“I'm not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”

This is what ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry’s character Chandler Bing was known for. He was known for being funny. However, he had his own struggles in his personal life and those struggles were acute depression. He was treating it with ketamine infusion therapy which is legal in the US and the UK.

What is Ketamine infusion therapy?

Ketamine is an anaesthetic used to treat depression, anxiety and pain under supervised and controlled medical settings. However, it does have its side effects, which can lead to distortion of sight, sound and time. It can also produce calming and relaxing effects.

Ketamine increases a person’s heart rate and blood pressure. If overdosed, it can leave users confused and agitated and can cause them to hurt themselves without even realising it. It can also lead to liver damage and bladder problems.

However, when used in moderation and under the supervision of medical doctors, it can treat depression where traditional antidepressants have failed.

Prof Rupert McShane, a University of Oxford psychiatrist who runs an NHS ketamine treatment clinic told BBC that ketamine “probably turns off the area of the brain that is involved in disappointment.”

Can Ketamine Infusion Therapy Kill Someone?

In simple terms, it cannot, be if the dosage is given in a controlled setting and as prescribed. Ketamine infusion therapy uses drugs in small doses than those used for anaesthesia. It acts faster than traditional anti-depressants, but the effects also wear off way quickly. Which is why it is important to monitor patients’ mental state for relapsing back into depression and discouraging them from overdosing on it.

There are ways of giving people ketamine. One of the ways is through “infusing”, which means to use an IV drip. However, injections, nasal sprays and capsules are also methods used to give people ketamine.

Since the dosage of ketamine used in the infusion treatment is small, it being the reason of actor Perry’s death was ruled out. The medical examiner also noted that Perry’s last ketamine infusion therapy session happened more than a week before his death, which means by the time he had died, it must have worn off.

So, What Happened To Perry?

Though Perry’s last session was more than a week before, his post-mortem showed that his blood contained a high concentration of ketamine. He had died of the “acute effects” of ketamine.

If it was not his session, then how did he get ketamine?

Prosecutors alleged that his assistant gave him at least 27 shots of ketamine in four days before his death, reported BBC.

Perry has been open about his personal struggles and this is what the doctors and dealers used against him. Martin Estrada, the US attorney for California’s Central District told the BBC that people took advantage of his condition. They charged him 165 times more than what vials of ketamine cost.

Names that have come up include Dr Salvador Plasencia, drug dealers “Ketamine Queen” aka Jasveen Sangha and Eric Fleming, and Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa.

Who Are These Names And What Did They Do?

Ketamine Queen or Sangha supplied drugs that led to Perry’s death. Her home was a “drug-selling emporium,” said Estrada. More than 80 vials of ketamine, and thousands of pills including methamphetamine, cocaine and Xanax were allegedly found in her house known as the “Sangha Stash House.”

Sangha is known to deal with high-end celebs and was a “major source of supply for ketamine to others as well as Perry,” said Estrada.

Dr Plasencia called Perry a “moron” while charging him $2,000 for vials that cost only $12. He sold Perry 20 vials of ketamine between September and October 2023, costing $55,000.

He was the one who taught Iwamasa, who had no medical knowledge to inject the drug. This is after he knew that “Perry’s ketamine addiction was spiralling out of control,” as per what the investigators told the BBC.

Another dealer Fleming was told by Sangha to “delete all our messages.” While Fleming pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute drugs unlawfully, he also allegedly messaged Sangha: “Please call...Got more info and want to bounce ideas off you. I’m 90% sure everyone is protected. I never dealt with [Perry] only his assistant. So the assistant was the enabler.”

The court documents also revealed that he asked Sangha on whether the ketamine stays in your system or “is it immediately flushed out.”

Dr Pepper, Bots, Cans

The people who allegedly exploited Perry used coded language for ketamine and called it “Dr Pepper”, “bots”, or “cans.”

Selling overpriced drugs, taking advantage of Perry’s mental condition and falsifying medical records to make the drugs given to him look legitimate by Dr Plasencia is what took Perry’s life.

Iwamasa is said to have administered more than 20 shots of ketamine and three on the day Perry died. Whereas ketamine is only administered by a physician. Authorities also found that weeks before Perry’s death, Dr Plasencia allegedly bought 10 vials of ketamine and intended to sell to Perry.

He also injected Perry with a large dose, two days later. This caused him to “freeze up” and spiked his blood pressure.

When I Die, I Want Helping Others To Be The First Thing That’s Mentioned

Perry had always been open about his drug addictions, struggles with alcohol and his depression. He said that his openness would help others who are also struggling and wanted to be remembered by his quote which also is on the homepage of the Mattew Perry Foundation that helps others struggling with the disease of addiction: “When I die, I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned.”

Five arrests have been made in the case so far.

In a significant move for public health, Telangana has declared cancer as a notifiable disease and launched a cancer registry.

The state reports about 55,000 to 60,000 new cancer cases every year.

A cancer registry would help the government in having accurate data for preparing better plans to deal with the spread of cancer, said the state Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha.

He noted that the state government has expanded healthcare to treat cancer by establishing Day Care Cancer Centers in district headquarters towns. Further, the government is conducting health checks for 46 lakh members of women self-help groups (SHGs).

In addition, the government would also start Regional Cancer Centers and take measures to detect diseases like cancer through AI.

Is Cancer A Notifiable Disease In India?

A notifiable disease means that it is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The mandatory reporting facilitates surveillance, helps control.

Cancer is not currently a centrally mandated notifiable disease across all of India, as the central government focuses on surveillance through the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP). The NCRP was established in 1981 under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

However, over 17 states and UTs in India have declared cancer a notifiable disease to improve data, registry accuracy, and early detection.

Also read: Cancer Is The 10th Leading Cause Of Death In Indian Children: Study

India operates two primary types of cancer registries to monitor the disease burden:

• Population-Based Cancer Registries (PBCRs): These collect data on all new cancer cases and mortality within a specific geographic area. Nearly 40 PBCRs are covering approximately 16.4 percent of India's population.

• Hospital-Based Cancer Registries (HBCRs) record information on patients diagnosed or treated at specific hospitals. There are currently over 269 HBCRs across the country.

“Cancer is emerging as a major public health problem in India. There is a need to collect accurate and robust data on cancer for planning optimal cancer care services across the country,” Dr (Prof) SVS Deo, Chairman – Surgical Oncology, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, told HealthandMe.

The Role Of A Cancer Registry

Dr. Raghav Kesri, Senior Consultant & HOD, Medical Oncology, Yatharth Hospital, Greater Noida, said that cancer registration is significant in determining the types of cancers that are most common in a certain region.

It also allows us to pinpoint the risk factors that might contribute to the increasing number of cancer cases. In India, there are cancer registrations conducted by individual states and the country as a whole.

“These statistics allow us to analyze the trend when coupled with demographics, giving us important information to consider. This is critical knowledge to ensure that we go in the right direction in our health policies, including cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment,” Kesri told HealthandMe.

How To Prevent Cancers

Also read: Are Young Indians At Risk? The Rising Burden Of Early-Onset Cancers

Approximately 60 percent of cancers in India are preventable, including tobacco-related (lung and head and neck cancers), infection-related (stomach, liver, and cervical cancer), and lifestyle-related cancers (breast and colorectal cancers).

Common ways to prevent cancer include:

• Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables
• Avoiding alcohol
• Quit smoking
• Avoiding tobacco consumption
• Stay physically active
• Maintain healthy weight.

Another alarming study has highlighted the growing risk of drug resistance, this time in pathogens responsible for eye infections.

A team of Indian researchers has detected multidrug-resistant bacteria in more than 45 per cent of isolates from patients with eye infections.

The study, jointly led by CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), also reported widespread resistance to fluoroquinolones — one of the main classes of antibiotics — across all pathogens examined.

Further, the team found samples with vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae strains involved in eye infections.

"These findings are worrying because they can spread their AMR genes to other bacteria, too. Also, these pathogens can infect other parts of our bodies," said Karthik Bharadwaj from CCMB.

The study, published in 'Communications Biology', raise concerns over current treatment approaches in ophthalmic care.

How Was The Study Conducted?

Researchers described the work as one of the most comprehensive genomic analyses of eye pathogens from India to date. CCMB handled genomic and bioinformatics analysis, LVPEI contributed clinical expertise, patient samples, and microbiological characterization, PTI reported.

Whole-genome sequencing helped identify new resistance mechanisms and mutations, offering deeper insight into how these pathogens evolve and spread.

Researchers said the high prevalence of resistance makes such an approach increasingly unreliable.

Also read: Gender-based Violence Surging Global Antimicrobial Resistance, Say Experts

The study underscores the need for microbiology-guided diagnosis and treatment, particularly in severe infections such as microbial keratitis and endophthalmitis.

"While genomic tools are not yet part of routine clinical workflows, the insights generated through this study provide a critical foundation for developing region-specific treatment guidelines and strengthening antimicrobial stewardship efforts in ophthalmology," said Dr Joveeta Joseph, head of microbiology at LVPEI.

Researchers also stressed that eye infections should not be viewed in isolation. The microbes involved often originate from the skin or environment, linking ophthalmic infections to the broader AMR burden.

"This study positions the eye as a valuable site for AMR surveillance in the environment around us," said Dr Prashant Garg, executive chair, LVPEI.

Increasing Drug Resistance In India

A recent Lancet Study reported that drug resistance is driving severe typhoid disease, hospitalization, and death among children under-5s in India.

Another 2024 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-led study also revealed a significant increase in antibiotic resistance and a decrease in the effectiveness of key antibiotics. This indicates a growing public health threat that requires immediate attention.

It showed E. coli, a common bacterium found in both ICU and outpatient settings, demonstrated a concerning rise in resistance to antibiotics like cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin.

Also read: Study Links Widespread Use of Antibiotics During COVID To Surge In AMR Cases

Rising Global Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.

It is one of the 10 top global health threats, undermining the effectiveness of essential treatments and placing millions at risk of untreatable infections.

As per WHO data, AMR is an urgent global public health threat, killing at least 1.27 million people worldwide and associated with nearly 5 million deaths in 2019.

The WHO, in a 2025 report, noted that one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments.

Panic has gripped the residents of two villages in Rajasthan's Salumbar district, where five children have reportedly died within five days. The reason: an unknown disease characterized by a sudden onset of fever that worsens rapidly, and claims the lives of children within 24 hours.

According to officials, the children who died were between 2 and 4 years old, and all of them developed high fever, convulsions, and vomiting before their condition worsened rapidly.

Besides the five children who died, another 8 children are reportedly showing similar symptoms of the unknown disease.

The incident has been reported from Ghata and Lalpura villages in Lasadiya block.

The Disease Yet To Be Identified

The deaths have created fear among villagers, who submitted a memorandum to the SDM and health officials, seeking immediate action and identification of the disease.

District officials, along with a medical team, have reached the villages. The District Collector has ordered an inquiry. Medical teams are currently stationed in the villages, according to local media reports. Blood samples and other tests are being conducted to check for viral infection, brain fever, or any seasonal illness.

After preliminary treatment, five of the eight children newly affected with the mystery illness were referred from Lasadiya CHC to Udaipur District Hospital. Meanwhile, three children were referred to Salumbar District Hospital.

"Seventeen teams have been deployed in Lalpura and Ghata villages. Around 562 families live in this area," said Dr. Dinesh Rai Sapela, Additional District Collector.

Health teams are also conducting door-to-door screening, as well as collecting blood samples. These samples have been sent to RNT Medical College in Udaipur for testing.

“The exact cause behind the deaths is not yet known. It could be a viral infection or a seasonal disease, but confirmation will only come after test results,” said BCMO Dr Sintu Kumawat.

Meanwhile, Gayatri Rathore, Principal Secretary of the Medical and Health Department, stated that the Chief Medical and Health Officer of the Salumbar district has been instructed to form teams of health workers to ensure intensive screening of children exhibiting fever symptoms—not only in the affected villages but also throughout Salumbar and its surrounding regions, media reports said.

“Immediate treatment will be provided to any child showing symptoms. Critically ill children are to be referred without delay to district hospitals or medical college facilities,” Rathore said.

Authorities have also initiated preventive measures against possible mosquito-borne diseases, including anti-larval activities, source reduction, and fogging operations in the affected areas.