Latest news with #TGA
Argaam
6 hours ago
- Business
- Argaam
Train ridership in Saudi Arabia tops 37M in Q2 2025
Saudi Arabia's rail sector recorded a remarkable performance in Q2 2025, transporting over 36.5 million passengers — an increase of 1 million compared to Q1 2025, according to the Transport General Authority (TGA). The number of passengers surged by 290% (around 27.2 million) compared with the same period a year ago, according to Argaam data. The authority noted that urban rail networks witnessed significant growth, serving more than 33.8 million passengers during Q2 2025, which reflects a strong and growing demand in recent months. Riyadh Metro topped the list with over 23.6 million passengers, while the automated people mover (APM) system at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah carried over 7.76 million passengers. The APM at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh transported more than 512,000 passengers. Additionally, over 2.67 million passengers traveled between cities by rail, up 10%. More than 4 million tons of goods and 232,000 containers were also transported via the railway network.
Zawya
15 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi train ridership tops 36.5mln in Q2 2025
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's rail sector recorded more than 36.5 million passengers using train services in the second quarter of 2025, up by 1 million compared to the first quarter, according to figures released Thursday by the Transport General Authority (TGA). Urban rail services saw strong growth, with over 33.8 million passengers using metro systems across the Kingdom. Riyadh Metro led the figures, transporting more than 23.6 million passengers. The automated people mover at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah followed with over 7.76 million users, while Princess Nourah University's campus rail in Riyadh saw over 512,000 passengers. Intercity train services also witnessed a 10% year-on-year increase, with over 2.67 million passengers traveling between Saudi cities by rail during the same period. Freight and minerals transport via rail remained a key contributor to economic logistics, with over 4.08 million tons of goods and more than 232,000 containers shipped, underscoring the railway network's vital role in supporting the industrial and mining sectors as part of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy. The TGA reaffirmed the importance of railways in offering safe, sustainable transport options, helping reduce carbon emissions, and improving quality of life across the Kingdom. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Health
- ABC News
What's behind a spike in adverse event reports for Vyvanse, Australia's biggest ADHD drug?
Australia's pharmaceuticals watchdog is investigating a spike in adverse event reports for Vyvanse, the country's most commonly prescribed ADHD medication. The increase coincides with a leap in prescriptions for ADHD as well as a growing focus on the effectiveness of treatments like Vyvanse on social media. There were 320 adverse event reports relating to Vyvanse — or lisdexamfetamine dimesilate — to the Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN) in the first six months of the year, compared to nine reports in the six months before. The most common adverse events reported were ineffectiveness, anxiety, product labelling issues, therapeutic response decreases and insomnia. The DAEN notes inclusion of an event in the database does not confirm it has been caused by the medication. The World Health Organization's equivalent global database for reporting adverse medicine events has also seen an uptick in reports relating to the active ingredient of Vyvanse, lisdexamfetamine. ADHD is characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. According to a Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) spokesperson, stimulants, like Vyvanse and Ritalin, appear to normalise some of the brain's main neurotransmitter systems, allowing better regulation of parts of the brain involved in executive function, particularly the frontal lobe. The TGA said its investigations included ongoing independent testing of Vyvanse through TGA laboratories, and that it did not comment on open investigations. "This investigation is the result of a recent increase in adverse event notifications relating to concerns about quality, safety, and reduced effectiveness," a spokesperson said. "Any regulatory actions that arise will be communicated." The TGA also confirmed it had seen an increase in adverse events relating to ADHD-prescribed stimulants more generally, with 754 events registered for the most common drugs — methylphenidate, dexamphetamine and lisdexamfetamine — between January 2015 and June 2025. Only Vyvanse's was significant enough to constitute a safety signal, which is triggered when information suggests a possible causal relationship between adverse events and a drug. "It should be noted that increased usage of a medicine would normally be expected to result in a rise in the number of adverse event reports," the spokesperson said. "Similarly, an uptick in social media commentary would also stimulate reporting." Vyvanse prescriptions almost doubled from 958,831 in 2022 to more than 1.78 million in 2024, according to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). RANZCP spokesperson Dr Karuppiah Jagadheesan said an uptick in social media commentary may be contributing to adverse event reporting. Google Trends data shows how much public interest there has been in ADHD and Vyvanse in Australia in recent times, with search volumes and interest in these two search terms both increasing. There are dozens of Reddit threads discussing Vyvanse side effects and effectiveness, and ADHD influencers, whose content ranges from genuine advice to memes, regularly bring the subject up, speaking about their own negative experiences, and encouraging followers to report theirs. Some influencers with tens of thousands of followers have made theories about Vyvanse central to their content. "Social media is very powerful, and certainly there is an element of a shared mindset, and particularly things that are negative can be spread very quickly," Dr Jagadheesan said. Dr Jagadheesan said almost all medications had side effects, and users of Vyvanse should not panic, with adverse events reported by a small percentage of users. He said users should keep taking the medication if it was working for them. "If it's not working adequately or it's wearing off quickly or there are side effects, then they need to talk to their treating doctors, psychiatrist, or GP," he said. He said the RANZCP's committee on ADHD had questioned the effectiveness of Vyvanse at current dosages for some patients, and this may be why ineffectiveness was the most common issue reported to the DAEN. "Sometimes when it doesn't agree with a person it can create side effects like agitation, or even feeling depressed," he said. He said some patients with comorbidities risked mania or psychosis, particularly if they took more than prescribed. Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) vice president Dr Sarahn Lovett said the side effects reported for Vyvanse were normal for all stimulants, and she believed a labelling issue on Vyvanse packaging earlier this year had likely contributed to users reporting side effects. The TGA confirmed it previously flagged issues with typos on the drug's packaging, including packaging misspelling "pharmaceutivals", which should have read "pharmaceuticals", and incorrectly pluralising a word so packaging read "each capsules contain". However, the TGA said there were no compliance signals under investigation for the facilities used in manufacturing Vyvanse. Dr Lovett said if Vyvanse was working for a patient, there was no reason to stop taking it, while if it was causing side effects or proving ineffective, users should have a conversation with their prescriber. "The good thing about stimulant medication, however, is that you can stop and start it, so there is no danger to stopping a stimulant — it's just you will no longer be treating your ADHD." Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) ADHD spokesperson Tim Jones said the issues went beyond one medication, and adverse event reports aligned with the "pretty astronomical" increase in prescriptions of ADHD stimulants. He said his colleagues in public psychiatry were reporting more mental health admissions related to prescribed stimulants, often triggered by episodes of psychosis, anxiety, and insomnia. "It's something that's certainly entering into serious territory for side effects," Dr Jones said. He said adverse events appear more prevalent among people with complex mental health issues who might have also had an ADHD diagnosis and been started on stimulants. "I think it's a wakeup call to the general safety of stimulants," Dr Jones said. "We do have to have high-quality, balanced discussions with people considering stimulant medications about the relevant positive effects, but also the risk of side effects, because while not common, they are not uncommon either." ADHD Foundation director Christopher Ouizeman said the foundation's helpline had not registered an uptick complaints about Vyvanse. Vyvanse is supplied by Takeda Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty Ltd, and was in the news in early 2024 as Australia suffered months-long shortages of the drug. A Takeda spokesperson said manufacture of Vyvanse was in line with Australia's Therapeutics Goods Act, and strict quality controls were in place. There has been speculation online adverse events began after manufacturing moved to Germany in early 2024. The Takeda spokesperson said the move took place to support increased demand and "there have been no changes to the formulation". Takeda said labelling errors did not impact the quality of the medication.
Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi train ridership tops 36.5 million in Q2 2025
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's rail sector recorded more than 36.5 million passengers using train services in the second quarter of 2025, up by 1 million compared to the first quarter, according to figures released Thursday by the Transport General Authority (TGA). Urban rail services saw strong growth, with over 33.8 million passengers using metro systems across the Kingdom. Riyadh Metro led the figures, transporting more than 23.6 million passengers. The automated people mover at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah followed with over 7.76 million users, while Princess Nourah University's campus rail in Riyadh saw over 512,000 passengers. Intercity train services also witnessed a 10% year-on-year increase, with over 2.67 million passengers traveling between Saudi cities by rail during the same and minerals transport via rail remained a key contributor to economic logistics, with over 4.08 million tons of goods and more than 232,000 containers shipped, underscoring the railway network's vital role in supporting the industrial and mining sectors as part of the National Transport and Logistics TGA reaffirmed the importance of railways in offering safe, sustainable transport options, helping reduce carbon emissions, and improving quality of life across the Kingdom.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
Watch: Saudi starts testing driverless vehicles in Riyadh
As the Gulf region accelerates its shift toward smart and sustainable transportation, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, July 23, launched the pilot phase of autonomous vehicles in Riyadh. In the initial phase, these driveless vehicles, which can reach a maximum speed of 100kmph, will operate in seven locations in the Kingdom's capital, including the King Khalid International Airport. There will be 13 designated pick-up and drop-off points. During the pilot phase, the vehicles will transport passengers with a safety officer on board each vehicle to ensure safety and monitor the performance of the smart systems in real-world conditions. The pilot phase will be for 12 months. According to Saudi's Transport General Authority (TGA), The project is the result of a comprehensive partnership between the Kingdom's transport and logistics system and key government and private sector entities. Watch the video below: برعاÙ�Ø© Ù�عاÙ�Ù� Ù�زÙ�ر اÙ�Ù�Ù�Ù� Ù�اÙ�خدÙ�اذ اÙ�Ù�Ù�جسذÙ�Ø© @SalehAlJasser اÙ�Ù�Ù�ئة اÙ�عاÙ�Ø© Ù�Ù�Ù�Ù�Ù� ذطÙ�Ù� اÙ�Ù�رØÙ�Ø© اÙ�ذطبÙ�Ù�Ù�Ø© اÙ�Ø£Ù�Ù�Ù�Ø© Ù�Ù�Ù�رÙ�باذ ذاذÙ�Ø© اÙ�Ù�Ù�ادة Under the patronage of H.E. @SalehAlJasser, Minister of Transport and Logistics Services TGA launches the initial operational phase of autonomousâ�¦ — اÙ�Ù�Ù�ئة اÙ�عاÙ�Ø© Ù�Ù�Ù�Ù�Ù� | TGA (@Saudi_TGA) July 23, 2025 These include the Ministry of Interior, the Digital Economy, Space, and Innovation System, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information, and the Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organisation.
