Imphal, Feb 24 (IANS) An Indian Army spokesperson was Sunday arrested in Manipur with contraband drugs worth about Rs.15 crore (Rs.150 million) in international market, police here said. The drugs were to be smuggled to neighbouring Myanmar, a Manipur Police official said. Col. Ajay Choudhury of Red Shield Division was arrested along with five other people from Pallel town in Thoubal district after a hot chase, district police chief Jhaljit Singh told IANS. Police claimed that the army officer earlier smuggled banned drugs from capital Imphal to Moreh town on Myanmar border five times. The other five accused are Col. Choudhury's assistant R.K. Babblu, a private airlines' assistant manager Ngairakpam Brojendro, Haopu Haokip, Minthang Bongel and Milan Haokip, the police officer said. "They were carrying pseudoephedrine tablets of different brands in three vehicles to Moreh to smuggle these to Myanmar," Jhaljit Singh said. The police chief said they received a tip-off about the movement Saturday. But when a police team tried to stop the vehicles in Khongjom, they drove away without stopping. They were caught after a chase. The accused, including the army officials, have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. "If found guilty, strict … Continue reading →

HERNANDO Super Drugs II has opened their doors in Hernando and hired back virtually the same staff which served loyal customers for more than 35 years. Eddie O'Bannon, a pharmacist who also owns and operates Super Drugs I at the former site of Pop Tunes in Horn Lake, said the completely remodeled drugstore is now open for business. "We're excited to have the local people come back and for us to be able to help them," O'Bannon said. "We pretty much tailor our medication to the community. We will be customizing medication to meet the certain needs of people in the community." O'Bannon said the drugstore, located on U.S. 51 adjacent to the Wadsworth Medical complex, was open for business on Friday. Store hours are from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday. O'Bannon is a 1987 graduate of the University of Arkansas Pharmacy School and has been a pharmacist since 1987. "I've managed some stores for Super D over the years," O'Bannon said. "When they closed the location in Horn Lake, I decided to go my own route." O'Bannon had managed the Super D in Horn Lake since 1992 … Continue reading →

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Weitz was out of options. The Californian had endured chemotherapy, radiation and surgery but his lung cancer still spread to his bones and brain. With time running out, the emergency room physician entered a Phase I study - the earliest stage of human testing for a new medicine - of crizotinib. The drug works for about 4 percent of advanced lung cancer patients with a mutated form of a protein called ALK. "Once I knew that I had that mutation, I knew that I had an exciting new chance," said Weitz, now 55, who is cancer-free after three years of taking the drug now sold by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE - news) as Xalkori after an unusually swift development process. It typically has taken a decade and $1 billion to bring a new treatment to market. But in the last two years a handful of cancer drugs - including Onyx Pharmaceutical Inc's Kyprolis for multiple myeloma, Roche's Zelboraf for melanoma, and Pfizer's Xalkori - were approved in about half that time because of improved genetic screening, more definitive Phase I trials and the dire need for new, effective treatments. "We hope to be able to shave … Continue reading →