Rupali Mukherjee

Senior journalist with The Times of India. @CheveningFCDO Scholar/@NatPress Fellow. RT≠endorsement. [email protected]

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

A stockpile of several thousands of high-end #ICU #ventilators, procured last year, are still lying packaged & unused in remote districts, even as there's a mad scramble for them with some being shipped from US, UK & Australia: my story in TOI #SecondCOVIDWave #Covid19

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

For years now, across beauty, personal care as well as #food and #beverage categories, widespread use of exaggerated claims and unsubstantiated #health benefits have been observed.
The intensified crackdown by @fssaiindia over the last few months on product claims and #labelling is forcing a fundamental rethink of how #FMCG companies market and package their products. Companies are revisiting packaging and reassessing product claims as reported in our latest story in @timesofindia. #FOPL #advertising #PacketKeAndarKyaHai #consumer
@supriya_speaks

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

Japanese firm #Takeda Biopharmaceuticals has received market
authorisation from the regulator for
QDENGA, making it the first #dengue #vaccine approved here. The approval comes in the middle of the #monsoons- just before the dengue #crisis unfolds in the country. TOI had broken the story last year regarding the company’s plans. The vaccine
is designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes and for
individuals 4 to 60 years.

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

Stagnant water choked with floating plastic, filth & debris and #construction waste —a toxic dump in disguise.
Blue sheds reflect in this cesspool, while #garbage piles line the banks.
Meanwhile, cars swim through the prime access road to posh Dera Mandi farmhouses, floating on stinking sewage water. Hasn’t changed in two years. Pictures taken on different days/ timings.

#SwachhBharat? #WorldEnvironmentDay

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

“What’s in a name?” Quite a lot, actually.
Parle’s #Melody has gone from a nostalgic Indian toffee to a global viral sensation, breaking the internet. The frenzy even translated into business gains, with #Parle seeing a huge surge in searches and a high spike in sales, while certain ecommerce platforms reportedly ran out of stock. And another unrelated company, meanwhile, made some quick gains on the stock market! Our story @timesofindia #ParleIndustries
 #Parlestock #Melody #Modi #Meloni

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

Rising #fuel prices could make your daily consumption basket from staples & packaged #food to #household essentials more expensive in the months ahead. #FMCG cos are bracing for higher #logistics, #freight & #packaging costs as #crude volatility linked to the #WestAsia conflict adds fresh pressure on margins, & planning price increases. If fuel prices remain high over multiple quarters, it could dampen #consumer demand, particularly in price-sensitive #rural markets: my story @timesofindia

[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @DrTedros]

I am hosting a media briefing on #hantavirus today at 15:00h CEST. You can join and watch via @WHO and my social media channels across X, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

A potential rise in fuel and food #inflation, driven by ongoing tensions in #WestAsia, could dampen #consumer sentiment and strain household #budgets if the situation persists, says @NestleIndia CMD Manish Tiwary in my interview for @timesofindia .
Flagging #geopolitical volatility as the biggest #risk for businesses, he says that it has a dual impact on #commodity prices and consumer demand, making it more unpredictable than input cost cycles alone.
Separately, India continues to be a key growth engine, with the potential to emerge among Nestlé’s top five global markets over the next three to five years.

#FMCG #NestleIndia #IranWar‌

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

A little-known clause in India’s #patent law, Section 3 (d) plays a critical role in the access vs #innovation debate.
By requiring demonstrable therapeutic efficacy for new forms of known #drugs, the provision prevents “evergreening” and ensures patents are granted only for genuine innovation—enabling faster entry of affordable generics & benefiting #patients. The latest example is AbbVie’s #immunology drug #Rinvoq (upadacitinib), where the Indian Patent Office refused the patent citing lack of inventive step. This is the same provision under which Swiss firm Novartis lost its patent on #Glivec in a landmark 2013 ruling—cementing India’s stance against evergreening in the interest of public #health : my story @timesofindia

[Rupali Mukherjee @Rupalijee]

From microscope slides to molecular science, #TB diagnosis has come a long way. What was once a low-sensitivity test has given way to rapid, high-precision #technology. Now, the next phase is taking shape as captured in my piece for @timesofindia. #AI-enabled #diagnostics increasingly being deployed at scale, along with new @WHO-recommended point-of-care molecular tests that are potentially faster, more affordable, and can be deployed at the last mile.
For a country carrying one-fourth of global TB cases, these are not incremental improvements. They are potential game changers for early detection and control.
#EndTB #NTEP #TBMuktBharat