Takeda announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved MIMRYLO, a first-in-class therapy indicated for the treatment of polycythemia vera. Polycythemiavera is a rare, chronic blood cancer that affects approximately 90,000 individuals across the United States. MIMRYLO works through a novel mechanism of action by mimicking hepcidin, the human body’s master iron-regulating hormone, which effectively restricts iron availability to curb and control the excessive production of red blood cells.

​The regulatory approval is backed by positive clinical data from the pivotal Phase 3 VERIFY trial. In the study, 76.9% of patients treated with MIMRYLO achieved a confirmed clinical response between Weeks 20 and 32. In addition to delivering high clinical response rates, the therapy demonstrated meaningful symptom relief by reducing fatigue and significantly decreasing the regular need for therapeutic phlebotomies to maintain target hematocrit levels.

​The introduction of MIMRYLO marks a critical therapeutic milestone in hematology, offering healthcare providers and patients an effective targeted option designed to regulate blood cell production, reduce treatment burden, and improve overall quality of life.

​Written by: Pragna Biswas

Graphics by: Pramit Hazra

Shwas Kavach, an initiative aimed at strengthening India’s last-mile medical oxygen supply, has received recognition and support from the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India. The project was formally endorsed on the government’s Manthan platform on 8th May 2026 as an AI-enabled, decentralized model for delivering oxygen to healthcare facilities across the country.

The initiative is being developed by CPDMED at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, together with Newttorr Pumps and Systems Private Limited. It proposes an AI-linked network covering all 778 districts in India, connecting government and military healthcare facilities down to the primary health centre level, supported by a round-the-clock toll-free helpline linking healthcare facilities and oxygen resources. Central to the plan are containerised, IoT-enabled oxygen cylinder filling units to be set up at district drug warehouses, allowing real-time monitoring of purity, pressure, volume and pricing. Once fully implemented, the network is expected to establish approximately 60,165 cylinder banks across district and taluka hospitals, community and primary health centres, along with military, air force and naval hospitals.

The initiative draws on lessons from the pandemic years, when large-scale investment in oxygen generation infrastructure was not enough for timely access to healthcare, especially in rural areas, as supply chains remained concentrated in urban centres. Many home-based patients are reported to have gone without oxygen in time, with such cases often left undocumented.

Shwas Kavach is positioned as a preparedness framework for future health emergencies, built to keep medical oxygen consistently available, accessible, affordable and accountable, down to the village level. Newttorr has also piloted what it describes as India’s first IoT-enabled oxygen cylinder filling station under its Oxy Aid brand.

Special thanks to Mr. Mallikarjun Dandinawar for his valuable support and contribution. 

Written By: Sayan Das

Graphics by: Pramit Hazra

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cancelled the drug sale licence of Cipla Pharma & Life Sciences Ltd’s Carrying and Forwarding (C&F) unit in Pune, citing serious irregularities in the packaging, storage, record-keeping and recall of Reactin Plus Tablets handled at the facility.

The regulator’s action targets compliance lapses at the C&F unit rather than the manufacturing process itself, according to the details of the order. Cipla has pushed back against the decision, stating that the matter is currently sub judice and is likely to be examined further through legal proceedings.

The company has also issued a clarification distancing the issue from product integrity, asserting that the FDA’s action does not allege any concerns relating to the safety, quality or efficacy of Cipla’s products. The case adds to the scrutiny Indian pharmaceutical companies have faced recently over storage and distribution compliance, even as manufacturing standards remain unaffected.

Written by: Arundhuti Chatterjee

Graphics by: Pramit Hazra