The world’s most effective vaccine candidate against dengue is all set for trials in India and if all goes to plan, the vaccine will be available globally by 2015.

India continues to top the global pneumonia mortality charts, witnessing four lakh deaths of children every year.

The All-India Chemists and Distributors’ Federation has expressed displeasure at the method proposed by the Group of Ministers to fix the cost of 348 drugs that have recently been brought under the National List of Essential Medicines.

AICDF president Kailash Gupta said: “The method recommended by the GOM in fixing the cost of these medicines is based on the average of market price of best selling brands which we feel is totally wrong.’’

Pamphlets with details on anti-larval operations distributed

To create awareness on chikungunya, health officials on Monday carried out door-to-door campaign, conducted fogging operations and distributed pamphlets at Achankuttapatti in Ayothiyapattinam block, near Salem. Of the total 350 families with 1,540 persons in Adi Dravidar Colony, over 300 were suffering from fever and joint pains for the past 10 -15 days. Health officials on Sunday collected samples and distributed medicines to all the villagers.

A ban on branded drugs stands to cut 'Big Pharma' out of the $5.4-bn windfall

India has put in place a $5.4 billion policy to provide free medicine to its people, a decision that could change the lives of hundreds of millions, but a ban on branded drugs stands to cut Big Pharma out of the windfall. From city hospitals to tiny rural clinics, India's public doctors will soon be able to prescribe free generic drugs to all comers, vastly expanding access to medicine in a country where public spending on health was just $4.50 per person last year.

A third of malaria drugs used around the world to stem the spread of the disease are counterfeit, data suggests.

Fake and substandard malaria drugs are a growing threat to efforts to beat back the disease, a new study sponsored by the federal government has concluded.

Escalating costs of commonly used drugs across the country has consumers complaining about health care slowly but surely becoming unaffordable.

Scientists claim to have developed a universal cancer vaccine that can train patients' own bodies to seek out and destroy tumour cells.

A new study suggests that the vaccine against human papillomavirus can significantly cut the likelihood of virus-related disease even among women who have had surgery for cervical cancer caused by