KanneBalaji

New Blog

2007-12-11T16:43:00.000+01:00

Check out my new blog link

Patent Protection issue- Novartis, Glivec

2007-08-29T17:45:00.000+02:00

KanneBalaji

A Chennai court has rejected a challenge
to the patent law filed by Novartis in a law-suit against the Indian
government, the Cancer Patient Aid Association (CPAA) and some generic
drug manufacturers in India. While the aid organizations have declared
the ruling as a victory for the “right of patients over patents”,
Novartis claims that the verdict will have long term negative consequences
for the development of better medicines.

Novartis had claimed a patent for their
anti-cancer drug Gleevec (known in India as Glivec). The cost of Glivec
for a patient for one year is around 1.4 million INR, while other companies
sell the generic version of the drug at about 1/10^th of that
price. The patent was denied by the Court on the basis of Section 3d
of the Indian patent law which disallows patents for incrementally small
innovations.

Had the case gone in favor of Novartis,
it would have prevented the generic manufacturers from producing
the drug at all. This case was very keenly followed by the international
pharmaceutical industry, global relief organizations working for greater
access to public health and generic drug manufacturers. There are about
9000 patent applications pending before the courts, most of them reflecting
a scenario similar to this one. The way these cases are settled would
thus have a profound influence on the production and sale of drugs for
a wide range of diseases affecting the world.

This issue involves many powerful players
with conflicting interests, with each trying to influence patent protection
clauses for their own benefit. This article is an attempt to understand
the view points of these various stake holders on the broader issues
of patent protection and its consequences to (a) research and development
investments by pharma firms, and (b) access to life saving drugs by
the needy.

Linked to this is the vibrant growth
of Indian generic drug manufacturers’ role in producing medicines
for export to developing countries, and even to developed nations. As
all these issues are inter-connected I will address them as a whole
and, when it is relevant , discuss specific items. This article is organized
as follows: I first present brief background information to understand
the issues and then present different view points, and finally offer
my perspective on the matter.

To start with, let us understand the
issue of pharmaceutical patents in the Indian context. A patent is an
exclusive right granted by the Government for an invention. This invention
can either be (a) a product or (b) a process that offers a new way of
doing or making something. Once the patent is granted, the invention
cannot be commercially made, used, distributed or sold without the patent
owner’s consent. The validity of the patent is for a fixed period,
usually 20 years, during which the patent holder can exclusively profit
from the invention. Therefore, it is understandable that large amounts
of money are spent to obtain and protect patents.

Patents for pharmaceutical substances
can be of two types (a) Product patents, which are given for
a given chemical substance, say a drug, or (b) Process patents,
which are for a specific way of manufacturing the substance. In the
former case, the product patent allows the patent holder to profit exclusively
from the drug, whose manufacture by any method is disallowed
to others. In the process patent, however, others are forbidden only
from producing the drug by the patented method but are free to manufacture
it by another process of their own devising, which in turn could be
patented.

For a long period of time, India granted
only process patents for pharmaceuticals. Therefore pharma companies
were free to devise a non-infringing process to manufacture a drug even
if it was protected by a (process) patent in India. This changed when
India became a member of WTO. As part of its obligation to comply with
the TRIPS agreement, the Indian Patent Act now allows a product patent
to be granted for a period of 20 years if it satisfies internationally
accepted criteria for patentability. However, the amended law also includes,
in Section 3(d), a provision that is unique to the Indian Act which
states that patents would not be given for “incremental innovations”,
i.e., new forms, uses or minor modifications of existing drugs unless
they have a demonstrated greater “efficacy” than the earlier known
one.

Given the current evolving
phase of Indian patent laws, and the ambiguity of terms like “incremental”
and “efficacy”, Novartis and other multinational drug manufacturers,
as well as the groups opposing their patent claims, strengthen their
arguments through self-serving interpretations of the Act. These technicalities
and the nuances of patent laws appear obscure and are not the primary
interest of this article. Those interested can refer to Novartis for Novartis’ point of view and to Medicine Sans Frontiers for the alternate argument.

The main concern of this article is to
reconcile two opposing views. On one hand many people believe that is
ethically untenable that patent law should offer the inventor
company exclusive rights and monopoly on their invented product, giving
them the freedom to make large amounts of profits from their product
at a price fixed by their own choice, thereby leaving people who cannot
afford the medicine to suffer, or even to die. On the other hand, pharmaceutical
industries claim that protecting innovation, and the gain through innovative
products, is the foundation for R&D investments made in the pharmaceutical
sector. Without patent protection, the latter view goes, there would
be no innovation and no new medicines.

There do exist some provisions which
individual governments can exercise to provide medicines for those who
cannot afford the prices dictated by the pharma companies. These are
in place, at least theoretically, to enable the supply of essential
medicines to poor countries and poor people. Section 3d of the Indian
patent law is one such provision introduced by the Indian government
for public health safeguards. This clause forbids the issue of patents
for incremental innovation.

There is no clear consensus on what actually
falls into the purview of incremental innovation. Section 3d is aimed
to protect genuine improvement by barring frivolous tweaking being
passed under the garb of innovation. It was introduced to prevent a
practice termed "ever greening"--- i.e., drug
companies making minor modifications to existing drugs so as to re-patent
them at the end of their patent period, and selling them as new and
improved products.

However, Novartis has argued that most
medical progress happens through incremental innovation. And if the
Indian law does not recognize these advances, it would negatively
affect the development of better medicines.

On the other hand, Medicine Sans Frontiers,
one of the leading NGO voices against Novartis, feels that allowing
patents on minor modifications would actually be a disincentive for
companies to address new medical challenges, for it would be more profitable
to work on minor changes for patents than in investing on breakthrough
innovation. And as an aside, it also argues that pharmaceutical research
is driven by market potential, and as people in developing countries
do not have the purchasing power to attract research funds for the serious
diseases that affect them, pharmaceutical research primarily
focuses on anti-wrinkle creams and anti-obesity drugs.

However, while I admit that research
funding decisions are based on a cost-benefit analysis to maximize profit
earnings, I believe that the typical culture of a research organization
will certainly not be driven by such narrow attitudes. Furthermore,
working towards incremental innovation and original inventions are usually
not two exclusively different paradigms. In fact, most breakthrough
inventions are achieved as one quantum leap in an incrementally innovational
process.

As regards the other problem, of research
focus areas not being relevant to the concerns of developing nations,
this could be better achieved by working out innovative collaborations
with pharma companies, than by denying them patent protection and depriving
them of their profits.

Let us consider the Indian example. For
a pharmaceutical company, the Indian market is not a homogenous entity.
While there exists a large population of poor people with limited or
no access to health care, there also exists a sizeable affluent population.
A blanket protection against high drug prices, in the name of the poor,
resulting in medicines being offered at cheap prices to affluent people
cannot be a rational policy. Hence the Indian government can try to
work on a differential pricing arrangement with pharma companies for
the different markets that India comprises. The Indian government (or
alternate monitoring/regulatory global bodies) can in return persuade
the pharma companies to invest the profits gained from the affluent
section of its population in medical research of concern to the country.

Research organizations like Novartis
should work collaboratively with generic drug manufacturers, without
claiming monopoly rights for critical drugs, to enable greater
medical access to the entire population. The generic pharma companies
in turn should reward the inventor by sharing a part of their profits
for drugs within the patent regime sold in developing countries and
the patent-expired drugs they sell to developed nations. Both players
can thereby evolve a workable business strategy based on mutual trust.

Let us now consider the much-discussed
issue of public access to drugs. Sustainable access to medicines in
developing countries is a complex issue. Improving access to healthcare
depends on a variety of factors

existence of trained healthcare
staff and infrastructure

accessibility of the healthcare
facility and quality of care

availability of affordable
medicines

cultural acceptability of
treatment(e.g. Islamic groups opposition to the polio vaccination drive
in India recently)

and other factors.

The availability of medicines at reduced,
off-patent, prices is just one aspect to this complex problem. That
said, it is however a significant factor and a genuine commitment to
address it is needed.

In the Glivec case, Novartis asserts
that it is strongly committed to ensure that all patients have access
to the medicine they need, and claims that 99% of the people who need
Glivec are given the medicine free of cost through the Glivec International
patient assistance program(GIPAP). However, this cannot be extended
across the spectrum of other patented medicines. I believe corporate
donations are not a sustainable solution to the problem. On this issue,
all international pharmaceutical companies should come forward to work
with government or non-governmental organizations for greater public
access of patented medicines. This should not be just regarded as a
public relations exercise to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility.
A few things that these pharmaceutical companies can do are to

offer not to file for patent
protection for certain drugs in very poor countries and work with the
respective government to enable access to the medicines that are needed
locally. Such an act will gain them greater respect and credibility
in the eyes of public.

collaboratively
work with drug manufacturers in poor nations to deal with

Infrastructure and stock-out contingencies.

An open attitude harmonizing corporate
patent profit objectives with the privileges conferred to generic drug
manufacturers, and concern for a general access to health care with
an acknowledgement of the obvious buying power of the Indian affluent
class, would facilitate policy development on a case by case basis for
individual drugs. Upon such learning from individual cases can be evolved
a generic strategy to attack this most important health case issue of
our time.

RajaMohan on resumption of Indo-Pak dialgue

2006-11-13T11:58:00.000+01:00

In this impressive http://www.newindpress.com/newspages.asp?page=m&Title=Main+Article& article & RajaMohan presents a very pragmatic approach to the criticism on the resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue. He addresses the popular argument that cross-border terrorism is a conscious state policy of Pakistan, and presents a practical solution to change that situation.

As with most of RajaMohan’s article the framework and the approach that he presents has a larger applicability and can be put to use in most other real-life situations as well. The arguments does not confine itself to the context of foreign policy relations.

Gastro-Intenstinal Cancer Screening in Chennai

2006-11-06T05:53:00.000+01:00

Around the CityHindu - Chennai,IndiaThere will be a gastro-intestinal cancer-screening programme for the public at the ... The Excell Career India would be offering free counselling for the civil ...

Website for Cancer Info

2006-10-31T09:43:00.000+01:00

Cancer Information, Research, and Treatment OncoLink - The Web's ...OncoLink, the Web's first cancer resource, provides comprehensive information on cancer treatments, cancer research advances, continuing medical education, ...

News alerts: Edited version

2006-10-31T05:27:00.000+01:00

I try to edit the news alert(as it most often contains too many irrelevant information) and update regularly in my Cancer Support blog.

Laparoscopy conference excites surgeons from Pakistan, BangladeshAfternoon Dispatch & Courier - Bombay,India... conference last weekend in which 250 surgeons from India and other ... that we covered include bariatric surgery, hysterectomy, cancer hysterectomy, splenectomy ...
TASK FORCE ON CANCER MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES IN INDIAPress Information Bureau (press release) - New Delhi,IndiaThe one day first collaborative meeting of the Task Force on Cancer Management Guidelines in India was inaugurated today by Surg. ...See all stories on this topic
Study finds added gene risk for breast cancerReuters India - Mumbai,IndiaLONDON (Reuters) - Women with close relatives suffering from breast cancer who do not have the main genetic mutations

Daily Alert Cancer from Google search

2006-10-27T09:00:00.000+02:00

I get as mail alert from Google on Cancer and Cancer India on a daily basis. I plan to post it in my blog everyday. This would be posted on the Cancer Support blog

Google News Alert for: cancer
£100,000 cash cancer charity pledge gives drive to growScotsman - United KingdomA CHARITY saved from collapse is set for a huge expansion with a new centre dedicated to the support of children with cancer and their families. ...
Lung cancer study shows CAT scans could aid survivalThe Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia... The study of nearly 32,000 people in eight countries raises hope that early detection by CT scans might reduce the death toll of lung cancer, much as ...See all stories on this topic
Cancer Society seeks €2 increase in price of 20 cigarettesIrish Examiner - Cork,IrelandThe Irish Cancer Society is calling on the Government to increase the price of 20 cigarettes by at least €2m in this December's budget. ...See all stories on this topic
Body fat blocks cancer-killing pathway in miceCancer Research UK - News & Resources - London,UKMany studies have suggested a link between body fat and some forms of cancer, but working out the biological reasons for this has proved to be challenging. ...See all stories on this topic
NIH grant to further MSU cancer researchMSU Today - East Lansing,MI,USAOctober 26, 2006 - Transferring cancer research from the laboratories to clinics and hospital bedsides is the goal of an MSU project that is being funded by a ...See all stories on this topic
Rockville biotech begins human trials on lung cancer drugWashington Business Journal - Washington,DC,USAEntreMed has launched a first round of human trials on lung cancer patients for a drug already in clinical tests to battle other forms of cancer. ...See all stories on this topic
Breast Cancer :: Update on familial breast cancer guidelineSpiritIndia - New Delhi,New Delhi,IndiaBreast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. Worldwide, it is the most common form of cancer in females, affecting approximately 10 ...See all stories on this topic
Breast cancer screening is not without risksGlobe and Mail - CanadaThe European headlines read something like this: "Breast Screening Concerns Raised" and "Researchers Question Benefits of Breast Cancer Screening.". ...See all stories on this topic
Cancer top cause of death in stateSeattle Times - United StatesBy Susan Gilmore. For the first time in the state, cancer has replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death. According to ...See all stories on this topic
Centralisation of cancer careIrish Health - IrelandHealth Minister Mary Harney has given approval to the HSE to proceed with new facilities for radiation oncology cancer treatment at Beaumont and St James's ...See all stories on this topic
HK scientists identify cancer-blocking proteinReuters AlertNet - London,England,UKHONG KONG, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Scientists in Hong Kong have identified a protein that can help suppress the growth of prostate cancer cells, the third most ...See all stories on this topic
Google Blogs Alert for: cancer
Risks for Cancer Among Latinos Varies According to National OriginThe American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute, and North American Association of Central Cancer Registries collaborate annually to provide US cancer information, this year featuring ...NSHP - National Society for Hispanic... - http://www.nshp.org
Meet the Bloggers: Dalene EntenmannBy Jacki Donaldson So without further ado, I introduce you to breast cancer survivor and writer ... What advice would you give the newly-diagnosed cancer patient? ... Cancer overshadowed my perspective and hijacked the direction I was headed in before the ...The Cancer Blog - http://www.thecancerblog.com
My uncle has cancerBy TheBigO(TheBigO) I found out about two weeks ago my Uncle Dave has cancer. At that time, I wasn’t really that concerned since this was the second time he was diagnosed with cancer. ... The doctors aren’t sure if it’s the same cancer as before or not. ...TheBigO’s blog - http://thebigo.vox.com/library/posts/page/1/
Researchers: Less drinking, smoking reduces breast cancer riskBy admin Benjamin Paz, panel member and program co-director for the City of Hope Breast Center, told the lunch crowd of young Capitol Hill staffers that one in eight women in the room was likely to develop breast cancer in her lifetime. ...- http://americanobserver.net
Scientists develop nano-probes that can seek out and kill cancer ...UC Davis researchers, working with scientists at Triton BioSystems in Boston, have developed a way to attach nanoscale bioprobes to cancer cells, heat the probes and kill the malignant cells. The system has worked in laboratory mice. ...digg / Health / digg - http://digg.com/health
Cancer Journals Now Subscribed to OnlineBy Health Sciences Library Cancer Research. 1999 to present. Clinical Cancer Research. 1995 to present ... 1991 to present. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 2001 to present. Molecular Cancer Research. 2002 to present. Cell Growth & Differentiation. 1999-2001.Health Sciences Library, JABSOM - http://jabsomlibrary.blogspot.com
Cancer Genomes: Discovery and Applications (NIH-Only)Center for Cancer Research - National Cancer Institute Grand Rounds The primary educational objective of these seminars is to provide new information, ideas, and discussion about timely areas of research with impact on the field of ...Videocast Upcoming Events - http://videocast.nih.gov/
Heavy coverage for NEJM paper on lung cancer screening benefitsBy Charlie Petit The idea that regular CAT scans or other screenings for lung cancer are a good idea among smokers or former smokers makes a lot of intuitive sense. That may be why, as AP’s Alicia Chang writes, so many have been paying for them on their ...Knight Science Journalism Tracker - http://ksjtracker.mit.edu
Types of Thyroid CancerBy jwest06 Discover all the types of thyroid cancer current affecting people in the world. Learn how it works and if it's preventable. Channel: Health & Fitness Tags: thryoid thyroid cancer cancer.Netscape.com Health & Fitness Stories - http://www.netscape.com
Lung cancer detection breakthroughBy Jean Enersen It's the biggest breakthrough in lung cancer in 50 years, says Dr. Ralph Aye at Seattle's Swedish Medical Center. In tests led by a New York group in which Swedish participated, researchers found that a high-tech X-ray called a "spiral ...Blogger KING - http://blogs.king5.com/
Lung cancer screening trial - how the news reports...By Emily DeVoto(Emily DeVoto) Today's New England Journal of Medicine presents the results of a study on lung cancer screening. This study purports to test the value of spiral computerized tomography (spiral CT) against lung cancer in smokers and former smokers, ...The Antidote: Counterspin for... - http://health-counterspin.blogspot.com/index.html

Fund Raising Event

2006-08-26T07:12:00.000+02:00

Karunashraya is a hospice care center in Bangalore. It provides care, support for the terminal cancer patients. This palliative care center is organising a fund raising event in October. I read about the event in the local newspaper and had called up to find information about the L. Subramaiam's violin concert(the planned event).

The event is planned in a star hotel and the plan for the evening is a banquet dinner, followed by the music concert. It costs 5000INR for a couple. I opted to not buy the ticket, for its beyond what I think as my affordablity range for this cause.

While I do understand the rationale behind such events, it somehow irks me(may not be the appropriate word, would correct it if someone suggests a suitable one) that the events organised for fund raising are so unconnected to the cause. Its hard for me to appreciate that a fun evening in a posh restaurant is the way, a donor would want to offer their support for such a cause. Instead, it would be a lot better if they organise the show in the center itself, and the donors get to spend and see the life of the patients and have the musical event in their company.

My Cancer

2006-06-28T16:07:00.000+02:00

Anger is the reaction most people expect. But who, or what, can I be angry at? I guess I could go outside and shake my fist at the universe, but really, aside from scaring the neighbors, what is that going to accomplish?

My Cancer

Nirmal Shekhar

2006-06-27T05:49:00.000+02:00

In a place not very far from Charles Darwin's celebrated country estate, evolution is an excruciatingly slow process. The wimbledon season begins and we can look forward to a daily dose of Nirmal Shekar's article

Subramaniya Raju kathai thogupu

2006-06-23T08:59:00.000+02:00

Badri's Kizhaku Pathipagam has come out with the compilation of works of Subramania Raju. I have heard a lot about this story writer in the writings of Balakumaran and one of my favourite books of his Irumbu kuthiraigal is dedicated to this writer and the name of the leaidng male character is his. பத்ரியின் வலைப்பதிவுகள்

Breast cancer support groups conference

2006-06-22T10:55:00.000+02:00

Hello,

I am writing to let you all know that Mumbai is hosting the 3rd Asia Pacific Reach to Recovery International Breast Cancer Support Groups Conference from 7-10 November 2006.

We are now accepting registrations online at www.jagruti.org.in.

Let me personally invite you to try and make it to Mumbai this November. I promise it will be an experience to remember.

Some of the topics that will be covered for NGOs and support groups include Nursing, Leadership development, Patient information, Advocacy. For patients we will discuss Conflict Resolution, Rights of young women, Quality of life. Emphasis is being given to providing opportunities to share your views with others with similar background.

Please feel free to pass this on to anyone else you may think would be interested. Let me know in case you have any queries.

Shubha Maudgal,
Cancer Patients Aid Association,
Anand Niketan,
King George V Memorial Infirmary,
Dr. E. Moses Road,
Mahalaxmi,
Mumbai-400011, INDIA
Phone: 0091-22-24924000
0091-22-24928775
Fax: 0091-22-24973599
URL: www.cpaaindia.org
Email: Shubha.Maudgal@cpaaindia.org

Paul Ehrlich

2006-06-22T09:21:00.000+02:00

Paul Ehrlich, founder of Chemotheraphy

பத்ரியின் வலைப்பதிவுகள்

2006-06-16T06:48:00.000+02:00

More than the post/issue and the cause per se..its amazing to see Badri's commitment and attitude towards the issues he talks about. He really means the title of his English Blog

பத்ரியின் வலைப்பதிவுகள்

Link from Uma's blog

2006-05-19T06:40:00.000+02:00

Cancer Baby

When you talk to people about a disaster, any disaster for that matter, a common declaration by most participants in the conversation is the statement that they "cannot imagine" what the victims are going through. As a cancer patient, I've heard this statement countless times as it relates to my own personal tragedy -- so much so, in fact, I've concluded that the sentiment it conveys is somehow fundamental to the way people witness and experience the suffering of others. The perverse thing about it, of course, is that even though the statement is typically uttered by those attempting to be sensitive to stories of personal anguish and heartbreak, it actually functions to alienate the afflicted by codifying their difference and casting it into the realm of the extraordinary, wherein their suffering becomes "unimaginable."

M.K. Venkatraman

2006-03-20T06:53:00.000+01:00

Most engineering/science students in TamilNadu must have used the books of M.K. Venkatraman. I found a news item in The Hindu about his passing away last week.

Most of the books of this author that I have read are literal adaptation
of some of the world renowned books on the same topic. It usually includes solutions to the problem set that are left as exercises in those books. Inspite of the above mentioned fact, I consider that a lot of student community(including myself) has benefited from such efforts. Such efforts are all the more relevant in situations where the original books were not accesible to students for a variety of reasons(higher cost,less exposure or just the fact the original ones are extremely difficult to understand).

This blog post is a small acknowledgement to the learning I have derived from the books of Dr. M.K. Venkatraman.

indianwriting: Palliative Care Workshop: April 8, Kolkata

2006-03-19T06:30:00.000+01:00

indianwriting: Palliative Care Workshop: April 8, Kolkata

Sowmya

2006-03-18T15:35:00.000+01:00

I have visited Sowmya's site a few times in the past. It was extremely saddening to read about her sad demise in her brothers article today. Tears rolled down my eyes when I read those last words in her blog

Thanks for visiting. Do come back after a few months.

. I could personally relate to the pain, anguish expressed by her brother. My sincere condolences and my thoughts are with her and her family during these extremely difficult times in life.

Alex Update

2006-02-04T09:18:00.000+01:00

Alex turned 8! You can't imagine how amazing it is for me to write that sentence. I wish I could say that I never doubted for a moment that she would make it to this age, but I'd be lying.

This is a website documenting the life of Alex and her fight against
Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Personally its quite inspiring for me the efforts of
the parents towards cord blood bank.

Link

There is also a request

I also have a small favor to ask everyone. At the end of December Google dropped Alex's Coupons in the rankings, so we're once again scrambling to get people to our site. This has happened twice before to us. The first time it took 3 months for us to regain our rankings, the second time it took 3 weeks. This time it's already been five weeks and there's no sign of things turning around anytime soon. We've managed to retain our return traffic, and even gained traffic from Yahoo, but overall we're averaging about half the number of visitors we were averaging in December.

Just take a few minutes to visit the site as it might help their cause in improving the number of visitors to their site.

indianwriting: Sisters...

2006-01-27T19:27:00.000+01:00

indianwriting: Sisters...

indianwriting: Bombay blood group wanted....

2006-01-23T05:25:00.000+01:00

indianwriting: Bombay blood group wanted....

Jan 23rd Balaji

2006-01-23T03:03:00.000+01:00

Just providing a couple of links.

On Sunday the 23rd of January Sonia passed away due to complications arising from treatment for her leukemia. She passed the same way that she lived her life, with dignity and peace..

Visit Sonia's personal webpage she had created.

An article about hospice
care that appeared in The Hindu.

Meet on Paediatric Oncology

2005-12-01T07:36:00.000+01:00

SIOP 2007 E – Newsletter

“Let us not be content to wait and see what happens. Let us have the determination and make the right things happen.”

Dear Colleagues,

I am happy to share with you that ‘SIOP – 2007’ is being held in Mumbai between 30th October and 3rd November, 2007

At the onset we would like to introduce SIOP to you. SIOP is the major global organization concerned with the issues of children and young people who have cancer. For the past 40 years it has brought together doctors of many different disciplines to develop better care for this disease. SIOPs mission is to bring the best possible care for children with cancer to the farthest corners of the globe. It is currently a minority of sufferers who have access to the incredible advances which have been made over the lifetime of SIOP. When we started, 75% of children with cancer died. Now, with the best treatment 75% can be cured. However, there are many parts of the world where few, if any, children have access to the best, or even limited treatment. SIOP aims to bring together all of those concerned with the care of children with cancer.

This has come as a wonderful opportunity to get together and showcase the work being done in the field of pediatric oncology in India.

There is a special segment for parents and childhood cancer survivors.

We are writing to you to ask you to join in this effort. Let us all come together and make the best use of this platform to project our work and our ideas.

Looking forward to hearing from you at the earliest (last date 31st Dec.)

Mrs. Neelima Dalvi Dr. Shubha Maudgal
Co-ordinators for Parents / Survivors Program,
Local Organizing Committee – SIOP 2007

(P. S.:- If you wish to recommend any individual who can be an effective Keynote / Speaker / Analyst in any of the sessions, please feel free to let us have their names and their special interest)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name of Organization:

Contact Details:

Scope of Work:

I would like to send a paper / be a panelist / be a speaker / short film / presentation / give an idea & suggestions for the forthcoming SIOP 2007 conference.

I would like some more information on

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tentative Topics & Speakers For Parents Programme
Children / Families in Crisis
Funding aspects in developing countries
ACT Experience Childhood Cancer Survivors : Cure and Care
Psycho-social aspects for Pediatric Palliative patients.
Updates in Pediatric Social Research
Brain Tumour Foundation Experience
Childhood Cancer Survivors: Fertility, Vocational Guidance, Psyciatric effects
Creating Groups-Marketing Branding Sustaining. Managing volunteers
Communicating bad news- Risk / Palliation
Non Conventional therapies
Art and writing as a means of expression
Special problems of cancer in adolescents.
Effect on family, especially siblings.

You have received this mail because you have written to the website in the past or are a friend of CPAA. If you would not like to get correspondence from us in the future, please reply to this email with the message "Unsubscribe."

Regards,
Shubha Maudgal,
Director, New Projects,
Cancer Patients Aid Association,
Anand Niketan, King George V Memorial Infirmary, Dr. E. Moses Road, Mahalaxmi,
Mumbai-400011, INDIA
Phone: 0091-22-24924000 / 0091-22-24928775
Fax: 0091-22-24973599
URL: www.cpaaindia.org
Email: Shubha.Maudgal@cpaaindia.org

Madras Nalla Madras

2005-11-29T21:30:00.000+01:00

Muthiah however has always called himself a storyteller and as is his wont, he proceeded to enthral his audience with the tale of how this particular book came into being. It's a saga of passion and perseverance.
Link to a new book release from Muthiah.

Also an interesting article from C. RajaMohan
Indian Feckless Service

Tuft

2005-11-19T22:11:00.000+01:00

Sport a kudumi (tuft) and I will get you a job in a local post office

In those days only persons with a tuft were preferred for government service. I put my foot down and said `No.'

Interview with the creator of some of the evergreen comedy segments of tamil cinema.

Also a nice and sensible
article strange it does not link to the article directly. The article
in Openpage that i intent to link is In defence of good doctors.

Controversy over Suhasini's remark

2005-11-18T22:10:00.000+01:00

Found in the Hindus letter to the editor.

The present controversy brings to mind an extract from a letter written by Bertrand Russell to The New York Times on August 26, 1940, over his being prevented from teaching at the New York City College. Russell wrote: "I do not believe that controversy is harmful on general grounds. It is not controversy and open differences that endanger democracy. On the contrary, these are its greatest safeguards. It is an essential part of democracy that substantial groups, even majorities, should extend toleration to dissentient groups, however small and however much their sentiments may be outraged. In a democracy it is necessary that people should learn to endure having their sentiments being outraged."

Mathew Koshy,
Tiruvalla, Kerala

Prof. Madhu Dandavate

2005-11-16T09:40:00.000+01:00

Its quite commendable.
Link

PAARISIL SHANKARLAL

2005-11-14T17:09:00.000+01:00

appo enakku 14 vayasu. innikki mathiriye annikkum
ilakku illamal (manam partha jamedar theruvil) poi
kondu iruntha ennai guruvayoorappan kooptan.
'Kavithakku' poren, variyannu kettan. porathukku oru
edam kidachuthungarathu vida kavithannu pombela pera
sonnathunala etho ninappula sari varennutten.
ponappuramthan kavithanarathu pombala illa,
annikuthethila vellorela iruntha ore lending
librarynnu therindjudhu. library kitta ponavudana guru
sattaya thooki athuvaraikkum vayathula sorugi
vachurintha gundu pusthagatha velila eduthan. ennada
ithunnu ketten.. satharnama ethayume surukkama solla
tehriyadha guru, athey idathula nikka vachu en kitta
antha 400 pakka pusthagamana 'honkongil shankarlal'
kathaya ore moochulasolli mudichan. Pusthagam 400
pakkamna guruvoda sontha sarakkellam sethu..
kittathatta moonu mani neram sonnan. neram porathu
theiryama kettundu irunden.. avan annikki pusthagatha
ulla kondu varuvana mattanangara guess worklaye
thannoda edathula okanthundu engala kolai veryoda
parthundu iruntha librariyanukku, kittathata guru
mathiriye thanna kayavakkapora innoru characterthan
guruvoda nikkarankarathu theriyadu. kathaya oru
mathiri mudichuttu.. booka katti eduthuttu poi
padikkarayannu kettan .. avanoda narationnala
shankarlal perla periya arvam erpatta nan, athan entha
book katha theriyume, vera shankarlal thupparigirar
irundha eduthukkarennu sonnen. librarykku innoru
member kidachuttangara ninappula librariyan enkitta
membership irubathu rooba.. oru bookukku nalanannu..
sonnar.. guru avar sonnatha kettutu, 'dey balaji nee
ethukkuda member aganum, ithu namba harioda chithappa
kada.. inga memberlam aga vendam.. thavura nama ore
nalla booka thirppi kudutha pathu kasu kodutha
podhumnan.. ithe guruvayoorappan than pinnalil nan
football vilayadalamannu ketta vodene .. enga kitta
ball illengarathunala oru clubbe arambikkalamnu
sonnan. antha clubukku ball bladerlam vanga antha
therula irukkara ella veetlayum kasu colecct
pannalamnan, clubbukku keta ellarum kuduppangannu idea
kuduthan. nanga football velayda theruvula
irukkaravallam ethukku kasu kodukkanumnu enakku
puriyalai. ethavida periya acharyam ennana nama veedu
veeda poi kasu ketta vudane, yarume mattennu sollama
oru rooba rendu rooba koduthathu than..
guruvayorrappan veetoda kadumayana porlathara nilamai
avanukku kathukkodithiruntha padangala ketta carl
marxe achariya paduvar. avan suggestionla nan
librarila edutha pushthagam than 'paarisil
shankarlal'. paris raniya yaro kolai pannidara. athu
yarunnu paris policalayum, scotland yard alayum
kandupiddikka mudiyama poga tamil nattula irunthu
shankarlala koopidaranga. avarum,inspector vagap
matrum kathirikkayum serthu eppadi kolai karana kandu
pidikkarangarathuthan kathai.. intha ore kathainala
shankarlal mela enakku bayangara eedupadu vanthu
tamilvananu sonnale oru veriyoda books padikka
arambichnan. padippadiya matha writersayum padikka
arambichen. thamizh illakiyathukkum enakkum innikki
varakkum irukkara thodarbukku intha pusthagam periya
karanam.. ulagathula irukkara ella mukya
kalaingnargalayum ethovidathula padicha paris en
ilakkiya eedupattukkum karanamgaratha ninakkum podhu
acharyama irukku..

kalaingargara varthaya type ponnumpothu, samibathla
police kitta dharma adi vangina karunanidhi nyabagam
varama kalaignannu padam eduthu sivaji filmsa bondi
akkina kamal than ninavukku varar..

Ayudha Pooja

2005-11-06T08:44:00.000+01:00

It is time for story of pumpkins.
It was observed that lot of pumpkins were squashed,
after a much pampered time. shades of pumpkins
had been hung/laid/decorated before episode
of MASS SQUASH.

Much heat was generetad
by civic exenora . in fact a person who
had his antennae probed for a quarrel or two
in this matter. he asked people abt to
destroy a pumpkin to squash it on his head rather
on roads(true life episode).as we all know the
negative effects of pumpkin squashing on roads.

It was one of those days
i happened to visit one of my friends house
for a religious function. it was at that moment
a pumpkin in all granduer was dispatched to its
end. The person( was a guy named 'ezhumalai',
was in an inebriated state) . He made two
perfect circles and last one turned up to
be a "De-Broglie" wave. He squashed the pumpkin.
I wondered a lone pumpkin was guessing what work
had to de done. Some pumpkins were light whereas others
were heavy. Last years pals had not done
not so a good job in warding off evils!!! and the
major task had fallen on these unfortunate ones.
It is also believed a colored/heavier pumpkin
indicates the index of prosperity of the possessor.

For a good deed or two for next year's
ayudha pooja, it is better to have a dummy pumpkin
undergo these trials than put to stress test
these little ones, which are brimming with seeds
within.As for me I am a busy bee and spectator
to these rituals as USUAL.

---VK

PTC bus ride

2005-11-06T08:36:00.000+01:00

Recently I was towards tambaram., I happened
to witness a incident. A man was sitting
near the window ( last row in PTC bus), It was
moderately crowded. Hovewer there was not
space enough for a singular women to get accomodated.
She requested the man to get up. Immediately
he refused. As a consequence 2 or 3 chivalrous
gentlemen sided with the women. He started a
howl stating that 50-50 rule was now in the
offing. He sounded a male chauvinistic person(
pig is a derogatory word for a gentleman, even
in the worst case). He started with govt policies
awarding policies with an equanimous mentality,
not differentiating between man and woman. Why should
he be treated like this( it left me wondering
whether he should be altogether stopped being viewed
as a man). He ended with a disastrous note for
AMMA( saying that we have a woman CM , alli
rani rajyam and so forth. It looked
like a priemeval latent explosive force abt
to consume the entire womanhood,)

He was teribbly emotive. Finally the conductor
was subdued by his arguments and womenfolk and men
( as they follow women even in judgement!!!)
accepted the person;s views. I as usual
was nuetral to the whole proceeding.

--VK

Chennai City Roundup on V'Day

2005-11-06T08:26:00.000+01:00

As elders have said time and again,
"dont believe what you hear.
dont beleive what you see.
detailed investigation to get to bottom of the heart:))"
i was watching all this from a coffe cafe.

I had done a lighthouse scan of event happenings
on valentines Day.( OF COURSE alone, me and Self:)))
The day ended with flying, burst, crushed, unsold
baloons. a plethora of combinations regarding balloons
( RED colored HEART (if there is one) shaped ), you
guys might have spotted the same on the roads.

Some ill informed folks in madras decided to celebrate , nay glorify it
in name of LORD VELA .( non peters i mean). story goes that lord vela
married two ladies,
called "pazhani andi " also. and hence lord vela-entine

as to the mr& mrs.peters they banged onto St.valentine( poor saint
dragged even into this matter) and celebrated
in his honour.

1. pair of baloons at the same height=> love succeeded
pairs , PURSE weighty guy or girl...
2. one baloon flying , next a few metres below
the first one => undecided lover , PURSE may be lighter..
3.crushed ones=> something went wrong on mr or mrs
PURSE.
4.unsold ones=> barber's paradox, the guy who sells baloons.
and had unsold ones .
5.Two crushed balloons=> some one in the way or are both
bankrupt.
6. A peculiar situation was 2 baloons and a third one
joining the fray?? => is it a love triangle
7. some guys had plenty of balloons => first come first.
not decided as to which one to give to???
that applies to girls also.
( all the above may be steamy or funny)
finally i had a cup of coffe and came out to see
a one year KID giving a balloon to his father.
in that eyes i saw the true love, A LOVE which doesnt
expect anything in return , ( sundi it is a bit too
senti) the kid was radiating innocence and positive
energy and looked angelic.

that reminded the true love one radiates towards one's parents,
friends,devoted partner, and anything under the'
world demanding crystal clear relationships.
the long road I was travelling was filled with treachory,malice,
falsities on one side and
equally many positive happenings around me.The Kid
was a teacher to me in these matters.

--VK.

Two Poems

2005-11-05T22:46:00.000+01:00

These were two poems written just after the Sept 11th attack and when the US decided
to go on a war aaginst Afghanistan
----

1.(chinna kozhanthaigal paduthundu katril verumaiyil
kai
veesi vilayadumpothu kadavulodu vilayaduvathaga oru
perception namma oorla undu... this poem is based on
that)

antha kuzhandai rojavai vitterindha podhu
kadavul kai neeti pidikka vendi irundhadhu..
kadavul thadumariyadhu kandu kuzhandhai "galuk"
endru sirithathu
ippodhu kadavul murai..
mella kaiyai katril oru murai veesi vittu
kuzhandhaikku pokku katti vittu
rojavai katril erindhar
kadavul
roja antharathil midhandhu vandhu
kuzhandhai athai kaipatrum antha nodiyil
antha kuzhandai amarndhirundha vimanam
noorumadi kattidam ondril sidari
neruppu pandhanathu..
roja innum antharathil

veroru nalil kandhaharil oru kuzhandai
peyar vaikka yarum illai..
enave..
innum peyar veykkavillai..
rojavai veesuvathil romba samarthu..
kaduvule asaipattu vilayada varuvar..
andru kadavulodana romba swarasyamana vilayattin
naduve
thoorakke varum vimanangalin satham
kuzhandaiyin gavanathai kalaikkirthu
bayam
azhath thodangu girathu.

pinnoru galathi kadavul vilayada kuzhandhaigal indri
thanimayil verumaiyil..

2.oru kannathil arainthal maru kannathaiyum kattu
endru..
nam nambi mandi idum yesu sonnathu
nammaku alla num ethirikkaga..

natcahthirangalodu potti idum velichathundangalai
vanil irundu pozhiyum
vedi gundu mazhaiyai rasippom
seerippayum por vimananagal.. aha.. enna vegam..
enna vegam..
antha evuganaigal athu kalathin achariyam
ellam iravu nerathil nadappathal parka romba
urchagamaga irukkum.
nam veetu kuzhanthaigalukku vedikkai katti unavu
ootalam
nadantha gorathirkku sariyana pathiladi endru
perumaippdalam..
enna..
keezhe sila pachilam kuzhantahigal madinthu pogum..
pala yavathigal kadalargalaiyum
oru desam kanavugalayum
izhakkum
pin varum thalaimuraigal plutoniakkattrai swasithu..
vinodha valigal kollum..
sooriyanayum neeraium unavaga mattrum parinappin
acharyamana thavarangal..
ange uyir thulirkka anjum..
ithuvarai avan sonnathai nambatha silarayum namba
vaikkum..

athanalenna..

namakku thevai vanavedikkaigal.. vignyana
acharyangal..

vinnil mithakkum seyarkaikolgal
vilambarangalodu serthu..
vedikkaiyai
nam veettu padukkai araiyil thuppum vetkaiyodu
kathirukkindrana..

un oru kannathil arainthal maru kannathaiyum kattu
endru nam nambi mandyidum yesu sonnathu namakkalla
......num ethirikkaga..

Manam Thirappen

2005-10-26T15:29:00.000+02:00

Finally got to watch Rajnikanths Chandramukhi silver jubilee celebration function that was telecast
on SUNTV a couple of weeks ago. I have not seen the film yet. There were quite some expectations about Rajni's speech at the function. As in the past it turned out to be a no show. Its really extremely disappointing for me(and me for die hard fans of Rajni like myself) to see the current days Rajni who is so calculative to avoid controversies and doesnt speak his usual extempore style.
Actually, its not just the style..it would have the honesty that would be a mark of most of the peoples heroes..
I hope that he does not invite PMK leader as chief guest for the inaguration of his next movie Sivaji to make peace with him.. for he might think that would enable commercial success of the film.
Seeing Rajni these days only reminds me of the comedy dialgue in one of those recent tamil film..
"Eppadi Iruntha Nan Ippadi Ayitten"

Am glad that apart from Narasimhan(a personal friend of mine) there is also someone else caring to look for update in my blog. Thanks
Tilotamma(hers is one of my favourite blogs) for caring to drop in at my blog to look for updates.

Leukemia newsletter update for the month of october.

Dr. Shantha of the Adyar Cancer Institute
calls for forging voluntary cancer network
to spread awareness. Actually the role of NGO's on cancer support and awareneess leaves a lot to be desired.

Role of pesticide use on cancer incidence

2005-09-23T09:30:00.000+02:00

Link to an article on the issue of high incidence of cancer in Punjab and its relation to
the use of pesticides.

National Cancer Rose Day

2005-09-22T10:40:00.000+02:00

National Cancer Rose Day is observed by various cancer support groups in India
on the 22nd September. I have read somewhere that it is observed in memory of
Melinda Rose, a young woman who died of a rare form of cancer in 1996, at the age of 15.
I looked into Melinda's
home page. The thing that I found very impressive in her page is her gentle insistence
that she be known to others... as a real person and not just as a girl with cancer.

Counting people, discounting their worth

2005-08-25T09:57:00.000+02:00

Link to an intersting article on the inclusive notions of development in the society

Supreme court veridct nd aftermath

2005-08-17T15:12:00.000+02:00

Link I understand that the rationale for the start of the instituions
is that the state felt that it cannot carry the complete burden of the cost involved
in imparting higher professional education and wanted the private players and the
public(through self financing) contribute to the cost of it. But J.Jayalalitha
has a point that this cannot be just viewed strictly as a legal issue(though she argues it
for the limited perspective on the issue of reservation).

Hope this situation leads to a meaningful debate on the question of fundamental role
of the state in the running of the private sector maintained professional institutions.
Hindus
editiorial also focuses on this issue.

Tribute to P.K. Srinivasan

2005-08-15T10:39:00.000+02:00

Link from The Hindu a tribute to a mathematics teacher. Though I think
the elite urban schools were the most beneficiaries of the programme even the stateboard schhol
students who had done their 12th during late 80s and 90ś(the phase am familiar with)
had benefited a lot with his Question bank book an effort realised by the Association of Mathematics Teachers of India.

A hindu article link

2005-08-12T11:36:00.000+02:00

Link

Aside magazine..

2005-08-11T10:25:00.000+02:00

Hit upon a very interesting interview by the editor of now defunct magazine
Aside through a link from a blog by someone called Tilottama.
I used to read the magazine Aside regularly during my school going days..nd have many a times wondered what has happened to that magazine..particularly like in the current times where we see a mushrooming of city centric publications(most of them r terrible but just survive due to advtsing patronage by the local business community)..I think Aside was one of the first of its kind..but at that time i was not aware who the editor was nd all..

But thanks to the link got a chnace to read a very nice interview nd know him..

Interview

Also wanted to mention about an intersting view point on the movie Anniyan
in a review posted in the current issue of the magazine Theeranathi(a literary magazine
from the Kumudam group..www.kumudam.com)..have nt seen the film myself..

This I believe show in NPR

2005-08-10T10:34:00.000+02:00

I have listened to quite a few good number of episodes in this programme This I belive
in National Public Radio NPR. This
story that I listened to really stuck me a lot particularly the following lines..
which I belive applies to a whole range of situation we encounter in life.

""Always go to the funeral" means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don't feel like it. I have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don't really have to and I definitely don't want to. I'm talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the world to the other guy. You know, the painfully under-attended birthday party. The hospital visit during happy hour."

Challenging situations in life

2005-08-09T10:29:00.000+02:00

Listen to the
story an interview with a mother who lost her daughter during the daughters
pregnancy and is now raising the child born. It was a heart wrenching situation and choices to
deal with.

At one stage of the interview..it appears that she had lost her husband 3yrs before this tragedy..she had to mention this as a response to a query whether the father was part of the decision at that time..nd the next thing she said is am 53yrs old and am doing OK..
that single line said a lot..

She also had to say some words of comfort to the parents who had recently
had a baby born to a mother on life support.

Link to RajaMohans article

2005-08-09T09:28:00.000+02:00

A Link to his latest article in Express.

Book Review

2005-08-02T12:31:00.000+02:00

A critical review of the book THE WORLD IS FLAT — A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21st Century: by author Thomas Friedman

The book title is a favourite tag line of the proponents of the Globalisation. I personally felt
the reviewer could have offered more insight on the opposite idea.

Got a personal anectode about the there will not be a war betwen 2 countries which has got a
McDonalds..hope to post it next.

First Post

2005-08-02T12:30:00.000+02:00

I start with a couple of nice articles i got to read in the last cuple of days..
A nice article by P. Sainath on the recent Honda incident in Gurgaon(http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/28/stories/2005072806201000.htm)

I also partly agree with the views of the letter by M.S. Suresh from Singapore
http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/30/stories/2005073002591001.htm

ofcourse its debatable the analogies used in the letter nd how much are they alike..

Its a pity that C. RajaMohan has stopped contributing to the pages of The Hindu. Guess the reason is that he does not include the mandatory 2 line hindutva bashing statements needed to get published in The Hindu..Thankfully, we have access to him at the Express..a nice article
with lot of insight on the recent nuclear deal with America..http://iecolumnists.expressindia.com/full_column.php?content_id=75079

A couple of other things..

Hit upon these lines from the harry potters latest novel..i think the truth of the statement is very striking..i was not reading the book..hit upon those lines while reading something else which had nothing to do with the book

..a line from the latest book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we really are, far more than our abilities.

'Saw a very nice ad awareness campaign for Alzhemiers(http:://www.alz.org) in the train station today..Muthumaiyin suvadugalai prethipalikum surukam vizhuntha oru Muthiyavar/l in ullam kaiyil.." Ich heisse Iva Lampke "(en peyar Iva Lampke) enru penaval ezthi vaithrunthathu..it was very moving and at the same time very illustrative of the disorder..