<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51392456.cms" /> 
 U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc's India unit said on Monday it had stopped selling its popular <keyword id="2855902" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Corex-cough-syrup">Corex cough syrup</keyword>, after regulators banned it saying it was likely to pose a risk to humans. 
 
Corex is a combination of chlopheniramine maleate and codeine syrup -- one of 344 drug combinations India banned over the weekend after a government panel of experts found they had "no therapeutic justification." 
 
All these medicines have entered the markover the years based on approval from regulators of individual states, rather the central government, as legally required. 
 
The decision on Corex is likely to hit Pfizer's revenue and profit. The brand brought in sales of about 1.76 billion rupees ($26.30 million) to Pfizer in the nine months ended December 2015, the company said in a statement. 
 
Pfizer said it believed Corex had a "well-established efficacy and safety profile in India for more than 30 years," without elaborating. It added that it was "exploring all possible options at its disposal." 
 
Another U.S. drugmaker Abbott Laboratories Ltd also sells a codeine-based cough syrup brand in India under the name Phensedyl, which accounts for about a third of the Indian cough syrup market. 
 
Phensedyl sales are estimated to make up more than 3 percent of Abbott's $1 billion India revenue. Abbott was not immediately available to comment on Monday, but the company said on Sunday that it was still assessing the impact of the ban. 
 
Reuters reported last October that Indian regulators were privately pressuring drug firms to better police the selling of popular codeine-based cough syrups to tackle smuggling and addiction. 
 
<a href="http://listdose.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ambassa-corex-15-09-12.jpg">Image source</a>

Pfizer India has stopped selling Corex cough syrup after regulators’ ban

The problem of drug abuse is likely to explode in the next decade, particularly affecting children in the 10-17 age group, as the societal construct undergoes a massive shift, preliminary findings of an ongoing study released on Wednesday stated. Mental health issues, performance pressure, growing emptiness and changing socio-economic conditions are having a toll on this very impressionable age group the most, making them vulnerable to addictive distractions, the study by independent think tank <keyword id="12736569" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="think-change-forum" source="Orion">Think Change Forum</keyword> has found. The impact of the increasing drug abuse will be seen in both urban and rural <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>, the study said. In view of the alarming growth in the consumption of substances in post-pandemic India, particularly among adolescents and youth, Think Change Forum has initiated a national study based on expert consultations to decode the problem of rising addiction and recommend solutions. The think tank's 'Ideas for an Addiction-Free India' initiative entails drawing learnings from the views of national experts from the fields of policy, psychology, social sciences and medical fraternity among others. The preliminary findings have identified three important trends accelerating the adoption of substance use among adolescents and the youth, and three crucial interventions are needed to immediately decelerate them, it said. Glamourisation of intoxication and addictive substances was the first important trend speeding up substance abuse in India, the study said. "Today, heroes and heroines in popular media glamourise intoxication. Children and adolescents are exposed to these role models indulging in such acts across different media, including movies and video series. The message conveyed is that these activities are not only acceptable but also highly desirable," <keyword id="9512045" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sushant-kalra" source="Orion">Sushant Kalra</keyword>, parenting coach and TEDx speaker, said. It leaves those who do not indulge in drug use to feel "stigmatised", he added. The second trend accelerating drug use is the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products. Experts believe such products are part of a marketing hype created by international e-cigarette companies, which claim that electronic device-based heated tobacco and vaping products are less harmful than cigarettes and that they aid de-addiction. Dr K K Handa, chairman of ENT and Head Neck Surgery at Medanta Hospitals said, "The international tobacco industry is attempting to position e-cigarettes as a substitute to smoking." "It is not scientifically right to claim that e-cigarettes is a step-down from smoking cigarettes for eliminating nicotine addiction. Rather, e-cigarettes become a step-up activity to smoking conventional cigarettes," Handa said. E-cigarettes can be used to deliver other higher degree of addictive substances which can be in the form of sticks or other liquids, Dr <keyword id="6454000" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rajesh-gupta" source="Orion">Rajesh Gupta</keyword>, additional director of Pulmonology and Critical Care at Fortis Healthcare Noida, said. "Therefore, e-cigarettes can help smokers graduate to drugs more complex than nicotine," he added. The third trend causing a rapid rise in substance abuse is the rising mental health issues on the back of growing performance pressures and growing emptiness making children more vulnerable. Seconding this, Dr R K Suri, clinical psychologist, said mental health issues as well as societal pressures result in increasing usage of addictive substances among our youth. "During the COVID-19 pandemic, children have experienced a growing sense of emptiness and isolation, which has resulted in an increase in adventurous behaviour and experimentation with substances that they should otherwise avoid," K K Handa elaborated. The experts came down heavily on the "false propaganda" of the e-cigarette and vaping industry who they said were misleading the youth recommending an intervention in practice. Dr <keyword id="17313061" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="safala-shroff" source="Orion">Safala Shroff</keyword>, an adolescent health educator, said, "Proponents of e-cigarettes and vaping use social media platforms frequented by adolescents and youth to advocate against their ban. To counter such propaganda our narratives have to be sound and scientific." "We need to learn to talk in a manner that will connect with children and adolescents and tell them that vaping is not better than tobacco, but, in fact, is a device that presently leads to highest levels of addiction and lung injury," Dr Shroff added. The second-most important intervention in fighting the rising drug abuse is a stronger enforcement of the existing laws. Although India has implemented a ban on vaping and e-cigarette devices, the availability of these devices through the grey market, both physically and online, needs to be addressed to effectively tackle the issue, said Dr Vikas Mittal, associate director of Pulmonology at Max Healthcare. Lakshmi Bhaskaran, a social impact consultant, said adequate enforcement and monitoring should be done in the channels where adolescents and the youth seek addictive substances. "For example, search engines should not allow people below 18 to search for words like drugs. Additionally, there should be regulations in place to prevent the easy availability of over-the-counter addictive drugs in pharmacies," Bhaskaran said. "Obtaining a temporary high from cough syrup, for example, can serve as a gateway to more severe forms of addiction," Bhaskaran added. The third important intervention is education against such addictions with a focus on parents and educators. "The best way to fight this menace is through education. There are millions of teachers in the country who should be educated about substance abuse. Parents also need to be educated on the issue because they have no idea the damage it is doing to their children," Kalra said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/how-to-use-right-to-repair-india-portal/articleshow/99956156.cms">You can get your electronics fixed faster and easier than ever before on Right to Repair Portal: Here's how to use it</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/doing-everything-possible-to-take-utmost-care-of-employees-says-go-first-ceo/articleshow/99954806.cms">Doing everything possible to take utmost care of employees says Go First CEO</a>

Drug abuse among adolescents likely to explode in next decade, says study by Think Change Forum

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14009839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="paxlovid" source="Orion">Paxlovid</keyword>, which is authorized to treat COVID-19, can lead to dysgeusia, or a bad <keyword id="84707" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="taste" source="Orion">taste</keyword>. </li><li>Paxlovid contains ritonavir, a part of some HIV treatments that's known to cause this side effect. </li></ul>At first, Meghan Morris thought her slight cough was her asthma acting up. She'd just returned to New York from <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-plan-attend-a-wedding-during-covid-19-wedding-advice-2021">a friend's wedding in Chicago</a>, and chalked it up to staying up late in a crowded bar for the afterparty. Plus, she'd tested negative for <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid" source="Orion">COVID</keyword>, and was double-vaccinated and boosted. But by the Tuesday after the wedding, Morris, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/meghan-morris">a senior correspondent at Insider, </a>experienced a worsened cough, trouble concentrating, headache and fatigue. This time, a COVID test turned up positive — just like it had for about 20 other wedding attendees. Morris doesn't regret her trip, but as an <a href="https://www.insider.com/coronavirus-and-asthma-2020-8">asthma sufferer, she worried the illness could get serious</a>. So Morris asked her primary care physician for a prescription for Paxlovid, which the FDA <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-first-oral-antiviral-treatment-covid-19#:~:text=Today%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Food%20and,of%20age%20and%20older%20weighing">authorized for emergency use</a> in December. The antiviral drug can reduce the risk of hospitalization in high-risk patients. It consists of two medications packaged in three pills, which are taken twice a day for five days. Morris swallowed her first dose that Wednesday night."I immediately thought something was wrong with my mouth because it tasted so bad," she said. "It felt like the back of my mouth was emitting a metallic tang." Morris was experiencing dysgeusia, the medical term for a bad taste in the mouth. It's a known side effect of ritonavir, one of the two drugs that make up Paxlovid, but not one Morris was expecting — nor one she found any solutions for. "In the grand scheme of things, of course, I would rather have a bad taste in my mouth than have the bad <keyword id="11999128" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="side-effects" source="Orion">side effects</keyword> of COVID for many more days," she said. "So the ends definitely justified the means, but it was not a pleasant experience." <h2>Paxlovid's side effects may be more common than recorded in studies </h2>In the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35172054/">clinical trial</a> that led to Paxlovid's authorization, researchers found that 5.6% of the 1,120 patients who received the drug experienced dysgeusia. Pfizer's <a href="https://labeling.pfizer.com/ShowLabeling.aspx?id=16473">patient fact sheet</a> notes the potential side effect, but the drug's packaging doesn't include it, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/05/pfizer-paxlovid-covid-pill-side-effects/629772/">The Atlantic's Rachel Guttman reported</a>. A Pfizer spokesperson told her "most events were mild" and "very few patients discontinued study as a result." (Pfizer did not respond to Insider's request for comment.) But Morris's informal polling of friends and <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/05/pfizer-paxlovid-covid-pill-side-effects/629772/">other anecdotes</a> suggest it's more prevalent — and more than unpleasant. "I imagine this is what grapefruit juice mixed with soap would taste like," Anna Valdez, a nursing professor in Sonoma Valley, California, told Guttman. In the HIV world, where ritonavir was once <a href="https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/drugs/ritonavir/patient#:~:text=Although%20ritonavir%20is%20FDA%2Dapproved,activity%20of%20other%20HIV%20medicines.">used as a standalone treatment and is now used to support other medications'</a> effectiveness, it's well-known as "a very common side effect," Dr. Melanie Thompson, an HIV researcher in Atlanta, said during an Infectious Diseases Society of America media briefing Friday. "For people with HIV who may end up taking ritonavir every day for a very long period of time, this is a big problem," she said.It's unclear what causes it, but Guttman laid out some theories. Our tongues are more primed to detect bitterness than other flavor profiles, and both substances in Paxlovid are bitter. The sensation could also be our bodies detecting chemicals, which is a different sensation than taste, experts told her. <h2>Be prepared for side effects when taking the drug</h2>Attempts at masking the sensation fall flat, Thompson said.Morris, for one, tried brushing her teeth with baking soda and water right after her doses, and drinking all kinds of flavored water. She even tried taking the pills with a spoonful of chocolate syrup, thanks to a friend's suggestion. The treat "was delicious," she said, "but I felt it did nothing for the taste." She found the sensation was even worse with dairy, so she made sure to eat her milk-containing breakfast before her first dose. "Ultimately I found I just had to suck it up," she said. Thompson said the best thing clinicians can do is tell patients to expect dysgeusia when prescribing Paxlovid. "When you tell patients about a potential side effect and it happens, then they're more likely to say 'OK, I heard about that, I can get through this,' rather than thinking there's something terrible" going on, she said. It's also important for patients to be aware of it so they don't mistake it for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/free-cookbook-help-covid-19-long-haulers-enjoy-food-again-2021-4">a side effect of COVID-19</a>."We all know that COVID can lead to a change or loss to the sense of taste, therefore people are primed for that. Then they start taking Paxlovid and 'Oh no, it happened,'" Jason Gallagher, a doctor of pharmacy and clinical professor at Temple University, said during the briefing. "It's actually the medication, and it will go away."

What it's like to have the terrible taste side effect of Paxlovid, a drug authorized to treat COVID-19

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="108025" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Delta-Air-Lines">Delta Air Lines</keyword> is introducing a voluntary contact tracing program for international arrivals to the US.</li><li>Passengers will be asked for their full name, email address, contact numbers, and address in the US to be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</li><li>CEO Ed Bastian announced in the same memo that the airline will not achieve its goal of daily losses of $10 million for the fourth quarter and will fall short by up to $4 million. </li></ul>Delta is taking on contact tracing in the skies as its latest initiative in the fight against <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>, becoming the first American carrier to do so, the airline <a href="https://news.delta.com/delta-launches-industrys-first-contact-tracing-travelers-returning-us">announced</a> on Thursday. International travelers inbound to the US will be asked to provide five pieces of information as part of the program that will aid health authorities in contact tracing efforts. Most of the information Delta is seeking is already required to book a flight and includes a passenger's full name, primary and secondary phone numbers, address in the US, and email address.Participation in the program is voluntary but can help notify passengers if they've been exposed to the virus in the course of their travels, as well as give local health authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more data to help stop the spread. For flyers utilizing Delta's new <a href="https://news.delta.com/delta-launch-first-quarantine-free-covid-free-travel-europe-through-new-testing-protocols">quarantine-free flights between Atlanta and Rome</a>, agreeing to contact tracing will be mandatory for when they return to the US. The service will only be available to passengers flying on Delta-operated flights with a final destination in the US.Passenger data will be transmitted to the CDC and public health authorities through Customs and Border Protection. Delta currently works with CBP to operate its biometric check-in and boarding systems in place at its international hubs.Delta flyers are already required to submit a <a href="https://www.delta.com/us/en/travel-update-center/ways-we-are-keeping-you-safe/safety-commitment">health declaration</a> at check-in affirming that they have no primary symptoms of COVID-19 including a fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or greater, feeling feverish, a new persistent cough, and shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. A COVID-19 positive traveler or even a person exposed to the virus must also wait 14 days from the time of their diagnosis or exposure before stepping on a Delta plane. Most airlines now have these declarations with Frontier Airlines even going as far as performing temperature checks at boarding.Asymptomatic passengers, however, could spread the virus without knowing. That's why all major US airlines, including Delta, now require face masks onboard and some will ban passengers who don't comply. Delta alone has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-adds-460-no-fly-list-for-not-wearing-masks-2020-10">banned over 400 passengers as of late October</a>, including the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-anti-mask-navy-seal-bin-laden-2020-8">Navy SEAL that killed Osama bin Laden, Robert O'Neill</a>. <h2>A question of public health or saving the bottom line?</h2>Airlines are walking a fine line as confidence in air <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> remains low due to fears of the virus and new lockdown orders. It took seven months for US airports to see over one million passengers in a single day, a feat that took another month to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/record-breaking-americans-flew-sunday-thanksgiving-travel-2020-11">replicate as flyers took to the skies for Thanksgiving</a>.While all the measures airlines are taking have made air travel safer, with low incidence rates among flight attendants as a key barometer, airlines have an another motive for wanting to stop this pandemic: it's good for business. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-workers-covid-rates-is-flying-safe-2020-9">Airline workers have lower rates of COVID-19 than the general population - and airline CEOs say it's proof that flying is safe</a>In the same Thursday memo obtained by <a href="https://twitter.com/davidshepardson/status/1334502973532233735">Reuters</a> announcing the airline's new contract tracing program, CEO Ed Bastian said the airline won't meet its daily cash burn goal of $10 million. Delta will instead see losses between $12 million and $14 million per day in the fourth quarter, with Bastian directly citing an increase in cases across the country as the reason for the reduction in demand. Airlines are also rushing to take part in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insider-covid-19-vaccine-airlift-how-cargo-carriers-are-preparing-2020-11">COVID-19 vaccine airlift</a> as the quicker this pandemic is over, the sooner travel will restart. Robert Walpole, vice president for Delta Cargo, told reporters in a Thursday briefing that the Federal Aviation Administration had given the authorization to transport six times the normal amount of Pfizer vaccine on its largest aircraft, the Airbus A350-900 XWB and A330-300. United Airlines <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-united-airlines-overcame-major-limitation-to-fly-pfizer-vaccine-2020-11">flew the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to the US in late November</a> as the pharmaceutical company prepares for an expected emergency authorization from the FDA. Delta has been flying test flights and ramping up its vaccine-handling infrastructure in key hubs to prepare for the impending mass <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="transportation">transportation</keyword> effort for the pandemic-ending drugs. Where some airlines have drawn the line during the pandemic, however, is blocking middle seats. JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and Southwest Airlines have all announced an end to their seat blocking policies, leaving Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines as the only two major US airlines blocking middle seats into 2021. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-united-cash-burn-2021-q3-earnings-2020-10?r=tp-sub">United's CEO argued it's not a problem that airlines will keep burning tens of millions of cash per day for months</a>Southwest's decision to fill its <keyword id="6367788" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="planes">planes</keyword> came on the heels of a $1.2 billion third-quarter loss with CEO Gary Kelly saying the seat blocking policy cost the airline $20 million in lost revenue over the summer.Delta, however, recently announced an extension to its middle seat blocking policy through March 30, 2021, but raised fares to account for the loss of capacity. And despite the increased losses in the fourth quarter, Bastian still expects Delta to break even on daily operations in the spring.

Delta is launching a new passengers contact-tracing initiative as new lockdowns ruin the airline's plans to stop burning through cash

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50201588.cms" /> This could be good news for the well-wishers of the <keyword id="1638975" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indian-pharmaceutical-market">Indian pharmaceutical market</keyword>, since a recent report by IMS Health has revealed that the market has, for the first time, touched the Rs 1,00,000 crore mark. IMS Health is a research firm dealing in the global pharmaceutical market. 
 
The study has shown that the golden landmark was touched in November, and the figure was calculated on the basis of Moving Annual Total (MAT). 
 
In the report, it is said that three-fourth of the market share was taken over by Indian companies during the month of November. 
 
The Indian pharmaceutical market has grown by an average of 12% over the last three years. In this, drugs that treat infections, heart ailments and patients with gastro-intestinal issues covered almost 38% of the share. 
 
As per the report, in November, Indian market was valued at Rs 1,00,115 crore, of which the retail sector was valued at Rs 84,279 crore. 
 
Talking of companies, Sun Pharma held its top position with a market share of 8%, followed by Abbott that has a share of 6.1%. Cipla isn’t too far behind, with 5.4% market share, and has grown higher than its top peers with a growth of 16% during the month. 
 
In brands, however, it was Mixtard, the popular insulin marketed by Abbott, that retained its first position as the largest brand for the month. It was followed by the cough syrup brand Corex (Pfizer) and Glycomet-gp, a diabetes brand of USV. 
 
<a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/india-expertzone/files/2013/04/pillsw.jpg">Image source</a>

You Searched For "pfizer cough syrup ban" and got 6 results

Pfizer India has stopped selling Corex cough syrup after regulators’ ban

BI India Bureau

Drug abuse among adolescents likely to explode in next decade, says study by Think Change Forum

PTI

What it's like to have the terrible taste side effect of Paxlovid, a drug authorized to treat COVID-19

Anna Medaris

Delta is launching a new passengers contact-tracing initiative as new lockdowns ruin the airline's plans to stop burning through cash

Thomas Pallini

Indian pharmaceutical market touches 1,00,000 crore mark

BI India Bureau

1. TGI Fridays: The Tinder of the 1960s

Dan Bobkoff,Anna Mazarakis,Claire Rawlinson