IndiaMedToday June 2022 by IndiaMedToday

JUNE 2022, VOLUME 6 ISSUE 06 `200 INDIA MED TODAY

Tracking Transfusion Medicine

JUNE 2022

SPECIAL FEATURE Life Saver: Indraprastha Apollo Blood Bank

FEATURE APHERESIS – Current Trends and Applications

FOCUS Impact of TTIs on Modern Healthcare Management

Edit Note

www.indiamedtoday.com

June 2022 EDITORIAL Editor Neelam Kachhap Sub-Editor

Need for Innovation and Awareness in Blood Transfusion

BOARD OF ADVISORS Dr Alexander Thomas Dr Girdhar Gyani Dr Prem Kumar Nair

Our June issue has the theme around transfusion medicine.

CONSULTING EDITOR

The global blood transfusion diagnostics market was worth around $4.5 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about $ 7.2 billion by 2028, according to Zion Market Research. Keeping a focus on

Dr Libert Anil Gomes

this life-saving sector, our June issue focuses on how hospitals like

Dr Salil Choudhary

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology,

Venkatesh Ganesh

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals New

Abishek Raj editorial@ indiamedtoday.com

Dr Bhabatosh Biswas Dr Alok Roy Ramesh Kannan

ART & PRODUCTION ScreeTract | Shylesh ADVERTISING Gunjan Chauhan gunjanc@indiamedtoday.com The Media Ant help@themediaant.com DIGITAL MARKETING Vivek Nair Sales & Strategic Partnership Snehal Vajpayee snehal@indiamedtoday.com EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES editorial@indiamedtoday.com CUSTOMER SERVICE: Subscription support and other assistance for readers subscribe@indiamedtoday.com ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES sales@indiamedtoday.com OFFICE 301, Grazia, 1st main, 2nd Cross, Lingrajpuram, Bangalore 560084 www.indiamedtoday.com

Delhi are doing their best on blood transfusion techniques. Also, the June issue talks about the adoption of RFID tracking systems, technological advances, the advent of blood cell separation through the process of APHERESIS etc. We have profiled Dr Ratti Ram Sharma, Professor & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, who has worked in all areas of transfusion medicine. Our guest editor for this month is very passionate about IVD and has 25 years of Healthcare expertise in In-Vitro Diagnostics and Blood Banking domain. Presently, the Vice President with Hemogenomics, a leading Health Screening Solutions company, Sangeeth Kini is a known face in medical device circle in India. Through his career, he has worked across advanced technologies such as Molecular Diagnostics, HPLC, Fluorescence Flowcytometry, Cyto-pathology, etc. Mr Kini is the go to person for information on transfusion medicine in India. He has authored over 30 articles in various publications and delivered over 500 lectures. With two post-graduate qualifications - Masters in Business Administration and Masters in Business Laws, he is recognised for his value addition towards the growth of the business and Industry. We would like to thank him for his efforts to put together great minds for a modern view of transfusion medicine in India. Despite his busy schedule, Mr Kini worked on this special issue to bring together leaders in blood banking and transfusion medicine in India. They collectively provide an invaluable insight on the various topics of interest in blood banking and transfusion medicine in India. We want to bring more awareness of blood transfusion through our articles from policymakers and specialists in this field. Looking for your valuable feedback.

IndiaMedToday expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in this publication. While we try to keep the information timely and

You can also write to us at editorial@indiamedtoday.

accurate, we make no guarantees. The views and opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of IndiaMedToday or the publication. Information on IndiaMedToday should not be used as a substitute for professional healthcare advice. Readers are advised to always seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication. Never disregard professional medicaladvice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on IndiaMedToday. No part

Editor M Neelam Kachhap

of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. Printed and published by M Neelam Kachhap, 301, Grazia, 1st main, 2nd Cross, Lingrajpuram, Bangalore 560084 on behalf of Neelam Publishing (OPC) Private Limited, Printed at Paradise Graphics, B-15, Mittal Tower, MG Road, Bangalore-1. and published at 301, Grazia, 1st main, 2nd Cross, Lingrajpuram, Bangalore 560084.

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June 2022

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CONTENTS

Facebook

SPECIAL FEATURE

INNOVATE

FOCUS

Life Saver: Indraprastha Apollo BB

Enhancing Surgeon's Skills

Impact of TTIs on Modern Healthcare Management

UPFRONT

03 Editorial 05 Letters 06 Guest Editor 08 News Roundup 32 Pulse 34 Profile 37 Feature 39 Drive 41 Impact 43 Approach 45 Feature

COVER STORY

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Tracking Transfusion Medicine

CHECKIT OUT ONLINE

June 2022

Letters

World No Tobacco Day

iven the impact of tobacco use on young adults, it is critical to understand what factors influence the initiation process during adolescence. Though we have prohibited tobacco advertising and regulation in India under the COTPA Act of the Indian Parliament, it is extremely necessary for all of us to come together and eliminate tobacco use in our city in order

to reduce the risk of cancer. Firhad Hakim, Hon'ble MIC, Govt. of West Bengal & Hon'ble Mayor, KMC

There is a lag period of 10 to 20 years for the ill effects of smoking to present its symptoms in the tobacco-consuming population like smokers and paan-masala chewers. Tobaccorelated diseases, such as lung and head-and-neck cancer, have been almost the exclusive persevere of the males till now. But the way the number of female smokers has increased drastically in the last 10-15 years, we may see a massive increase in the incidence of these diseases among women as well, over the next two decades in India. Today, large number of urban females in their 20s and residing in the metros and Tier 1 cities have taken to smoking cigarettes. In these females, the effect of smoking will manifest in their late 40s and 50s. Dr. Vineet Govinda Gupta, Sr Consultant, Medical Oncology, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram The more cigarettes we smoke a day, the higher is our risk of cancer. So, stopping the entire habit of smoking and not indulging in any tobacco products can be a good first step to getting rid of cancer. The once-a-month cancer screening camps in the Borough will be organized to diagnose the three most commonly occurring cancers in India: breast, cervical and oral cancer. Together, they account for approximately 35% of all cancers in India. These screening camps will aid in the detection of cancer at an early stage when treatment is more likely to be effective and survival rates are substantially higher. Dr. Sourav Datta, Director, Medica Cancer Hospital and Treasurer IMA Bengal State The country spends tens of thousands of crores every year to treat tobacco-related diseases. A resource-starved country like India cannot afford such a massive spend on a preventable cause of cancer like tobacco. Globally there has been a steady decline in smoking in developed countries due to better awareness. Unfortunately, India has seen only a marginal decline in the

number of male smokers. At the same time, the habit of chewing tobacco is increasing, especially among youngsters, and more and more young women are taking to smoking. India needs to put strict curbs on consumption of tobacco. There is an urgent need to create more awareness about the health hazards of tobacco, including better anti-smoking regulations targeted towards the youngsters. Dr. Shivanshu Raj Goyal, Consultant Respiratory, Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram Cancer Incidence and mortality increases with age, with most cancer diagnosis occurring in patients aged 65 and above. The Evaluation and development of treatment recommendations for an older adult with cancer is very challenging and in order to bridge the gap – First of its kind Geriatric Oncology centre at VS Hospital will function in collaboration with senior geriatrician Dr V S Natarajan. It is a one-stop centre for older adults diagnosed with cancer and provides a comprehensive range of medical services to support them. Prof. Dr. S. Subramanian, Senior Medical Oncologist, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, VS Group of Hospitals, Chennai We are the first and only university in India to develop a medical implant and get approval from the Government for testing on humans, with an in-house established ISO-certified GMP facility. This GMP has clean room processing lines for implant and oncology products where the test products can be manufactured. No other educational institution in India has established a GMP facility for manufacture of medical implants and nanomedicines, and none is directly associated with a hospital, like we are with the 1,300-bed Amrita Hospital in Kochi. Dr. Shantikumar Nair, Dean of Nanosciences, Center for Nanosciences & Molecular Medicine, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi

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Guest Editor

Sangeeth Kini, Vice President Hemogenomics

At the outset, it is my great privilege to be the Guest Editor of this issue of the leading healthcare magazine – IndiaMedToday. I am even happier that this issue is themed around Transfusion Medicine Specialty. Transfusion medicine has evolved as a very crucial branch of modern medicine. The safe and efficient transfusion of blood, blood components and stem cells plays a very important role in patient care. Ms Neelam Kachhap, Editor of IndiaMedToday and her team have passionately curated this issue to give the readers the recent updates in the area of transfusion medicine. Transfusion

medicine

super-

specialised branch of medicine and the MD course in transfusion medicine is offered by about 35 medical colleges in India. There are over 3200 licensed blood banks in our country and more than 12 million units of blood are being collected and issued every year. Apart from blood and blood components, the advanced transfusion centres also collect and infuse stem cells from the bone marrow. The role of safe and efficient blood transfusion is critical to sustaining the

June 2022

life of lakhs of patient groups such as thalassemics, patients with sickle cell anaemia, leukaemia patients etc who are dependent on frequent blood transfusions. Transfusion medicine also plays a very critical role in various complex surgeries and organ transplant surgeries including ABO-incompatible organ transplants as well as stem cell and bone marrow transplant procedures. Needless to say, the critical role that blood transfusion plays in emergency conditions!

Right

Protection

Life

The advent of technologies such as nucleic acid testing, pathogen inactivation, red cell genotyping, HLA Cross-matching, Apheresis, etc has enabled efficient collection, screening, storage and transfusion of the most compatible blood products to the patients with almost nil adverse effects.

of processes and technologies that

Despite all the progress made in this branch of medicine, there are certain areas of grave concern. While I sit down to pen this Guest Editorial, the recent news that ‘four Thalassemic children tested positive for HIV in Nagpur allegedly after blood transfusion and out of them one child died’ looms large in my mind.

improved transfusion practices, and

Fundamental Right as enshrined in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Courts have given this fundamental right a very broad interpretation and application that includes the Right to Health, Right to Live with Dignity, Right to Medical Care, etc. It is a fundamental duty of the state and the healthcare providers to uphold this right of the citizens.

Transfusion

transmitted

infections are medical mishaps that are avoidable through the adoption are easily available today. However, thousands of innocent patients continue to be infected with HIV or Hepatitis B and C every year through blood transfusion. In this context, it is the need of the day that experts and policymakers bring about necessary guidelines towards stricter hemo-vigilance to uphold the confidence in the blood transfusion system. I wish all the best to IndiamedToday and its editor Neelam Kachhap in their endeavour to present to the readers high-quality content in the area of healthcare month after month.

News Roundup NHA launches online public dashboard for Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission The National Health Authority (NHA) under its flagship scheme of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has launched a public dashboard for near real-time information on the scheme. The ABDM public dashboard displays detailed information on the core registries under the mission – Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) numbers, Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR) and Health Facility Registry (HFR). All stakeholders can access the ABDM public dashboard from the ABDM website or directly here: https://dashboard.abdm.gov.in/abdm/. President Kovind lays the foundation stone of health infra projects

President Kovind lays foundation stone of health infra projects in Madhya Pradesh The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind laid

the

foundation

stone/

launched

various health infrastructure projects of the Government of Madhya Pradesh in Bhopal. These include the establishment of the Regional Institute of Respiratory Diseases and Center of Excellence for Orthopaedics

under

Gandhi

Medical

College, Bhopal and projects related to strengthening

the

health

services

district hospitals and civil hospitals of Dewas, Sehore, Shajapur, Jabalpur, Indore, Morena, Ujjain and Bhopal etc.

BDR Pharma partners with Varenyam Healthcare BDR

Pharmaceuticals

Healthcare

announced

and the

Bengaluru-based Phable expands leadership with two key appointments

Jubilant HollisterStier ties up with US Govt for critical vaccine manufacturing capacity

Bengaluru-headquartered, Phable, announced the appointment of Anuraag Dubey as Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Sagar Ramteke as Head of Corporate Development to strengthen its full-stack and value-driven chronic care ecosystem and accelerate market expansion. Dubey will play a crucial role in developing the company’s product and tech aligned with its mission to simplify chronic disease management via the Phable App, so that more consumers will take up active management of conditions like Sugar and BP. An alumnus of ILS, Pune, Ramteke is an accomplished business leader with more than two decades of experience in technology, business operations, strategic sourcing, sales, investments, and fundraising.

Jubilant Pharmova has announced that Jubilant Pharma, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, through one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Jubilant HollisterStier (JHS) a leading US-based pharmaceutical contract manufacturer has entered into a cooperative agreement for $149.6 million with the Army Contracting Command, in coordination with the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) on behalf of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), within the US Department of Health and Human Services. The effort was funded under the American Rescue Plan, this agreement will enable the company to double its

Varenyam launch

Sugmadex – an innovation, bringing to India a first-of-its-kind drug in over 10 years with novel γ-cyclodextrin neuromuscular block (NMB) reversal properties. Sugmadex (Sugammadex 100mg/ml) is a pioneer in Anaesthesia drugs offering safe, rapid and complete reversal of shallow, moderate and deep neuromuscular block (NMB), resulting in the removal of anaesthesia effect on the body.

June 2022

(L-R) Anuraag Dubey and Sagar Ramteke

injectable filling production capacity at a total cost of $193 million, at its Spokane, Washington manufacturing facility. This will be completed by 2025.

Sun Pharma acquires UractivM portfolio from Fiterman Pharma in Romania Sun Pharmaceutical Industries announced that one of its subsidiaries, SC Terapia, Romania has acquired the Uractiv portfolio from Fiterman Pharma in Romania. The Uractiv portfolio comprises food supplements including minerals, vitamins and adjuvants; cosmetics and medical devices used for maintaining urinary tract health. Uractiv is the No 1 brand in its category in Romania, trusted by consumers for more than 10 years. The portfolio including 12 SKUs has annualised revenues of approximately $8.7 million. The products cater to both adults and children.

Chennai-based VS Hospitals launches dedicated Centre for geriatric oncology Chennai-based VS Hospitals has launched a dedicated Centre for Geriatric Oncology, South India’s first integrated geriatric

oncology Unit. Speaking at the event, Prof Dr S Subramanian, Senior Medical Oncologist, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, VS Group of Hospitals said, “To bridge the gap, first-of-its-kind geriatric oncology centre at VS Hospital will function in collaboration with senior geriatrician Dr VS Natarajan. It is a onestop centre for older adults diagnosed with cancer and provides a comprehensive range of medical services to support them.”

Torrent Pharma acquires four brands from Dr Reddy’s laboratories Ahmedabad-based Torrent Pharmaceuticals has entered into an agreement with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to acquire four of its brands Styptovit-E, Finast, Finast-T and Dynapress. Styptovit-E, a gynaecology product with estimated market size of ~Rs 500 crores (AIOCD data set), will further strengthen Torrent’s presence in the therapy. The acquisition of Styptovit-E, Finast, Finast-T, and Dynapress, which are used in the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), will aid in Torrent’s presence in the urology therapy. As per the terms of the definitive agreement, Torrent Pharma will take over the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of these brands in India. The complete integration and transition of the brands are expected to be completed by June 2022.

ADMI announces new leadership team Association of Diagnostics Manufacturers of India (ADMI) has announced a new leadership team for the period 20222025. The new leadership team comprises •

Thomas John – President (also MD, Agappe Diagnostics)

•

Veeraal Gandhi – Vice President ( also Founder Chairman, Voxtur Bio Ltd)

•

Jatin Mahajan – Secretary (also Managing Director, J Mitra & Company)

•

Chirag Joshi – Treasurer (CEO, Beacon Diagnostics)

DFE Pharma opens new Center of Excellence in Hyderabad DFE Pharma, a global leader in pharmaand nutraceutical excipient solutions, announced the launch of its new Center of Excellence ‘Closer to the Formulator’ (C2F) in Hyderabad. The C2F centre is based in Genome Valley, a hub of major Indian and global (bio)pharmaceutical companies and renowned research organisations. C2F helps pharmaceutical companies to shorten the time from a concept to a finished commercial product through expertise in all phases of pharmaceutical development.

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Senores Pharma launch Ketorolac Tromethamine Tabs in US Dr Reddy’s Laboratories and Senores Pharmaceuticals announced the launch of Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets USP, 10 mg, a therapeutic generic equivalent of the reference listed drug Toradol Tablets, 10 mg in the US market approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets USP, 10 mg, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indicated for the short-term (L-R) Muthu Subramanian, Executive Director, VS Group of Hospitals, Prof Dr S Jagadesh Chandra Bose , HOD and Senior Consultant Surgical Oncologist, VS Group of Hospitals, Prof Dr S Subramanian, CMD, VS Group of Hospitals; Dr VS Natarajan, Founder & Chairman, Dr VS Natarajan Geriatric Foundation; Lakshmi Kanthan Bharathi, Retired IAS & Freedom Fighter and Prof Dr S Sundar, Senior Consultant Joint Replacement & Tumour Surgeon and Medical Director, VS Group of Hospitals

(up to five days in adults) management of moderately severe acute pain that requires analgesia at the opioid level and only as continuation treatment following intravenous or intramuscular dosing of ketorolac tromethamine, if necessary.

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News Roundup insights

organisation,

announced

partnership with HotSpot Therapeutics, a

biotechnology

company

pioneering

the discovery and development of small molecule

allosteric

therapies

for

the

treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.

HotSpot

Therapeutics

plans

to deploy data from Excelra’s flagship product GOSTAR toward select protein targets to augment its allosteric inhibitor candidate pipeline. The partnership aims to enhance HotSpot’s drug discovery and development

efforts

incorporating

GOSTAR’s high-quality, annotated datasets into HotSpot’s machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Solar D sunscreen

A Menarini expands dermatology portfolio A Menarini India, part of the Menarini Group, the world’s largest Italian biopharmaceutical company, announces the launch of ‘Solar D’ sunscreen – a breakthrough innovation in dermatology in over 70 years. Designed for everyone from individuals stepping outdoors to serious athletes, this revolutionary SPF 50, water and sweat-resistant sunscreen, uses a unique UV activated vitamin D technology that allows your body to naturally produce Vitamin D while protecting your skin from burning, ageing, and tanning.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham gets CDSCO nod for world’s first synthetic jaw-bone graft Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has got landmark approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for conducting pilot clinical trial for a novel bone graft developed jointly by

Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) for the translational large animal testing and regulatory testing phases.

Fitelo announces major re-branding Fitelo, a weight loss platform, announced a major re-branding to reflect the organisation’s vision of helping people achieve their fitness goals efficiently and holistically. Fitelo’s new logo depicts an amalgamation of two key wellness elements, one depicting mental health and clarity, and the other physical well-being and energy. Together these overlapping forms create a union that represents balance and a holistic approach that Fitelo undertakes to help their customers on their wellness journey using philosophies grounded in science and psychology. The target of the rebranding exercise was to help display this ideology via a provocative identity, with a look and feel that had to be memorable and distinct.

Ministry of Ayush signs MoU with Department of Biotechnology

Amrita School of Nanosciences, Amrita

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

School of Medicine and Amrita School of

was signed between the Ministry of Ayush

Dentistry, Kochi. The project was funded

and the Department of Biotechnology,

by the Dept of Sciences and Technology,

Government

Govt of India, in the initial lab phase

collaboration to explore the possibility of

and

cooperation, convergence and synergy to

then

Biotechnology

Industry

India

for

mutual

Honeywell, Narayana Health in partnership Honeywell announced the signing of a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Narayana Hrudayalaya (Narayana Health) to identify, assess and collaborate on opportunities for the latter’s digital transformation journey. This will enable Narayana Health to offer technology-driven, affordable and accessible healthcare for all. The MoU is subject to definitive agreements to be executed between Honeywell and Narayana Health.

Excelra partners with HotSpot Therapeutics Excelra, a leading global data and digital

June 2022

(L-R) Dr Subramanyam Iyer, Dr Manitha Nair, Dr Shantikumar Nair, Dr Manju Vijaymohan and Dr Deepthy Menon

MoU signing ceremony bring out the expertise under one platform toward evidence-based biotechnological interventions in Ayush sector. Secretary, Ministry

Ayush

Vaidya

Rajesh

Kotecha and Secretary, Department of Biotechnology Dr Rajesh S Gokhale were

and track and trace requirements are planned for V Block, as is the addition of dry granulation capabilities (roller compaction).

for the safe disposal of biomedical wastes will bring best in class processing for a wide variety of tests. The RPL will serve Nagpur and the surrounding areas in the Vidarbha region.

NHA launches revamped ABHA mobile application

Tata Capital Growth Fund buys minority stake in Aarthi Scans

The National Health Authority (NHA) under its flagship scheme of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) announced the launch of a revamped Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) mobile application. The ABHA app, previously known as the NDHM Health Records app is available for download from the Google Play Store and already has over 4 lakh downloads. The updated version of the ABHA app has a new User Interface (UI) and added functionalities that enable individuals to access their health records anytime and anywhere. Existing ABHA app users can also update their previous app versions to the latest one.

present on this occasion along with other officials of both the ministries. Through this

association,

expected

that

traditional healthcare and biotechnology together

would

enable

tremendous

possibilities to undertake innovative and path-breaking research, which can be used for the exploration of various fundamental principles of Ayush systems.

Pharma’s

Pharma

Thyrocare has launched its first Regional Processing Lab (RPL) in Nagpur which is the 17th lab in India on the occasion of World Thyroid Day. Located centrally

Piramal Pharma Solutions upgrades oral solid dose capabilities at Pithampur site Piramal

Thyrocare unveils regional processing lab in Nagpur

Mytri

Willows,

Sir

Bezonji

Mehta

Road, Nagpur, the RPL with its 24/7 unidirectional sample processing systems and an automated effluent treatment plant

Tata Capital Growth Fund has picked up a minority stake in Chennai-headquartered diagnostics services provider Aarthi Scans & Labs. Govindarajan, CMD, Aarthi Scans said, “The investment from Tata capital further affirms our belief in our business model of providing high quality diagnostics services to the masses at an affordable price.” The 22-year-old Aarthi Scans operates in the affordable diagnostics space with a presence across 10 states including top six metropolises. With over 45 full-fledged diagnostic centres and 100 collection centres in states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and others, Aarthi Scans offers a wide suite of radiological and pathological services. On expansion plans, Aarthi Scans plans to double the network in the cities it currently operates and open new centres in other Tier I cities.

Glenmark, IADVl launch Whatsapp-based chatbot for fungal infections Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has developed a digital patient education tool ‘Hello

Solutions

business announced a new production block has come online at the company’s drug product site in Pithampur, in Madhya Pradesh. The new production area, known as V Block, can handle batch sizes of 150 to 600 kilograms, augmenting the site’s capacity to produce oral solid dosage form drug product. With the addition of V Block, the

Pithampur

site’s

total

production

capacity increases from 3 billion doses to 4.5 billion doses. V Block includes aqueous and non-aqueous wet granulation (high shear, top spray and bottom spray); direct, mono, and bilayer compression; aqueous and

non-aqueous

packaging

coating;

technologies.

and

bottle

Aggregation

capabilities related to US FDA e-pedigree

The launch of regional processing lab in Nagpur

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News Roundup Skin’ in collaboration with the IADVL (Indian

Association

Dermatologists,

Venereologists and Leprologists), to help patients suffering from Dermatophytosis (Ring Worm or Tinea) in India, to adhere to the recommended treatment duration. Hello

Skin

helps

patients

not

only

improve adherence to optical/systemic recommended therapy with daily pill reminders, but also in creating disease awareness and provides skincare tips to patients suffering from Ring Worm. This

platform

patient-friendly

and

will be available in six different regional languages including Hindi and English, enabling better patient compliance with the technology.

NIT signs MoU with Dr Moopen’s Medical College The National Institute of Technology – Calicut (NIT-C) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dr Moopen’s Medical College (DMMC), Wayanad, on May 16, 2022, to initiate collaborative work in the field of research, faculty/ student exchange and development of methodologies

joint

teaching

and

learning. The objective of the collaboration is to stimulate quality education and training to conduct research, undertake multicentric trials of research projects and promote

inter-institutional

cooperation.

The MoU between NITC and DMMC was signed by Dr PS Sathidevi, Deputy Director, NITC, and Dr Gopakumaran Kartha, Dean, DMMC.

Institute Of Medicine & Law launches Dr Archana Sharma MedLegal helpdesk

MyHealthcare collaborates with Sakra World Hospital

India’s leading medico-legal solutions provider – Institute of Medicine & Law (IML) has launched a national helpdesk service to offer legal advice to doctors who are threatened and / or are facing police action for medical negligence. Introduced as ‘Dr Archana Sharma MedLegal Helpdesk’, lawyers from the Supreme Court will advise and counsel doctors, and may also intervene with the police authorities where required. IML will also help aggrieved doctors in filing a ‘Contempt Petition’ before the Supreme Court where Police action is contrary to or inconsistent with the directions given by the Supreme Court in the Jacob Mathew case. IML has introduced the initiative against the backdrop of the recent, unfortunate suicide of Dr Archana Sharma, a gynaecologist practising in Rajasthan.

ecosystem announced the launch of a

MOPE’s India Business Excellence Fund invests Rs 194.4 Cr in Pathkind Diagnostics India Business Excellence Fund – IV, a fund managed and advised by MO Alternate Investment Advisors (MOPE), has agreed to make a primary investment of upto Rs 194.4 crore ($25 million) in Pathkind Diagnostics, a pathology-focussed diagnostics services chain with operations across 23 states in India.

MyHealthcare, patient-centric in

speciality

digital

collaboration

with

healthcare

health

platform

Bengaluru-based

Sakra World Hospital that will deliver 360-degree

patient

care

outcomes.

Through this collaboration, Sakra World Hospital will be using the MyHealthcare platform

accelerate

its

digital

transformation journey, with the launch of the Sakra Patient Mobile App, AI-based EMR for digital prescriptions, integrated virtual consultation platform and more. The platform aims to extend all Sakra World Hospital, Sakra Premium Clinic and Sakra Homecare services to patients, in the comfort of their homes. The digital ecosystem is also streamlining the patient journey within the hospital.

Mayo Clinic buys minority stake in Karkinos Healthcare Karkinos Healthcare, a technology-driven, oncology focussed managed health care platform, announced that Mayo Clinic has invested a minority stake in the company, subject to certain conditions precedent. Mayo Clinic will also nominate a member on the Board of Directors of Karkinos as part of this agreement. arkinos Healthcare, which is pioneering the Distributed Cancer Care Network model in India has Ratan Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Ronnie Screwvala, Vijay Shekar Sharma, and Bhavish Agarwal amongst its set of investors. The Tata Group is investing Rs 110 crore in Karkinos while Rakuten Medical, the global clinical-stage biotechnology company, and Reliance Digital Health, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, hold minority stakes. Venture capital fund Endiya Partners also has a stake in the company.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health felicitates Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla The MoU signing ceremony

June 2022

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School

Following

the

approval

for

Jardiance for the treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), this new indication-approval further enhances the relevance of Jardiance in heart-failure care. With this approval, Jardiance is now the first and only clinically approved therapy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death plus hospitalisation for heart failure in adults with heart failure, across the full spectrum of ejection fraction.

Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla receiving the award of Public Health awarded the Dean’s Medal to Serum Institute of India (SII) Chairman, Dr Cyrus S Poonawalla for his outstanding work in developing and delivering affordable vaccines and contributing to the Indian biosciences industry for decades now. The honour was presented to Dr Poonawalla during the Convocation ceremony held recently. Past award winners include social justice advocate Cheryl Dorsey, Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Laurie Garrett and former Baltimore Health Commissioner Leana Wen.

India Exim Bank, JBIC in $100 m loan agreement Export-Import

Bank

India

(India

Exim Bank) concluded a $100 million loan agreement with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), along

institutions, namely, MUFG Bank, the Bank of Kyoto and the Hachijuni Bank, on the side-lines of the Quad Leaders’ Summit. The purpose of this facility is to support the Indian healthcare sector related to combating COVID-19, including but not limited to vaccine manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of personal protective equipment, medical oxygen or other medical devices, hospitals, and other related activities.

Multiples Private Equity led consortium invests Rs 6,850 M in BDR Pharma Multiples Private Equity has announced an investment of Rs 6,850 million, along with

few

other

marquee

financial

investors, for a ~9.3 per cent stake in BDR Pharmaceuticals International. The consortium

investors

participating

along with Multiples include institutional investors such as the investment arm of QRG Invest (Havells Family Office), and

Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance bags CDSCO approval

high networth individuals Nishant Agarwal

Boehringer Ingelheim has received approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to market its innovator drug Jardiance (empagliflozin) in India, for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

development capabilities in current and

of Avighna Group, and Mallika Srinivasan of TAFE. The funds will be used by the company to build additional research and emerging areas, accelerate investments in manufacturing capacity expansion and enhance the degree of vertical integration. The company will also selectively pursue inorganic opportunities to build scale.

with three Japanese private financial

Biocon Biologics, Viatris launch Abevmy in Canada Biocon Biologics and Viatris announced that Abevmy (bBevacizumab) is now available in Canada. Abevmy, co-developed by Biocon Biologics and Viatris, is a biosimilar to Roche’s Avastin (Bevacizumab) and has been approved by Health Canada across four oncology indications. Abevmy follows the launch of our two oncology biosimilars in Canada, Ogivri (bTrastuzumab) in 2019 – the first Trastuzumab approved in the country – and Fulphila (bPegfilgrastim), which was launched in 2020. In addition to the therapeutic area of oncology, Viatris Harsha Bangari, MD, India Exim Bank with Makoto Uchida, Managing Executive Officer, Global Head of Infrastructure and Environment Finance Group, Japan Bank for International Cooperation

Canada launched Hulio (bAdalimumab) in February 2021 for chronic inflammatory conditions.

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News Roundup Dr Mansukh Mandaviya releases AB-HWC assessment report in 18 states Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, released the findings of a third party assessment of Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness (L-R) Dr Dinabandhu Naskar, Dr Rudresha Prasad and Shailendra Borole

Bert Labs announces strategic senior level appointments Bert Labs, a global new age deep tech company, solving the world’s challenges by ensuring efficient use of available resources through its patented AI-IoT powered Bert Platform Solution, announced the apointment of Dr Dinabandhu Naskar as Director & Bert Evangelist, Pharma Research, Dr Rudresha Prasad as Director & Bert Evangelist, Pharma Manufacturing, and Shailendra Borole as Bert Evangelist, Pharma Engineering. This appointment comes as Bert Labs continues explore applications of Bert Platform Solution in several industry verticals and in-line with its domain led growth strategy.

Sun Pharma to launch oral lipid-lowering drug Brillo in India Sun Pharmaceutical Industries plans to launch a first-in-class oral drug, Bempedoic Acid, in India for reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. The company will launch the drug under the brand name ‘Brillo.’ Brillo is a first-in-class drug which has a new mechanism of action compared to the currently available lipid-lowering agents. It is indicated for people who have an inherited genetic disorder that causes high cholesterol levels or established heart disease where cholesterol levels remain high, despite lifestyle changes and the use of a maximum tolerated dose of statins.

(Health), NITI Aayog and Rajesh Bhushan,

Huawei collaborates with Wockhardt Foundation, NMMC to run mobile medical clinic van

from the government sector for the year

Huawei India partnered with Wockhardt Foundation and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to run a mobile medical clinic van as part of its CSR initiative to provide primary healthcare to the needy in Mumbai. Sanjay Kakade, Addl. Commissioner, NMMC, Manojkumar Mahale, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, NMMC, Dr Ratna Prabha Chavan, Health Department and Harsh Khurana, Executive Director from Huawei India were present at the flag-off ceremony.

Union Minister of State for Health and

June 2022

the presence of Dr Vinod Paul, Member

launched National Emergency Life Support (NELS) courses for doctors, nurses and paramedics. Apart from the training modules, the programme also includes developing training infrastructure in all States/UTs to implement the NELS course and creating a cadre of trainers to train doctors, nurses and paramedics working in emergency departments of the hospitals and ambulance services.

Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar launches NELS courses for doctors, nurses and paramedics Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar

Centres (AB-HWC) in 18 states of India, in

Mobile medical clinic van

Union Health Secretary, in New Delhi. Appreciating the findings of the report, Dr Mandaviya stated, “Third party evaluation is important for proper assessment of the functioning and implementation of the scheme.” The assessment of AB-HWCs in 18 states has been done in two phases by non-governmental entities, GRAAM and JHPIEGO as well as AIIMS, New Delhi 2020-21.

Mankind Pharma launches Docflix an OTT platform for doctors Mankind

Pharma

has

announced

the

launch of Docflix – an OTT platform only for Doctors. The platform will have 20 different shows on varied subjects, a few shows include Science simplified, Legend inside the white coat, Stitch in time, Cardio Unflip, Digital for doctors, Medico-legal Cases in India, Vantage point and much more.

Dr Raj Nagarkar, KIMS HOSPITALS to set-up 325bed hospital in Nashik

Dr Nina Kottler

Dr Nina Kottler joins AI radiology company Synapsica’s Advisory Board Synapsica, India’s leading AI radiology reporting company, announced that Dr Nina Kottler, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Artificial Intelligence at Radiology Partners, has joined as a member of its Advisory Board. Kottler is a radiologist with over 16 years of experience in emergency radiology. With a background in applied mathematics and optimisation theory, she has been using imaging informatics to improve quality and drive value in radiology. Dr Kottler is the associate CMO for Clinical AI and VP of Clinical Operations at Radiology Partners (RP). She leads RP’s Data Science and Analytics division, whilst overseeing clinical AI for the practice.

Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) has entered into an MoU with Dr Raj Nagarkar to set up a multi-speciality hospital – KIMS Manavata Hospitals at Nashik with total bed capacity of 325 Beds. KIMS will hold 51 per cent stake and Dr Raj Nagarkar will hold 49 per cent stake in the proposed company. KIMS- Manavata aims to provide all the tertiary and quaternary care to the patients in North Maharashtra that is lacking in the region. In the first phase of the collaboration, KIMSManavata will be coming with robotic knee joint replacement, organ transplantation, cardiothoracic surgery, neurology epilepsy centres, mother and child care centres.

Sankara Eye Hospital, Bengaluru opens two CoEs in Bengaluru (eye) Sankara Eye Hospital announced the launch of dedicated Centres of Excellence in vitreo-retinal diseases and oncology and paediatric ophthalmology, strabismus and neuro-ophthalmology in Bengaluru. The centres were inaugurated by B S Yediyurappa, former CM of Karnataka. The centre of excellence in VR & Ocular Oncology has trained doctors from six countries and handles Diabetic and Retinal detachment surgeries and is one of the very few centres in the country to perform tumour resections and vitreoretinal

surgeries for eye cancers and offer surgery for blinding stage five Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP).

Cytecare Hospitals launches Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Sciences Cytecare Hospitals announced the launch of its Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatobiliary Sciences. This first-of-itskind institute will have five speciality clinics – liver clinic, pancreas clinic, obesity and weight loss clinic, bowel and stoma care clinic and gastritis clinic – under its ambit. These clinics will provide comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of a range of gastrointestinal diseases. The team of doctors includes Dr Raghavendra Babu, Senior Consultant and Director – Gastrointestinal & HPB Surgery, and Dr Sharath Kote, Consultant – Medical Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. The institute was launched at the hospital in the presence of SR Vishwanath – Chairman, Bangalore Development Authority, Member of Legislative Assembly, Yelahanka, and Member of TTD Trust Board.

OMRON Healthcare opens experience centre in Varanasi OMRON Healthcare India is set to expand their retail presence in tier II cities with a new experience centre in Varanasi.

Dr Agarwals Eye Hospitals acquires five eye hospitals in Tricity region Chennai-based Dr Agarwals Eye Hospitals has established its presence in the Tricity region by acquiring five eye hospitals, including two in Chandigarh, two in Panchkula, and one in Mohali. These include units of Mirchia’s Laser Eye Clinic, JP Eye Hospital and Dr Monica’s Eye Clinic, which have been eyecare centres of repute in the area for several years. The acquisition has expanded the presence of Dr Agarwals Eye Hospitals to Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, taking the total tally of its existing centres across the country to 110.

Launch of Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru

www.indiamedtoday.com

News Roundup the new office is part of Trinity’s ongoing commitment

support

development

and innovation in the Asia-Pacific region. Located near the “cyber hub of India,” the new office boasts sleek contemporary design and state-of-the-art technology to support continued growth and global collaboration. Meeting rooms are equipped with a ‘one touch’ video conferencing technology,

and

large

agile

breakout

spaces are installed for employees to enjoy meeting together with both informally and for business.

Opening of experience centre in Varanasi This marks their 6th exclusive OMRON Experience Center, totalling 80 touchpoints across India including experience, service and pick-up centres. The Experience Centers aim to facilitate exactly this physical experience through actual product demonstrations along with providing the complete gamut of repair services ranging from run-of-the-mill calibration issues to advanced technical interventions. It is expected to address 100+ customers daily, where they will be provided with quick resolution of queries and complete know-how on the utility & functionality of OMRON healthcare products.

Takeda launches Adynovate for haemophilia patients Takeda Pharmaceutical Company has launched Adynovate, an innovative extended half-life recombinant Factor VIII (rFVIII) treatment, using established technology (controlled PEGylation), for haemophilia A patients. Adynovate in combination with MYPKFIT, the first and only FDA approved application offers a personalised and interactive prophylaxis treatment option that enables both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients in real-time to monitor factor VIII levels.

for patients in medical emergencies all over India. With the free what3words app, patients can identify and share exactly where assistance is needed, even in areas with no or weak data connection. what3words has made it possible to identify and easily communicate any location, precise to a 3m x 3m square. With the technology, Medulance has reduced its emergency response time from 35 minutes to 11 minutes on average and in some cases dispatch teams in Delhi have arrived at an incident in under ten minutes.

Niramai partners with Healthians for breast cancer screening Niramai has partnered with Healthians to enable screening facilities in the comfort of their home. This partnership will leverage Niramai’s

painless and privacy-aware manner. With this partnership, Healthians now launches breast cancer screening from home in a big way in the NCR region. Healthians is India’s

Trinity Life Sciences opens state-of-the-art office in Gurugram

leading health test at home service offering a wide range of health tests across 140+ cities of India. It has a network of state-ofthe-art fully automated laboratories and a

Trinity Life Sciences has announced the

large team of highly skilled phlebotomists

opening

who specialise in sample collection from

its

next-generation

office

space in Gurgaon, India. The opening of

homes.

rollout of what3words. The partnership

June 2022

a preventive measure in a non-invasive,

Medulance has announced the successful

technology

health and conduct regular screenings as

Medulance launches what3words

enables faster incident response times

radiation-free

make women more aware of their breast

Launch of Trinity Life Sciences' office in Gurgaon

Neuberg Diagnostics launches regional reference laboratory in Coimbatore Neuberg

Diagnostics

has

launched

a processing lab in Coimbatore. This advanced reference lab was inaugurated at the hands of Kalpana Anandakumar, Mayor, Coimbatore Corporation, Dr R Mahendran, Dep. Secretary IT wing, DMK, and Dr GSK Velu, CMD, Neuberg Diagnostics. Also Dr Aravindan Selvaraj

Dr Aravindan Selvaraj appointed as Chairman, ASSOCHAM Tamil Nadu State Development Council 2022-23 Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital has been appointed as Chairman, ASSOCHAM Tamil Nadu State Development Council 2022-23. A Gold Medalist in Orthopaedic Surgery, he practiced orthopaedic surgery for 15 years in Ireland and the UK since 1995. He has been awarded ‘Best Doctor’ by Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University & ‘Pride of Tamil Nadu’ for his achievements in the healthcare industry. In 2022, he was awarded Sir M Visvesvaraya award for ‘Excellence in Healthcare’ instituted by AIMO from the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in recognition of Kauvery Hospital’s contribution to the healthcare sector in terms of service to the general public, creation of jobs for the underprivileged and the scientific advancement of medical care.

IAN, BIRAC partner to launch Bioangels The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) collaborated with the Indian Angel Network (IAN) to launch an angel investor network, BioAngels. BioAngels is the country’s first sector-focused angel investor group to fuel the growth of startups from Biotech – the sunrise sector. Sub-domains include Medtech, Healthtech, Pharma, Cleantech & Agritech. The biotech sector has the potential for cascading multiplier effect to contribute to India’s economic growth target of a $5 trillion economy by 2025.

present at the launch event were Ms Aishwarya Vasudevan, Chief Operating Officer, Dr Saranya Narayan, Technical Director & Chief Microbiologist, Neuberg Diagnostics. The new lab in Coimbatore

Gurjit Singh

StanPlus appoints Gurjit Singh as COO

is equipped to conduct and process a

StanPlus announced the appointment of

wide variety of tests and is capable to

Gurjit Singh as Chief Operating Officer and

process about 1000 samples in a day

Founding Member at the company, to build

and delivering results within the given

organisation capability for scalability and

turnaround time which differs from test

achieve the vision to build India’s very own

to test while maintaining the best-in-

‘911’. Singh joins from Alvarez and Marsal,

class quality. The diagnostics company also

virtually

opened

labs

Ooty,

Erode and lab inside women center by motherhood hospitals and will soon open labs at Pollachi, Valparai etc and other 10 locations with open collection centres at 100 locations. People can avail services such as wellness centre, preventive health checks, and home collection.

AI radiology startup Synapsica partners with Aarthi Scans and Labs

and has significant operational leadership experience in the healthcare delivery and consulting industry. Gurjit will strengthen StanPlus’s mission to provide quality and timely response technologies during medical emergencies across the country.

Fairfax, Quess commit Rs 300 Cr for 350-bed paediatric centre at CMC Vellore Fairfax Financial Holdings along with

has

Quess Corp have announced the signing

announced its partnership with Aarthi

of an MoA with Christian Medical College,

Scans and Labs, a multi-center diagnostic

Vellore, to set up a paediatric speciality

chain

centre at its Kannigapuram campus. The

AI-radiology

startup

with

Synapsica

full-fledged

diagnostic centers

proposed centre, which will be called the

conducting over 900 MRI scans every day.

‘CMC Vellore Paediatric Specialty Centre’,

As a part of the agreement, Synapsica will

will have 350 beds covering a range of

deploy its unique AI assistant ‘Spindle’

paediatric specialities. Fairfax and Quess

to power spine MRIs for the diagnostic

have pledged up to Rs 300 crore towards

chain. Synapsica’s Spindle is the first

setting up this centre, with the vision to

algorithm

automatically

provide leading state-of-the-art paediatric

report over 35 degenerative (age-related)

medical and surgical services. In addition

pathologies in MRI scans of the spine. It

to treatment, the centre will also focus on

can generate highly objective and accurate

education, training and research. This will

radiology reports with necessary spinal

help meet the medical needs of patients

measurements and help reduce the time

coming not only from different parts of

spent by radiologists on spine MRIs by

India but across the globe for consultation

almost 70 per cent.

and treatment.

centers

and

75+

globally

collection

www.indiamedtoday.com

News Roundup Eka Care launches services in Lucknow Eka Care has widened its presence to Uttar Pradesh and has launched in the capital city of Lucknow. Eka Care will bring both its patient and doctor side service to the city to bring the benefits of digitisation to the populace. The platform which is available in 12 languages enables every Indian family to create multiple health profiles, and store health records such as vaccination charts for kids, developmental milestones, prescriptions, lab reports, scans.

Dr Agarwal’s Health Care raises Rs 1050 Cr from TPG Growth, Temasek Chennai-based Dr Agarwal’s Health Care has closed a landmark fundraise of Rs 1,050 crore from TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity platform of

Opening of Shirin, Etian & Tara Brown Eye Centre’

LVPEI’s Shirin, Etian & Tara Brown Eye Centre opens in Hyderabad LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) has opened a new eye care centre named ‘Shirin, Etian & Tara Brown Eye Centre’ at its Gullapalli Pratibha Rao Campus in Kismatpur near Himayat Sagar. The centre was inaugurated by T Harish Rao, Minister of Finance, Health, Medical & Family Welfare, Government of Telangana. Along with the eye care centre, Rao also inaugurated LVPEI’s ‘Mobile Advanced Eye Diagnostic Unit’ dedicated to the service of rural areas of Telangana.

Noida-based start up FirstCure Health raises $350K Noida-based healthcare startup FirstCure Health (‘FirstCure’), to make advanced surgical care available to all by providing the right doctors, the right advice, and the right treatment at the right prices, recently raised $350K in the Pre-Seed funding round. The round has seen participation from various angel investors. The startup recently launched a healthcare service network. With mentorship from his family of senior reputed doctors and entrepreneurs, founded by Nikhil Bansal

June 2022

alternative US-based asset firm Texas

(a Chartered Accountant and alumnus of Harvard Business School), the startup aims to make modern surgical care safe, seamless, accessible and affordable. The funding will enable FirstCure to expand deeply into the segment of healthcare service offerings, both in terms of geography and operations. Further, with the commitment of another $300 K in the next six months, the startup plans to expand its presence strongly in North India and enter the Southern region of India by the end of the year.

Pacific and existing investor Temasek, a

Hetero unveils new logo and corporate brand identity

by LeapFrog Investments (LeapFrog), with

Hetero has unveiled its new corporate

will

logo,

visual

geographic reach across India, with a focus

and verbal identity. With a people-first

on expanding its low-cost but high quality

approach, this distinctive identity will

Direct to Consumer Diagnostics into Tier

guide and accelerate Hetero’s business

II, III and IV cities, providing affordable,

growth and evolution. Dr Vamsi Krishna

rapid, and convenient pathology services

Bandi, Managing Director, Hetero Group

from glucose to genetics in millions of

of Companies, said, “Our new logo, is

households. Funding will be used to

built around the idea of ‘Health for All’

scale Redcliffe’s platform and increase

and strengthens our ideology of ‘focused

its product offerings to radiology, disease

interventions

exponential

data profiling and lifestyle management,

impact.’ It uses circles as the primary

furthering its mission to shift India’s

visual anchor to represent the idea of

healthcare focus from treatment to early

accessibility and global reach.”

diagnosis and prevention.

brand

architecture,

leading

and

global investment company headquartered in Singapore. The investment round, which is India’s largest fundraising in the eyecare space, will also provide significant capital to fuel the company’s expansion plans and pave the way for an exit for the existing investor, ADV Partners.

Redcliffe Lifetech raises $61 M Redcliffe Lifetech has raised $61 million led participation from Healthquad, Schroders, LC Nueva, Growth Spark Ventures and existing investors Chiratae Ventures and Alkemi Venture Partners. The investment be

used

expand

Redcliffe’s

Medica inaugurates Hematuria clinic in Kolkata Medica Group of Hospitals at its flagship facility Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Kolkata launched a dedicated Haematuria Clinic for early detection of the cause of the blood in the urine (Hematuria) and treatment on time. Hematuria which is blood in urine could be an indication of bladder cancer. This clinic will now be operational from 3 pm to 5 pm (Monday – Friday) for assistance in the early diagnosis of the source of haematuria and Sankara Eye Foundation receiving the IMC Ramakrishna Bajaj National Quality Award

prompt treatment.

Sankara Eye Foundation, India bags IMC Ramakrishna Bajaj National Quality Award

has combined two monoclonal antibodies that can be administered by a single SC injection.

GenWorks Health raises Rs 135 Cr

Plum appoints Jayanth Ganapathy as Director, Healthcare

Bengaluru-based

Plum, an employee health insurance platform, has appointed Jayanth Ganapathy as Director, Healthcare. Ganapathy will work towards creating a countrywide hyperlocal healthcare network which is easily accessible to Plum’s customers. He has a strong understanding of driving healthcare operations having earlier led telemedicine and diagnostics business units for organizations such as Practo, Connect & Heal and Qikwell. At Plum, he will be instrumental in expanding Plum’s partnership footprints within the healthcare ecosystem including clinics, pathology labs and e-pharmacies among others.

Morgan

Sankara Eye Foundation, India has bagged the Indian Merchant Chamber, Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Award (IMC RBNWA). This award has been conferred to Sankara Eye Foundation, considering the contributions and commitment of its leadership team towards the success and growth of the organisation and its commitment to providing the best eye care services to the community. This award was given to organisations from domains as diverse as manufacturing, education, healthcare and service industries amongst others. Sankara Eye Foundation was adjudged the winner based on the rigorous assessment of the various parameters. The evaluation process involved multilevel engagement with experts and senior examiners from various industries.

Roche India launched PHESGO, therapy for breast cancer Roche Pharma announced the India launch of PHESGO – the first ever fixed dose formulation in oncology to combine two monoclonal antibodies – Perjeta (pertuzumab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab) with hyaluronidase, administered by subcutaneous (SC; under the skin) injection in combination with intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, for the treatment of early and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. This is the first time that Roche

startup

GenWorks

has raised a second round of funding to the tune of Rs 135 crore from investors such as Somerset Indus Capital Partners, Stanley

through

its

funding

arm Grand Vista, Evolvence and Wipro GE. GenWorks said it aims to double revenues in FY23 and the funding will be leveraged to cover working capital needs, relevant M&A to invest in manufacturing partnerships, and expansion in the area of in-vitro diagnostics. In addition, the freshly infused funds would also be deployed towards building ‘Human Capital’ to enable the rapid growth and build ‘’Platform Participation’’.

DNA Script partners with Premas Life Sciences DNA Script, a world leader in Enzymatic DNA Synthesis (EDS) for DNA on demand, has reached a distribution agreement with Premas Life Sciences, India. The partnership

expands

DNA

Script’s

footprint and provides sales and support for the SYNTAX System DNA printer in labs in India.DNA Script CEO and co-founder Thomas

Ybert

said,

“This

partnership

represents an important step in DNA Script’s global commercial expansion and our commitment to support our Indian Jayanth Ganapathy

customers’ research needs.”

www.indiamedtoday.com

News Roundup

RT Direct real time PCR kit

Laying of foundation stone at Nanavati Hospital

Cipla launches ‘RT Direct’ real time PCR kit for COVID-19

Nanavati-Max Hospital to invest Rs 700 Cr for expansion

Cipla announced the commercialisation of ‘RT-Direct’ multiplex COVID-19 RT PCR test kit in India, in partnership with Genes2Me. With this, Cipla is expanding its diagnostics offering to bring more advanced and innovative products. Cipla will be responsible for the distribution of RT Direct kits in India and has commenced supply of the same. The kit is validated at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved Centre. It is based on the ‘gold standard RT-PCR method with coverage of three target genes specific to SARS-COV-2 along with IC, which is much more advanced than others having 1 or 2 target genes. This greatly increases the sensitivity of the RTPCR test.

Dr Balabhai Nanavati Hospital (NanavatiMax Super Speciality Hospital), Mumbai embarked on an ambitious expansion plan that would add over 600 beds to its existing capacity of 350 beds, by 2024. The foundation stone of the new building was laid on the premises of the hospital by Aaditya Thackeray, Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment, Government of Maharashtra. Dr Abhay Soi, Chairman and MD, Max Healthcare was present at the ceremony.

Narayana Nethralaya, Acer India team up

Roche Diabetes Care India (RDC India) has

Narayana

Nethralaya

collaboration

with Acer India launched the PC + tabletbased for

software,

children

‘VisioNova’

suffering

from

designed

Roche Diabetes Care launches ACCU-FINE pen needles launched ACCU-FINE, quality pen needles to make the process of insulin delivery smoother and virtually painless for people with diabetes. The latest innovation from Roche Diabetes Care, makers of ACCU-

Cortical

Visual Impairment (CVI). The initiative by Narayana Nethralaya and Acer India aims at breaking down barriers and providing patients with better access to treatment. Acer VisioNova, a pathbreaking innovation was conceptualised as a mobile alternative to on-site therapy for CVI children that will offer them the standard of care. Narayana Nethralaya as a part of its ‘Buds to Blossoms’ initiative provides dedicated therapy programmes to help children develop and improve motor, cognitive and visual abilities that significantly improve their quality of life.

June 2022

ACCU-FINE pen needles

CHEK, aims to make the process of insulin delivery easier thereby leading to better diabetes management for people with diabetes. The ACCU-FINE needles are available in packs of 100 in three variants including a 33G 4 mm variant. Based on deep customer insights, the ACCU-FINE Pen Needles are specially designed with three key features to make them gentle in use. First, the needle has a special cut at the tip to ensure gentle insertion; second, the needle has a thin wall to enable rapid insulin flow; and third, the needle has a special coating that allows it to be inserted into the skin easily. The needles come with a sealed sterile protective cap and an additional protective cap for double protection.

Pfizer sets up global drug development centre at IIT Madras Pfizer has set up a global drug development centre at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai, India. The centre’s capabilities will include the development of both, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)

this elevation, Nihalani will accompany Shashank ND and Abhinav Lal, the other co-founders. Nihalani will focus on building products for Practo’s digital-first surgery business. He is going to play an active role in new product development that will further Practo’s mission of providing quality and affordable healthcare to over a billion+ Indians. Along with this, he would also work with Practo’s core leadership on business strategy and expansion. S Aparna, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India, lighting the lamp at the launch of Pfizer’s Global Drug Development Centre in India at IIT Madras Research Park. Present on stage (L-R) - S Sridhar, Country Manager, Pfizer India, Roberto Silviera, Vice President Global Technology & Engineering at Pfizer, Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, President, IITM Research Park Bhuvaneswari Sridhar, Head – Small Molecule Technology, Pfizer India, Dr J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary to Govt of Tamil Nadu (Health and Family Welfare Department Tamil Nadu), and Andrew McKillop, Vice President, Pharmaceutical Sciences Small Molecule, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer

Genes2Me launches RT PCR kit CovFlu Genes2Me has launched COVFlu Real-Time PCR kit, which detects Influenza A/B, RSV and SARS-CoV-2. With this kit, Influenza A/B, RSV, RNaseP, and COVID-19 can be detected simultaneously with just one single Test kit where all the targets of

and finished dosage forms (FDFs) of differentiated products such as complex/ value-added formulations, controlledrelease dosage forms, device-combination products, lyophilised injections, powder-fill products, and ready-to-use formulations. The centre will develop and support products in global markets and Pfizer’s manufacturing centres worldwide.

Redcliffe Labs appoints Sanjay Bhargava as Director M&A & Growth

different verticals of healthcare such as pharma, diagnostics, and hospitals. He has efficiently led innovations and entrepreneurial assignments. Bhargava is a Gold Medallist in Bachelors in Pharmacy from Nagpur University with a Certification in Finance from IIM Bangalore.

Influenza A/B, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 have been labelled with different dyes. The kit can also detect patients with any known variants including Omicron in a single process. The kit has received approval from DCGI and has 100 per cent sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity as per the

Practo elevates Siddhartha Nihalani as Co-founder

report from ICMR approved validation centre.

Practo has announced the elevation of its long-term executive and growth head,

Redcliffe Labs, a unit of Redcliffe Lifetech in the US and India, has recently announced Sanjay Bhargava as its Director M&A & Growth. Bhargava comes with over 30 years of experience across

Siddhartha Nihalani to the position of Co-

Sanjay Bhargava

Siddhartha Nihalani

founder. Siddhartha has been associated with Practo since its inception and has been a driving force behind the technology, growth

and

business

strategy.

With

RT PCR kit CovFlu

www.indiamedtoday.com

News Roundup MEDIKABAZAAR join hands with India Health Link

India, Germany to work together on AI start-ups in health

MEDIKABAZAAR has joined hands with India Health Link (IHL), a PHYGITAL health and medical device start-up, which has come up with first-of-its-kind humancentric preventive healthcare programme that aims to bridge the primary healthcare gaps in India. India Health Link (IHL) has introduced a first-of-its-kind connected ‘user centric’ and award-winning Health Pod – non-invasive digitally integrated self-service,

walk-in

health

Kiosk.

Individuals can get their screening done for more than (20+) non-invasive vital health parameters including BP, ECG, SpO2, BMI, BMC, Pulse, Temperature and BP within five minutes followed by an instant report without any paramedic assistance. The HPod is HIPPA compliant and certified by FDA, CE, and Neumetric.

India and Germany have agreed to work together with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) StartUps as well as AI research and its application in Sustainability and Health care. This was stated by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences after his “bilateral” talks with German Minister for Education & Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger. Both the ministers agreed that there are a lot of scopes to work together in Artificial Intelligence for which experts on the two sides have already met. An Indo-German call for proposals for this would be raised soon inviting proposals from researchers and industry.

Eris Lifesciences acquires stake in Oaknet Healthcare Eris Lifesciences has acquired 100 per cent stake in Mumbai-based dermatology

focussed domestic formulations company Oaknet Healthcare for a total consideration of Rs 6,500 million. The deal will be financed by Rs 3,000 million of internal accruals and Rs 3,500 million of borrowings. The acquisition will be completed by way of a share purchase agreement as a result of which Oaknet will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eris.

GeneStore, PathStore launch CoE for molecular diagnostics GeneStore’s Founder, Anubhav Anusha, announced the launch of the Company’s Center of Excellence for Molecular Diagnostics and Proteomics in Gurugram, Haryana. The state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facility is dedicated to the development and manufacturing of RT-PCR kits for infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis, HIV, Dengue, Hepatitis C, Japanese Encephalitis Virus that contribute to a high public health burden in India.

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June 2022

Special Feature

Life Saver: Indraprastha Apollo Blood Bank Dr Mohit Chowdhry, Sr Consultant & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Transplant Immunology & Molecular Biology, Quality Manager- Lab Services, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals New Delhi, gives an insight into the blood bank of the hospital and how it has been able to grow since its inception

Dr Mohit Chowdhry, Sr Consultant & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Apollo Hospitals New Delhi

The blood bank at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals New Delhi has been operational since 1996 with the inception of the hospital. It is touted as the first blood centre in India to implement ID-NAT in 2006 for routine blood donor screening of HIV RNA, hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid (RNA); in addition to mandatory routine serology based TTI screening. The blood bank can collect 1500016000 units which can be gradually increased to 18000-19000. The

blood

bank

has

transplant

immunology department within the Dept of Transfusion medicine, an automation and referral centre for immunohematology, mandatory antibody screening for all patients requiring transfusion, Hepatitis B core antibody test and strict adherence to JCI standards.

Equipment used ID NAT was implemented at the centre in April 2006 with the centre initially using Procleix Ultrio Assay (Grifols, CA, USA) on the Procleix eSAS System. Subsequently, the ID-NAT system has

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been upgraded to Procleix Ultrio Plus Assay on the automated Procleix Tigris System in January 2014 and finally to the current Procleix Ultrio Elite Assay on the fully automated, single chamber walkaway Procleix Panther System in November 2017. All the Procleix assays are based on Transcription Mediated Amplification(TMA) technology for blood donor screening of HIV RNA, HCV RNA, and HBV DNA.

Costs involved The costs of running the blood bank involve multiple factors. It includes costs spent on donor safety, blood collection, blood component preparation, transfusion-transmitted infection testing, immunohematology and other testing, advanced tests like Nucleic acid test (NAT) and a considerable expense on blood storage and issue. However, these standards and tests are not uniform (except for the mandatory tests) and therefore cost of establishing may differ from one centre to another

Challenges The utmost challenge faced in running a successful blood bank is to ensure the

June 2022

safest possible blood to the patients. Voluntary donors are the pivot to any safe blood transfusion supply. However, voluntary blood donation is a sore point and that too most of the donors are one time donors. The challenge is to have a regular repeat non-remunerated voluntary blood donor which is the cornerstone for the safe blood supply and that is our biggest challenge.

People behind the success The people involved in the successful running of our blood bank are Dr RN Makroo who established this blood bank way back in 1995. Since then, the quality standards have been state of art. Every colleague who has worked in this blood centre has helped to improve the standards of this blood centre. The management of my hospital has always been very supportive and has ensured that we are provided with all the resources and the manpower needed to run a successful transfusion medicine program. Last but not the least, I would like to thank the blood donors, without whom there would be no blood, which is a prime requirement to run the blood centre.

Innovate

Enhancing Surgeon's Skills With robotic surgery's advanced technology Surgeon skills are enhanced whilst surgeon errors are negated

Laparoscopic

surgery

has

certain

have

imaging,

tremor

limitations, such as two - dimensional

filters

imaging, restricted range of motion of

With this advanced equipment, robotic

the instruments, and poor ergonomic

surgery is superior to conventional

positioning of the surgeon. The robotic

laparoscopic

surgery system was introduced as a

significant improvements in visibility

solution to minimise the shortcomings

and

of laparoscopy. Improved visualisation Dr. Prasanna Venkatesh, Sr. Paediatric Urologist, Robotic Urologist & MD, NU Hospitals, Bengaluru

systems

and greater dexterity are two major features of robotic-assisted laparoscopic

and

articulated

surgery

manipulation.

instruments.

due

Improvements

its in

the efficiency and usability of robotic systems are increasingly being explored.

surgery. This emerging method provides

Robotic surgery offers many benefits

undoubted technical advantages over

to patients compared to open surgery,

conventional

including:

laparoscopy.

Robotic

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Innovate

Shorter hospitalisation

easy-to-adopt instrument control and a

adds another component to the safety

•

Reduced pain and discomfort

choice of ergonomic working positions,

of the patient via the surgeon’s comfort

•

Faster recovery time and return to normal activities

aimed to reduce stress and fatigue to

and by enhancing their skills.

help extend the careers of surgeons.

Hand controllers of the Versius system

Smaller incisions, resulting in reduced risk of infection

With

'Think

The Versius Console consists of just

Laparoscopically, Operate Robotically'.

two hand controllers that are used

•

Reduced blood loss and transfusions

A surgical robotic system that fits into

to control all the bedside units. These

virtually any operating room (OR) and

•

Minimal scarring

hand controllers allow the surgeon to

works around your existing set-up.

move the instruments in directions

•

Advantages The Versius system has a small form factor, versatility and portability, and is designed to support surgeons to deliver the benefits of minimal access surgery to patients around the world. The form factor and modular design include individually cart-mounted arms, allowing it to move between operating rooms and even hospitals/clinics, giving the surgical team access to patients at all times. By bio-mimicking the human arm, Versius gives surgeons the freedom

Versius

one

can

and

Robotic surgery safety

angles

that

surgeon's

hand

physically and biologically cannot. The

With traditional surgical techniques,

surgeons can rotate the instruments

the errors that could be made by the

up to 720 degrees. With the incredible

surgeons get passed on to the patient.

learning curve on Versius, surgeons

With

can think laparoscopically and operate

robotic

surgery's

advanced

technology surgeon skills are enhanced whilst surgeon errors are negated. Surgical challenges such as trembling of the hands and restriction with hand movements can cost or save a life in an OR. These aspects are protected by the advanced technology used in the

Robotically. Higher

dexterity

leads

better

navigation during surgery. Surgeons can reach areas, rotate and navigate in ways they never could before. Versius gives the surgeons the support they need to overcome the restrictions surgeons

Versius surgical robot.

have faced over the last decade or more.

of small fully wristed instruments. The

Besides less blood loss and less pain to

Versius can be defined as the next-

system also includes 3D HD vision,

the patient, robotic surgery with Versius

generation

of port placement, but with the benefits

surgical

robot

that

has

focussed on the challenges Surgeons have faced with robotic surgery in the past. It was designed and built purely to

make

robotic-assisted

minimally

invasive surgery better for the surgeons in the form of surgeon comfort, higher precision, clearer vision and surgical modularity.

These

components

put

together into a single system with a smaller learning curve leading to better patient outcomes is what makes Versius the next-generation surgical robot. • Versius has been designed to bring all the benefits of robotics, whilst lowering the barrier of adoption to minimal access surgery. Versius has fully wristed instruments, natural instrument control, and full HD 3D vision, to help improve the surgeon’s dexterity, precision and control within the abdomen and pelvis. • Being small, Versius doesn’t dominate the OR. Its modular and portable design enables you to move it between ORs, and only use the number of arms that you need for any given procedure. 26

June 2022

the rest of the specialities such as oncosurgery, gastro-surgery, cardiac Surgery etc. We operate in a niche space of the three specialities

Nephrology,

Urology

and Fertility care and also their subspecialities. So, we firmly believe that wherever services are not available, that is where we plan to expand and grow whether in India or abroad. We do have plans to penetrate deeper into far-off areas to cover the neglected populace, but those plans have been temporarily put on hold because of the pandemic. Probably, we would roll out those projects in the coming six months or a year depending on the pandemic situation.

also

believe

that

Hospitals has been able to achieve so much because of the excellent Medical and Non-Medical team that we have in our NABH accredited hospitals. We have recently been bestowed “The Great Place to Work” certification – with only a few hospitals receiving this in India – it is a true testimony to the great team • Placing a wrist at the end of the robotic

all times, due to its small form factor

arm, enables greater freedom of setup

and

making the Versius system suitable

This allows the teams to reposition the

across a range of different specialities.

arms and move the elbows out of the

This helps each setup to be tailored

way without interrupting the surgical

to the patient, while the wrist on the

procedure, enabling easy access to the

instruments gives the surgeon greater

patient at all times.

dexterity inside the patient.

‘collaborative

arm

technology’.

Sr Paediatric Urology Consultant, Dr

• The console has been designed to

Prasanna Venkatesh and MD at NU

minimise physical strain on the operating

Hospitals, Bengaluru, who is passionate

surgeon by giving them the option to

about

either sit or stand whilst operating, all

affordable

in an ergonomic pose. This potentially

Hospitals, stated “Recently, we have

allows them to keep operating at peak

added the CMR Versius Robotic System

performance for longer and prolong

to our armamentarium. Robotic surgery

their surgical careers.

is very useful for urological pelvic

• The open console design provides a clear line of sight to facilitate verbal and non-verbal communication between the surgeon and the bedside surgical team.

that we have."

providing

world-class

healthcare

through

and NU

surgeries, prostate cancer, cancer of the

kidneys

and

reconstruction

major congenital paediatric urological anomalies. Worldwide, almost 40-50 per cent of robotic surgeries are done in

• Versius is designed to give the

the urology space, while 10-15 per cent

surgical team access to the patient at

of usage is in gynaecology and then for

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Cover story

Tracking Transfusion Medicine

The scientific foundation and clinical approaches to blood banking have seen tremendous development in the past decade. IMT catches up on these developments and discusses the relevant advances in the field

June 2022

B “Blood is a scarce resource which is now available only through donors,” Dr B Latha, Associate professor, Department of Transfusion medicine, Madras Medical College, Chennai.

lood transfusions, today, are fairly routine and a crucial part of healthcare delivery, saving millions of lives every year. Blood banks contributed to several treatments involving both routines as well as emergency situations. Blood and its components are required for surgeries especially for treatments involving cancer patients, pregnant women, accident cases and other disasters like burn victims. “Blood is a scarce resource which is now available only through donors,” says Dr B Latha, Associate professor, Department of Transfusion medicine, Madras Medical College, Chennai. The blood Banks have evolved over time. “Blood Bank has come a long way from being just a blood bank wherein only whole blood was collected and issued, to a Blood Centre or Transfusion Medicine department with all the advanced modern technologies,” explains Dr Anand Deshpande,

Consultant Transfusion Medicine & Hematology, PD Hinduja National Hospital & MRC Mahim, Mumbai. “Initially only whole blood was issued to the patients, now most of the blood centres are preparing 100% blood components such as Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBC), Random Donor Platelets (RDPs), Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP), Cryoprecipitate (Cryo) & issuing to different patients as per the clinical requirements. This has led to rational use of blood components optimizing the inventory and minimising the losses,” he further adds. Dr Latha further states, “Usually, one out of seven hospitalised patients require transfusion; so, rational use of blood components should be mandatory. However, at times miscommunication and inadequate information among clinical colleagues and transfusion medicine specialists leads to wastage.” “The importance of blood donation and

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Cover story

services of the country need to collect 26.5 million units of whole blood in order to address the national need for “It includes costs spent on donor safety, blood collection, blood component preparation, transfusiontransmitted infection testing, immunohematology and other testing, advanced tests like Nucleic acid test (NAT) and a considerable expense on blood storage and issue,”

whole blood and components. However, in 2017, the annual collection of blood in India was 11,094,145 (11 million). If this data is assumed as supply, then the actual supply per 1,000 was 26.1 per 1,000 eligible population which

indicates

significant

gap

between demand and supply. Dr Mohit Chowdhry, Sr Consultant & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Transplant Immunology & Molecular Biology, Quality ManagerLab Services, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals New Delhi.

appropriate use of this scarce resource should be clearly explained to public as well as clinical colleagues,” she says.

The costs of running the blood bank involve multiple factors. “It includes costs spent on donor safety, blood collection, blood component preparation, transfusion-transmitted infection testing, immunohematology and other testing, advanced tests like Nucleic acid test (NAT) and a considerable expense on blood storage and issue,” says Dr Mohit Chowdhry, Sr Consultant & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Transplant Immunology & Molecular Biology, Quality Manager- Lab Services,

According to government figures, there

Indraprastha

are more than 3108 blood banks across

Delhi.

India, among which, 1101 are public and about 2007 in private domains, including those run by charitable trusts. Out of these, about 35 per cent blood banks are in the government sector, five

Apollo

Hospitals

New

However, these standards and tests are not uniform (except for the mandatory tests) and therefore cost of establishing

The quality and safety of blood is one

Society (IRCS), about 20-25 per cent is

of the major concerns in transfusion

run by NGOs and the rest are managed

medicine

by corporates.

transfusion

supply gap in availability of blood and its components in India. A study called “ National estimation blood requirement in India” was done by NACO and its partners to estimate the population need,

clinical

demand,

supply

today.

India

transmitted

infections

B & C. According to 2016 NACO report, HIV positivity among blood donors was found to be 0.14%, Hepatitis C 0.34%, Hepatitis-B 0.87%, Syphilis 0.17% and Malaria 0.06%. Nucleic acid amplification test (NAT) was developed to detect infection in blood

found that the quantum of blood needed

for these deadly pathogens, but it is an

to cater to the entire population was

expensive test and not all blood banks

the need followed by surgery (25%), obstetrics

based test kits and rapid diagnostic tests are used to screen blood.

(O&G)

However, quality of screening tests and methods remains as one of the basic

-10).

challenges in blood banks. Combine

Hence

June 2022

the

gynaecology

use it. Currently, other tests like ELISA

(13.8%) and pediatrics (21.3%) (Table

and

blood

transfusion

research. “There will be new frontiers of basic and clinical research in donor and patient care but youngsters need to think out of the box,” says Dr Ratti Ram Sharma, Professor & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh. “We need to communicate with our clinical colleagues to understand their concerns and patient requirements to develop innovative ideas for clinical care and research. Similarly, we have to connect with our community and donors to understand them better for their support and develop novel ideas for donor recruitment and retention,” he concludes.

generally found are of HIV and Hepatitis

and

medicine accounts for 39.9% of all

Specialty of Transfusion Medicine is currently evolving and has a lot of scope for teaching, training and

though,

utilization of blood in India. The study

around 26.5 million units, of which

Poor laboratory procedures, inadequate basic facilities within a majority of blood centres and lack of awareness of safety amongst blood donors and receivers are the other issues that mar the blood banks.

may differ from one centre to another

per cent are run by Indian Red Cross

A recent study highlights the demand-

this with the lack of quality reagents and test kits and paucity of adequate training for hospital staff, which makes availability of safe blood very difficult.

“There will be new frontiers of basic and clinical research in donor and patient care but youngsters need to think out of the box,” Dr Ratti Ram Sharma, Professor & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh.

Focus

Impact of TTIs on Modern Healthcare Management The responses to potential TTIs have advanced remarkably in terms of speed of assessment and implementation and efficacy of interventions. Jatin Mahajan, MD, J Mitra & Company and Secretary, Association of Diagnostics Manufacturers of India (ADMI) reveals more save your life, and it is generally safe and without risks, subject to certain precautions while collecting the blood during donation.

Jatin Mahajan, MD, J Mitra & Company

made

tremendous

Consequently,

advancements.

almost

all

diseases

and ailments can be treated entirely or managed with the help of modern medicine and therapeutics.

Blood-transfusion therapy is integral to

the

management

haematological

and

other

diverse diseases.

This is where modern diagnostics play

Therefore,

preventing

a very critical role. Diagnostics are the

transmitted

infectious

first line of defence. First, diagnostics

remains a crucial element of blood-

help find the right cause for the ailment

transfusion safety. Attributes of TTIs

or the disease. Secondly, diagnostics

that pose the most significant risk to

help prevent the transfer of infections

blood safety include a symptomless

from one person to another through Modern healthcare management has

infectious agents.

blood transfusion.

(TTIs)

infectious phase in the donor blood and the capability to continue despite

Transfusion Transmitted Infections (TTIs) are a real threat, and modern diagnostics endeavours to ensure that this threat is minimal, if not wholly absent. Common Transfusion

transfusionagents

Transmissible

infections

processing and storage. The responses to potential TTIs have advanced remarkably in terms of speed of assessment and implementation and efficacy of interventions. And yet, it

Present-day healthcare also depends on

include – Malaria, Chikungunya, Dengue,

invasive surgical therapeutics to manage

Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C,

the

therapeutics

Hepatitis E, Syphilis, and HIV. In India,

invariably demand blood transfusion.

it is compulsory to test every unit of

A blood transfusion is a regular medical

blood for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV/

Laboratory screening of blood donors

procedure. This potentially life-saving

AIDS, syphilis, and malaria.

for the classic TTIs has evolved from

procedure

All blood banks are licensed by the State

diseases.

can

Surgical

help

replace

blood

lost due to surgery or injury. A blood

Drug Controller and approved by the

continues to be constrained by the need to balance blood availability, cost, and safety.

the performance of progressively more sensitive

serological

assays

the

transfusion also can help if an illness

Drugs Controller General. In addition,

1970s to the 1990s to the adoption of

prevents your body from making blood

the National Blood Transfusion Council,

NAT.

or some of your blood's components

under the Ministry of Health & Family

correctly. A blood transfusion is critical

As a critical player in the global in-

Welfare,

if one has certain medical conditions,

the entire Blood donation / Blood

vitro diagnostics (IVD) space, we are

including Anaemia, Haemophilia, sickle

transfusion scenario in India.

cell disease, or some forms of cancer.

controls-manages-regulates

conscious of our responsibility to curb the risks of such TTIs. We are doing

Since the 1970s, serological assays

our best to develop better and faster

Blood has several components critical

that target virus-specific antigens and

diagnostics solutions to cater to the

during a medical procedure – red

antibodies have played a key role in

market's demands and provide the best

blood cells, white blood cells, plasma,

detecting

possible solutions, even in the most

and platelets. Blood transfusion can

with the classic transfusion-transmitted

blood

donations

infected

resource-scarce settings.

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Pulse

Role of AI in Transfusion Medicine AI will play a big role in transfusion medicine in managing the inventory, predicting the variations in demand and predicting the blood requirements for different procedures

Dr Anand Deshpande, Consultant Transfusion Medicine & Hematology, PD Hinduja National Hospital & MRC Mahim, Mumbai

Transfusion Medicine is one of the

Donor Platelets (RDPs), Fresh Frozen

branches in medicine which is involved

Plasma (FFP), Cryoprecipitate (Cryo) &

in both the clinical management of the

issuing to different patients as per the

patients as well as laboratory aspects.

clinical requirements. This has led to

It has come a long way from being just

the rational use of blood components

a blood bank wherein only whole blood

optimising the inventory and minimising

was collected and issued, to a blood

the losses.

centre/transfusion medicine department with

all

the

advanced

modern

technologies. On the laboratory front, transfusion medicine has developed in

June 2022

Using the Apheresis technology ( use of cell separator ), the Blood Centres can collect a single product such as platelet,

various directions. Initially, only whole

plasma, granulocytes or even Peripheral

blood was issued to the patients, now

Blood

most of the blood centres are preparing

modalities such as Immunoadsorption ,

100 per cent blood components such as

Extra Corporeal Photopheresis are used

Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBC), Random

to treat different diseases.

Stem

Cells

(PBSC

Newer

To avoid Adverse Transfusion Reactions

the compatibility of the recipient and

(ATRs), blood centres have started using

donor blood has also moved from the

Inline filter bags to remove unwanted

slide method to computer crossmatch

White Blood Cells (WBCs) which are

/ electronic crossmatch. Many centres

responsible for the majority of ATRs.

are giving phenotype/antigen-matched

Irradiation of blood is carried out by blood centres in transplant cases. In India, it is mandatory to test all the blood units for HIV, HBV and HCV by ELISA / CMIA method. Other mandatory tests

are

Venereal

disease

(VDRL)

testing and malarial parasite (MP). A major advancement in this area is the Nucleic acid Amplification Technique (NAT). It helps to reduce the ‘window period’ drastically and makes the blood safer for the recipient. Hopefully, in near

blood to minimise the formation of antibodies in recipients. On

the

medicine

clinical

side,

consultants

transfusion

are

involved

not only in routine blood transfusions but also in the proper use of different blood components in correct doses as per the clinical requirements. They are also involved in managing the patients (adult

and

paediatric

group)

with

bleeding disorders, platelet disorders and coagulation disorders. They play

future, this technology will be adopted

a major role in peripheral blood stem

by all the Blood centres in India.

cell harvest (PBSC) as well as Bone

Pathogen reduction technologies are already being used in many countries.

Marrow Transplants (BMT). Different therapeutic

apheresis

procedures

such as Therapeutic Plasma Exchange,

As far as the red cell testing is concerned

Therapeutic Red Cell Exchange are

it is gradually moving from serum-based

carried out by them in various clinical

assay to molecular techniques-based

disorders.

assay. Initially, blood groups were done

Computerisation and AI

routinely using slide methods, now the blood centres are using automation with

From

column agglutination/ bead/solid-phase

transfusion to a recipient donor arm

assays, helping in reducing the errors

to the patient arm is a long chain and

and shortening the Turn around Times

involves many persons. The probability

(TATs).

of errors increases manifold as a large

Cross-matching

i.e.

checking

the

donation

blood

number of people are involved in various activities such as the collection of blood, preparing the blood components, testing the blood units, cross-matching the blood, issuing the blood units and ultimately transfusion to the patient. This has led to the use of software in all the blood bank operations to reduce/ minimise errors. In the coming years, AI will play a big role in transfusion medicine in managing the inventory, predicting the variations in demand, predicting the blood requirements for different procedures and even better management of donors. However, AI requires Big data for better predictions and the Blood centres will have to use software for all their operations so that the data production and acquisition will be uniform and standard.

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How To Develop and Keep Modern Blood Bank Dr Debasish Gupta, Professor and Head, SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala gives a glimpse about the Department of Transfusion Medicine at the hospital and how it has evolved over the years

Dr Debasish Gupta, Professor and Head, SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram

Sree

Tirunal

Chitra

Medical

Sciences

Institute

and

for

of social relevance. The institute has

Technology

three wings - the hospital, biomedical

(SCTIMST) started in the year 1976

technology

Menon

Thiruvananthapuram,

Kerala,

the

Achutha

Health

Science

Studies.

National Importance with the status

teaching facilities are available at these

of a University in 1980 under the

centres. This uniquely poised institute

Department of Science and Technology,

has a dedicated team of clinicians,

Govt. of India by an Act of Parliament

scientists and engineers devoted to

(Act 52 of 1980). Padmavibhushan Dr

high quality biomedical research and

M S Valiathan, a famous cardiothoracic

developing technologies in health care

surgeon of India was the founder-

with emphasis on cardiovascular and

director of the institute.

neurological diseases.

The joint culture of medicine and

The institute strives to achieve its vision

more than three decades ago has come of

age

and

acceptance

June 2022

and for

metamorphosed into an Institute of

technology that the institute pioneered

wing

Centre

gained India.

unprecedented The

Excellent

research

and

by becoming a global leader in medical devices

development,

high

quality

patient care and health sciences studies.

institute

The mission of the institute is to

focuses on patient care of high quality,

promote research and development in

technology development of industrial

biomedical engineering and technology.

significance and health research studies

Based on this mission one of the

etc., will range between Rs 100 - 150 million.

Achievements and accolades There are a number of achievements carried out by the Department of Transfusion Medicine and has received a lot of accolades both at the state and the national level. a. In 1980, all donated blood units were screened for HBsAg by RPHA method and Syphilis by RPR method before issuing for transfusion. b. In 1981, a small volume of plasma exchange was attempted. c. objectives is to develop innovative postgraduate

training

programmes

in advanced medical specialties, and biomedical engineering and technology.

The blood bank Col (Dr) Luxa was the first Medical Officer In-charge who started the blood bank in SCTIMST way back in 1976. In the same year, the first transfusion was given to a neurosurgical patient. It started as a whole blood collection center but within three years, i.e. 1979, a blood component unit was established. This blood centre was one of the four or five centres in India that has a blood component unit way back in the late seventies

Equipment-Now and then The blood centre was always equipped with the latest technology available at that period of time right from its inception as it was considered as an Institute of National importance. Over the time, the centre has switched over to full automation in the majority of the sections of the department. This has led to minimum manpower intervention with the equipment. This resulted in the proper utilisation of the services of the technicians to those areas where automation is yet to be installed like blood donation, component preparation, quality control.

It all depends on the workload of the blood centre that is based on the number of hospital beds and ICUs, the specialised services available in the hospitals and presence of trauma and transplant centres. These facilities determine the manpower requirement in the blood centre. Recently, the Drug and Cosmetic Act in its amendment in the Rules has framed a minimum requirement of various trained manpower based on annual blood collection. Our department has an adequate number of manpower in all sections to run the centre efficiently round the clock. However, due to introduction of newer techniques and expansion of the hospital block, there is a need for additional manpower requirements which is under consideration by the administration.

Costs incurred A modern blood centre with all the above-mentioned services available and set up with state-of-the-art equipment needs Rs 200 million as a one-time investment. This excludes the cost of land and construction. Annual recurring grant for procurement of consumables, salary and other necessary facilities like electricity, fuel,

In 1986, blood bottles were replaced by SCTIMST developed indigenous

Manpower requirements

blood bags for collection and storage of blood. d. In

1987,

voluntary

blood

donation programme was started and voluntary blood donors were felicitated. e. In 1989, testing of blood units for HIV was started and Autologous blood transfusion were attempted in cardiac surgery patients f.

In 1994, the annual conference of ISBTI was hosted by the department and a one-year Diploma in Blood Banking Technology course was started for science graduates.

g. In 1995, the Hospital Transfusion Committee was constituted. h. In 1997, appropriate clinical use of blood as laid down by WHO was introduced. i.

In 1998, ELISA system was introduced to screen HIV, HBV and HCV

In 1999, collection of single donor components by apheresis was installed and service started.

k. In 2002, NACO under its Scheme for Modernization of Blood Banks categorized the Blood Centre at SCTIMST as Blood Component Separation Unit.

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In 2003, Column agglutination test (CAT) for blood grouping and compatibility testing was initiated. During this year, collection of blood through outdoor blood donation camps was also started.

Beside these, there are many more

m. In 2006, NACO identified the Blood Centre as a Training Centre on Blood Safety for Blood Bank Physicians, Nurses and Technicians for the state of Kerala and U.T. Lakshadweep

and development of Fibrin Sealant for

laurels the department has achieved

Contributed to my success

during the last five decades. Two

I feel very proud to say that I am blessed to have the privilege to work under the guidance of Prof. J. G. Jolly who is known all over the country as Father of Transfusion Medicine. He was instrumental in bringing me into the Transfusion Medicine specialty when he motivated me to join blood transfusion department in PGIMER, Chandigarh way back in 1987. Working under his guidance, I developed a keen interest in this new field of medical science and started appreciating the significance of blood transfusion in modern medicine. I feel proud that I am the first, only and the last MD student who did his post-graduation in Transfusion Medicine under Dr. Jolly’s supervision. I consider him to be instrumental in shaping up my career and made me achieve success in this field, both at National and International level .

most

important

achievements

are

the development of indigenous blood bags in the country for the first time control of bleeding during surgery with our Bio-technology unit.

Challenges faced

n. In 2008, Blood Bank Counselor was provided by NACO for counseling Blood Donors for motivation, informing test results and referring sero-reactive donors for further counseling and management.

There

o. In 2009, the nomenclature of the Blood Bank was changed to Transfusion Medicine.

•

are

several

challenges

operating a successful blood centre •

Lack of space for expansion to accommodate new facilities in the blood centre Due

this,

starting

newer

technology becomes a big challenge •

Limitation in the type and number

p. In 2015, the department started the MD Transfusion Medicine course for medical graduates

of patients as the hospital division

q. In 2019, Nucleic acid amplification

specialty.

testing was initiated as an additional layer of safe blood r.

years, the department received 3 Kerala

state

branch

Awards by Indian Red Cross Society for

promoting

neuroscience

•

Unable

voluntary

procedures

In 1994,95,96, for three consecutive consecutive

of SCTIMST has only cardiac and their

start in

clinical

established

patient

blood

management due to the limited number of surgical and medical cases

blood

In-spite of these limitations, SCTIMST

donation and safe blood transfusion.

has successfully launched and set-

In 2005, Blood Center of SCTIMST

up almost all techniques related to

received the Best Blood Bank in

modern transfusion therapy with active

Kerala state from Kerala State AIDS

support and involvement of the private

Control Society.

hospitals in the city.

Beside Prof Jolly, I must say that I have also been influenced by many pioneers in the field of Transfusion Medicine and Voluntary Blood donation programme whose blessings I have received that I will cherish throughout my life. They are Leela Moolgaonkar, Dr Zarine Bharucha, Dr Vijaylaxmi Ray, Kanta Swaroop Krishen, HD Bodhanwala, Dr Sunithi Solomon. I have the privilege to interact and work with them during a significant part of my career. Besides, I am thankful to my parents and sisters who encouraged me to select transfusion medicine as my career prospect. Without their blessings, I wouldn’t have opted for this specialty. The department plans to start a platelet serology laboratory, coagulation and haemostasis laboratory and point-of-care testing in the coming days which is under consideration.

June 2022

Feature

Integrated Approaches in Blood Supply Management Adoption of RFID tracking systems in blood transfusion helps to reduce human efforts and errors to maintain and control healthcare inventory, documentation and patient management

The blood transfusion service’s major

in voluntary donations and retainment

goal is to provide the safest possible

of future generations of blood donors

blood

will also be needed to cater to future

with

minimal

errors.

specifically talk about blood supply management, it is a critical function in the operations of blood transfusion services. Deepak Singh, MD, Biolog-id

Generally,

The

other

challenge

efficient

management of blood inventory as many

supply

blood banks still manage inventory

management is a challenging process,

manually which can lead to wastage of

there are a lot of factors involved

precious blood components and errors.

such as supply availability, demand

Blood banks are looking forward to new

fluctuation,

lifetime,

technologies which improve patient

stringent temperature control during

safety, increase efficiency and automate

transportation, the integrity of the

their processes. Integrated approaches

product for patient safety, and the cost

in blood supply management between

incurred during the process. An increase

transfusion services and hospitals will

short

blood

demand for the blood.

blood

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Feature

be important to minimise wastage— e.g., by use of a real-time inventory management solution.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices have emerged as a digitalised solution and have shown promise in patient safety, improving, simplifying the steps of transfusion, and gaining momentum across the world. RFID in inventory management of blood components is the most useful and latest technology which should be implemented for traceability / realtime blood inventory management in blood banks. In addition, RFID also helps in tracking blood products during transportation and patient administration at the bedside.

reducing human efforts and errors in

RFID solution in blood supply management is used for tracking and inventory management in real-time of blood and its components in hospitals, blood banks and storage centres. The RFID blood monitoring systems market has made a significant impact

bank management software and RFID

the

global

healthcare

industry,

the prime reason being the increased adoption of RFID tracking systems in maintenance and control of healthcare inventory, documentation, and patient management. RFID-enabled smart storage (SST) kits can be installed in the blood bank refrigerator

cold

room,

platelets

agitators along with required workstation and software which gets interfaced with existing HIS or blood bank management software. Blood components are tagged using RFID labels and relevant data is encoded, the encoded data is encrypted ensuring confidentiality of donor and patient.

Interfacing

between

blood

software can be done for easy transfer of component data. After encoding components can be stored in RFID enabled smart storage kits installed in blood bank refrigerators /cold rooms, this

enables

(24x7)

and

real-time

visualisation

traceability

blood

components during their life cycle. As blood transfusion services are one of the most regulated segments in the healthcare

industry

which

requires

compliance criteria to be met at every stage of blood product management. RFID has the potential of improving patient safety and providing seamless healthcare

service

the

ever-

increasing patient pool through efficient blood inventory management, increased staff efficiency and overall operational automation by digitalisation. Implementation

RFID

technology

in blood inventory management will allow 24-hour real-time management of the blood components local and remote, reception

tracking during

from

dispatch

transportation

blood components. It will also allow identification of blood components and patients at the bedside ensuring safe transfusion. RFID Technology has the potential for the traceability of blood components from donor to recipient. 38

June 2022

Drive

The Assiduous Guru: Dr Ratti Ram Sharma Dr R R Sharma talks to IMT about his inspirational journey from his school days to becoming Professor & Head, Department of Transfusion Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh has one daughter and she is currently pursuing her career in Medicine at GMCH Chandigarh. Says Dr Sharma, "I was always fascinated by the young doctor whenever I used to visit the hospital with my parents to see someone admitted or get treatment myself when sick. My MBBS teachers especially, Prof Gupta in anatomy, have left an impression in my mind with his thorough knowledge and clarity of human anatomy, which I can recollect even now. After joining transfusion services in PGI, Chandigarh, all three previous HODs Dr JG Jolly, Dr SK Agnihotri and Dr Neelam Marwaha have Dr Neelam Marwah, Retd HoD, Dr Ratti Ram Sharma, Present HoD (both sitting), along with their team When it comes to leader in transfusion medicine Dr Ratti Ram Sharma 's name shines bright. His biggest trait is that he is humble and not afraid to reach out to colleagues and juniors. He comes from a humble background and succeeded to move up, on account of his own effort, in medicine. He spoke to IMT and narrated his journey that led him through marvelous technologies

and

opportunities

Transfusion Medicine. Dr Ratti Ram Sharma was born in the year 1968 on September 27, in a small village in Himachal Pradesh in Simla district. His father worked in a government printing press in Chandigarh and his mother was a homemaker. His elder brother served in the Indian

left a remarkable impression of their commitment and involvement in the speciality to upgrade the standard of

Airforce for 35 years. The primary education of Dr Sharma was in the village and followed by a Government Model School in Chandigarh. Since he was good at studies, he bagged some awards from the UT administration.

transfusion services in the country."

Dr Sharma got admitted to Government Medical College Shimla in 1987 by securing the third rank in the state entrance test. He completed his post graduation in MD pathology from PGIMER, Chandigarh in 1997. In January 1998 he was in transfusion services, first as a senior resident and then joined as a faculty in September 2001.

life is to always be optimistic and face

Dr Sharma married Renuka in 1998, who is a doctor and is serving in a medical college in Himachal Pradesh as a Professor of General Surgery. He

During difficult times, Dr Sharma always looked upon his parents and took inspiration from the hardship they have gone through in their life. He opines, "The only answer for any challenge in it with all your capacity and I always believe that if our aim is good and we put in sincere efforts, God certainly helps us out through the difficult times." Dr Sharma has been awarded HD Shourie [2008)and

Jolly

awards

(2014)

of ISBTI for innovation and research in transfusion medicine. He was also awarded ICMR long-term fellowship in 2012 and worked in the Department of Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine at the University of Minnesota with

www.indiamedtoday.com

Drive

Prof David Mckenna where he received

years with the starting of MD courses

clinical trial in patients with Acute

a certificate of distinction from the

in transfusion medicine in different

demyelinating polyneuropathy.

university for teaching, training and

medical

research activities. He was the visiting

institutes. The credit goes to Dr JG

Prof at the Department of Transfusion

Jolly, founder of HOD PGI Chandigarh

research in the institute and supported

Medicine, NIH, USA in 2018.

and SGPGI Lucknow and Visionaries

various clinical trials for the same.

Dr Sharma is a member of the Editorial board of the Vox Sangunis, a reputed International Journal of Transfusion

colleges

and

autonomous

who have worked hard for creating the separate speciality of transfusion medicine," mentions Dr Sharma.

Dr Sharma contributed to stem cell

While talking about AI, he opines, "AI is certainly going to help in cutting the lean and improving various processes in

Science. Currently, he is the Associate

He goes on to add, "Donor and patient

the transfusion chain but as we know

Editor

care is changing with the introduction

that there is no substitute for blood,

Transfusion Science and is a member

of newer technology for TTI testing,

of various committees of NACO, NIB

from rapid tests to ELISA and currently

and the Government of India on Blood

NAT testing in many places. This has

safety

built the confidence of our clinical

Mentioning the new technology for

colleagues and patients in transfusion

blood processing, Dr Sharma says, "It

services. The introduction of apheresis

is a welcome step in complimenting the

technology in blood components and

manual operations in a blood component

the

Asian

Journal

Message to young transfusion professionals The speciality of transfusion medicine is

stem cell harvesting has added another

currently evolving and has a lot of scope

dimension to the role of transfusion

for teaching, training and research.

medicine in clinical care. Many centres

Says

Sharma,

"There

will

new frontiers of basic and clinical research in donor and patient care but you need to think out of the box. We need to communicate with our clinical colleagues to understand their concerns and patient requirements to develop innovative ideas for clinical care and research. Similarly, we have to connect with our community and donors to understand them better for their support and develop novel ideas for donor recruitment and retention. In the laboratory, we have to still go a long way in optimum component

in the country are also participating in

certain

regenerative

medicine

similarly trained technical manpower will still play a vital role in future."

lab but I think it still requires further technical modifications and innovations for its wider acceptance." According

him,

genomics

has

initiatives such as PRP therapy in

certainly revolutionised the TTI testing

various

and other areas of TM and helped us

orthopaedic

and

dental

procedures. Automation has helped in saving manpower and improved our turnaround times for various technical operations and helped in minimising the

in improving transfusion safety all across the globe. But the downside is its cost and technical know-how for its

errors in the transfusion chain."

implementation on a larger scale."

Research activities

Although

worked

all

areas

transfusion medicine Dr Sharma had a special interest in apheresis, blood component

quality

and

stem

cell

goes

add,

strongly

recommend that academic centres in the country must look forward to this to

improve

transfusion

safety

and

training the future transfusion medicine

research.

specialists."

novel preservatives to minimise storage

He developed an apheresis unit in the

Future of transfusion medicine

lesions."

department and introduced therapeutic

preparation and utilisation. Research on

apheresis and stem cell harvesting

Work undertaken

in the institute in 1999. Therapeutic

Transfusion medicine specialists will have to play a diverse role starting from

donor

care

physicians

Since 1998, Dr Sharma has seen how

apheresis

the transfusion services have evolved

patients especially neurological and

donor management clinic to patient

from a small blood bank just meant

haematology

care physicians in a patient blood

for dispensing of red blood cells and

(ASFA).

few blood components to a full-fledged speciality of transfusion medicine.

has

tremendously category

helped

indications

He says, "This has helped us to win the faith of our clinical colleagues and now

management clinic besides their regular lab responsibilities. So I perceive a bright future but full of challenges

"There has been tremendous growth

they are referring parents to us for TPE

and the only key to success would be

on a regular basis. We have established

designing

technological up-gradation and human

its cost-effectiveness as compared to IV

tools and strategies with our clinical

resource

Ig in our settings through a randomised

colleagues and community.

terms

knowledge

development

June 2022

sharing, all

these

effective

communication

Impact

ID-NAT Tested Blood for Better Blood Transfusion Nucleic acid testing (NAT) detects the viral nucleic acid present in the blood and differs from immunoassays as it detects the genetic material of the pathogens, not antigens or antibodies

Sumit Bagaria, Managing Director, Hemogenomics

Blood

transfusion

lifesaving

donation and then the blood unit

the

undergoes mandatory screening, there

lifeline of critical surgical processes.

still are chances that infections can

But blood can also be an easy route

escape detection and result in TTIs.

for microbes to enter a patient’s body

Asymptomatic donors that are infected

and result in deadly infections. It is the

but do not show any sign of infection

utmost responsibility of blood bankers

pose a major threat to the blood supply.

or transfusion medicine practitioners

Such donors’ infected blood units should

that their patients do not acquire life-

be caught beforehand during screening

threatening infections from blood. To

but sometimes they escape detection.

make sure that patients receive safe

The reason is Window Period donations.

blood, which is free from any microbial

What is the window period?

procedure

and

considered

infection, blood screening has been mandated the world over.

A window period of a screening or a diagnostic assay is defined as the

In India, every unit of blood donated

time between infection and the time

is strictly screened for HIV, HBV, HCV,

required for the assay to reliably detect

syphilis and malaria. Blood screening

the infection. The window period for

is a critical process which is taken very

serology-based assays is usually 15

seriously in every blood bank to avoid

days, 60 days and 35-40 days for

transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI).

HIV, HCV and HBV respectively. An

Though every blood donor undergoes

asymptomatic donor when donating

a strict questionnaire before blood

blood

during

the

above-mentioned

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Impact

window

periods,

clearly

escapes

detection and the blood unit when transfused to a patient, results in a lifethreatening infection. Time and again the indirect technique of immunoassay to catch window period infections is proven to be inefficient and incapable of detecting window period infections. In the early 90s, the need for better and more reliable techniques and tests was realised post many TTI cases, which led to the adoption of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT). How does ID-NAT help over serology method of detection in blood screening? A nucleic acid testing (NAT), also called nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is a molecular technique that detects the viral nucleic acid present in the blood. NAT differs from immunoassays as it detects the genetic material of the pathogens, not antigens or antibodies. As NAT is a direct test and does not wait for the body’s immune response, it offers a much shorter window period. NAT is implemented in different formats in different countries. Among them, USFDA approved Transcription Mediated Amplification (TMA) based Individual Donor Nucleic Acid Testing (ID-NAT) is the most sensitive NAT available. IDNAT tests individual blood samples and amplifies viral nucleic acid into billions of RNA amplicons as end products. TMA takes place in isothermal conditions and takes less time to produce billions of RNA amplicons. The fragility of RNA amplicons is an advantage as it

degraded

easily

post-reaction

and there is next to zero chance of lab

contamination.

So,

with

higher

System’s design can enable laboratories to improve workflow and operating

sensitivity, shorter window period and

efficiency,

saving

the

operator

low false reactive results, ID-NAT is the

time and steps while offering rapid

ideal blood screening assay.

turnaround time to speed the release

sample and results in integrity. The on

Procleix Panther

Ultrio System

Elite has

Assay

excellent

sensitivity and specificity. It detects

of blood to healthcare providers. The

four deadly viruses which are HIV-1,

assay combines four tests in a single

HIV-2, HBV, and HCV. It reduces the risk

tube for the detection of HIV-1, HIV-

of Transfusion Transmitted Infections

2, HCV, and HBV in donated blood

(TTIs) and shortens window periods. It

The PROCLEIX PANTHER System is

and blood products. It saves operator

has the highest analytical sensitivity. No

integrated,

time and steps, maximises walk-away

need to dilute the sample which reduces

and automated NAT system for blood

time, reduces the risk of system error,

contamination of the sample. And it can

and plasma screening. The PANTHER

features built-in process controls for the

detect the virus in low viral load.

What is the Procleix Panther system? How is it proved to be super sensitive and specific?

highly

evolved,

June 2022

fully

Approach

Transfusion Medicine – Evolution and Future in India Increasing advances in the field of transfusion medicine and technology have necessitated enforcing measures to ensure the quality of blood and its products Medical science has made immense

only collection, storage and issue of

progress over the past decade, and

blood. Transfusion medicine is a well-

it would not be wrong to say that

known field of medicine today with

transfusion medicine has emerged as

departments

the backbone of hospitals to support

qualified

surgeries, transplants, trauma patients,

technologists.

routine transfusion support in dialysis, Dr Ramona Chopra, Regional Director India and APAC, Immucor

cancer patients and thalassemia etc.

run

professionally

specialists

and

trained

The great journey started in 1665, with the first canine transfusion by the Royal

A blood bank is now rightfully given

Society of London. The first animal to

the title of 'Department of Transfusion

human transfusion was performed in

Medicine' as it is much beyond the

1667, and human to human in 1818. The

veritable

breakthrough

came

in the 1900s, with the discovery of the ABO blood group system by Kal Landsteiner. In recognition, Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize for his revolutionary

discovery

1930.

Further investigations and discoveries have led to advancements in the field, and to date, there are 38 recognised blood group systems. The transfusion medicine department is segmented into different sections: starting

with

counselling blood storage TTI

donor

area,

component area,

screening/

phlebotomy

area,

preparation

Apheresis

(Transfusion

and

section,

Transmitted

Infections) area, Serology/IH (Immuno Haematology) testing area and finally issue

counter.

Many

advancements

have been made in every section of the department starting from the donor screening area, where a person is assessed against various health and physical parameters to qualify them as a donor. The phlebotomy area now has scientifically designed donor couches for correct position and comfort, blood

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Approach

collection monitors to weigh the blood

Global guidelines having realised the

bag and automatically stop the donation

importance of pre-transfusion testing

once the required volume is reached.

with an emphasis on antibody screening

The blood bags themselves that are

and identification. If an antibody screen

used

integrated

is positive, providing antigen-negative

inline filters to remove leukocytes. The

red cell units leads to better red cell

concept of whole blood has given way

survival. When it comes to guidelines

to blood components. Most centres now

for IH testing, India still lags behind

today,

come

with

use automated component extractors to divide a unit of whole blood into packed red cells, plasma and platelets. The newer concept of platelet pooling is also coming up at various centres to better manage the availability of platelets. The storage section is continuously

developed

nations.

Although

there

are guidelines set by authorities, the majority of departments either do not have the resources or the budget and hence, do basic minimum pretransfusion testing.

temperature

Increasing advances in the field of

variations to ensure blood quality.

transfusion medicine and technology

For better inventory management and

have necessitated enforcing measures

ensuring the right blood to the right

to ensure the quality of blood and

patient, RFID tags are now becoming

its products. In India, blood and its

the next tool to ensure safe transfusion.

products are classified as drugs and

Plasmapheresis and therapeutic plasma

thus blood banks are regulated by drug

exchanges have become common in

control authorities. Detailed guidelines

multispecialty centres and with these

issued by NACO cover all aspects of

transfusions, medicine specialists are

the blood bank. National Accreditation

providing the much-needed support to

Board for Healthcare Providers (NABH)

organ transplant patients as well.

provides Accreditation Standards for

In the segment of safe blood transfusion,

Blood Centres/ Transfusion Services. To

TTI& IH testing are critical areas. As per

date, there are 1051 blood banks which

guidelines, all the collected units are

are NABH accredited. The National

screened for HIV, HBsAg, syphilis, HCV

Institute of Biologicals (NIB) also has

and malaria. Early tests for these markers

a Haemovigilance program to collect

used ELISA techniques, however, now

and assess information on unexpected

technologies like Chemiluminescence &

or undesirable effects resulting from

monitored

for

any

Nucleic Acid testing (NAT) are preferred. The IH testing journey, which started with only forward blood grouping and crossmatching by

tile/slide method,

moved on to test tube and has now moved to more advanced technologies like Column Agglutination and Solid Phase Red Cell Adherence for specialised tests like antibody screening, phenotyping, antibody

identification,

weak

titres, platelet crossmatching etc., to make transfusion safer for patients. These technologies lend themselves to

automation,

resulting

better

throughput, turnaround time, improved documentation

and

traceability

the tests performed. Clinicians are more aware and follow International/ 44

June 2022

the therapeutic use of blood products. It is now time to raise the importance of reporting IH events and align with the focus on TTI. The annual Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) reports from the UK, show the importance of Haemovigilance. Haemovigilance reporting and learning from reports submitted contribute to improving patient safety. These reports provide a mechanism to identify risks so that all healthcare organisations can implement interventions to reduce these risks. Data from SHOT provides valuable information to identify hazards and worthwhile learning opportunities. Transfusion medicine in India today is fast closing the gap with its western counterparts as the same instruments and technologies are available in India. Although most of these new technologies are implemented in major transfusion centres of Class A cities, there is still a need to uniformly make these available in all parts of the country, so that patients in remote parts may also benefit from recent advances in this field. The real journey has started in the last few years, however, patient safety still has a long way to go. We believe that safe blood is every patient's right, and we are committed to it. The future though probably lies in synthetic blood which is still under R&D.

Feature

APHERESIS – Current Trends and Applications Advent of blood cell separation through the process of APHERESIS has helped to collect the desired blood component in the required therapeutic dose from a single donor

Dr Rajesh Deshpande, Sr Manager - Medical Affairs and Clinical Application TCT Division, Asia Pacific (excluding China) Fresenius-Kabi India

The field of transfusion medicine has

process

shown

the

automated cell separators in the 1970s

past few decades. Increasing risks of

made the process sophisticated yet safe,

transfusion-transmitted

efficient, convenient and comfortable.

dynamic

progress

over

pathogens

but

the

introduction

and the growing concern regarding

Apheresis

transfusion safety have led to the

collection of single or multiple blood

implementation of newer and safer

components in therapeutic doses with

blood transfusion practices.

high purity and quality. At the same

It all began with the adoption of component

therapy

wherein

the

machines

permit

the

time, therapeutic apheresis is now an established modality of patient care for

whole blood collected from a donor is

a diversity of diseases.

separated into its various components

Thus, applications of apheresis can be

grouped under:

red

cells,

plasma

and

platelets.

Subsequent developments led to the advent of blood cell separation through the process of APHERESIS, which helped

1. Component collection from healthy donors – platelets, plasma, erythrocytes,

to collect the desired blood component

leukocytes.

in the required therapeutic dose from a

Plateletpheresis is the most commonly

single donor.

performed

Apheresis dates back to the early 20th

known as Single Donor Platelets (SDPs),

century when John Abel coined the

platelets collected from one donor by

term 'Plasmapheresis' in 1914. The

apheresis are equivalent to 8-10 units

scope of therapeutic application of this

of platelets prepared from whole blood

technique emerged in the 1950s.

bags (Random Donor Platelets).

donor

apheresis.

Also

word

Plateletpheresis is routinely used in

'Aphairos' which means, 'taking away

the management of thrombocytopenia

or withdrawing' Apheresis constitutes

due to leukaemia, aplastic anaemia,

a procedure in which the whole blood

various hematologic disorders causing

from the donor/patient is removed

Pancytopenia,

and processed to separate the desired

following chemotherapy, bleeding in

component of blood. This component

surgeries, etc. It is slowly but surely

is retained, and the remaining blood

gaining wide acceptance across the

is returned to the donor/patient. For

world with increasing awareness of the

instance, an apheresis procedure that

technology and the favourable patient

aims to collect platelets from a donor is

outcomes.

Derived

from

the

Greek

called Plateletpheresis. Apheresis began as a manual laborious

post-transplantation,

In India and South Asia, there has been a significant rise in the usage of

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Feature

infused following chemotherapy. Techniques of Apheresis: Apheresis

based

either

the

principle of differential centrifugation that ensures density-based separation of different blood components or on the

filtration

separation

principle particle

that

allows

size

using

membranes or filters. Centrifugal apheresis is preferred for its efficiency and lesser incidence of adverse reactions. It is performed by Cell Separator devices based on any one of the following two techniques: • Intermittent flow separation – in which the procedure is performed in draw and return cycles to obtain the desired quantity of the product. This is essentially a single-needle process wherein the separation and collection are intermittent. This method takes more time and involves high extracorporeal blood volume. platelets for haematologic support in cancer treatment as well as in seasonal outbreaks like dengue and leptospirosis.

•

2. Therapeutic apheresis in patients Therapeutic Apheresis aims at removing pathogenic cells/plasma from the patient and replacing them with normal components. This helps primarily in alleviating the disease symptoms. It is often used successfully in conjunction with other forms of treatment.

continuous separation of the blood

Plasma exchange, red cell exchange, leukocyte depletion and immunoadsorption are gaining wide acceptance in the treatment of diseases listed in the ASFA (American Society for Apheresis) guidelines. The collection of Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (PBSCs) using Apheresis is gaining wide acceptance and is used all over as an alternative to Bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Here stem cells are mobiliSed from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood by growth factors. The cells are then collected by apheresis, preserved and then re-

June 2022

Continuous-flow

separation

–

Here, the blood is drawn, separated and

returned

simultaneously

with

taking place inside the machine. It is usually a dual-needle procedure as blood is drawn from one arm and returned through the other arm. This method maintains the isovolumic status of the donor/patient, reducing the procedure time through continuous return. Apheresis, today, plays a major role in cell therapy, which is slowly but surely gaining global acceptance in the treatment of haematological and oncological diseases. In short, the field of apheresis has shown remarkable growth in terms of advancement and acceptance and is continuously evolving. It has enhanced our

understanding

and

capability

to improvise safe blood collections and transfusion practices leading to optimum patient care.

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