Life Line

The abortion pill is a drug that works by counteracting the action of progesterone, resulting in the womb shedding the embryo. The pill is prescribed for early pregnancy, defined as 49 days or less, counting from the beginning of the last menstrual period.

The pill, approved by the US Federal Drug Administration in 2000, is being marketed under three different labels—Cipla’s Mifepristone, Cadilla’s Mifegest, and Sun Pharma’s Mifeprin. It is available in the form of 200 mg tablets and costs Rs 310. The treatment consists of taking three tablets of Mifepristone, followed two days later by two pills of misoprostol, a hormone that triggers uterine contractions. Women return 14 days after taking mifepristone to determine whether the pregnancy has been terminated.

Doctors prefer the pill to the conventional methods of abortion which in the hands of an amateur could lead to complications, even death. However, the drug could cause bleeding which may last 9-16 days. In some cases, bleeding can be so heavy that a surgery may be required. Doctors caution that it should be sold only on prescription.

With 6.7 million abortions reported each year, not to mention an estimated 15 million illegal cases annually, India is a huge potential market for the pill.

The other product is the emergency contraceptive (EC) pill, which is being touted as a boon for victims of rape or treacherous contraceptives. Launched by German Remedies, the morning-after pill, as it is popularly known, contains two tablets of levonorgestrel, a hormone which prevents the fertilised egg from implanting in the uterus. The first tablet must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse and the second tablet 12 hours after the first dose. Priced Rs 35, the pill is available on prescription only.

Tea-lovers of the world rejoice! An Israeli study of 1,900 heart attack victims has found that those who drank the most tea before their heart attacks—about 19 cups a week—were 44 per cent less likely than non-drinkers to die in the three to four years afterward. The study, published in the American journal Circulation, looked at deaths from all causes, and not just heart disease. Several studies have found tea salutary for the heart, though it remains unclear why. Researchers involved in the study suspect the findings are linked to flavonoids, anti-oxidants found naturally in various foods derived from plants. The researchers, however, acknowledged that more study is needed to seal the link.

A Boston-based doctor, Perry Rosenthal, has developed a ground-breaking lens that restores eyesight in people with damaged corneas. "The cornea is like the lens of a camera, if the surface isn’t perfectly smooth, the eyes can’t focus even with the strongest glasses," says Rosenthal.

Damaged and diseased corneas being rough and uneven on the surface, recreating a healthy cornea is a problem. So Rosenthal developed a large, porous, plastic lens that would fit over the cornea without touching it. Artificial tears are placed inside the lens to protect the damaged cornea. Patients with corneal blindness can achieve 20/20 vision, he claims.

Rosenthal has a team that custom-makes each lens at his Boston Foundation for Sight. So far, nearly 400 people now wear these contacts, which cost $5,500 for a pair. However, since Rosenthal runs a non-profit foundation, he doesn’t turn anyone away if they can’t pay. For more information on the lenses, visit www.bostonsight.org.

Fake drugs are killing untold numbers in developing countries each year and now pose an increasing risk for rich nations as a result of expanded trade and organised crime, warn international experts. Alarmingly, China and India are considered the most significant counterfeit drug producing centres. The British Medical Journal has reported notorious examples including contraceptive pills made of flour, and antibiotics that contained no active ingredients. Professor Lembit Rago, responsible for drugs data at the World Health Organisation, says the most common counterfeit medications in poor countries were antibiotics, anti-TB drugs, anti-malarials and painkillers, while in rich countries it is a spectrum of new drugs such as immunosuppressors used in transplants and hormonals or "gym drugs" used by bodybuilders.