HEALTH

Doctors want off-label use of drugs defined
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 6
Medical experts in the country are seeking what they call, “defining the off-label use of medicines”. They claim that the procedure of off-label medicines like Aspirin is being practised by the doctors all over the world, basing it on scientific research.

“There are many drugs, which apart from being used for the indications and diseases that are listed on it can be used for certain other indications. A classic example of this is the Aspirin,” said Dr Sanjiv Malik, general secretary, Indian Medical Association (IMA).

He elucidated, “The Aspirin is labelled for being an anti-pyretic, but also has multiple of off-label usage, including that of blood thinning and in heart and brain surgeries.”

Dr Malik contends, “Off-label usage is the prerogative of the medical fraternity based on scientific research and it is high time the off-label use is defined.”

He said that in the US, it has been defined as ‘use for indication, dosage form, dose regimen, population or other use parameter not mentioned in the approved labelling’.

The need for defining off-label medicines came to a head when objections were raised over the use of Letrozole, a cancer drug for curing infertility.

“Letrozole is used for curing infertility based on scientific evidence available internationally,” said Dr Malik.

The IMA has now submitted a framework for defining guidelines on the off-label usage of medicines in India to a committee. This committee was formed to standardise the Indian Drug Policy by the government.

Dr Malik said, “The patients have a right to be benefited and the doctor has the right to provide benefits of a drug to a patient provided he is sure of its efficacy and if his own practice has given him the confidence to apply the desired usage and get good results for the patient.”

The following medicines have some off-label uses:

* Imipramine, a potent anti-depressant is used to treat enuresis or involuntary discharge of urine.

* Lidocaine hydrochloride, a local anesthetic is widely used in treating arrhythmias or irregular heart rhythms in children.

* Metformin, which is used in diabetes and is given orally to reduce blood sugar levels has also been found to normalise irregular menstrual cycles and improve ovulation.

SPORTS

Gautam Gambhir stars in Chand Khanna’s victory
Our Sports Reporter

Super Star: 156 for 6 in 33.2 overs (Vipin Bhatia 61, Vimal Sharma 33, Rahul Kumar 2 for 12, Prashant Kumar 2 for 21).

Indraprastha advance

Indraprastha Academy beat West Delhi Academy by 60 runs in a league match of the West Delhi Under-12 Cricket Tournament at the Hari Nagar Sports Complex ground.

Scores: Indraprastha: 212 for 7 in 30 overs (Unmukh Chand 71, Kunal Srivastava 42, Salman Khan 3 for 24, Ishan Kumar 3 for 26).

West Delhi: 152 all out (Sunny Singh 57, Kabir Sethi 33, Gurvinder Mann 32, Sajal Kumar 3 for 2, Noel Singh 3 for 36).

FCI to meet Collage Group in SAIL final
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 6
Food Corporation of India (FCI) defeated Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) by five wickets and entered the final of the 14th SAIL Trophy Cricket Tournament at the Mohan Meakins ground. FCI will take on Collage Group in the final to be played on April 8.

FCI, chasing a modest total, tottered at 88 for 33, but an 110-run fourth-wicket partnership between Paras Dogra and Sonu Vaid steered them to safety.

Scores: ONGC: 192 for 8 in 40 overs (Gautam Gambhir 58, 5x4, 80b; Sandeep Sharma 42, 3x4, 61b; Akash Malhotra 3 for 29, Amit Singh 2 for 43).

FCI: 196 for 5 in 34.3 overs (Paras Dogra 83 n o, 7x4, 1x6, 98b; Sonu Vaid 46, 1x4, 2x6, 40b; Amit Bhandari 3 for 42, Amit Mishra 2 for 37).

Cricket team to tour Windies

The R R Sharma Memorial Sports Trust will participate in the 18th Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Under-19 Cricket Tournament, to be held at Barbados from July 12 to 29. Players born on or after August 1, 1985 are eligible to apply for team selection at phones 9811445614, 55160215.

Sonnet enter semis

Sonnet Club defeated Sumit Dogra Academy by six wickets to enter the semi-final of the fifth ARBDM Cricket Tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Shikhar Dhawan, who scored a half century off 25 balls with five fours and three sixes, was declared the man of the match.

Scores: Dogra Academy: 159 all out in 37.2 overs (Piyush Negi 49, Ratan Rawat 34, Suhail Sharma 3 for 33, Jatin Khanna 3 for 32).

Sonnet Club: 163 for 4 in 22.4 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 50, Mayank Sidana 32, Yash Pal Singh 26, Suhail Sharma 29 n o, Akand Rathore 3 for 29).

MRF ties up with Mitsubishi for APRC rally
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 6
MRF has tied up with Mitsubishi Motorsports for sponsoring Team MRF for the 2004 season. Team MRF will comprise of two Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 cars, and one of the cars will be rally built.

The MRF Team stole international spotlight when Armin Kremer won the Overall and Production Car titles in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship last year. With performance as its main criterion, the dual victory helped MRF to clinch the sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi.

MRF general-manager (marketing) A Rodricks said MRF will have full control over the team in terms of operation and strategy.

The MRF driver line-up will have reigning APRC champion Armin Kremer with fellow-German Fred Berssen as co-driver. Kremer’s team-mate will be Katsuhiko Taguchi of Japan, who won the APRC title in 1999. Australian Mark Stacey, co-driver of legendary New Zealander, late Possum Bourne, will be Taguchi’s co-driver.

Mr Rodricks said the APRC has made a few changes to the regulations with the duration of the rallies to be restricted to two days, instead of three, and only production cars (unmodified) will be permitted in the 2000cc category.

Vikaspuri sail into cricket semi-final
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 6
A dashing half century by Priyank Tehlan and deadly bowling by Prakash Kumar (4 for 21) helped Vikaspuri Coaching Centre defeat Young Friends by two runs and entered the semi-final of the first R C Sharma Memorial Under-19 Cricket Tournament at the Bharat Nagar ground. Priyank was declared the man of the match.

Scores: Vikaspuri: 198 for 6 in 40 overs (Priyank Tehlan 52, Tushar Tanwar 48, Sanjay Sharma 38, Ishan Bakshi 3 for 20). Young Friends: 196 for 8 in 40 overs (Ishan Bakshi 78, Prashant Gupta 44, Prakash Kumar 4 for 21).

U K Cricket World win

U K Cricket World beat Bharat National Academy by 198 runs in a league match of the DAV Under-15 Cricket Tournament at the Yamuna Complex ground.

Scores: U K Cricket World: 271 for 8 in 40 overs (Varun Sood 124, Shivam Sharma 41, HHitesh Rai 35, Saurabh Nischa 4 for 49, Rahul Pandey 3 for 40).

Bharat National: 73 all out in 29 overs (Nimish Kumar 36, Lalit Choudhary 3 for 29, Senam Trikha 4 for 2).

Montfort beat Ramjas

Montfort School, Ashok Vihar beat Ramjas School Day Boarding by six wickets and entered the quarter-final of the second Pankaj Jain Under-14 Inter-School Cricket Tournament at the Bal Bharati School ground, Pitampura.

Scores: Ramjas School: 194 for 8 in 30 overs (Aditya 69, Jaspreet 31, Dhurav 3 for 32).

Montfort: 195 for 4 in 25 overs (Dhurav 60, Aditya 45).

City Bank rout NTPC

City Bank trounced NTPC by six wickets in the Reebok Cricket Tournament at the Palam ground.

Scores: City Bank: 93 all out in 24 overs (Gaurav Shukla 35, Diwakar Pundhir 27, Deepak Sharma 6 for 10, A P Talreja 3 for 18).

NTPC: 94 for 4 in 17 overs (P Ramrakhani 36 n o, A Chaturvedi 31, Kaustav Ganguly 2 for 23, Diwakar Pundir 2 for 18).

Dhoabha, SGAD Khalsa School move up
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, April 6
Doabha Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar defeated Bhupinder Khalsa School, Moga 2-0 in the opening match of the second All-India Sahibzada Ajit Singh Hockey Tournament, organised by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, at the Shivaji Stadium on Tuesday.

The winners scored once in each half through Maninder Singh in the sixth minute and Gurjit Singh in the 38th minute respectively.

SGAD Khalsa School, Burj trounced Guru Harkrishan Public School, Vasant Vihar 4-0 in the second match. All the goals came in the second half. Gursewak scored the first goal seconds into the second session. Sukhraj Singh, Mandeep Singh and Gursewak Singh scored the other three goals.

Lt-Governor Vijai Kapoor inaugurated the tournament in the presence of DSGMC president S Prehlad Singh.

ADMINISTRATION

Action to be taken for defacement of properties: DC
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 6
The Deputy Commissioner of Sonepat, Mr M. R. Anand, today directed the various political parties, associations and the candidates contesting the Lok Sabha election to see that their activists and supporters desist from using public properties, including individual land, building, compound and wall for erecting flag posts, banners, pasting notices and writing slogans in this city and elsewhere in the district. He directed the enforcement of the Haryana Prevention of Defacement Property Act, the violation of which will attract penal action under Sections 425, 426, 427 and 433 IPC and Section 133 of Cr.P.C. as well as also the various Municipal laws. The order states that all the expenditure on the removal of defacement of the property would be recovered by the district administration from the concerned parties, associations and candidates.

The order also clarified that the expression ‘public buildings’ shall include but not be restricted to public properties like the signboards, precautionary notice boards on the railway platforms, bus terminus or any other notice or signboard displayed for convenience of the general public. Prosecution would be launched against those who indulge in defacing the above property for the election campaign. According to the order, the SDM will be the enforcement magistrates in their respective areas to oversee the implementation of these directions issued by the Election Commission of India.

They would be assisted by the SHOs, BO and PO and secretary, municipal committee concerned. The SDM will constitute flying squads for this purpose. The incharge of each squad or committee will report about the violations in this regard to their respective SDMs.

Moreover, the Superintendent of Police, Sonepat, will also constitute flying squads under the respective SHOs in order to check the defacement of property as envisaged by the Election Commission under item No. 1 (6) of the Model Code of Conduct. Any violation of the above direction or non-compliance will be viewed seriously by the district administration.