persons, including the kingpin of the cartel, he said, adding that one of the accused, Sohail Gafar Mahida,