Informed patients have better outcomes: NDMA contamination alert
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement on 13 September 2019 to alert patients and healthcare professionals of possible contamination of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a probable human carcinogen, in some ranitidine products. The FDA was first alerted to the contamination by online pharmacy Valisure, who found that the “inherent instability” of the ranitidine […]
Coronavirus – How Southeast Asia is preventing a pandemic effect
As of 26 February, infections of coronavirus have been detected in 28 countries outside of China – 11 of them are Asian countries and some reports have claimed that Southeast Asia is particularly at risk. A study by The Lancet ranks this region among the worst in health care access and equality so, the risk of death due to the coronavirus outbreak […]
Coronavirus: Is there a cure in sight?
The coronavirus has taken the world by storm. As of 23 Feb 2020, the global COVID-19 case count stands at over 78,800 confirmed cases with a death toll of over 2,400. But, there’s also a ray of hope as there have been over 23,000 recoveries and 80% of COVID-19 cases are considered mild. According to WHO less than 14% develop into pneumonia and […]
COVID-19 aka coronavirus: The who, what, when, where, why and how?
What is COVID-19? COVID-19, formerly known as the 2019 novelcoronavirus (nCov-19) and, the Wuhan coronavirus, is an upper respiratory tract illness that has flu-like symptoms. These include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and sometimes a headache and fever which can last for a few days. This virus however can be deadly and far more threatening among those […]
Polio hits Malaysia
For 27-years Malaysia was free from polio, but, in December 2019, the Health Ministry in Malaysia confirmed its first new case. A three-month-old boy experiencing fever and weakness of limbs was admitted to intensive care where he was confirmed to be infected with a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1). The boy had received his […]
Floods in Jakarta – A healthcare priority
The New Year saw torrential rainfall across Jakarta that triggered floods in all five municipalities. Of the 268 flooding spots flagged by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management, 158 were in Jakarta. TIME magazine reported that Jakarta’s rainfall alone was equivalent to 72,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Images can be seen across the media of […]
New lung epidemic on the rise
In good news, many countries have started to experience falling smoking rates – according to Nielsen cigarette sales volume slipped 11.2 percent worldwide in the four-week period ending May 2018. But many Southeast Asian countries are still struggling to curb smoking and, to make matters worse, tobacco companies have been pushing new vapour (e-cigarette) products that smokers […]
Thai Pharmacists Fear OTC sales following FDA decision
Most pharmacists will be able to tell you meaningful stories behind what motivated them to join the industry. When we asked Rungthip, a veteran pharmacist in Bangkok about her motivations, she told us the story of the time she moved her grandmother into a nursing home. While moving her belongings she discovered a shoebox hidden […]
Real-time Healthcare in Demand
Real-time, it’s one of the latest buzzwords. With the evolution of the internet of things real-time solutions are reaching fever pitch across almost every industry. Most food delivery services allow you to monitor the location of your food delivery in real time. Transport providers also offer real-time location tracking. Real-time home automation experiences and real-time […]
Generic Medicine: The State of Play across Southeast Asia
Across the globe many people are working multiple jobs in order to earn the income they need to keep up with rising costs. A dollar today just doesn’t buy what it used to. But, it’s not just the price of a Gucci bag that has increased, necessities continue to skyrocket. What makes the increase in […]
