#45: Doctor in 10 Minutes? Blinkit’s Prescriptions Spark Alarm

• 🧬 Incurable? No more. BE-CAR7, the world’s first gene therapy for leukaemia, reverses cancer in weeks by reprogramming immune cells. (TOI)

• 🏥 Depression screening in India’s primary healthcare could catch cases early and save up to ₹482B. (ETHealth)

• 🥼Haryana docs defy the Essential Medicines and Services Act and strike indefinitely: over 3,000 walk out, demanding fair recruitment and career security (ET)

• 💥 Ozempic jabs India! Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster shot lands at ~₹2,200/week. (Reuters)

• ⚠️ Cheap but cheeky: India’s Zee Labs’ generic epilepsy and diabetes drugs sail into 50 countries, even after failing quality tests 86+ times. (ET)

• 🇨🇭 Pfizer is putting its Swiss office on a crash diet, cutting 200+ jobs and slimming the team down to just 70. A move to meet its $7.7B cost-cutting target. (Reuters)

🇮🇳 India

• 🚫 No Ads for Powerful Prescriptions! India may ban online promotion of high-risk drugs, including anti-cancer meds, psychotropics, to curb misuse and self-medication. (IndiaToday)

• ⚠️ Blinkit’s “instant doctor” skips the rules: Prescription antibiotics handed out in minutes, despite regulations limiting tele-consult prescriptions to rare, restrictive cases. (IndiaToday)

• 🩸 Periods get their day, Karnataka defends paid menstrual leave and plans to make it official! (HT)

• 😷 India shrugs off global smog report cards, the government says WHO limits are mere suggestions and Delhi is grading its air its own way. (ETHealth)

• 😱 Delhi C-section shocker: A cotton mop left inside a patient sparks outrage. Court ruled it negligence, not a crime. (MD)

🌏️ Global

• 💉 Mounjaro covered in China! Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug is now on China’s state insurance list, making it affordable for millions. (Reuters)

• ⚖️ West Virginia sues Optum (UnitedHealth’s pharmacy‑benefit manager), accusing it of over‑supplying opioids and ignoring safeguards, fueling the state’s addiction crisis. (Reuters)

• 📵Australia just banned teens from social media: a world-first move blocking ~1M under-16s from Instagram and TikTok to curb online harm.  (DH)

• 👶🏻 Europe’s accidental game of “genetic roulette”: Cancer sperm quietly fathered nearly 200 kids (some already dead), sneaking years of private sperm bank checks. (BBC)

• 🚭 Mexico cracks down on vapes, up to 8 years in jail! New rules target sellers and producers to curb youth nicotine risks. (Reuters)

• 💀 From prompts to peril! ChatGPT allegedly fueled delusions, ending in a mother-son murder-suicide case in Connecticut, OpenAI now faces a lawsuit. (JapanTimes)

🇮🇳 India

• 📈 NephroPlus IPO buzz: India’s dialysis major saw strong demand with multi-times subscription, listing planned on Dec 17. (TOI)

🌏️ Global

• 💸 EQT’s billion-dollar bye-bye! The Swedish investment giant is selling its 40% stake in Rizwan Koita’s CitiusTech for $1B, as the firm soars to a $2.2-$2.4B valuation. (ETHealth)

• 🫱🏼‍🫲🏻 Pfizer partners with China’s YaoPharma to develop a weight‑management drug covering long-term health and aiming for global sales. (Reuters)

• 👂🏻 From Fashion to Function! Lumia’s Blood-Flow Tracking Earrings get a $7M investment pump. (Athletechnews) 

• 💰 U.S.-based Lumexa Imaging raises $463M in its IPO, the diagnostic chain is now valued at $1.75B. (Reuters)

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