The 53rd episode of Health Wrap examines three major health issues: cancer drug pricing, the risks linked to inappropriate use of painkillers and antibiotics, and a new dengue forecasting system being developed in Kerala.
One of the key issues discussed is the wide gap between the price at which some cancer medicines are supplied to retailers and their maximum retail price (MRP). The Supreme Court recently questioned a case in which a cancer drug with a price to retailer of around ₹2,700 carried an MRP of ₹27,000. The court also sought greater scrutiny of medicine pricing and hospital pharmacy practices.
The episode also looks at concerns surrounding the misuse of painkillers and antibiotics. Inappropriate or unnecessary antibiotic use can contribute to antimicrobial resistance, while improper use of medicines can expose patients to avoidable side effects and other risks. Responsible prescribing and appropriate medical guidance remain important for safer medicine use.
Another focus is Kerala’s Dengue Early Warning System (DEWS), developed by scientists at the Institute of Advanced Virology. The machine-learning system combines dengue surveillance data with weather variables such as rainfall, temperature and humidity to generate district-level forecasts.
The system was trained using six years of data from March 2020 to February 2026. Initial evaluation using surveillance data from March to July 2026 showed a positive correlation between its forecasts and reported dengue patterns. However, researchers say the model requires further refinement and regular updating before it can become a routine public-health forecasting tool.
Together, the topics highlight ongoing challenges in medicine affordability, safe drug use and disease preparedness.

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