Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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‘Address the innovation deficit in neglected diseases’

News

• India was reported to be the fourth largest funder of research and development (R&D) in neglected diseases as per the G Finder Survey which tracks global investments in R&D for the neglected diseases.

Findings

• Neglected diseases are mostly tropical infectious diseases, and the market size for drugs for such diseases is small due to their limited geographical incidence.
• Some examples of neglected diseases are malaria, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis (kala azar), dengue, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and diarrhoeal diseases.
• These diseases face an innovation deficit as they are neglected in R&D efforts of the pharmaceutical industry. However, it is not just the neglected diseases in the developing world that face this innovation deficit.
• Several rare diseases that affect the developed markets are called “orphan diseases.” These are called orphans because the pharmaceutical industry does not find it profitable to develop and market products intended for only a small number of patients suffering from rare diseases.
• Orphan diseases comprise both rare diseases and neglected diseases. They are orphans of research focus, market interest and even public health policies.
• Both the U.S. and European Union have policies to support drug development for orphan diseases. The U.S., the U.K., Denmark, France, Italy, Sweden and Spain have public policies for treatment of rare diseases. The policy approach has been to treat such diseases as a class and tailor suitable policies.
• India may learn from the above global examples treating neglected diseases as a class requiring special policy intervention to address the innovation deficit. A comprehensive policy supporting research, development and marketing and treatment of neglected disease aiming at their elimination is required if India aims to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

India issues advisory for citizens travelling to Sri Lanka

News

• As more violence erupted in Sri Lanka during raids by security forces in the wake of the Easter bombings, the government has advised Indian citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Sri Lanka.

Beyond News

• In view of the prevailing security situation in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of terror attacks on 21 April 2019, Indian nationals intending to travel to Sri Lanka are advised not to undertake non-essential travel.
• The nationwide emergency and night-time curfews in place will make travelling within Sri Lanka more difficult.
• Several countries including the S., the U.K, Canada and Australia, who had issued travel advisories after the Easter bombing, have upgraded their advisories after reports that more attacks could be planned by the same group.
• Indian officials have been concerned about the possibility of more terror attacks in Sri Lanka, as well as their links to groups in South India, particularly Tamil Nadu.
• India’s travel advisory came nearly a week after the bombings at a number of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, carried out by suicide bombers believed to be members of an ISIS-inspired group the National Towheeth Jamaat (NTJ), that killed more than 250 people.
• Subsequently, Sri Lankan police have narrowed in on others affiliated to the bombers, making several arrests, and recoveries of a large amount of explosives materials.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Pharma exports grow 11%, cross $19 bn

News

• India’s pharmaceutical exports grew a robust 10.72% in 2018-19, and raced past the $19-billion mark for the first time, a performance marked by a rebound in the U.S. market, improved show in almost all the top 25 destinations and across categories.

Beyond News

• Exports touched $19.13 billion as against $17.28 billion of 2017-18, the previous highest, details available with Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India show.
• Making matters challenging for exporters over the last few years has been the increased regulatory scrutiny, pressure on margins in the face of mounting competition and the need to geographically diversify the market. In the five years to 2018-19, exports had declined in one year (2016-17). Other factors such as price control in Germany, Brexit and the lockdown in the U.S. also influenced trends.
• Positives for the exporters were increase in the price of APIs/bulk drugs, the health regulators classifying lesser number of cases, post inspection, under the official action indicated class that sometimes led to import alerts.
• Category-wise, drug formulations and biologicals with $13.56 billion ($12.09 billion) dominated the 2018-19 exports. The 12.13% increase was the highest across all categories and took drug formulations and biologicals share in total exports to 70.87%. Bulk drugs and drug intermediates, the other mainstay of exports, was next at $3.89 billion ($3.52 billion) or a share of a little over 20% to the total.
• Region-wise it was North America, primarily the U.S. market,that figured at the top, accounting for $6.14 billion or nearly one-third of the total exports. Compared to 2017-18, the change was 14.92%. The U.S., specifically with $5.82 billion, contributed to 30.42% of the exports.
• In terms of their contribution to the exports, Africa with $3.43 billion and 17.96%; and the European Union with $3.03 billion and 15.70% occupied the top slots. ASEAN, LAC, West Asia markets for Indian pharma grew at a rate above the overall export growth.
• Country wise, the U.S. with $5.82 billion led the list. While the U.K., South Africa and Russia followed, the rate at which exports grew was higher to Brazil (17.81%); Canada (41.54%); the UAE (102.85%) and Bangladesh (17.79%).

City to get ₹4,500 crore for flood mitigation works

News

• The Chennai city in Tamil Nadu is set to get ₹4,500 crore for development of stormwater drains and large underground drains as funding from multilateral funding agencies.

Beyond News

• Work on development of stormwater drains in the Kovalam basin in the southern part of Chennai is set to begin with funding from German development bank KfW.
• World Bank is also expected to give funds for the ₹3,000-crore project for flood mitigation in the State.
• Over 70% of the project will be in Chennai and its suburbs. Flood-prone areas such as Tambaram, Guduvancherry and Urapakkam will get underground macrodrains to reduce flooding.
• KfW has given in-principle approval for funding estimated at ₹2,500 crore of the project covering 600-km in the Kovalam basin. In addition to the 200 million Euro funds likely to be released from the German development bank, the State government will also fund the project.
• Stormwater drains in Kovalam basin will be funded by KfW, but the gigantic underground drains will be constructed with funding from the World Bank.
• These large underground drains, more than six-metre wide, are expected to reduce land acquisition.

Sri Lanka bans NTJ, outfit linked to ISIS

News

• Sri Lanka banned local Islamist extremist outfit NTJ and a splinter group, which are linked to the ISIS that has claimed the responsibility for the Easter bombings that left 253 people dead and several hundreds injured.

Beyond News

• National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) leader Zahran Hashim, the mastermind behind the attacks, was killed inside the Shangri La hotel were he detonated himself.
• President Maithripala Sirisena used emergency powers to ban the NTJ and a splinter group identified as Jamathei Millathu Ibraheem (JMI), a statement said.
• The move to ban the outfits came after the Sri Lankan Parliament adopted a newly-enforced emergency regulation following a series of eight coordinated blasts, which ripped through three churches and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists on April 19 in the country’s deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009.
• The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Easter terror attacks on three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels but the government has blamed a local Islamist extremist group, National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ), for the bombings.

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