Mylan Pharmaceuticals has launched a fixed dose combination drug in India for treatment-experienced adults and adolescents weighing more than 40 kg with HIV-1.
The product, DURART R 450, comprises Darunavir/Ritonavir 400/50mg. Alternative treatments require patients to take two drugs separately. This is the first FDC drug available to patients in India, the company said in a release on Thursday.
President (India and Emerging Markets) Rakesh Bamzai said patients with HIV-1 will now have access to the fixed-dose combination therapy which may improve the overall patient treatment outcomes. Darunavir and Ritonavir are HIV protease inhibitors and can be used in combination for patients failing first and second-line regimens during the management of HIV-1 infection. Darunavir is currently available in India in 600 mg and 800 mg dose forms and Ritonavir is available in the 100 mg and 50 mg dose forms.
The company’s ARV portfolio includes 14 APIs and 50 finished dosage forms in first-line, second-line and paediatric formulations, the release said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 16th, 2017
Pattiseema project has added another feather to its hat. Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), which set a record in the execution of the Pattiseema project, has set another record by diverting 100 TMC of water from River Godavari to River Krishna through a lift system in 148 days.
Pattiseema project is a prestigious project of the AP government that has linked both Krishna and Godavari. The project was taken up to divert 80 TMC of water from Godavari and Krishna in 110 days. In this year, the project has diverted 100 TMC of water in 148 days. This is an increase of 20% over the intended usage of the project.
Official sources said Pattiseema is the only project in India to divert 100 TMC of water in one season. In this year, 98% of the acreage under river Krishna has been brought under cultivation.
“Normally, in any lift irrigation project, the pumps and motors are put to use only for three months or less every year. In Pattiseema project, all the 24 motors have been functional for the last 4 months. The 24 motors, one lakh twenty thousand hours, 159 TMC of diverted water,” a senior official of AP Irrigation department said.
Interestingly, the project was completed before time by the project contractor MEIL and subsequently entered into the Limca Book of Records for diverting 100 TMC of water this year from River Godavari to Krishna Delta. The works began on March 30, 2015 and completed the works by March 20, 2016.
Officials said Pattiseema is the first project in India to be completed on time without any budgetary enhancements. In spite of many challenges and setbacks, the government planned diligently and employed a workforce of 2,000 to complete the project. The first pump was made functional in 173 days (on 18th September 2015) and water was released.
According to a release, the pump house which is spread across an area of 7476 sq. m. is the largest in Asia. The project pumps 240 cusecs of water through 24 pumps. After the completion of the project, the pumps have been operational for 1.2 lakh hours till now. This means that each pump has been operational for 5000 hours without any hurdles. The pumps were successful in diverting 4 TMC of water in 93 days in the first year (2015), 55.6 TMC of water in 137 days in 2016, and 148 TMC of water till now in 2017.
Irrigation officials said this year, the farmers of Krishna Delta received water to their farmlands in the beginning of July. This has never happened in the past.
These farmers sowed their paddy crops in the months of October and November every year due to water scarcity. They incurred heavy losses when their crops were inundated during the monsoons and other calamities. After the completion of the Pattisam project, the farmers have started receiving water on time. As a result, they are reaping the benefits of a good harvest without any obstacles. The officials from irrigation and water resources department are able to ascertain the actual reason behind such abundant harvests.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Hyderabad News> Civic News / by Koridi Mahesh / TNN / November 16th, 2017
Optimum “The drug gets released quickly when the pore size of the nanofabric is 100 microns,” says Mudrika Khandelwal (second from right).
The amount of drug in the patch can be modified so that it is released at desired rate
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Hyderabad have developed a novel drug-delivery system that releases a commonly used pain killer (diclofenac sodium) at the target site in a controlled fashion such that there is constant release of the drug for as long as 12 hours. The drug has low half-life of one–two hours and so constant release for up to 12 hours becomes particularly significant.
In normal circumstances, the drug gets metabolised very quickly, thereby requiring frequent dosing to maintain the desired therapeutic levels. The fluctuation of the drug plasma level is one reason why the medicine cases adverse effects.
To prevent burst or quick release of the drug, a team led by Mudrika Khandelwal from the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad fabricated a transdermal patch containing the drug and made the patch highly hydrophobic (water repelling). The high hydrophobicity of the patch ensures that the highly water-soluble drug is released in a slow and sustained fashion. The results were published in the journal Applied Surface Science.
Tuning the patch
What makes the transdermal patch particularly significant is the freedom to increase the amount of drug present in the patch so that the drug is constantly released at a therapeutically desirable dosage for a longer duration.
The patch was prepared by mixing the drug with cellulose acetate bio-polymer and electrospun in the form of a nanofabric. Ordinary nylon mesh with different pore sizes (50, 100 and 200 microns) was used at the site of the collector and this allowed the nanofibres to get deposited with micron-sized gaps in between.
“The non-wetting capillary action of the air pockets pushes the water away and this changes the water contact angle from about 30 degrees to 138 degrees and makes the nanofabric hydrophobic.
There is higher non- wetting capillary action of the air pockets when the air gaps are smaller in size,” says Prof. Chandra Shekhar Sharma from the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad and one of the authors of the paper. “Since the drug is released through a diffusion process, the increased water repelling nature (hydrophobicity) of the fabric reduces the effective area in contact resulting in reduced diffusion rate, which also reduces the drug release.”
Constant release
“The drug, which is embedded in the transdermal patch, is released at a constant rate for up to 12 hours, when the pore size of the nanofabric is 50 microns. We achieved constant release for only three hours when the pore size was 100 microns. The drug without any micropatterning was released in just one hour,” says Dr. Khandelwal who is the corresponding author of the paper.
“We tested transdermal release using a membrane that mimics the skin. The membrane separates the drug-loaded nanofabric from a solution that in turn mimics the body fluids,” says Dr. Khandelwal. “Different drugs can be loaded in the nanofibres to achieve constant release for a long time.”
“We embedded ciprofloxacin antibiotic in the patch and achieved similar results. The transdermal patch loaded with the pain killer [diclofenac sodium] can be used for treating local muscular pain. It may not be possible to treat deep-seated pain using this patch,” says Shivakalyani Adepu from the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad and the first author of the paper.
The researchers plan to develop transdermal patch prototypes and test them on animals.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by R. Prasad / November 11th, 2017
The Telangana Government has appointed Phanindra Sama, who Co-Founded bus ticketing company RedBus and serial entrepreneur, as Chief Innovation Officer of the State.
A South African investment firm had acquired RedBus for about Rs. 780 crore. After the successful exit, Phanindra Sama has been working with start-ups and overseeing the activities of Kakatiya Sandbox in Nizamabad.
Phanindra received the formal appointment letter from Telangana IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao at Secretariat on Friday.
Phanindra will head the State’s Innovation Cell, which aims at promoting innovation at the grass root level, catching the school children in rural areas very young.
“The Cell will also focus on bringing the startup ecosystem closer by promoting a State-as-a-whole approach as opposed to concentrating startup activity in one location. It proposes to develop co-working spaces and incubators across the State,” a Government official said later.
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> News> National / by KV Karmanath / Hyderabad – November 11th, 2017
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, freelance writer Noopur Kumar, outgoing DGP Anurag Sharma and his successor M. Mahender Reddy releasing the book on Saturday.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao releases a book on city police
A coffee table book Journey of the Hyderabad City Police written by freelance writer Noopur Kumar was released by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao here on Saturday. The book is a compilation of the progress of city police since the inception till date and is embellished with oil paintings.
The journey has been explained in a racy style right from the days when the police patrolled the city thoroughfares on bicycles to the installation of CCTV cameras.
The book deals with the speciality of Hyderabad on law and order front, the Kotwal regime of policing during Qutub Shahi rule, the police network during the subsequent Nizam’s period, the great Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb of Hyderabad where Hindu and Muslims lived in harmony and the great personalities in the Police Department.
Mr. Rao congratulated Ms. Kumar for bringing out the book. Additional DGP Anjani Kumar supervised its production. The outgoing DGP Anurag Sharma, his successor M. Mahender Reddy and Chief Advisor to Government Rajiv Sharma participated.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 11th, 2017
ICOTOM is a global scientific exchange focusing on real-world scientific solutions
UoH research scholar Sabavath Janakiram. Photo from university newsletter
Hyderabad:
A research scholar from University of Hyderabad presented a paper on ‘texture evolution during partial recrystallisation annealing in high strength automotive steels’, at a global conference held in the US, a newsletter published by the university said.
Sabavath Janakiram is pursuing his PhD in Materials Engineering in the School of Engineering Science and Technology, UoH. He was invited to participate in the International Conference on Textures of Materials (ICOTOM-18), which was held from November 5 to November 10, at St George, Utah.
ICOTOM is a global scientific exchange focusing on real-world scientific solutions.
Janakiram specialises in ‘nucleation texture and microstructure control during early recrystallisation annealing of high strength automotive steels’ under the supervision of Dr Jai Prakash Gautam at the university, the newsletter said.
His visit was funded by Prof Leo Kestens from University of Ghent and the National Science Foundation.
Janakiram’s research paper will be published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering.
Telangana State bagged three medals, including two silver medals, in the recently concluded 22nd National Road Cycling Championship held at Jamakandi in Karnataka recently.
B Mugesh clinched a silver medal in the 120km men’s road mass start event while Aman Punjari cycled away to glory in the 40km individual time trial (under-23 event). Parshuram Chenji bagged bronze in the 50km criterium event.
The cyclists were honoured by Sports Authority of Telangana State.
source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by Telangana Today – Sports Bureau / November 08th, 2017
IT firm Cyient has bagged the CII Industrial Innovation Award 2017.
The award recognises the company as one of the ‘Top 26 Innovative Organisations’ in the country, a release from Cyient said.
Instituted by CII in 2014, the award recognises and celebrates innovative Indian enterprises and budding start-ups across industry segments on an annual basis. For the 4th edition of the awards, the grand jury, comprising leaders in technology, business and the innovation space, evaluated the applications and declared the winners.
The winning organisations were honoured at an awards ceremony held during the CII Industrial Innovation Summit 2017. Cyient was felicitated by Naushad Forbes, past chairman of CII. According to the release, CII praised Cyient for its initiatives, especially the Eye Anatomy Visualization through AR/VR for L V Prasad Eye Institute. The project helped enhance medical learning through visualization and experiential interaction related to the anatomy of the eye by using emerging Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality technologies.
Another initiative of the company was Precision Agriculture Technologies, a project involving use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV/drones) to optimise consumption of fertilisers and pesticides in farming.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 07th, 2017
Microsoft CEO will also deliver the keynote address at the first edition of the India Today Conclave Next 2017.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is on a two-day visit to India to promote his book Hit Refresh – The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone.
The tech giant’s India-born chief will be in Delhi on November 7 to deliver the keynote address at the first edition of the India Today Conclave Next 2017. Nadella kickstarted his trip with a visit to Microsoft’s headquarters in Hyderabad on November 6 – the city of his birth – where he joined NDTV’s Prannoy Roy for a discussion on his book that will soon be available in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil.
The book takes readers through Nadella’s personal journey from his childhood in India to his ascendancy through the ranks at Microsoft. It talks about the transformation he has initiated at Microsoft, from its culture to its competitive landscape and industry partnerships as well as his outlook on the exciting and disruptive wave of technologies that will impact all our lives in the coming days.
Many of these themes will also be explored at the day-long India Today Conclave Next 2017.
Nadella’s book also carries a foreword by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. The book’s English edition, launched on September 26, 2017, can already be found in bookstores, while the Hindi edition, published by HarperCollins India will be available in bookstores by November end.
The Tamil and Telugu editions published by Westland Books will be available in print at bookstores from November 7. A Kindle version of the Tamil edition will also be available for download on the same day.
source: http://www.dailyo.in / Daily O / Home> Sci-Tech / November 06th, 2017
Digital Domain, a leading player in the visual effects arena, has made a foray into India with the opening of a studio in Hyderabad.
This is the fifth studio and the tenth location globally for the company, which earlier this year opened facilities in Beijing and Hong Kong. The company, whose visual effects appear in films such as Titanic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Spider-Man: Homecoming and Beauty and the Beast, is keen on shaping the 42,000 sq.ft. facility in Hyderabad into the role of a mainstay for it.
Pegging the investment on the new facility in the $3-5 million range, chief operating officer Amit Chopra, in an interaction with the media on Monday, said: “India is and will continue to be an integral part of Digital Domain’s global expansion plans.”
“We foresee the region to be a leading consumer of premium content,” he said, even as Sudhir Reddy, head of Digital Studio, India, chipped in saying the company was keen on taking up work for customers in the country as well. To begin with, the Hyderabad studio would rely on international projects — movies, commercials as well as VR/AR work — before the demand for its services, especially from Bollywood, is expected to pick up.
“Combined with the recent projections for smart phone growth and mobile bandwidth expansion in the region, the people of India are primed to demand and expect premium content, and we are ready to deliver on that need,” Global CEO Daniel Seah said in a statement.
Of the 500 people who can be accommodated at the new facility, 205 are already on board. By mid-2018, the headcount would touch 500, added Mr. Reddy. Globally, Digital Domain employed 1,400 people.
The new studio, inaugurated on Sunday by Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao, is at present involved with four big projects, the details of which the senior executivesrefused to share.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – November 06th, 2017
