| |SEPTEMBER 20269PIRAMAL'S RS 215 CRORE BET COULD RESHAPE INDIA'S WELLNESS MARKETBIOCON SCORES JAPAN APPROVAL FOR NEW CANCER-CARE BIOSIMILARDR REDDY'S GETS KEY ABATACEPT NOD FOR ARTHRITIS TREATMENTCAN SMARTPHONES HELP DETECT ALZHEIMER'S EARLIER?INDIA'S OBESITY CRISIS TRIGGERS SUPREME COURT ACTION ON FOOD LABELSPiramal Alternatives has invested Rs 215 crore in Kolors Healthcare as India's wellness market sees rising demand for preventive and personalized healthcare. The investment will support Kolors' expansion, infrastructure upgrades, new services, and its "Kolors 2.0" transformation plan. The investment was made through Piramal Alternatives' India Credit Opportunities Fund II (PCF II). Kolors Healthcare is a major wellness chain in South India. It operates centers across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. PODr Reddy's Laboratories has secured a key approval for its arthritis treatment portfolio in India. The company received marketing approval for its abatacept biosimilar from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). The approval covers patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis. It also covers active psoriatic arthritis in patients who did not respond adequately to other disease-modifying drugs. The approval could strengthen Dr Reddy's position in the Indian biosimilars market. The company is also looking to expand its presence in global markets. POResearchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have developed a smartphone-based tool for Alzheimer's detection. The platform, called ADxFluo, detects amyloid- (A), a key biomarker linked to Alzheimer's disease. It uses a fluorescence-responsive molecule called TZ-48 to identify changes in the biomarker.India's obesity crisis has moved beyond hospitals and clinics and into the country's highest court. Concern over rising obesity levels, especially among children and adolescents, has pushed the Supreme Court to demand faster action.This is over front-of-pack food labels for packaged products high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat. The court has questioned delays in implementing the long-pending measure and has given the center a limited window to decide on the format of warning labels. POA smartphone application then measures the resulting fluorescence signal. Researchers found that ADxFluo could detect A in blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid. The technology could support earlier Alzheimer's screening and disease staging. It may also offer a faster and more cost-effective approach to detection. POCancer care is gaining another biosimilar option in Japan as Biocon Biologics secures marketing approval for its pegfilgrastim. The approval gives Biocon a new entry in Japan's oncology market and adds to its existing biosimilar portfolio in the country. Biocon Biologics developed and manufactured the product as a biosimilar to Neulasta, a pegfilgrastim medicine used as supportive care following chemotherapy. The product helps reduce the risk of infections associated with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. Swiss giant Sandoz will exclusively promote, sell, and distribute the product in Japan, while Global Regulatory Partners Japan will serve as the marketing authorization holder. PO
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