Sheep Placenta Plus 15000mg 30s for RM175 in Johor Bahru (30% discount from RM248)

Revitalize Your Beauty

Everybody dreams of remaining young and beautiful in life for as long as possible, as aging is inevitable and so are its effects. Still, to maintain the youthfulness and vigor throughout life, it requires a different mindset and special effort to minimize the negativities of aging. Women especially are more conscious in this aspect, as most of them are aware of the menopausal effects that can lead to immense hormonal changes affecting their beauty and youth. But all these effects can’t leave a deep impact if some basic tips in maintaining the youth and beauty are followed long before the aging can take its toll.

Premature Aging？

While it is common knowledge that our skin beauty peaks around the ages of 20-25, many do not realise that we inadvertently kick-start the process of premature aging ourselves! We dose our skin with unnecessary chemicals, subject our cells to dangerous pollution, and allow our bodies to incredible stresses. All these things give your skin the appearance of being much older than its natural state, creating wrinkles, eye bags, spots and sagging skin.

Prevention is better than cure as what they say and beautiful skin is maintained by preventing the signs of premature aging more than by curing wrinkles, dark spots and sagging skin. One of the best methods of preserving health and beauty is by revitalising your cells from the inside out, literally reanimating your cells into their healthy, optimum peak states.

Sheep for sale？

Initially, you probably wonder why sheep placenta of all animals? Over the years, sheep have emerged as the best donors for use in beauty consumption because they are strong, vital and hardy, with superior immunity and natural disease resistance. Their proteins are compatible with humans and don’t create unwanted allergic reactions. Sheep placenta is known for its ability to fasten healing, promote new cellular growth, rejuvenate, whiten and strengthen skin’s elasticity, hence defying the effects of skin aging.


The source of our sheep placenta comes from the specially-bred Lincoln sheep grazed in the pristine grasslands of New Zealand.New Zealand prides itself on its pure and pristine environment with its vast natural resources and unique climate. These natural advantages have enabled New Zealand to produce the world's best placenta extract products.


Sheep placenta has been known to be used by the British Royal Family as medicine or promoting general health for the past 1400 years. In recent years, the rich and famous have been known to seek out sheep placenta “revitalization program” at the world-renowned Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland to preserve their youthful appearance and prolong their vitality.

Enjoy Live Cell Therapy at home

CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus is a breakthrough formula encapsulating live cell therapy into a convenient 
and effective oral supplement with the specific aim of helping one slow down the aging process. 


Live Cell Therapy is a process of introducing young and vigorous placenta cells into a tissue in order to rebuild and revitalize the aging tissue. It stimulates the body’s own therapeutic and revitalizing ability that regenerate the aging cells from within to become new healthy ones. When this happens, the body is able to regain physical health, vitality and general well-being whilst improving the skin’s texture and complexion.

Each softgel contains 300mg of concentrated active material from 15,000 mg of fresh sheep placenta (50:1):
300mg x 50 = 15,000 mg of fresh sheep placenta extract

Youthfulness Begins from Within 

CellLabs Sheep placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus provides sheep placenta plus 3 other potent antioxidants in a single daily supplement. This superior formula helps neutralize free radical damage, promotes quicker cell repair, shuts down your sick cells, and ultimately extends the lifespan of your healthy cells.


This remarkable formula contains four enormously safe, natural and highly effective ingredients that work synergistically to slow the signs of aging from within. These ingredients and benefits include: 

Sheep Placenta Extract		Slows down the aging process Leaves the skin looking younger by revitalising cells from the inside out Stimulates cells to continuously repair and rejuvenate themselves for  longer lasting effects Increases energy, stamina and libido
Grape Seed Oil		Best antioxidant properties Promotes softer and smoother skin Helps in maintaining the healthy collagen level Helps in hiding and lightening the effects on age spots  and pigmented skin caused by ultraviolet rays
Astaxanthin 3.5%		World's Most Powerful Antioxidant Improves skin appearance and protect from UV damage – from the inside out Reverses premature signs of aging, such as wrinkles, dry skin, age spots and freckles Maintains a youthful appearance Improves skin elasticity
Lycopene 6%		As a potent antioxidant Acts as an internal sunscreen to defend against the harmful effects of UVB radiation Enhances connectivity and communication between cells and can noticeably improve your skin's texture by aiding cellular functions that are essential to keeping your skin looking young. Strengthens your skin by inhibiting the activity of enzymes involved in the destruction and breakdown of collagen.

CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus is for everyone above 25 years old! 

If you want to slow down the aging process and maintain your youthful look, CellLabs Sheep
Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus is the supplement for you! 

Consuming CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus will revitalise and regenerate your 
cells to its full potential in the shortest period of time possible, giving you the energy and vitality 
that you need every day. 









 FAQs

What is the recommended dosage for CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus?For best results, take 1 softgel daily before breakfast on an empty stomach.



Should I avoid certain food or medications while taking CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus? 
You should avoid consuming diuretic agents (alcohol, tea, coffee etc.,) within two hours after taking it.
Do not mix with detox supplement on the same day as it will reduce the nutrient absorption in the small intestine.


How soon can I see any results after consuming CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus?Results may vary in every individual but generally you will regain physical health, vitality and general
well-being whilst improving your skin’s texture and complexion. 


When can I start taking CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus?It is recommended that you start taking CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus
from the age of 25. It is wholly a health supplement that you can consume as a dietary 
supplement with any other healthy food accompanied by a balanced healthy diet coupled 
with a healthy lifestyle.


Should CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus be taken throughout your life? 
There are no known side effects if you stop taking CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus.
You do not have to continue consuming CellLabs Sheep Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus for life.
However, many people have continued to consume it due to the benefits felt from CellLabs Sheep
Placenta with Grape Seed Oil Plus. 

Price: RM175 for 1 pack of 30s

(30% discount from RSP: RM248)

Whatapps: 012-7334511

A vaccine against dengue?

  

Of late, there has been a sharp spike in the Aedes aegypti mosquito population, with the warmer-than-usual weather shortening the breeding and maturation cycles of the mosquitoes, as well as the incubation periods for the dengue virus.

From Jan 3-28 this year, the Health Ministry’s iDengue remote-sensing tool has recorded 12,897 cases nationwide, with 23 fatalities. Almost half the cases come from the hotspot state of Selangor, which tops the list with 6,267 cases.

The availability of a dengue vaccine, though not perfect, is vital in offering protection against the disease.

“Because it reduces the severity of the disease, it greatly reduces hospitalisation,” notes Prof Duane Gubler of the emerging infectious diseases programme at the Duke University-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School in Singapore.

The vaccine, which hit the market last December, has been approved for use in Mexico, the Philippines and Brazil. The vaccine works better for individuals aged nine to 45 years, and on those who have been previously infected.

Our Health Ministry has yet to approve it for use.

Even Singapore, which has one of the best vector control programmes in the world, is being weighed down with the dengue problem, with 2,223 cases and one fatality recorded from Jan 3-28.

“The vaccine should reduce transmission and prevent a major epidemic. Overall, the vaccine has good public health benefits beyond efficacy. This will result in significant economic savings for the government of Malaysia.

“But, the vaccine alone will not prevent dengue. You have to do mosquito control, with the goal of reducing mosquito population, and at the same time, raise herd immunity against different serotypes of the virus. You probably will never be able to prevent transmission completely, but I do think you can prevent an epidemic,” says the world-renowned dengue expert who was in Kuala Lumpur recently.

The vaccine may not be ideal, but if the majority of people in endemic areas have already had at least one infection, there is protection against two or more strains, and against dengue haemorrhagic fever.

Porf Gubler says, “The fact that it’s not as efficient against the Den-2 serotype is unimportant. If you look at all severe diseases, it’s associated with the first or second infection. If you look at the people who have been infected for the third or fourth time, the illness was either mild or asymptomatic.”

“That means if you can be protected against Den-1 and 3, or Den-1 and 4, or Den-3 and 4, you are still protected against severe disease. You can introduce the vaccine in a controlled fashion, and combine it with good surveillance and good risk management so that the risk and adverse effects can be controlled.”

While it is widely believed that weather phenomenon El Nino has had effect on dengue, Prof Gubler, who has been on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, says otherwise.

“Global climate change has not played any role in the global emergence on epidemics, or what I call the 20th-century pandemic, which is dengue. It has not been a principal driving force. Instead, urbanisation, globalisation and lack of effective mosquito control have been the major drivers of dengue.

“Environmental and climate factors are very important in the biology of diseases like dengue. So yes, things like temperature, humidity, evaporation … all of these influence transmission, but as far as El Nino goes, we have had epidemics without the El Nino years. What that tells you is that it’s a complex set of factors that influence epidemic transmissions.”

However, there are some exciting new mosquito control methods in the pipeline and Prof Gubler is fairly optimistic that these tools will combat dengue.

They include at least three vaccines, anti-viral drugs, therapeutic antibodies, vector control tools and residual insecticides that can be used as sprays.

Prof. Gubler is a doyen of dengue research and has made significant contributions in the prevention and control of dengue in this region. Photo: The Star/Muhamad Shahril Rosli

One tool already in place is the sterile mosquito technique where the maleAedes aegypti mosquitoes are infected with the Wolbachia bacteria, which causes their mating with wild females to produce sterile eggs.

Again, Prof Gubler points out that while there is tremendous potential, like vaccines, they need to be used together.

“The good thing about Wolbachia and residual insecticide is that they will actually kill mosquitoes that are breeding where health inspectors cannot find them.

“Old cities that have been built on top of each other have these unused wells, unused cisterns, rooms that collect water, etc. These are ideal mosquito larvae habitats and they breed millions!

“So governments need to look at their countries and prioritise incidences in urban areas and introduce targeted programmes, looking at ecology, epidemiology and culture. When you introduce vaccine and vector control, the impact will be powerful. But it’s not going to be easy,” notes Prof Gubler.

In the history of the disease, there have been only three success stories – in post-World War II America, in Singapore in the early 1960s and Cuba in 1981.

The United States started a programme called Aedes aegypti eradication in 1946, and they eliminated these mosquitoes, effectively stopping the yellow fever epidemic for almost 50 years.

Prof Gubler says, “I say, success breeds failure, because by the early ‘90s, public health officials thought they were spending too much money on the programme when there were no more cases. So they stopped, the mosquitoes came back, and the result was another epidemic.”

Likewise in Singapore and Cuba, which introduced legislations to punish those breeding the pests.

Once the war on infectious diseases was won, people became complacent. And the mosquitoes returned with a vengeance, bringing along other viruses as well. The Aedes aegypti mosquito also carries the yellow fever, chikungunya and zika viruses.

The eminent professor, who has been in the field for almost 50 years, says we haven’t been able to emulate these success stories due to different priorities and the fact that dengue is not considered a public health problem.

“We live in a very different world now. Back in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, cities were small. Now they’re big, so the mosquito population is taking advantage of the urban sprawl.

“Social factors also contribute to this. Programmes were successful because it was paramilitary type and highly disciplined. If you went into a house and wanted to inspect it, people let you in. Now, you’ll be thrown out!” he says, chuckling.

On the consumption of papaya leaves and crab soup to increase platelet levels, Prof Gubler says there are no scientific findings to support these testimonies.

“If people find it helps, then go ahead and take it. Part of medicine is how the patient feels. A lot of ability to recover is based on attitude, so if I give you a placebo and you feel better, that’s good.

“There are some drugs currently in human trials that could be useful in treating dengue, but none are available yet.”

Source: http://www.star2.com/

Ladies, are you wearing a bra that fits you perfectly?

According to a survey conducted by Triumph International, seven out of every 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra and many are clueless about choosing a bra that fits them perfectly.

Does your bra ride up as you lift your arms or does the under-wire poke you? If your answer is yes, then you’re probably not wearing the right bra.

Although many lingerie companies have experts who can help you get fitted for the right bra properly at their stores and counters, you can also find out for yourself. German lingerie brand Triumph recommends these steps to help you get started with finding the perfect bra.

1. The bra’s underband needs to feel comfortable yet firm as it provides 80% of the support. Make sure that it doesn’t dig into your skin, or leave red marks.

2. The back of your bra should be in line with the front. If it rides up too high or hangs too low, it’s not the right fit for you.

3. Cups should not come too high under the arms.

4. Your breasts should fit neatly into the bra’s cups – no overspill or wrinkling of the bra.

5. Wires should lie flat against your body; there should not be any poking or rubbing (nobody likes that to happen!).

6. Your bra’s centre front panel should sit flat against your body.

7. Your breasts should be supported in their natural position, usually halfway between the shoulder and elbow. Re-adjust the straps if necessary.

Source: http://www.star2.com/

Treatment of Melasma Using Tri-Luma Cream

What is melasma?

Don't stay in the dark about this common skin condition
—learn more about melasma.

No one is really certain exactly what
causes melasma, but there are many factors that can trigger it including pregnancy, birth control pills, hormone therapy, cosmetics, and anti-seizure medications. Because melasma is so common during pregnancy, it is sometimes referred to as "the mask of pregnancy." Sun exposure is also a major melasma trigger because ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun can increase melanin production.

Melasma is a common skin condition that causes the appearance of brown to gray-brown patches of skin due to the body producing too much melanin, a natural substance that gives color to our hair, skin, and eyes. It usually appears on the face, although it can 
also develop on the forearms and neck.

Tri-Luma^® is the only FDA-approved  melasma treatment with 3 active ingredients, uniquely combined and more effective than treatments containing only two of the ingredients. 

About
Tri-Luma^® Cream

Tri-Luma^® Cream is a unique triple-combination topical therapy for the short-term  (8-week ) treatment of the dark spots associated with moderate-to-severe facial melasma.

  1

Fluocinolone acetonide 0.01% is a mild corticosteroid that reduces inflammation.

 2

Hydroquinone 4% is a depigmenting agent that interrupts the formation and synthesis of melanin to help lighten the skin.

  3

Tretinoin 0.05% works by increasing the skin cell turnover rate, which helps exfoliate the skin.

Tri-Luma^® Cream should always be used in conjunction with sun-avoidance measures, like using sunscreens and wearing protective clothing. Tri-Luma^® may improve the 

 appearance of melasma but is not a cure.

How to apply
Tri-Luma^® Cream

Tri-Luma^® Cream (fluocinolone acetonide 0.01%, hydroquinone 4%, tretinoin 0.05%) should always be used as instructed by your doctor. To use the medicine correctly, follow these steps:

• Apply Tri-Luma^® Cream at night, at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Gently wash your face with a mild cleanser. Don’t use a washcloth to apply the cleanser, just your fingers. Rinse and pat your skin dry.
• Put a small amount (pea sized or ½ inch or less) of Tri-Luma^® Cream on your fingertip. Apply a thin coat onto the discolored spot(s). Include about ½ inch of normal skin surrounding the affected area.
• After you have used the medicine for a while, you may find that you need slightly less to do the job.
• Rub the medicine lightly and uniformly into your skin. The medicine should become invisible almost at once. If you can still see it, you are using too much.
• Keep the medicine away from the corners of your nose, your mouth, eyes and open wounds. Spread it away from those areas when applying it.
• Do not use more Tri-Luma^® Cream or apply it more often than recommended by your doctor. Too much Tri-Luma^® Cream may irritate your skin and won’t give you faster or better results.
• Do not cover the treated area with anything after applying Tri-Luma^® Cream.
• During use of Tri-Luma^® Cream, you may experience redness, peeling, burning, dryness, itching or other skin irritation. If your skin gets too irritated, stop usingTri-Luma^® Cream, and let your doctor know. Tri-Luma^® Cream may also cause a gradual blue-black darkening of your skin; if this happens, stop using the product immediately and speak to your doctor. To help avoid skin dryness, you may use a moisturizer in the morning after you wash your face.
• You may also use a moisturizer and cosmetics during the day.

Use a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 and a wide-brimmed hat over the treated areas. It requires only a small amount of sunlight—not just a sunburn—to worsen melasma. If you do get sunburned, stop using Tri-Luma^® Cream until your skin is healed. After stopping treatment with Tri-Luma^® Cream, continue to protect your skin from sunlight.

Only your doctor knows which other medicines may be helpful during treatmentand will tell you about them if needed. Do not use other medicines unless your doctor approves them.

What to expect from treatment with
Tri-Luma^® Cream

Tri-Luma^® Cream (fluocinolone acetonide 0.01%, hydroquinone 4%, tretinoin 0.05%) may improve your melasma, but it is not a cure.

In studies, after 8 weeks of treatment with Tri-Luma^® Cream, most patients withmoderate-to-severe melasma had at least some improvement. Some had their dark spots clear up completely (38% in one study and 13% in another). In most patients treated with Tri-Luma^® Cream, their melasma came back after treatment was discontinued.

If the underlying causes of melasma—such as the use of certain birth control pills or too much exposure to sunlight—are not removed, melasma will come back when you stop treatment.

RSP: RM240 for  15g
For more information,whatapps,
012-7334511

What The Color of Your Urine Says About You

            

Human urine has been a useful tool of diagnosis since the earliest days of medicine. The color, density, and smell of urine can reveal much about the state of our health. 

Here, for starters, are some of the things you can tell from the hue of your liquid excreta.





Source: http://health.clevelandclinic.org/

Top 10 Superbug On the Corner

    

Drug-resistant superbugs are potentially deadly strains of micro-organisms that we once had the power to control. Now these mutants take on the best of our medical weapons, wreaking havoc on the world’s health.  

So we want to know, what is the super villain behind those cause.

1. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

MDR TB for short, this strain is resistant to our two top tuberculosis drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. The bacterium gained this deadly immunity partly through people not taking their TB medicine regularly, or stopping before the end of their treatment. Poor-quality medication or poor supplies are also partly to blame. Whatever the problem, the effect was the same: the bug was exposed to treatment without being destroyed. Once MDR TB is airborne – through the coughs and sneezes of an infected person – it can spread as easily as TB.

MDR TB kills at least 150,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Doctors are trying to reduce this number by improving the way patients take their medicine, and keeping infected people in isolation.

2. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

When the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus became methicillin resistant, it took on the name that has become the byword for superbugs: MRSA. In recent years, the number of deaths from MRSA in the US have rivalled the combined toll of AIDS, tuberculosis and hepatitis B,

3.  Drug-resistant malaria

Since the 1960s, malaria parasites such as this Plasmodium falciparum have been gaining the upper hand on chloroquine, the drug most widely used for treating the disease. New antimalarials have been discovered, but suffer from high prices and side effects. That has left some of the world's most vulnerable people at risk – according to the WHO, most of the 781,000 deaths each year from malaria are young children. 

The mosquitoes that carry the parasites can be combated with insecticides and mosquito nets. Drug resistance, meanwhile, is being fought by minimising the use of antimalarial drugs – for example, by not using them to treat non-malarial conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. 

4. Drug-resistant Shigella

Shigella is a bacterium that causes around 165 million cases of severe dysentery and more than 1 million deaths each year in the developing world.

It can be prevented by the simple means of improving sanitation and hygiene, but once it attacks, it can be deadly. Shigella has developed resistance to almost every medication that is suitable for its most common victims – children. Now our last line of defence, ciprofloxacin, is losing its teeth. New antibiotics are badly needed to reinforce the fight, says the WHO.

5. Drug-resistant gonorrhoea

The gonorrhoea bacterium has conquered the penicillin, tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Now it is overcoming cephalosporins, the last range of drugs that are both cheap and able to cure in just one dose. For a sexually transmitted disease, these factors are essential: people who are vulnerable to infection may be too poor, busy or embarrassed to visit a clinic more than once.

Gonorrhoea can be avoided by using a condom, but halting its drug resistance has proved a greater challenge. Researchers from Japan and Sweden have warned that "the era of untreatable gonorrhoea may now have been initiated". 

6. Streptococcus pneumoniae

Pneumonia was once easily targeted with penicillin, but resistant strains have made treatment harder and more expensive. Luckily, pneumonia is one of the few bugs on our most-wanted list to fall victim to a highly successful vaccine.

Even with vaccines on the scene, however, pneumonia continues to evolve. The latest vaccine, PCV13, was released last year and protects against many of the resistant types, but some remain dangerous.

7. Escherichia coli

E. coli is normally a good citizen of the human gut, but when the bacterium runs amok, it can be fatal. Not only is it a familiar source of serious food poisoning, it is the leading cause of urinary tract infections in the US. Such infections may not be deadly, but they suck up a lot of money by causing up to 8 million visits to the doctor per year in the US alone.

Drug-resistant strains of E. coli are popping up, particularly in the developing world, where antibiotic use without prescription is rampant, according to the CDDEP. E. coli can be controlled with better hospital hygiene, but reducing the overzealous use of antibiotics is the longer-term solution.

8. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus

VRE is another gut bacterium that is a menace to hospital patients, the very ill and people with compromised immune systems. The ascendance of VRE is particularly scary because it can share its resistance genes with MRSA, creating the potential for a new superbug – VRSA

9. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

CRKP is a real killer – infection is fatal in around half of cases. What is worse, it is difficult to detect and hard to fight, with only two imperfect treatments available. That makes it the next candidate for MRSA-style spread, according to the CDDEP.

10. Pseudomonas aeruginosa

This bacterium is found in hospitals and is difficult to get out of them. It frequently forms a biofilm, a permanent plaque on hospital equipment, where it lurks until it meets a seriously ill person. It then piggybacks on organs that are already affected by disease and contributes an infection that can kill over 50 per cent of its victims.

So far, P. aeruginosa has proven less talented at developing drug resistance than other pathogens, but it has the worrying ability to develop several immunities at once. That makes it one to watch.


Source: who.org

Malaysia vulnerable to spread of Zika Virus - Health Ministry

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has cautioned that Malaysia is vulnerable to the spread of the Zika virus.

Deputy Health Director Datuk Dr Lokman Halim Sulaiman said in a statement on Friday that the Ministry was monitoring the spread of the virus and believed that the disease could spread to Malaysia because of the high presence of Aedes mosquitoes in the country.

He said that based on inspections and the high number of dengue cases around the country suggest that the density of Aedes mosquitoes was still high.

Dr Lokman added that the risks brought by the disease were also high as Malaysians had yet to develop an immunity to the virus, making it likely that the disease could spread very quickly among Malaysians.

Earlier Friday, The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it would convene a special emergency meeting on Feb 1 to deal with the Zika virus which was "spreading explosively".

Dr Lokman stressed that although the virus only caused slight fever, rashes on the body and joint pains, the Ministry viewed the matter seriously because the virus had been associated with microcephaly, a birth defect where infants are born with underdeveloped heads.

He also said that it was impractical and difficult to stop the spread of the virus to Malaysia due to its mild symptoms, difficulty in tracing infected people and also because there was also no quick "point of care test" available.

Dr Lokman urged all visitors – especially those from South and Central America and Malaysians returning from infected areas – who exhibit fever and spots to reports themselves to the Quarantine Health Centre or the nearest Health Department as soon as they arrive in Malaysia.

He also advised pregnant women to refrain from visiting infected countries and said that a health alert would be issued to all Government and private health facilities.

There are currently 22 countries that have reported incidences of the Zika virus, mainly located in South America and even in some developed nations like the United States.

Earlier in the week, Taiwan's Health Ministry said that a 24-year-old man was suffering from the disease, probably contracted when he was in northern Thailand.

There is currently no vaccine available for the virus and only the symptoms of the virus can be treated.

Although the virus has not been associated with deaths in adults it has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil.

According to the WHO, it could infect as many as four million people in the Americas.

Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/

Will TPPA affect drug prices in Malaysia ?

Keh (left) and Diong are of the opinion that the impact of TPPA on the local pharmaceutical industry is not as big as expected. Photo: The Star

Increased drug prices has been one of the main concerns related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) – in Malaysia, as well as in the other 11 countries involved.

Fears that the Intellectual Property section of the agreement would enable medicine patent-holders to maintain their monopoly for a longer period of time have been spreading ever since drafts of the agreement were leaked, beginning in 2013.

This longer period of monopoly would allow patent-holders the freedom to set their own prices without having any generic or biosimilar competition.

This is because similar generic or biosimilar medicines would not be able to register for approval to sell their products if the original patent is still in force.

As the association representing the major pharmaceutical companies manufacturing generics and biosimilars in Malaysia, this was also very much the concern of the Malaysian Organisation of Pharmaceutical Industries (Mopi).

However, after analysing the final text of the TPPA released by the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) on Nov 5, 2015, Mopi president Diong Sing Peng says that the impact on the local pharmaceutical industry is not as big as they expected.

Areas of concern

According to him, the three main items in the agreement that health stakeholders are most concerned about are patent extension, patent linkage and data exclusivity.

“Patent extension occurs when market access is delayed or granting of the patent is delayed,” he says.

In the TPPA, extension of the 20-year patent period – the same as the current patent period in Malaysia – is required if there is “unreasonable delay” of the application process.

This is defined as five years from the point of application or three years after a request for examination of application, whichever is later.

However, the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia’s client charter for granting of patents is 26 months for ordinary submissions.

In addition, Diong notes that the application process in Malaysia operates under a stop-clock system, meaning that if there are any queries or additional material needed from the applicant, the “clock” on the processing is stopped until the matter is resolved.

Therefore, only actual processing time is counted.

“So, that is basically the key contentious issue that people always say will lead to patent extension. Patent extension would then come about because of the inefficiency of the government agency; but, I’m sure, today, our government agencies are quite efficient,” he says.

The second area of concern is patent linkage.

Diong explains that this is where the public fears that the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau (NPCB) would be compelled to enforce patent protection – rather than the patent-holder itself – once the TPPA is in place.

As this is not currently part of the NPCB’s jurisdiction, Diong opines that they neither have the resources nor expertise to do this.

“Malaysia has negotiated so that they do not have to do enforcement; they will do notification instead,” he explains.

This means that if a company applies for a patent or approval to market a generic or biosimilar drug that has the same composition and effect as one already on file, the NPCB is only required to notify the original patent-holder of the new application.

“It is then a civil law case – a patent law case – between the two parties,” he says.

“There are already existing judicial processes to manage this, so why should NPCB spend extra resources, time, money and training to do this job?” he adds.

Data exclusivity

The final area of concern is data exclusivity.

Malaysia currently provides five years of data exclusivity, from the time of marketing approval, to all approved drugs.

This means that the Health Ministry cannot use the clinical data generated by the original manufacturer – which demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the drug – to approve similar generic drugs.

Under the TPPA, this amount of time would be the same.

In addition, a clause specific to Malaysia requires that drug companies apply for market approval within 18 months of their medicine first entering the market anywhere in the world.

This, says Mopi executive director Keh Song Hock, would help safeguard against any attempts at “evergreening”.

Evergreening is the practice of extending monopoly over certain products through various tactics, including filing for new patents or data exclusivity rights for drugs when the original one is about to expire.

Meanwhile, for biologics, the TPPA provides two options for data exclusivity: eight years and five years with other measures to “provide effective marketing protection”.

These other measures, aimed at delivering “a comparable outcome in the market” as the eight-year protection, are “through other measures, and recognising that market circumstances also contribute to effective market protection”.

Says Diong: “From what we understand from the negotiators, sometimes, these ambiguous words were used partly because all the countries couldn’t agree on the exact terms. Sometimes they do that and work it out later.”

He adds that the most important point for him is the exact time-frame of five years.

And this, according to Miti, is the option the Government intends to take.

Overall, Mopi does not believe the price of medicines will increase if Malaysia signs the TPPA.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the organisation noted that foreign exchange rates, the availability of raw materials that frequently have to be imported, types of competitors and cost of production are among the more important factors affecting the cost of drugs.

And when it comes to public health, the TPPA has a clause noting that the obligations of the agreement do not preclude its signatories from taking appropriate measures to protect public health and promote access to medicines for all.

Miti notes that the agreement allows governments to issue a compulsory license to enable local manufacture of a patented medicine or make use of the “rights of governments” to import patented medicines from different sources at a different price, i.e. cheaper generics or biosimilars, in the event of a national emergency or cases of extreme urgency.

And the power of determining what comprises a national emergency or extreme urgency lies with the government involved. This would also encompass public health crises like tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and dengue, among others.

Source: http://www.star2.com/

Doctors Are Urging You To Stop Feeding Your Children Hot Dogs – Here’s Why

Parents always want to protect their kids, but sometimes, they sacrifice convenience for the sake of safety.

Many Americans are so used to eating a certain way that they don’t realize that they’re making unhealthy choices and that those choices are affecting their kids.

Among American favorites is the Hot Dog – a fourth of July staple that’s eaten at least once a week in most households.

However, a USC epidemiologist found that children who eat more than 12 hot dogs per month have nine times the normal risk of developing childhood leukemia (1). And that’s not all, in another study, children who ate hot dogs one or more times per week were also at higher risk of brain cancer (2).

The study examined the relationship between the intake of certain foods and the risk of leukemia in children from birth to age 10 in Los Angeles County between 1980 and 1987 (3).

It also concluded that there was a strong risk for childhood leukemia for children whose fathers’ intake of hot dogs was 12 or more per month before conception.

This demonstrated in part that the dietary habits of parents before their child is born, as well as during pregnancy, can leave them more prone to disease.

In fact, researchers Sarusua and Savitz, who studied childhood cancer cases in Denver, found that children born to mothers who consumed hot dogs one or more times per week during pregnancy had approximately double the risk of developing brain tumors (2).

It’s been suggested that the nitrates contained in hot dogs are the cause of these health problems.

“Processed red meat commonly contains sodium, nitrates, phosphates and other food additives, and smoked and grilled meats also contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, all of which may contribute to the increased heart failure risk,” explains Alicja Wolk, D.M.Sc. (source)

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, these nitrates act as preservatives to prevent food from spoiling, and they also add colour to the meat.

Nitrites and nitrates are not cancer-causing by themselves, but in certain conditions in the body they can be changed into by-products called N-nitroso compounds, such as nitrosamines and nitrosamides. N-nitroso compounds are associated with an increased risk of cancer.

Vitamin C may be added to some preserved meats. Vitamin C keeps nitrites from changing into nitrosamines, which may help reduce the risk of cancer associated with these chemicals.

However, new cases of nitrate-caused cancers still appear at an alarming rate each year.

How To Avoid Nitrate-Filled Foods

1. Minimize your consumption of processed foods and cured meat products such as hot dogs, sausage and cold cuts.
2. Check labels carefully and avoid products that list sodium or potassium nitrates and nitrites. In addition to lunchmeat, some canned beans and vegetables with bacon, and even packaged seafood, may contain these added chemicals.
3. Eat organic food. Synthetic nitrates and nitrites are not allowed as preservatives in organic packaged foods and meats.
4. Find out if your water is tainted with nitrates or nitrites. Public drinking water utilities test for these compounds and must disclose their results. If you drink well water, your local health department can help you find out if this is a problem in your area. You can also have your water tested by a laboratory. If the chemicals are present, consider treating your water with a home water distiller, a reverse osmosis filter or an ion exchange filter to remove any fertilizer nitrates in the groundwater.
5. Eat a diet high in antioxidants. Vitamin C and certain other vitamins can reduce the conversion of nitrates and nitrites to nitrosamines. (source)

sources:
[1]http://articles.latimes.com/1994-06-03/news/mn-29_1_hot-dog-intake
[2]http://www.preventcancer.com/patients/children/hotdogs.htm
[3]http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/160/11/1098.full