• The Dept. of Pharmaceuticals, GoI,  PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), a global non-profit organization working towards health equity, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), a partnership among various organizations across the world working towards biological countermeasures and vaccine development to fight against future epidemics and pandemic threats,  have come together with an agreement, the "Global Vaccine Research Collaborative." 

• A pandemic like COVID-19 has helped identify the need for global collaboration in vaccine research and development to close the gaps in pandemic preparedness. 

• The Union Minister for MOHFW placed the consensus at the beginning 3rd G20 Health Working Group meeting on 3rd June 2023.

• After determining they lacked therapeutic value, The Union government banned fourteen fixed-dose combinations (FDC) medications.  

• The prohibition was put in place in response to the recommendations of an expert group assembled to look into the effectiveness of various drug combinations. 

• According to the notification, an expert committee concluded that "these FDCs have no therapeutic justification and may pose risks to humans." 

• The notification further stated that "in the larger public interest, it is necessary to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution" of certain FDCs. 

• The Union Health Ministry had banned the sale of 344 such fixed-dose combinations in 2016, however, the manufacturers of 15 drugs appealed the judgment in the Delhi High Court and repealed their ban in 2017.

• WHO’s ECDD has developed a repository comprising over 450 substances which contains information and reports on new psychoactive substances and medicines, for medical and scientific use. 

• Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) is constituted of an independent group of experts in the field of psychoactive drugs and medicine. 

• It is an important resource for policymakers and health professionals to increase their awareness of abuse, harm, and dependence on psychoactive substances. 

• This could also assist in improving the detection of substances and clinical treatment of overdose, and other related negative health consequences of drug use. 

• Link to the repository - https://ecddrepository.org/

• The Union Minister of the MOHFW, Dr. Mansukh Mandavia inaugurated the "National Training Centre for Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)" on 1st June, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. 

• It will function as a resource and training center for maintaining food quality standards and keeping food adulteration in India under check. 

• The FSSAI aims to achieve the global benchmark of food safety standards towards the goal of a healthy India and healthy Indians.

• The event also saw the launch of a "Food Safety and Certification (FoSTaC)" e-learning app intended for street vendors constituting training modules on food safety handling, storage, and hygiene practices.

• Keeping in mind the World No Tobacco Day 2023 theme " We need food, not tobacco " on 31st May 2023, the central government amended the  "Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (COTPA) (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Rules 2004. 

• The amendments made are as follows: 

1. Depiction of anti-tobacco health warnings at the beginning and end of any online curated content displaying tobacco use. 

2. Display of a warning disclaimer on tobacco products written as a distinct message in white over black background. 

• The Union Minister launched the online dashboard for reporting violations of COTPA at the National No Tobacco Control Programme portal.

• An FAO report on food insecurity listed the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Pakistan, and Syria as hotspots with very high concern.

• Countries on the highest alert are Sudan, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. 

•  Some major drivers of worsening food insecurity include: 

1. Conflict in Sudan

2.  Economic shocks and stressors post COVID-19 and Ukraine war. : 

• Stepping up support: 

In Sudan, WFP (World Food Programme) staff have begun providing food assistance since after the violence started six weeks ago. Since the beginning of operations, it has scaled up to provide emergency food and nutrition support to 13 of Sudan's 18 states and is expanding to reach out to 5.9 million people nationwide.

• The 16th  decennial census got postponed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The Plan was to conduct the Census in 2 phases:

1.  Phase 1: House listing and housing census(with 31 questions -notified)

2.  Phase 2:Population enumeration(with 28 questions -yet to be notified) 

• A pre-test exercise was conducted at 76 districts in 36 States and Union Territories, covering a population of more than 26 lakhs. Among the improvisations suggested are:

1. Rationalization of Mother Tongues

2.  Digitalization of the Census with coded options for questions & Mobile apps for data collection,

3. Start of Census Management and Monitoring System(CMMS) portal online, 

4. The spectrum of types and causes of disabilities shall be extended to acid attack, intellectual disability, chronic neurological disease, and blood disorder. 

5. New questions about living standards like access to drinking water, House ownership. 

6. A code directory with possible responses for ease of enumeration. 

• Fake medicines, including cough syrup and fake antimalarials, cause nearly half a million deaths in sub-Saharan Africa annually. 

• UN and Sahelian nations are collaborating to halt the flow of fake medicines at borders and hold culprits accountable. 

• Limited healthcare access leads to reliance on illegal market medicines & Corruption facilitates the flourishing of the illegal medicine trade. 

• Traffickers employ sophisticated methods, including collaboration with pharmacists and online platforms.

•  Strengthening law enforcement, judiciary, and regulation is vital to protect the legal supply chain whereas Cooperation, capacity-building, and public awareness are essential in combating the trade and ensuring people's safety.

• The TB Alliance has secured funding from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to investigate potential drugs for treating nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) infections. 

• The funding will facilitate preclinical testing of a novel oxazolidinone inhibitor, previously identified by researchers from TB Alliance and Johns Hopkins University in 2020, as a potential treatment for two types of NTM—Mycobacterium abscess and Mycobacterium avium complex—known to cause the majority of NTM lung infections in individuals with cystic fibrosis. 

• The research aims to compare the efficacy of the synthetic antibiotic against NTM infections with that of linezolid, the current treatment for NTM abscess infections. 

• Nader Fotouhi, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at TB Alliance, emphasized the organization's dedication to discovering innovative treatments for tuberculosis and the discovery of multiple potential compounds for NTM treatment.

• The identification of this new compound opens up possibilities for developing improved treatments for NTM infections, offering potential benefits to individuals with cystic fibrosis.

• Findings of the WHO Landmark Report on Preterm birth prevention: 

1. Preterm birth rates remained largely unchanged from 2010 to 2020.

2. Preterm birth is the leading cause of death among children under five.

3. Minimal progress with an average annual reduction of preterm birth rates of about 0.5%. 

4.  Maternal Covid-19 infection potentially increases the risk of preterm birth. 

5.  Higher rates of preterm births among infected mothers in both low and high-income countries. 

• Long-term Effects and Disabilities: 

1. Preterm birth is the fourth leading cause of loss of human capital worldwide. 

2. Survivors may face respiratory, cardiac, and neurodevelopmental challenges. 

3. Disabilities can range from mild to severe, including conditions like diplegia. 

4. Even babies born a few weeks preterm can experience learning and behavioral disorders. 

•  United Nations aims to reduce neonatal and under-five mortality rates. 

• Improvement in quality newborn and young child care is crucial to achieving the targets.

• Challenges in meeting the targets for under-five and neonatal mortality identified by the WHO.

• Under the aegis of the "United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025) report", the 76th World Health Assembly members joined hands in a resolution to prevent micronutrient deficiencies by urging member states to increase the accessibility of quality fortified staple foods through large-scale food fortification. 

• The global micronutrient crisis has led to a high prevalence of preventable blindness, birth defects like neural tube defects, and impaired brain development. 

• Crucial micronutrients, folate, and iodine deficiency cannot be met by a healthy, nutritious diet alone, particularly in pregnant women. 

• Food Fortification programs are a cost-effective intervention for decreasing micronutrient deficiency and have been successful in many countries for around 30 years.

• International Climate Research Conclave (ICRC-2023) was a two-day event held at DST’s Centre of Excellence in Climate Studies at IIT Bombay in May 2023. 

• The ICRC-2023 witnessed the participation of over 200 climate scientists, students, experts, and policymakers from different parts of India and around the world.

•  The conclave focused on India's recent progress in climate research and released the report “India’s Climate Research Agenda: 2030 & Beyond’. 

• Long-term research agendas in priority areas of climate research were deliberated, along with plans for creating a Climate Consortium involving various departments and ministries of the Government of India to facilitate climate research.