‘Miracle’ eye drops… not so miraculous

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

‘Miracle’ eye drops… not so miraculous

The context: Last week, an Indian company launched eye drops called PresVu—which claimed to reduce presbyopia. That’s the medical term for near-sightedness—typically caused by ageing: “When you are young, the lens in your eye (behind your iris) has the ability to change shape — which means it allows you to focus on things that are both far away and close by.” The lens becomes more rigid as we get older—hence, reading glasses.

The PresVu problem: The eye drop contains 1.25% pilocarpine hydrochloride—which ENTOD Pharmaceuticals claims is part of a “proprietary formula.” But experts say it has been used for years to treat glaucoma—and isn’t very safe:

Pilocarpine can have a number of side effects: it can cause headaches, it can blur the vision, it can hamper night vision since the pupil becomes smaller, and over the course of many years, this can cause problems with pupil dilation, which may be needed for instance, if the patient needs a cataract surgery.

Other doctors warned of “potential side effects… such as retinal detachment, cataracts and your field of vision becoming smaller.”

Added worry of note: The ‘cure’ offered by the drops is temporary—and lasts merely 4 to 6 hours. To get rid of reading glasses, a person will need multiple doses throughout the day—which may not be safe either. PresVu was slated to go on sale in October for Rs 345 per vial.

What happened now: On Tuesday, India’s national drug regulatory body has now suspended ENTOD’s licence to manufacture and market the drops. CDSCO said the company “made claims for the drug, for which it had not obtained prior approval.” ENTOD, however, insisted that it had gained approval based on “a valid controlled clinical trial”—that involved 234 patients. The eye drops are now under review—but given the resistance from ophthalmologists, it is unlikely to hit the market any time soon.

Why any of this matters: The drug approval process in India has long been dodgy. The government has readied a bill to revise the laws—but it is filled with loopholes, according to experts. This Big Story on drug safety in India—and the proposed legislation—is a must read. The Hindu has a very good explainer on PresVu—and the latest on the suspension of its approval.

Universal health care for the elderly

The Ayushman Bharat Yojana—the health insurance program launched in 2018—will now offer universal coverage to anyone over the age of 70. Each family with senior citizens will be covered for expenses up to Rs 500,000—irrespective of their socio-economic status. The move benefits 45 million families—with 60 million elderly members. Why this matters:

The share of the population over the age of 60 years is projected to increase from 10.5% in 2022 to 20.8% in 2050. By the end of the century, the elderly will constitute over 36% of the total population of the country. Sharp growth in the elderly population is observed from 2010 onwards along with a decline in the age group of below 15 years, indicating rapidity of ageing in India.

Business Standard has more details on the scheme.

Mexico’s democracy in peril?

In a first for any country in the world, Mexico will now allow judges to be elected at all levels of the judiciary—including the Supreme Court. The bill passed by Congress effectively abolishes the existing judicial system. The ruling Leftist party Morena, barely managed the two-thirds vote required for the constitutional amendment.

A tipping point? Critics say the bill poses a serious threat to the future of Mexico’s democracy—and here’s why:

Diplomats, legal analysts and business leaders warn that making judges run for office would politicize the court system, reducing its predictability and independence. The U.S. government has expressed concern that drug traffickers could bankroll judges’ electoral campaigns. Judges will have an incentive to rule according to what their patrons or voters want, scholars say, rather than the law.

Cynics say Morena plans to leverage its popularity to put its supporters on the bench—“effectively sealing its control of the government.” It won a landslide victory in June—capturing the presidency and big majorities in Congress.

But, but, but: President Andrés Manuel López Obrado argues elections will make judges more accountable—and help clean a deeply corrupt judicial system.

What’s next: While the law is expected to be ratified by the states—the country remains fiercely divided. You can see protestors storming the Congress building below. (Washington Post, paywall, AFP via Mint)

The pandemic made teen brains age faster

According to a new study, the brains of teenagers aged more quickly due to the pandemic—on an average, by 4.2 years in girls and 1.4 years in boys. Scientists measured the thinning of the cerebral cortex—which is a natural part of ageing:

As we age, the thinning of the cortex is associated with less fast-processing time, with less flexible thinking, with all of the things that we associate with ageing. All of the teens in general showed this accelerated ageing.

In the case of the kids, the thinning was caused by chronic stress. And it was spread wider across the brain among girls—because they rely more on personal relationships and interaction to alleviate stress. You can see the difference below:

Why this matters: Thinning of the cortex could be linked to increased levels of depression and anxiety among teenagers. Also, timing matters in brain development—and adolescence is a critical time. The cortex can’t regrow itself either. The main takeaway for parents: “Fortunately, kids are really resilient, and we can get them back out there and help them catch up. But we also don’t want to deceive ourselves that this was nothing. It had a significant impact on growth and development.” (NBC News)

A tick virus that can invade your brain

Scientists have found a new virus that spreads via tick bites. It can invade the brain and cause neurological damage. The first known case is of a 61-year-old man admitted to a hospital in China in 2019—who was bitten by a tick at a park. His symptoms: fever, headache, and signs of dysfunction across multiple organs. Upon blood analysis, doctors found “a never-before-seen orthonairovirus”—now called the Wetland virus, or WELV. Twenty cases have been reported since then in humans—along with sheep, horses, pigs, and a handful of rodents. The good news: The infection has not proved lethal so far. (Science Alert)

In happier health-related news: A Sydney-based company has developed a wearable device for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The headband uses an electric current to correct imbalances in the brain:

The headband uses light electrical stimulation in the prefrontal cortex — some people feel a tingling sensation while others don’t feel anything — to balance the brain. The company said this type of stimulation helps treat ADHD symptoms like lack of focus and can compound over time as people continue to use the product. And for tracking, the device uses light to monitor and record changes in brain activity.

It only needs to be worn for 20 minutes in a day—and offers an alternative to medication—which often causes insomnia or anxiety. The headband is currently in its beta testing phase. FYI: According to a 2020 study, more than 366 million adults in the world have been diagnosed with ADHD. You can see what it looks like below. TechCrunch has more details.

A global ‘assist’ for Indian artists

Indian origin songwriter Savan Kotecha has co-founded a music publishing and management company called Outwrite—to help Indian artists make it to the global stage. Kotecha—who has worked with Ariana Grande and Weeknd—and is an Oscar- and Grammy-nominated artist, says:

Helping bring India’s incredible pool of songwriting talent to the world’s stage has become a lifelong passion of mine. For the majority of my over 20-year career, I was the only ‘Indian guy’ in the room. I’m eager to help change that.

He is partnering with songwriter Murtuza Gadiwala and talent rep Aayushman Sinha, who founded the agency REPRESENT. Reminder: Maajja—an independent record label based out of Toronto and Chennai, in collaboration with AR Rahman—promised the same to Indian artists. It produced the hit song ‘Enjoy Enjaami’. But, but, but: Rahman distanced himself from the label earlier this year as the artists weren't compensated. The News Minute has more on this controversy. (The Hollywood Reporter)

The top ‘megahub’ airport in the world is…

Heathrow! A global ‘megahub’ airport has the “highest ratio of possible scheduled international connections to the number of destinations served.” And Heathrow tops the list with 61,356 connections and 227 destinations—followed by Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Tokyo-Haneda in Japan, Schiphol in Amsterdam, and Incheon in Seoul. Delhi topped the domestic list in India—and came in at #24 in the international rankings. Mumbai is the only other Indian entry in the top 50—but it slipped 10 places from last year to #44. Check out the full list here. (Indian Express)

what caught our eye

business & tech

An update on SpiceJet’s financial crisis—the airline has signed an agreement with Ireland-based Carlyle Aviation Management, which currently owns a 6% in SpiceJet. Carlyle will write off dues owed by SpiceJet worth $40 million.
Brace for global job cuts from Samsung—up to 30% in admin and sales and marketing.
Coming soon: a sleep apnea detection feature on the Apple Watch.
404 Media (login required) has a good read on how some cybercriminals are ditching Telegram in light of founder Pavel Durov’s arrest. ICYMI: check out our two-parter Big Story on Durov’s arrest and why it matters.

sports & entertainment

Raygun can’t catch a meme break—the internet is up in arms again, because the Aussie breakdancer has been ranked as the world no. 1 by the sport’s governing body, a month after her Olympics flop show. The reason: the Olympics don’t count when calculating ranking points.
Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms is betting big on streaming, with an investment of Rs. 795 crore this year.

as for the rest

Ready for a colder-than-usual winter? The World Meteorological Organisation predicts a 60% chance of La Niña conditions in the coming months, but India is yet to confirm.
Say hello to Bihar’s new bed-and-breakfast scheme—anyone with homes near prominent tourist spots can make a bit of extra cash, and the government will pay an interest of up to Rs 2.5 lakh on loans taken for renovating rooms.
New Lines Magazine has a must-read on how India’s abortion laws offer an “illusion of choice” to pregnant women.
Hundreds of workers at Nairobi airport went on strike to protest against a deal between the government and Adani Group, grounding flights in the process.
Wall Street Journal (splainer gift link) has a good read on how Saudi Arabia’s Neom—the world’s biggest construction project—is a magnet for executives engaged in corruption, racism and misogyny, and caught in worker safety controversies. Also check out our Big Story for more.

Four things to see

One: A 14-year-old legal lafda over a mosque in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla district snowballed into protests on Wednesday. Hindu groups gathered in large numbers demanding the mosque’s demolition and clashed with the police.

Some resorted to stone-pelting.

Others faced lathi-charges from the cops.

The Print offers the most comprehensive breakdown on the legal lafda over the mosque, while Indian Express has more on the protests.

Two: Ire, ire, showroom on fire. A dissatisfied customer set the showroom on fire—unhappy with the lack of customer service. He torched six bikes in the showroom—and has since been arrested. (NDTV)

Three: Welcome back, Uber Black. The premium option offering a ride in nice cars—and shorter wait times—was cancelled in 2014. The service will first kick off in Mumbai, next week. (Economic Times)

Four: NTR Jr. fans rejoice! Here’s the trailer for the much awaited pan-Indian film ‘Devara Part 1’—his first project since ‘RRR. The cast includes Janhvi Kapoor as love interest, Saif Ali Khan as villain, along with veterans Prakash Raj and Narain. It hits theatres on September 27. Watch the action-packed trailer here. Economic Times has more plot details.