Monthly Archives: November 2017

Pharma Mergers and Acquisitions

Medical Writing

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) refer to consolidation of companies or assets. Merger means combining two companies into one, while acquisition refers to taking over of one company by the other one. In pharmaceutical world, mergers and acquisitions are quite common. According to the insights, M&As help the pharmaceutical companies in achieving their goals easily by acquiring it, instead of making it. Moreover, the companies with products which are soon to be off-patent also seek for companies with high revenue potential to acquire. Moreover, the expenditure involved in research and development has also attracted the investors to merge with or acquire other companies.

Indian pharmaceutical industry, which is known for its highly skilled core players and low-cost manufacturing, has also been highly influenced by M&As. Many domestic and cross-border M&As have been witnessed by the Indian Pharma companies. The major reasons which have drawn the attention of Indian pharma companies towards M&As are presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Major reasons of Pharma Mergers and Acquisition in India

Some of the major M&A Deals that took place in India recently (2015-2017) are:

  1. Mergers of Ranbaxy and SunPharmaceuticals
  2. Acquisition of Primal Healthcare by Abbott
  3. Acquisition of Ranbaxy by DaiichiSankyo
  4. Acquisition of US-based Gavin by Lupin Ltd.
  5. Acquisition of Russian Biocom by Lupin Ltd.
  6. Acquisition of Taro by Sun Pharmaceuticals
  7. Acquisition of UCB by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories
  8. Acquisition of Beta Pharma by DrReddy’s Laboratories
  9. Acquisition of Elder Pharma by Torrent Pharma

It is apparent that such M&As have become essential for the pharmaceutical industry to grow. Moreover, the trend does not seem to slow down due to their necessity to meet the expenditures. However, the loss of expected R&D and thoroughness associated with M&As warrants development of comprehensive guidelines for successful M&As.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions keeps a tab of the latest healthcare update and studies Pharma mergers and acquisitions in detail. We extend our services in assisting pharmaceutical companies by providing them end-to-end writing support in both the publication and regulatory arena.

World Diabetes Day

Medical Writing

The term diabetes mellitus is defined as a metabolic disorder which is characterized by hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion or insulin action or both.The long-term effects of Diabetes Mellitus include retinopathy with potential blindness, nephropathy that may lead to renal failure or neuropathy with the risk of foot ulcers and autonomic dysfunction which may lead to sexual dysfunction.

There are various treatment strategies for diabetes mellitus which are successful in recovering clinical status but cause a variety of complications such as cardiomyopathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, etc.The most promising approach for diabetes mellitus is restoration of insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells. This approach controls the blood sugar level and helps in the regeneration of insulin-secreting pancreatic beta cells from adult cells.

Diabetes poses a major heath issue for women who tend to face the same joys and problems, but with an added element where theyhave to battle a chronic disease with various social and personal challenges every now and then. In 1983, the American Assistant Secretary for Health established the Public Health Service Task Force on Women’s Health Issues. In 1985, this task force reported the health issues intervening in women’s life stages. Diabetes in pregnancy is a serious condition that is unique to women as it affects the health of both the mother and her unborn child.The most common complication attributable to diabetes is the risk of cardiovascular disease which is more serious among women than men. Also, it has been reported that women with diabetes lose their premenopausal protection from ischemic heart disease and have risk for this condition as great as or greater than that of diabetic or nondiabetic men. Women are also at greater risk for blindness due to diabetes than men.

In India, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), which affects pregnant women, is of major concern for women and gynaecologists. Fig.1 mentions the management of gestational diabetes. The incidence of GDM has grown fourfold in the past 10 years, according to Dr B Rajkumar, a doctor of Indian systems of medicine at the Keezhariyoor government ayurveda dispensary in the state’s northern coastal district of Kozhikode. According to few medical researchers, the disease that was earlier considered an ailment of the rich, is on the rise in India. Nearly 70 million people, half of them women, in a population of 1.21 billion have diabetes, and the number is predicted to rise to 101 million by 2030.According to a 2012 report published by the Brussels-based International Diabetes Federation,about 60% of diabetics in India have never been screened or diagnosed due to lack of awareness.

 

Figure 1: Management of Gestational Diabetes

As we know, diabetes mellitus is one disorder that has no cure till date. IPSC (Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell) is one such prodigious breakthrough to generate functional insulin -secreting- pancreatic -beta cells. However, there are a lot of lacunas and challenges that have to be addressed in case of IPSC based diabetic therapy. One of the major limitations of this therapy is the lack of supply of pancreatic islets.Moreover, awareness and management of the diabetic condition is becoming more crucial after reports stating the rise in the incidence of gestational diabetes.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions wishes to spread the awareness on World Diabetes Day, i.e., 14th November. World Diabetes Day is the primary global awareness campaign focusing on diabetes. There are few ways by which this disease can be prevented such as having a balanced diet, exercising regularly, maintaining ideal body weight, avoiding alcohol and tobacco. Also, having regular health checks should be a priority for every individual over the age of 40.

Diabesity

Medical Writing

When the balance of body’s metabolic processes is disrupted, certain conditions arise which are known as ‘metabolic conditions’, of which diabetes and obesity are at top of the list. These two metabolic conditions go hand in hand and are putting a major burden on global healtheconomy. The co-existence of these diseases is collectively known as ‘Diabesity’.According to WHO, the global burden of obesity has raised three times between the year 1975 and 2016, with more than 650 million obeseadults reported in 2016.The number of diabetics has grown from 108 million to 422 million from the year 1980 to 2014. WHO reports that around 50% of deaths in diabetic patients occur before the age of 70 years and it is predicted to be the seventh leading cause of mortalityby 2030. Hence, both diabetes and obesity are counted as the biggest concerns to human health and well-being.

Major reasons behind the raising epidemic status of diabesity include adoption of modern or sedentary lifestyle, fast food habits and relying on technology.Both diabetes and obesity come in a package with other health complications, reduced quality of life, and reduced life expectancy. The major associated challenges include myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular stroke, and renal diseases.

The pathophysiological mechanisms of diabetes and obesity are strongly inter-connected.Insulin resistance and beta cell dysfunction lead to diabetes. Body mass index, the direct measure of obesity, has been found to have positive association with insulin resistance, and consequently with diabetes. In obese people, non-esterified fatty acids, glycerol, hormones,cytokines, and proinflammatory markers are increased, which further lead to development of insulin resistance.Each kilogram rise in bodyweight has been reported to increase the risk of diabetes by 4.5%.

Various medical treatments that improve insulin sensitivity and beta cell functionare available to manage diabetes. Apart from pharmacological approaches, it is also important to practice lifestyle modifications, which not only impart benefits to the treatment, but also improvepatient’s quality of life. Consuminglow-calorie diet,doing regular exercise, maintaining weight, avoiding smoking and regular self-monitoring are highly beneficial in successfully improvement in health status of diabetics and obese patients.

We, at Turacoz Healthcare Solutions, believe that health is real wealth. In an attempt to reduce the global burden of diabetes and obesity, we wish to remind everyone to adopt healthy lifestyle.