Top players in the pharmaceutical and health care industry from all over the world will convene at the Africa Pharmaceutical Summit (APS) West 2016, holding from 6 to 7 September at Eko Hotel and Convention Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The summit, which is expected to be graced by policy-makers, pharmaceutical professionals, institutional investors and key stakeholders, is to discuss developments and opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry.
The APS West 2016 themed: “Driving Forward Improvement in Pharmaceutical Industry – A Clear Framework for Investment,” according to Mr Miles Mudzviti, founder and CEO, PharmaAfrica, was brought to Lagos Nigeria “after successful editions in Hammamet, Tunisia, Accra, Ghana and Nairobi Kenya.”
PharmaAfrica, Mudzviti explained, is privileged to work closely with the pharmaceutical and health industry, global and regional stakeholders, as well policymakers, to pick up the latest developments in the industry and integrate them into the summit concept in a manner appropriate to the target group.
The PharmaAfrica boss disclosed further that the APS Exhibition, which is open to the public, will showcase an array of innovations from the cutting-edge field of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and lifesaving sciences, adding that the summit will have in attendance over 70 exhibitors, complemented by an extensive high-level summit agenda involving more than 50 speakers from science, industry and policy.
The APS West 2016, he said, is therefore an excellent opportunity to showcase products and services, including raw materials, machinery, equipment, contract manufacturing and finished pharmaceutical products and will afford industry players the chance to discuss business models and catch up with the latest industry know-how.
“The exhibition and summit will be interlinked even more closely this year. Indeed, the summit topics reflect the focal points of the exhibition and are accompanied by measures such as giving of free special pass to visitors to provide learning opportunities for the industry,” he said.
According to Mr. Mudzviti PharmaAfrica’s mission is to provide a platform to enable the growth of a quality African pharmaceutical industry that com petitively contributes to the healthcare needs of Africans and is recognised in the global pharma areana for quality and innovation.
Interested exhibitors should contact MilesMudzviti through miles@pharmaafrica.com
A new study has revealed that a glass of wine a day raises the risk of cancer in human. The researchers said even people who drink low levels are at risk of developing the disease – killing off the idea that a glass of red wine can be good for you.
Although the exact mechanism is not known, there is ‘strong evidence’ alcohol increases the risk of developing the disease, experts said.
According to the study which was published on Mail Online , alcohol causes cancer of the mouth and throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, colon, bowel and breast, but may also cause other forms.
However, despite several health campaigns on abstinence from alcohol, 90 per cent of people don’t realise drinking alcohol increases the risk of getting the deadly disease.
Professor Jennie Connor, of the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at Otago Medical School in New Zealand, conducted the review of research taking into account the latest studies.
She said alcohol is estimated to have caused half a million deaths since 2012 – amounting to more than one in 20 – 5.8 per cent – of all cancer deaths.
Professor Connor added: ‘There is strong evidence that alcohol causes cancer at seven sites, and probably others.
‘Confirmation of specific biological mechanisms by which alcohol increases the incidence of each type of cancer is not required to infer that alcohol is a cause.’
She said there is no safe level of drinking with respect to cancer. However, the risks are reduced for some forms when people stop drinking.
The supposed health benefits of drinking – such as red wine being good for the heart – were seen as irrelevant in comparison to the increased risk of cancer.
Professor Connor said the evidence shows the relation between alcohol and cancer is ‘dose dependent’ – in other words the more you drink, the greater the risk.
The research reinforces guidelines issued in January, by the UK’s chief medical officers, who said no level of regular drinking is without risks to health.
Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England said each time she has a drink, she asks herself ‘do I want the glass of wine or do I want to raise my risk of breast cancer?’
In light of the medical officers’ report, NHS guidelines now advise men should consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week, down from the previous 21 units, bringing them into line with the recommendation for women.
Pharmanews, the foremost West African Health Journal introduces its official Android application-Pharmanews App. The mobile application, which is the latest development in the group of E-applications of the publication, is designed to keep readers abreast of latest update in the health sector.
It affords readers the opportunity to constantly follow up on their favourite columns, keep reading while offline and save content for as long as they wish.
Other new products from the stable of the publication are: Pharmanews Journal Ebook and Nigerian Pharmaceutical Directory (NPD) Ebook.
According to the Publisher, Pharm. (Sir) Ifeanyi Atueyi, “we have embarked on these software collections to give our advertisers and subscribers more value for their money”.
Do you know anyone who isn’t at times stressed out these days? The pace of modern life makes stress management a necessary skill for everyone. Many people juggle multiple responsibilities, work, home life, caregiving and relationships. Learning to identify problems and implement solutions is the key to successful stress reduction.
The first step in successful stress relief is deciding to make stress management an ongoing goal, and to monitor your stress level.
Once you start monitoring your stress level, the next step is identifying your stress triggers. When or under what situations do you experience the most stress? Some causes of stress are easy to identify, such as job pressures, relationship problems or financial difficulties. But daily hassles and demands, such as commuting, arranging child care or being overcommitted at work, also can contribute to your stress level.
Positive events also can be stressful. If you got married, started a new job and bought a new house in the same year, you could have a high stress level. While negative events in general are more stressful, be sure to also assess positive changes in your life.
Once you’ve identified your stress triggers, you can start thinking about strategies for dealing with them. Identifying what aspect of the situation you can control is a good starting point.
For example, if you have a difficult time falling asleep because you’re stressed out, the solution may be as easy as turning off the TV when the evening news is too distressing. Other times, such as high demands at work or when a loved one is ill, you may only be able to change how you react to the situation.
And don’t feel like you have to figure it out all on your own. Seek help and support from family and friends. You may want to ask them what stress-relief techniques have worked well for them.
And many people benefit from daily practice of stress-reduction techniques, such as deep breathing, massage, tai chi or yoga. Many people manage stress through practicing mindfulness in meditation or being in nature.
And remember to maintain a healthy lifestyle to help manage stress — eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and get enough sleep. Having a healthy lifestyle will help you manage periods of high stress.
Stress won’t disappear from your life. And stress management isn’t an overnight cure. But with ongoing practice and incorporation of resiliency into your lifestyle, you can learn to manage your stress level and increase your ability to cope with life’s challenges.
Here are some relaxation techniques for you:
Relaxation techniques are an essential part of stress management. If you’re an overachiever, you may put relaxation low on your priority list. Don’t shortchange yourself. Everyone needs to relax and recharge.
Relaxation is invaluable for maintaining your health and well-being, and repairing the toll that stress takes on your mind and body.
Almost everyone can benefit from learning relaxation techniques. Relaxation techniques can help to slow your breathing and to focus your attention on the here and now.
Common relaxation techniques include meditation, tai chi and yoga. But there are more-active ways of achieving relaxation. For example, walking outdoors or participating in a sports activity can be relaxing and help reduce stress.
It doesn’t matter which relaxation technique you choose. What matters is that you select a technique that works for you and that you practice achieving relaxation regularly.
Discussions at the ongoing AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa, have focused on the dearth of homegrown scientific solutions to HIV/AIDS on the continent.
This comes as participants at the conference say that many of the breakthroughs in the treatment and control of the viral disease are coming from abroad instead of within.
According to them, donors from the United States of America and other developed nations commit more funds and resources to HIV/AIDS programmes compared to governments in Africa, the region that is most affected by the disease.
The Executive Director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Michael Sidibe, who spoke at the opening plenary, stated that 95 per cent of antiretrovirals, a drug used by persons living with the disease, came from India and other Asian countries.
Apart from drugs, Sidibe noted, more than 50 per cent of funding for HIV/AIDS programmes in Africa were borne by donor organisations in the US and Europe.
He warned that Africa’s dependence on foreign aids and drugs could frustrate efforts toward eradicating the disease by 2030.
The UNAIDS chief challenged African scientists and pharmaceutical companies to reverse the trend by investing in local manufacturing of antiretrovirals.
Sidibe added, “Today, 90 to 95 per cent of patients are undergoing treatment, thanks to drugs which come from abroad, precisely India. It is therefore time for Africa to produce its own drugs.
“It is impossible to think that in future we will continue to treat patients for the next 20 or 30 years with the belief that these drugs will come from the North.”
Urging African governments to increase their support and funding, he warned that some international donors might reduce their funding due to global economic challenges.
Sidibe said, “Between 2015 and 2016, 13 of 14 donors reviewed their financing for the fight against HIV/AIDS. We noticed a reduction of about seven per cent. This bothers me because if we have difficulty putting patients under treatment, the number of cases as well as resistance could increase.”
Meanwhile, a former Lagos Coordinator, Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, Ibrahim Umoru, said HIV/AIDS patients might suffer more if the government did to increase its domestic funding of HIV/AIDS treatment programmes.
Umoru said, “PEPFAR has been funding HIV/AIDS treatment for the past 10 years. Two years ago, they began flat funding and downsizing. That is why many of the services are no longer free.
“Many do not have money to pay for drugs and treatment. Are we then saying that they should go to their graves? Nigeria has the highest burden of people living with the virus, yet foreigners are paying the bills.
“The Federal Government contributes just five per cent, Global Fund gives 25 per cent and PEPFAR contributes 75 per cent. We know that if Nigeria wants to pick the bill, it has the resources.
“The problem is that those at the helms of affairs in the country just do not want to do it. If Nigeria is truly sincere about HIV/AIDS, foreign governments should not be the major investor for over 10 years.”
We are all looking for that perfect balance in our lives. For some of us, we may struggle with our work commitments eating into the time we get to spend with our families and friends. For others, we are fighting an ongoing weight battle and feel that we are at the losing end. Maybe you are just trying to find the balance between where you are and where you want to be.
We all have our own vision of what our ideal health and wellness should look like, and yours would probably be totally different than mine. I have put together a list of some of the ways you can make small changes in your current lifestyle to help bring back that elusive balance you are craving.
Eat Right
Getting your nutrition right is a key area in looking and feeling your best. Think about it this way: if you had just purchased a brand new car and instead of putting fuel into it, you put water, I don’t think you would be getting very far. That is exactly what you are doing to your body when you fill it up with sugar and chemicals instead of whole and nutrient-dense meals.
By eating good, healthy foods you are fueling your body to run more efficiently. You will be giving your body the tools to be able to fight off illnesses better. You will sleep better, feel more alert and have a clearer mind.
Let’s Get Physical
Exercise is such an important part of maintaining a healthy body. Regular exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight.
By keeping active, you are helping your body build and maintain healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility along with promoting physiological well-being and strengthening the immune system.
Never underestimate how even a little bit of exercise can greatly benefit your health.
Switch It Off
Technology is everywhere and although it has made our lives easier it has come with a price.
How many times are you out and about and see almost everyone around you with their heads in a phone or a computer?
It is now becoming so common that I am worried my children will grow up in an anti-social society where there will be no social skills and people who are genuinely needing someone to talk to will be greeted with the latest avatar programed to “solve the problem.”
Humans need human contact. We need to feel love and be appreciated. Our children need to feel as though they are valued and are more worthy of our time than our phone screens.
Take the time to switch off your phones during family times, turn it off before bed, have a switch off time where after a certain hour you turn off your devices and spend time with your loved ones. You will be amazed at how connected you will feel within yourself just by taking time out to actual enjoy the life around you.
Get Some Sleep
Our bodies need sleep in order to recharge, rebuild and repair. A lack of quality sleep has been linked to weight gain, lack of concentration and a weakened immune system. Good sleep patterns are important for our day to day functions and our bodies ability to deal with stress.
Ways to get a better night’s sleep are to switch off your electronic devices before bed and try some meditation or a relaxing bath. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning and get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
A brisk walk is better than vigorous jogging for keeping diabetes at bay, according to new research.
Doctors advise regular exercise and low-fat diets to improve glucose control in people with pre-diabetes.
But for those who dread the gym, rejoice: a new study by Duke Health has found walking briskly on a regular basis may be more effective than intense exercise.
The findings, published online July 15 in the journal Diabetologia, are the result of a randomized, six-month study of 150 participants, each of whom was designated as having pre-diabetes based on elevated fasting glucose levels.
Study participants were randomized into four groups.
The first group followed an intervention modeled after the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), considered a gold standard, that aims to achieve a seven per cent body weight reduction over six months.
The program requires cutting calories, eating a low-fat diet, and exercising.
Study participants in this group adopted the diet changes, and performed moderate-intensity exercise equivalent to 7.5 miles of brisk walking in a week.
Other study participants were randomly assigned to receive exercise only, using different amounts and intensities.
The first was a low-amount at moderate intensity (equivalent to walking briskly for 7.5 miles per week).
The second was a high-amount at moderate intensity (equivalent to walking briskly for 11.5 miles per week).
And the third was a high-amount at vigorous intensity (equivalent to jogging for 11.5 miles per week).
‘We know the benefits of lifestyle changes from the DPP, but it is difficult to get patients to do even one behavior, not to mention three,’ said Dr. William Kraus, M.D., the study’s lead author and professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine.
‘We wanted to know how much of the effect of the DPP could be accomplished with exercise alone,’ Kraus said.
‘And which intensity of exercise is better for controlling metabolism in individuals at risk for diabetes.’
On average, participants in the DPP group had the greatest benefit, with a nine per cent improvement in oral glucose tolerance – a key measure of how readily the body processes sugar and an indicator used to predict progression to diabetes.
One of the exercise-only groups came in a close second. Participants in the moderate-intensity, 11.5-mile group saw a seven per cent improvement in glucose tolerance on average.
The moderate-intensity, 7.5-mile group had a five per cent improvement on average.
The lowest improvement was seen among those in the vigorous-intensity, 11.5-mile group, with only a two per cent average improvement.
‘Another way to say it is that a high amount of moderate-intensity exercise alone provided nearly the same benefit on glucose tolerance that we see in the gold standard of fat and calorie restriction along with exercise,’ said Cris Slentz, Ph.D., a study co-author and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Duke.
Kraus and Slentz said the study’s results could reflect the different ways in which high- and moderate-intensity exercise impact the body.
‘High-intensity exercise tends to burn glucose more than fat, while moderate-intensity exercise tends to burn fat more than glucose,’ Kraus said.
‘We believe that one benefit of moderate-intensity exercise is that it burns off fat in the muscles, which relieves the block of glucose uptake by the muscles. That’s important because muscle is the major place to store glucose after a meal,’ Kraus said.
The authors note that only a diabetes outcome study could determine whether moderate-intensity exercise is actually superior to high-intensity exercise at preventing patients with pre-diabetes from progressing to diabetes.
Still, Kraus said the study’s results could provide manageable alternatives for pre-diabetic patients.
‘When faced with the decision of trying to do weight loss, diet, and exercise versus exercise alone, the study indicates you can achieve nearly 80 percent of the effect of doing all three with just a high amount of moderate-intensity exercise,’ he said.
‘I was heartened by the fact that I found out that I can give patients one message and they can get nearly the same effect as when required to exercise, diet and lose weight all at the same time.’
Generally, people with height attract more admiration and benefits than those with lesser height. However, towering over others has got some weaknesses as people with little height are not totally free from shortfalls too. An Huffingtonpost publication has listed seven medical issues associated with people who are taller or shorter than average. Check the list below:
Longevity
From an evolutionary perspective, there’s a price for enjoying the perks of being tall: a shorter lifespan. As the theory goes, “growing faster and being bigger will mean that you’ll have a shorter life, and we’ve seen that in rats,” says Mary Schooling, a professor at the City University of New York School of Public Health and Health Policy. But in humans, how the theory plays out isn’t quite clear. While certain genes have been linked to both short stature and long life, and shorter populations also seem to live longer, it’s tough to know whether stature itself influences lifespan or if characteristics like nutrition, socioeconomic status and disease risk are responsible
Cancer
If you think about what cancer is ― abnormal cells multiplying out of control ― “being taller and having a higher risk of cancer makes some sort of sense,” Schooling says, since more cells might mean more opportunity for a cancer-causing mutation. That explanation plays out in the research on hormone-related cancers, such as breast, ovarian and prostate, which are more common among the height-gifted. Growth hormone, too, may play a role in the development of cancer, since studies suggest that a lack of it lowers your risk of the disease. “That would be another possible pathway,” Schooling says.
Heart disease and diabetes
Here’s one area where short people get the, well, short end of the stick: They seem to be more prone to heart disease and diabetes, research indicates. “Greater height might allow larger, more robust blood vessels,” Schooling explains. Or, perhaps taller people tend to be protected from cardiometabolic conditions because they were fed healthier diets as children or grew up in an environment where they were less exposed to infections. “We don’t know for sure if it’s really truly the height, or whether it’s something else which makes you taller and protects you against cardiovascular disease,” Schooling says.
Lung transplantation
Whether in line at the deli counter or separated from friends at a concert, short people can be at a disadvantage when seeking attention. That tendency can be particularly detrimental if those folks are waiting for a lung transplant: Research suggests people 5 feet, 3 inches or shorter wait longer for the organ and are more likely to die in the process than organ recipients with more average heights. The authors suggest adjusting the transplant process – including potentially surgically “downsizing” too-big lungs – to address the disparity.
Injuries
Not only are tall people more injury-prone, but their injuries are often worse than those experienced by the shorter set. “Taller patients, when they take a fall, they’re going to go a lot further and … the impact will be higher,” Truumees says, noting that older tall people have higher rates of hip fracture. Some data suggests lanky people may also be crippled by slower reactions times, he adds, since their nerve impulses have farther to travel. Professional athletes, for one, know the consequences of this phenomenon all too well: Towering players, Truumees says, tend to have higher rates of injury and take longer to recover than their littler teammates.
Blood clots
Long legs: Great if you’re a model, not-so-great if you’re on a long plane ride, wearing a cast as you recover from surgery or are otherwise unable to move your leg muscles frequently to prevent blood clots, Truumees says. Indeed, one study found that men 6 feet or taller were 2.6 times more likely to develop venous thromboembolism than men at least four inches shorter; men who were both tall and obese were more than five times as likely to develop the condition. “Those people need to be very careful,” Truumees says, since, in the most severe cases, blood clots can travel to the lungs and cause death.
Spine, neck and back problems
Most workspaces aren’t designed with non-average heights in mind: “Short people, tall people – they’re all working around the same cubicle or work unit, and that can cause all kinds of back and neck problems,” particularly for the tall ones, who are more prone to spine conditions like scoliosis, says Truumees, director of spine research at the Seton Spine and Scoliosis Center in Austin. While ensuring your workspace is ergonomically correct helps, some environments, like planes, can’t be altered – much to Truumees’s disappointment. “They say life is about the journey, not the destination,” he says, “but for me, it’s the destination – the journey is not all that fun.”
A new study has found that vaginal ring laced with anti-AIDS drug ‘reduces a woman’s risk of HIV’ by up to 92%. The ring tested in the new study contained 25 mg of dapivirine, about 4 mg of which gets released over 28 days.
Record has it that women account for nearly 60 per cent of adults with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, where unprotected heterosexual sex is the primary driver of the epidemic.
Despite advances in preventing HIV, women – especially those who are younger – still face a higher risk. In addition, a number of current prevention options, including medication that keeps HIV negative people from becoming infected – may not be accessible to or practical for many.
Previous findings from the study found the ring was far more effective in women over the age of 25 as they were 61 per cent less likely to be infected, as young women reported no extra benefit.
According to the study published on Mail Online, those who regularly used the device – which is laced with medication – were up to 92 per cent less likely to get the deadly virus through unprotected sex, experts found. The ring is coated with an experimental antiretroviral drug called dapivirine. This has been shown to provide significant protection against HIV by disabling a protein needed for HIV replication.
Vaginal rings are flexible products that fit high up inside the vagina where they release a medication slowly over time. They are sold in the US and UK for birth control, but the anti-AIDS version tested in Africa contained no contraception.
Research published earlier this year found 27 per cent fewer women acquired HIV in the group using dapivirine compared to those using a placebo ring containing no active drug. Developed by the International Partnership for Microbicides, it is meant to be used for a month at a time, and women can insert and remove it themselves.
More than 2,600 HIV-negative women between the ages of 18 and 45 from Malawi, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe were documented as part of the study.
The women were categorised into one of four groups depending on how often they used the ring. This ranged from non-use to near perfect ring use – and, as expected, the ring appeared to be far more effective when used most or all the time.
The level of protection for those who used the ring most consistently ranged from 75 per cent in one analysis to 92 per cent in another.
Elizabeth Brown, from the University of Washington, said: ‘Adherence to HIV prevention strategies is not always perfect, and we knew that not all women used the ring consistently, so we developed an analysis to explore the degree of HIV protection that was associated with more consistent use.
‘Across all analyses we saw high adherence was associated with significantly better HIV protection.’
While the new results are encouraging, Dr Brown and her colleagues are mindful that their analysis may be not 100 per cent accurate, and further studies will be needed to validate their results.
Pharmacy professionals and scientists from around the world are flocking to the FIP 2016 congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Why? The congress offers a world-leading mix of education, networking and social events delivered by some of the best speakers and event organisers available today. Delegates hear the latest thinking in the practical, political and academic drivers of population health and they have a rare chance to hear, discuss and formulate their own local policies and practice based on global thought-leadership. What’s more, they take home lifelong memories of Argentina’s culture and landscape. Register here!
Emerging infectious diseases
Infectious diseases affecting humans are increasing in range and severity at an unprecedented rate. The latest thinking in infectious disease management by pharmacists will be reviewed at one of the popular education sessions of the FIP congress. Roles in emergency planning are emerging and involve hospital pharmacists in creating preparedness plans that are flexible enough to respond to a variety of emerging infections. The session will show that the hospital pharmacist’s unique skillset can facilitate the tailored provision of drug information, risk-managed use of unlicensed and trial medicines, medicine administration and parenteral nutrition.
Paediatric hypercholesterolemia
Atherosclerosis can begin in childhood and the most important risk factor, hypercholesterolemia, is asymptomatically present in approximately 12% of children. Individuals diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia present themselves in the pharmacy. Focusing attention towards the children of such patients is considered a very effective screening strategy. Argentine researcher of paediatric hypercholesterolemia Dr Jorge Robledo hopes that the FIP congress 2016 will produce a Spanish-speaking partner to design a global pharmacy screening programme. For information, please contact: Jorge A. Robledo — pipes.jovita@gmail.com and look at the website.
Just as knowledge is not static, so scientists keep revealing new discoveries on every field. We have been used to super foods in the pasts, but leading nutritionists have found super spices that sooth the human body system all day.
We have known of such miraculous foods like avocado, nuts, sour sops and others, but researchers have recently published on Mail Online, these super spices that give the human system the needed treat to function effectively. Check them below:
CINNAMON: THE BRAIN BOOSTER
It’s often paired with apples, sprinkled on oatmeal and french toast.But, according to recent research published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, cinnamon is more, much more, than just a delicious addition to breakfast
Researchers say it can also improve a person’s ability to learn. How? The spice reverses biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes that occur in the brains of thse people with poor learning ability.
These sweeteners have been linked to mood swings and depression, as well as increased appetite.And therein lies another of cinnamon’s secret weapons, it can provide a healthy substitute to sugar.
Leading nutritionist, and author of Natural Alternatives to Sugar, Dr Marilyn Glenville, told Daily Mail Online: ‘If you are really craving something sweet, try adding cinnamon to your natural yoghurt, latte or porridge.’A few studies suggest that adding cinnamon to food might help better control a person’s blood sugar, by lowering post-meal blood-sugar spikes.’
TURMERIC: THE PAIN RELIEVER
It is instantly recognisable to anyone with an ounce of culinary intrigue – it’s bold, yellow colour beaming from the spice shelves in any food store.
In India, turmeric paste is more than just a vital component of their national cuisine. For it is regularly applied to wounds to speed the healing process.It’s secret lies in a key molecule – curcumin, a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin has also been shown to help relieve pain in arthritis patients, injuries and even dental problems.
Lily Soutter, a nutritionist and weight loss expert, explained: ‘This bright yellow spice is best known for it’s potent anti-inflammatory benefits.
‘It is the curcumin within turmeric, which has been used to treat inflammatory conditions like arthritis as well as playing a role within cancer prevention and protecting against heart disease’.
Nutritionist Cassandra Barns said: ‘It stimulates production of bile by the gallbladder that is used by the liver to filter and expel toxins. ‘You can also take turmeric supplements with the active curcumin for similar effect.’
GINGER: THE TUMMY SOOTHER
It is more than just an old wives’ tale, ginger really does have healing powers.The vibrant spice calms the digestive system, helping to sooth stomach troubles.
Dr Glenville said the spice can be particularly helpful to women in the early stages of pregnancy, struck by morning sickness.’Consuming a ginger tea with a meal may be useful, especially in pregnancy.
Ms Soutter, said the spice can also transform a person’s complexion.’Ginger can give you that healthy glow, radiant skin and glossy hair,’ she said.’This is because ginger stimulates circulation, allowing more vital nutrients to reach each organ.
SAFFRON: THE MOOD BOOSTER
There is a good reason why a gram of saffron is more expensive than gold.The spice has long been used in traditional Persian medicine as a mood lifter, usually added to tea or rice. ‘Saffron extract helps increase serotonin, which is the feel good hormone in the brain,’ Ms Barns explained.’This will not only improve your mood but also stop you from snacking, giving the same boost in serotonin as a biscuit.’
CAYENNE PEPPER: THE FAT BURNER
It is arguably the Holy Grail of medical research, discovering a way to help combat obesity.
But, part of the answer may already lie in the store cupboard.Research has shown that capsaicin, a powerful compound found in hot chilles and cayenne pepper revs up the body’s metabolism and may boost the body’s ability to burn fat.
Shona Wilkinson, Nutritionist at SuperfoodUK.com, said: ‘We all recognise that cayenne helps us heat up, even making us break a sweat after consuming it. ‘It is the active constituent capsaicin that creates the heat in our body from the food ingested. ‘Studies have also shown that chilli may help to decrease your appetite too.’
Do you want to live longer? Obviously, your answer will be affective, then you need diets with healthy fat, as researchers have suggested that Eating a diet that includes healthy fats can increase your chances of living for longer. Here is a list of diet of foods with healthy fats
DARK CHOCOLATE
Chocolate? Healthy? Who would have thought it. But as long as it’s eaten in moderation, chocolate can actually be beneficial.
Dark chocolate is 11 per cent fibre and contains iron, magnesium, copper and manganese. It is also packed with antioxidants – more than blueberries to be exact.Some of the antioxidants in dark chocolate can lower blood pressure and protect you from harmful cholesterol.
Studies also show that people who eat dark chocolate five or more times a week are less than half as likely to suffer from heart disease, compared to people who don’t eat dark chocolate.
There are also some studies showing that it can improve brain function and protect your skin from damage when exposed to the sun.
So, the good news is we don’t have to scrap chocolate from our diets. Just make sure to choose quality dark chocolate, with at least 70 per cent cocoa.
FLAXSEED
One cup of ground flaxseed contains a huge 48 grams of fat, but it’s all of the healthy, unsaturated kind and you actually only need one to two tablespoons to reap its benefits.
Flaxseed is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help to reduce inflammation and improves heart and brain health.
It’s also suggested that flaxseed can help to prevent some types of cancer as it contains plant nutrients that have estrogen and antioxidant properties.
And finally, flaxseed contains plenty of fibre, meaning it helps you to feel fuller for longer so you end up eating less. Try mixing a tablespoon into your morning porridge, add it to yoghurts or include it when baking.
SOYBEAN OIL
Soybean oil – which is extracted from the beans – is known for its neutral flavour and well-balanced fatty acids. This makes it a great ingredient for a variety of uses, from baked goods to salad dressings.
High in both poly and monounsaturated fats, it is one of the the few non-fish oils that supplies a great source of omega-3.
It also offers plenty of vitamin E, preventing cell damage that could lead to diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Overall, soybean oil can improve cardiovascular health, blood pressure, heart disease and cholesterol levels, research has shown. Soybean oil can be wonderful when used as a salad dressing or dipping oil.
RAW NUTS
Almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, you name it – nuts are high in healthy fats and fibre and are a great plant-based source of protein. They’re also high in vitamin E and magnesium – a mineral that most people don’t get enough of.It’s also suggested that nuts can lower the risk of various diseases such as obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.If you want to mix things up, try making a nut butter or spread.
CHIA SEEDS
Chia seeds aren’t generally perceived as a ‘fatty’ food but an ounce of them actually contains nine grams of fat
But that’s nothing to worry about as almost all the carbohydrates in chia seeds are fibre, meaning the majority of calories in them actually come from fat.This makes them a fantastic high-fat plant food packed with nutrition, minerals and protein.
In fact, most of the fats in chia seeds are heart-healthy and full of an omega-3 fatty acid called ALA.Health benefits include lowering blood pressure and anti-inflammatory effects.
RAPESEED OIL
Rapeseed oil contains half the amount of fat found in olive oil, meaning it’s high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and has a healthy blend of omega-3, 6 and 9.
It can help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease.Not only that, but rapeseed oil also has a ‘high smoke point’ so when used at high temperatures it still maintains its natural benefits.Rapeseed oil can be used to replace other fats like butter and cheese. Or used as a dipping oil.
AVOCADO
As if avocados couldn’t get any better, they are also classed as a healthy fat. Unlike many other fruits, avocados are packed with healthy fats rather than carbohydrates.‘Avocados are among the most nutritious foods you can eat,’ says Heather Thomas in her new book, The Avocado Cookbook.
‘Not only are they rich in protein and fibre but they are also a good source of potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamins A, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, E and K.
‘Because they are relatively high in fat, many weight-conscious people avoid them, but in fact they contain healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated vegetable fat.’
The main fatty acid found in avocados is a monounsaturated fat called oleic acid, which is also the predominant fatty acid found in olive oil.They are particularly good for healthy skin, digestion and preventing anaemia.
‘Indeed, some studies have shown that eating avocados regularly may help to lower harmful cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of developing heart disease,’ said Ms Thomas.The oil can also be extracted from the fruit and be used for cooking or salad dressings.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Extra virgin olive oil is the queen of healthy fats and an essential component of the Mediterranean diet.Shown to have numerous healthy benefits, olive oil is definitely something you should include in your diet.
Extra virgin olive oil contains vitamins E and K and is packed with powerful antioxidants that can fight inflammation. It has also been shown to lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
You can swap your butter for olive oil and use it for frying, a dip for breads, or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even use it in your dessert.
FATTY FISH
Salmon, mackerel and herring – these types of fish are loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, high quality proteins and important nutrients.Studies show people who eat fish tend to be much healthier, with a lower risk of heart disease, depression, dementia and other common diseases.If fish isn’t really your thing, then try taking a fish oil supplement instead. Cod fish liver oil contains all of the omega-3s you need as well as vitamin D.
Malaria experts and African leaders challenged to maintain the momentum and win the race for malaria elimination
Novartis convenes the 15th Annual National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) Best Practice Sharing Workshop today in Dakar, Senegal
National Malaria Control Program best practice sharing workshop takes place in Senegal, which has made great strides in malaria control
Event brings together delegates from 33 African countries to accelerate malaria elimination efforts
Novartis Malaria Initiative celebrates treatment delivery milestone, with more than 800 million treatments distributed since 2001, including over 300 million dispersible pediatric treatments
Awa Coll-Seck, Minister of Health of Senegal
Novartis convenes the 15th Annual National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) Best Practice Sharing Workshop today in Dakar, Senegal. Over the next two days, leading malaria experts and African leaders will discuss how to take on the challenge to win the race for malaria elimination.
Representatives from academia, civil society, the donor community and the public sector from 33 African countries will share knowledge and best practices to help accelerate elimination efforts across the continent.
“I’m delighted that Senegal has been chosen to host this year’s NMCP Best Practice Sharing Workshop because it gives our colleagues across Africa the opportunity to see the pioneering work undertaken by community volunteers,” said Awa Coll-Seck, Minister of Health of Senegal. “The country has witnessed huge declines in malaria incidence and deaths over the past five years, thanks to extensive malaria control interventions. We are confident our country can achieve complete elimination by 2030, along with the rest of the African continent.”
While malaria deaths have declined by around 60% since 2000, with 6 million lives saved [1], major new challenges have surfaced, including growing resistance to frontline artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and insecticides [2]. Although preventable and treatable, malaria continues to kill a child every two minutes and threatens the lives of many more [3].
This year’s event will focus on key issues including efficacy and quality monitoring of existing therapies, the growing tide of resistance in Asia and its potential effect on African countries. Host country Senegal has already proven to be a leader in home-based malaria management through the use of rapid diagnostic tests administered by community volunteers, and lessons from this success will also be shared.
“Novartis is proud to convene this unique forum and bring together leading voices from across Africa to advance malaria elimination efforts,” said Dr. Harald Nusser, Global Head, Novartis Malaria Initiative and Novartis Access. “Despite the many advances in the fight against the disease, we know there is still a lot to be done if we want to achieve a malaria-free world. Bridging existing gaps in access to key interventions and introducing novel tools, including next-generation antimalarial drugs, will be crucial to achieving elimination.”
Delegates will also have the opportunity to meet community volunteers in a semi-rural area; attend public disease awareness sessions; hear from Global Fund representatives about the global replenishment drive to further mobilize efforts to end malaria; and hear plans for the Novartis SMS for Life 2.0 pilot – a project which uses mobile phones and online tools to improve access to malaria medicines and quality of care.
The NMCP workshop is happening as the Novartis Malaria Initiative celebrates a new treatment delivery milestone. Since 2001, Novartis has delivered more than 800 million treatments without profit, including over 300 million dispersible pediatric treatments developed in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), mostly to the public sector of malaria-endemic countries. Novartis recently announced an expanded partnership with MMV to further drive the development of KAF156, the first in a new class of dual-acting antimalarial compounds known as imidazolepiperazines (IZPs) that target the parasite at both the liver and blood stages of its reproductive cycle.
The NMCP Best Practice Sharing Workshop is co-chaired by Dr. Moustapha Cisse, Deputy NMCP Head in Senegal; Simone Kunene, Under Secretary of the Swaziland Ministry of Health and a former Head of the Swaziland NMCP; and Professor Zul Premji, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology at Aga Khan University.
About the Novartis Malaria Initiative
The Novartis Malaria Initiative (http://www.Malaria.Novartis.com) is committed to drive research, development and access to novel drugs to eliminate malaria. Operated by Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, the Novartis Malaria Initiative is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s largest access-to-medicine programs. Since 2001, the initiative has delivered more than 800 million treatments without profit, including over 300 million dispersible pediatric treatments, mostly to the public sector of malaria-endemic countries.
Novartis has a long heritage in antimalarial drug development. Coartem®, the first fixed-dose Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT), was launched in 1999. ACTs are the current standard of care in malaria treatment. Currently, there are two potential antimalarial therapies in Phase II clinical trials in the Novartis pipeline, KAE609 and KAF156. Both are new classes of compounds that treat malaria in different ways from current therapies, and could help combat growing resistance to existing artemisinin-based combination therapies.
In 2009, the Novartis Malaria Initiative spearheaded SMS for Life to manage stock-outs of malaria medicines in sub-Saharan countries. A new enhanced version of this award-winning program, called SMS for Life 2.0, uses tablet computers to track more stock items and more disease surveillance indicators. The platform will also be used to deliver high-quality training directly to health workers at their health facility.
Disclaimer
This press release contains expressed or implied forward-looking statements, including statements that can be identified by terminology such as “to accelerate,” “will,” “confident,” “continues to,” “potential,” “next-generation,” “to further drive,” “committed,” “pipeline,” “could,” “would,” or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Group regarding future events, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such statements. These expectations could be affected by, among other things, risks and factors referred to in the Risk Factors section of Novartis AG’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update it in the future.
References
[1] Fact Sheet: World Malaria Report 2015. (2015, December 9). World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/malaria/media/world-malaria-report-2015/en/. Last accessed April 2016.
[2] Bansal, S. (2016, March 29). The Unrelenting Specter of Drug-Resistant Malaria. Medium. https://medium.com/the-development-set/the-unrelenting-specter-of-drug-resistant-malaria-da11f736c973#.3vjhqv4lg. Last accessed April 2016.
[3] World Health Organization, World Malaria Report 2015: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/200018/1/9789241565158_eng.pdf?ua=1. Last accessed January 2016.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Novartis International AG.
About Novartis
Novartis (https://www.Novartis.com) provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, eye care and cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals. Novartis is the only global company with leading positions in these areas. In 2015, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.4 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 8.9 billion (USD 8.7 billion excluding impairment and amortization charges). Novartis Group companies employ approximately 118,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are available in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.
For most tobacco users, tobacco cravings or urges to smoke can be powerful. But you’re not at the mercy of these tobacco cravings. Each time you resist a tobacco craving, you’re one step closer to stopping smoking or other toba.cco use for good. But it can be difficult.
According to Mail Online, below are smart tips to quit smoking.
Try nicotine replacement therapy
Talk with your doctor about nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to help deal with cravings. The nicotine nasal spray and the nicotine inhaler are available by prescription, as are the stop-smoking medications bupropion (Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix). However, some types of NRT, including patches, gum and lozenges are available over-the-counter (OTC).
After reviewing decades of research, the Food and Drug Administration recently announced that there’s no significant safety concerns associated with using more than one OTC NRT at the same time. So if you’re using nicotine replacement patches, gum or lozenges while trying to quit but you slip up and have a cigarette, you don’t need to stop using the NRT. Instead, keep using the NRT and keep trying to quit.
Avoid triggers
Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often, such as at parties or bars, in the car, or while watching television. Identify your trigger situations and have a plan in place to avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco. Don’t set yourself up for a smoking relapse. If you usually smoked while you talked on the phone, for instance, keep a pen and paper nearby to occupy yourself with doodling rather than smoking.
Delay
If you feel like you’re going to give in to your tobacco craving, tell yourself that you must first wait 10 more minutes and then do something to distract yourself for that period of time. This simple trick may be enough to derail your tobacco craving. Repeat as often as needed.
Chew on it
Give your mouth something to do to fight a tobacco craving. Chew on sugarless gum or hard candy, or munch on raw carrots, celery, nuts or sunflower seeds — something crunchy and satisfying.
Don’t have ‘just one’
You might be tempted to have just one cigarette to satisfy a tobacco craving. But don’t fool yourself into believing that you can stop at just one. More often than not, having just one leads to another— and you may end up using tobacco again.
Get physical
Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco cravings and reduce the intensity of cravings. Just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity can make a tobacco craving go away. Get out for a walk or jog. If you’re stuck at home or the office, try squats, deep knee bends, pushups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs. If physical activity doesn’t interest you, try prayer, needlework, woodwork or journaling. Or do chores for distraction, such as vacuuming or filing paperwork.
Practice relaxation techniques
In the past, smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Resisting a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. Take the edge off stress by practicing relaxation techniques. These include deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, yoga, visualization, hypnosis and massage.
Call for reinforcements
Touch base with a family member, friend or support group member for moral support in your effort to resist a tobacco craving. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together or simply share a few laughs — or get together to commiserate about your cravings.
Go online for support
Join an online stop-smoking program. Or read a quitter’s blog and post encouraging thoughts for someone else who might be struggling with tobacco cravings. Learn from how others have handled their tobacco cravings.
Remind yourself of the benefits
Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist tobacco cravings. These might include feeling better, getting healthier, sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke or saving money. And if you’re a closet smoker, you may save hours of time since you no longer have to spend time trying to conceal your habit.
Remember, trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. And each time you resist a tobacco craving, you’re one step closer to being totally tobacco-free.
Many mothers-to-be purchase expensive vitamin tablets in a bid to give their little bundle of joy the best start in life.
But they are wasting their money as there is no evidence they improve the baby’s health, a new study has warned. It also found that high levels of vitamin A could even harm the child.
Pregnant women are bombarded with adverts for vitamin and mineral supplements, but they should ignore the marketing hype, instead focusing on improving their diet, the researchers said.
The conclusions were published in a review of the available evidence published in the BMJ’s Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.
Dr James Cave, the journal’s editor, said: ‘We found no evidence to recommend that all pregnant women should take prenatal multi-nutrient supplements beyond the nationally advised folic acid and vitamin D supplements, generic versions of which can be purchased relatively inexpensively.
‘The primary focus should be on promoting a healthy diet and improving the use of folic acid supplements, which have a poor uptake, particularly among those from lower income families.
He continued: ‘For most women who are planning to become pregnant or who are pregnant, complex multivitamin and mineral preparations promoted for use during pregnancy are unlikely to be needed and are an unnecessary expense.
The review of studies on vitamins found only folic acid (pictured) and vitamin D supplements were necessary for pregnant women
Mail Online
In this video, Lynne Dunbrack, Research Vice President IDC Health Insights, explains the impact of IoT on healthcare and describes how IoT will change the way we run our medical systems in the future
Workers of the Jos University Teaching Hospital on Monday embarked on a sit-at-work strike to protest the non payment of their June salaries.
In a report filed in by the News Agency of Nigeria, it was gathered that the workers came to their working place but merely sat down and did not resume duties. The workers signed the attendance register at the hospital but were not attending to patients.
Mr Samfi Kesuwo, Secretary, Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), JUTH chapter, said that they embarked on the strike on Friday to press home their demand for payment of the June salaries.
“We just come to work and sit down doing nothing. We wonder why only 394 members of staff were paid, out of the 2094 workers. Although we are yet to be addressed by management over why we were not paid, rumours have it that it was a system failure from IPPIS. But it is amazing to us that the system recognised only Heads of Departments and the Chief Medical Director (CMD)’s loyalists and paid them. The burning question is, how did the system recognised the CMD’s loyalists and the heads of the departments?’’
He said that the workers would continue with the strike until their salaries were paid.
Reacting to the development, the CMD, Prof Edmund Banwat, attributed the non-payment of salaries of most of the workers to “an error from the IPPIS’’.
“An error occurred on the IPPIS platform in the course of the payment. The management of the IPPIS admitted that error and promised to rectify it immediately after the Sallah break, but the break was extended, leaving them with only Friday to carry out the rectification. Unfortunately, we woke up that Friday to find the gates and offices locked by the workers over the non-payment of salaries. IPPIS is in Abuja, but the workers are venting their anger on us here. There is nothing we can do outside pleading with the workers to just wait for IPPIS to rectify the issues,’’ he said.
Banwat said he just confirmed that the issues had been resolved while payment would soon begin.
“We expect many workers to get their alerts this afternoon. I already have that assurance from the IPPIS and the Central Bank of Nigeria,’’ he said.
Banwat dismissed the allegation that he selected those to be paid and those to be left out.
“We do not control IPPIS pay platform, it is not an internal issue. It was just an error which IPPIS has admitted and already correcting,’’ he said.
Good news to all parents, whose children are in the habits of thumb sucking and nailing biting, as the habits could be tagged “blessings in disguise”, with the latest research finding revealing that children who sucked their thumbs or bit their nails were more than a fifth less likely to have allergies as adults. And if they did both bad habits, the risk was slashed by more than a third.
The findings published on Mail Online disclosed that scientists believe these children ingested the bacteria living under their nails which strengthened their immune system, making them less susceptible to allergies.
This is known as the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ – and is also a possible explanation as to why allergies are commoner now than during Victorian era when sanitation was far worse.
But despite their findings, they would not want parents to actively encourage their children to thumb suck or bite nails as there can be other health risks.
They tend to be more susceptible to picking up tummy bugs and thumb sucking may pull the front teeth forward.And there is no evidence from this study that the habits reduce the risk of asthma or hayfever, one of the commonest allergies.
But the discovery may help allay parents’ fears if they are really struggling to wean children off the habits, according to the team from the University of Otaga in New Zealand.
Estimates show that around 50 per cent of children suck their thumbs or two fingers and another 30 per cent bite their nails.
Professor Bob Hancox looked at the records of 1,037 women and men who have been followed since they were children in the early 1990s as part of a major New Zealand health study.
All had undergone finger prick tests to check if they had any allergies aged 13, and again at 32.On average, 49 per cent had at least one allergy aged 13 or 32 but this was slashed to 38 per cent if they bit their nails or sucked thumbs.
If they did both, the risk of having an allergy was cut to just 31 cent, according to the findings published in the journal Pediatrics.
So, worry less as a parent over these habits, as they stand as a protection technique for your kids.
Although environmental noise has been identified as one of the major pollutants of the society years back, but has not been linked to sudden death. Recent findings have revealed that exposure to constant barrage of traffic noise raises the risk of a heart attack.
Those who live close to main roads or railway lines are most at risk, researchers’ discovered. According to the findings published on Mail Online, it was stated that constant stream of sounds from cars, trains or planes puts the body under stress, increasing the risk of a myocardial infarction (MI) – the medical name for a heart attack.
The researchers who examined information from state health insurers of over a million Germans over 40 living in Rhine-Main region of Germany, it showed that where they lived was matched precisely to road, rail, and traffic noise exposure measurements for 2005.
The report indicated that patients who died of heart attack up to 2014/2015, a statistically significant link was found between noise exposure and the risk of heart attack.
The results showed an association between noise from road, rail and air traffic, and heart attack. They found a lower risk linked to noise by aircraft – and said this can be explained by the fact that – unlike road and rail traffic noise – aircraft noise never remains continuously above 65 decibels.
Scientists say they found a correlation between noise exposure and the risk of heart attack due to the increase in ‘psychological and physiological stress’ on the body.
Professor Dr Andreas Seidler, of the Technical University Dresden said: ‘Traffic noise can trigger complex psychological and physiological stress reactions.
He added it activates the sympathetic nervous system – which controls the ‘fight or flight response’ raising blood pressure and pulse – which over time can damage the cardiovascular system.
It also activates the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis – our central stress response system. He continued: ‘The World Health Organisation estimates that in the western part of Europe at least one million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are lost due to diseases induced by traffic noise.’
Thus, the import of this to our society is that those people living along city centres like Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Ibadan, etc, need to soundproof their apartments if possible if they want to live long, because frequent traffic noise could be deadly.
Merck will sponsor nine medical doctors from Sub-Saharan African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Africa for a period of two years
Program aims to improve access to cancer care in Africa and increase number of oncologists on the continent
Paediatric and adult medical fellowship planned for African doctors in India
DARMSTADT, Germany, July 10, 2016/ — Merck (www.MerckGroup.com), a leading science and technology company, today announced to start the first Merck Africa Medical Oncology Fellowship Program for Sub-Saharan African countries in partnership with University of Nairobi, Kenya. The program will be conducted at University of Nairobi and is part of Merck’s efforts to improve access to cancer care and strengthen the healthcare system in emerging markets.
In a first step, Merck will sponsor nine medical doctors from Sub-Saharan African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Africa for a period of two years. The program will be extended to other African countries in the following year. Moreover, Merck will support another five African doctors to participate in a paediatric and adult medical fellowship program, which will be held annually at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India. This program will start in August this year.
“We are committed to improving patient’s access to healthcare all over the world”, said Rasha Kelej, who as Chief Social Officer of the healthcare business sector of Merck leads the implementation and coordination of activities, designed to have a positive impact on societies in developing countries. “In Africa, where the number of oncologists is very limited, this starts by building additional medical capacity. Our new program aims to increase the number of qualified oncologists across the continent. The scarcity of trained healthcare personnel capable of tackling prevention, early diagnosis and management of cancer is a bigger challenge in Africa than the lack of financial resources. Therefore we firmly believe that initiatives like ours are very helpful for Africa and also in a further step for more developing countries.”
Merck over the past years has significantly stepped up its activities on the African continent with an expected doubling of sales by 2020 (http://apo.af/Z7c14K). In addition to its cancer drug Erbitux, which made Merck is a pioneer in targeted cancer therapy, the company is also making fast progress in the field of immuno-oncology, aimed at mobilizing the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.
Prof. Isaac Kibwage, Principal of Colleges of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, said: “We believe that the only way to effectively prevent, detect and treat the rising number of cancer cases in Africa is through establishing public private partnerships between health ministries, academia, and industry in implementing successful programs such as the partnership with Merck. This fellowship program will not only target Kenyan doctors but doctors from Sub-Saharan African countries as well with the aim of improving the quality and accessibility of cancer care in the continent.”
The shortage of oncologists threatens cancer care in Africa. According to World Health Organization (WHO), by 2020 there are expected to be 16 million new cases of cancer every year, 70% of which will be in developing countries where governments are least prepared to address the growing cancer burden and where survival rates are often less than half those of more developed countries.
According to research done by Merck Kenya only has 13 oncologists, most of them based in Nairobi for a population of 47 million, which means one oncologist per 3.6 million people. For reference, in the UK there are around 13 oncologists per 1 million people. Moreover, in Ethiopia there are only four oncologists, all based in Addis Ababa for a population of around 100 million inhabitants.
Distributed by APO on behalf of Merck KGaA.
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About Merck
Merck (www.MerckGroup.com) is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck generated sales of € 12.85 billion in 66 countries.
Founded in 1668, Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.
Biotechnological company BIOCAD has developed innovative medicine for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and other autoimmune diseases. According to scientists forecast, the new drug candidate (BCD-121) can increase the efficacy of treatment of RA up to 20% in comparison to currently available therapy regimens. BIOCAD has invested more than 155 mln. RUB., in very early development stages of BCD-121. As for today, there is no registered drug in the world with the same mechanism of action.
Modern medicines that are available for RA treatment are able to inhibit only one inflammatory protein or its receptor, for example tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or interleukin 17 (IL17) or receptor of interleukin 6 (IL6R). BIOCAD has developed the novel molecule, which can block two proteins simultaneously. BCD-121 is so called bispecific monoclonal antibody with superior functional properties and convenient subcutaneous form. According to BIOCAD’s Vice President of R&D and Business Development Roman Ivanov: «Bispecific antibodies have synergetic effects that are likely to result in higher efficacy in comparison to monospecific antibodies that are targeting only one protein».
Unfortunately, over the time one third of RA patients become resistant to monospecific drugs, which means that medicine blocking only one inflammatory protein, does not work anymore. According to scientists forecast, the novel molecule BCD-121 will be a solution for such resistant patients.
Only few other companies develop similar bispecific molecules. BCD-121 will enter the Phase I clinical trial already this year. The development program for the novel molecule will last until the year 2021 and a year after the new BIOCADs drug is expected to be on the market.
World Chocolate Day on July 7 marks the anniversary of the creation of chocolate more than 400 years ago. This year, celebrate your health by honoring the source of the goodness– the cocoa bean. While there are many myths and misconceptions about the health benefits of chocolate, the fact is the real good stuff is locked inside the cocoa bean.
Below are four facts about the cocoa bean that set the record straight about the real hero of Chocolate Day.
Cocoa Beans Contain the Real Good Stuff Cocoa beans contain natural compounds called cocoa flavanols, a unique blend of plant-based nutrients unmatched by any other food on earth. These potent bioactives have been shown to support health by helping maintain the body’s pool of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide works with your body’s miles of blood vessels to help maintain the healthy flow of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to all parts of your body so you can be the best you inside and out.
Processing Cocoa Beans Can Destroy the Health Benefits Fermenting, drying, and roasting cocoa beans is the traditional process used to make cocoa powder and chocolate. However, this conventional cocoa processing often destroys cocoa flavanols, doing away with the health benefits of these compounds. This is why gentle handling and processing of cocoa beans is critical to ensure preservation of the cocoa flavanols that support healthy blood flow.
Cocoa Beans Must Be Handled with Care As a leader in cocoa research, the scientists at Mars, Incorporated developed and perfected the patented Cocoapro® process, which gently preserves cocoa flavanols in their purest form, from the freshest-quality cocoa beans available. Cocoa extract is the key ingredient in CocoaVia® cocoa extract supplement, which thanks to the Cocoapro® process, has the highest concentration of cocoa flavanols available in a cocoa extract supplement today.
There is a Way to Enjoy All the Benefits of Chocolate Without the Guilt CocoaVia® daily cocoa extract supplement delivers 375 mg of cocoa flavanols per serving – a level that that promotes healthy blood flow from head-to-toe†. To put this level of cocoa flavanols in perspective, it would take approximately four of the average dark chocolate bar (more than 700 calories) to get the same amount of cocoa flavanols found in one serving of a CocoaVia® supplement. CocoaVia® supplement comes in convenient capsules or in flavored powdered stick packs that can be added to a variety of delicious CocoaVia® supplement recipes.
For more information about CocoaVia® supplement, visit www.CocoaVia.com
†This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
About Mars, Incorporated In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars’ first roots as a confectionery company. In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar. In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of building a business based on the objective of creating a “mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders” – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in Mclean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments, including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 72,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.
The Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia (PREVAIL), a U.S.-Liberia joint Clinical Research Partnership, today announced the opening of PREVAIL IV, a treatment trial for men who have survived Ebola virus disease (EVD) but continue to have evidence of Ebola virus genetic material, RNA, in their semen. The trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Liberia and the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences. The six-month study will enroll 60 to 120 EVD survivors whose semen has evidence of Ebola virus RNA prior to their enrollment. Participants in the double-blind trial will receive either investigational drug GS-5734, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, Inc., or a placebo.
Liberia was one of the hardest hit countries during the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15. On June 9, the World Health Organization declared the end of the most recent outbreak in Liberia and the country entered a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are quickly identified and contained. “We know that traces of Ebola virus can sometimes remain in a recovered person’s body and can initiate a new bout of illness in the survivor or be passed onto others, which could start a new chain of infection in the community,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “The goal of the PREVAIL IV trial is to see if the experimental drug can eliminate the traces of Ebola virus from semen in men who have survived Ebola infection. It is anticipated that this would decrease the risk of passing the virus to their sexual partners. If so, the drug would be another weapon in our arsenal against Ebola virus disease.”
Upon enrollment, volunteers in the new trial will receive the study drug (or placebo) once a day for five days and will provide multiple blood and semen samples during this period. All volunteers must have previously enrolled in the PREVAIL III Ebola Natural History study for survivors and their household and sexual contacts. Prior to enrollment, volunteers will be tested for normal kidney and liver function. Volunteers will be seen at the clinic 10 times in the first month and then once a month for the remaining five months. Volunteers will provide blood and semen samples throughout the trial period. Investigators will test the semen samples to see if Ebola viral RNA can continue to be detected. All volunteers will be counseled to use condoms during the course of the trial.
GS-5734 has previously been tested for safety in healthy men and women in the United States. In that study, no serious side effects of the experimental drug were detected, but some volunteers experienced a rise and then a fall in liver enzyme levels. This information has been incorporated into the new trial by the study investigators, who will be monitoring volunteers for kidney and liver function during the trial. In non-human primates infected experimentally with a lethal dose of Ebola virus, GS-5734 has been shown to reduce viremia and to improve survival.
The co-principal investigators of the PREVAIL IV trial are Dehkontee Gayedyu-Dennis, M.D., site physician at Duport Road PREVAIL site, Monrovia; Elizabeth Higgs, M.D., NIAID; and William A. Fischer II, M.D., of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Participants for the Prevail IV study will be recruited from the PREVAIL III study of Ebola survivors and their close contacts which opened in June 2015. Prevail III aims to better understand the long-term consequences of Ebola virus disease, Ebola virus persistence and transmission risk to close contacts, and includes components that assess mental health, eye health and other issues in survivors. Additional details about PREVAIL III are available at ClinicalTrials.gov using the identifier NCT02431923.
NIAID conducts and supports research — at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide — to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
Are you a woman of menopausal age or someone very close to you is? If your answer is in the affirmative, then here lies some tips to ease women of menopausal symptoms. Scientists have recently found that stretching for just 10 minutes a day can help ease the symptoms of menopause and depression.
Experts evaluated the impact of light exercise on middle-aged women, focusing on hot flashes and chills, mood and sleep disturbance and body aches.
Dr JoAnn Pinkerton, executive director of The North American Menopause Society, in a Mail Online report said: ‘If women were to exercise with light walking 30 minutes daily and then stretch for 10 minutes, they might improve their health, menopausal symptoms, mood and cognition and, if stretching helps sleep, improve their sleep.’
To prove this, forty Japanese women, aged 40 to 61, took part in the study at the Physical Fitness Research Institute, Meji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare in Tokyo.
Twenty of the women were randomly assigned to stretch 10 minutes a day, before bedtime for three weeks.
The other 20 were instructed to remain sedentary before bed.
Researchers led by Yuko Kai, evaluated the women’s menopausal symptoms using 10 questions about vasomotor symptoms, including hot flashes and chills.
And they also assessed psychological symptoms, including mood and sleep disturbances, as well as body aches.
They used a separate set of questions to evaluate the symptoms of depression.
At the start, the groups were generally similar.
More than half the participants were postmenopausal and nearly two-thirds had depression. Most of the women were not physically active.
On average, the stretching group stretched about five days per week.
Overall, the women in the stretching group had improved scores on both sets of questions after the three-week study period, compared to the group that didn’t stretch before bed.
The frequency of hot flashes wasn’t different in the two groups, however.
While stretching before bed isn’t a bad idea, Dr Pinkerton, said: ‘It is impossible to tell if the positive effect found from stretching on menopausal and depressive symptoms was due to the stretching, the increased movement, or not doing whatever they normally do during the 10 minutes before bed such as eat, smoke or drink.’
Dr Pinkerton said the results would have been more interesting if the comparison group had been assigned a task to do before bedtime, to see if it was the stretching itself that was helpful or just the fact of doing something before bed.
In most studies of methods for reducing hot flashes, the placebo group sees some improvement, too, she pointed out.
In this trial, the comparison group had no improvement at all, which means, she said, that it was not an adequate control group.
For more conclusive results, Dr Pinkerton said: ‘This study needs to be replicated with larger, more diverse postmenopausal women with an active control group.’
In the meantime, she added, women should remember that, ‘being sedentary has been shown to be bad for (their) physical and mental health and to increase hot flashes. Being active every day has been shown to lessen severity of hot flashes, improve mood, coping ability and may decrease (their) risk of cognitive loss.’
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Pharm Adeshina Opanubi, a former staff of Pfizer Nigeria, is lead consultant for Shyne & Chloe Company Limited. Born in Ikenne, Ogun State, Opanubi finished secondary education at Mayflower Secondary School in 1996. He gained admission to study Pharmacy the same year at the University of Lagos.
Shortly after getting a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in 2002, he bagged a master’s degree in Business Administration from Business School, Netherlands (Action Learning Campus in Lagos).
Opanubi’s first professional experience was in 2005 when he was appointed by Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals as pharmaceutical sales representative in charge of Ibadan, Oyo State. Three years later, he was promoted as customer relations manager (2008-2013) where he managed the company’s Friendly Pharmacy Loyalty programme.
Having had a rewarding career at Pfizer and in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry, with responsibilities spanning 10 African countries, he quitt his job to go into the world of entrepreneurship.
For someone with background in retail management, sales, marketing and customer relations, it did not take long for Opanubi to find a niche. Shortly after leaving Pfizer, he set up a consulting firm, Shyne and Chloe, in 2013 to cater for the needs of the African Pharmaceutical Industry. Within the same year, he set up Nigeria’s first retail pharmacy business support network, PHARMALLIANCE, where he is the project catalyst. This network provides business support services to retail pharmacies in Nigeria.
As the lead consultant of Shyne and Chloe Company limited, Opnaubi runs capacity building workshops for retail pharmacists and their support staff across the country and also serves as a consultant to organisations seeking to access the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria. He is also a youth activist and advocate, which led to his appointment in 2009 as the national coordinator of the Young Pharmacists Forum. He is skilled in public speaking, solutions conceptualization and negotiation.
In response to the lack of business education among Nigerian pharmacists, he conceptualised and convened The Panel, an annual retail pharmacy business summit in 2009. In what some pharmacists agreed was landmark. The Panel is still being held annually for the past 5 years. He has also built Nigeria’s first online pharmaceutical directory and job portal www.rxevolution.com.ng.
His most cherished laurel is perhaps the Pfizer Global Innovation Award which he won in New York, United States in 2011. It was a unique award presented to him for conceptualising and successfully implementing the LUTH-PFIZER Electronic Pharmacy Project (first of its kind in Sub Saharan Africa).
A member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), the lead consultant is married with children.
When you quit doing the wrong things, you make more room for the things that make you move up to extraordinary leadership happiness. So starting today…
Quit procrastinating on your goals.
Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it. Action and change are often resisted when they’re needed most. Get a hold of yourself and have discipline. Putting something off instantly makes it harder and scarier. What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow. And there’s nothing more stressful than the perpetual lingering of an unfinished task.
The secret to getting ahead is simply getting started. Starting, all by itself, is usually sufficient to build enough momentum to keep the ball rolling. So, forget about the finishing line and just concentrate on taking your first step. Say to yourself, “I choose to start this task with a small, imperfect step.” All those small steps will add up and you’ll actually get to see changes fairly quickly.
Quit blaming others and making excuses.
Stop blaming others for what you have or don’t have, or for what you feel or don’t feel. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility and perpetuate the problem. Stop giving your power away and start taking responsibility for your life. Blaming is just another sorry excuse, and making excuses is the first step towards failure; you and only you are responsible for your life’s choices and decisions.
Quit trying to avoid change.
If nothing ever changed there would be( no sunrise the next morning. Most of us are comfortable where we are, even though the whole universe is constantly changing around us. Learning to accept this is vital to our happiness and general success. Because only when we change do we grow, and begin to see a world we never knew was possible.
Remember also that however good or bad a situation is now, it will change. That’s the one thing you can count on. So embrace it, and realise that change happens for a reason. It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but in the end, it will be worth it.
As Henry Ford once stated, “Whether( you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” One of the major causes of why we fail is due to self-doubt and negative self-talk. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Over time, you will change the trajectory of your life.
Quit criticising others.
The negativity you bleed out toward others will gradually cripple your own leadership journey and happiness. When you truly feel comfortable with your own imperfections, you won’t feel threatened or offended by the imperfections you see in other people.
So, stop worrying about the flaws you see in everyone else, and focus on yourself. Let the constant growth and improvement in your own life keep you so busy that you have no time left to criticise others.
Quit trying to control the uncontrollable.
If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can’t control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of frustration and misery which will adversely affect you on your journey to extraordinary leadership.
Some forces are out of your control, but you can control how you react to things. Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether you’re happy or not depends greatly on which aspects you focus on. The best thing you can do is to let go of what you can’t control, and invest your energy in the things you can – like your attitude.
Quit talking down to yourself.
Nothing will bring you down quicker than berating yourself. The mind is a superb instrument if used right; but when used incorrectly, it becomes very destructive. Be aware of your mental self-talk. We all talk silently to ourselves in our heads, but we aren’t always conscious of what we’re saying or how it’s affecting us.
Quit running from your problems and fears.
Trust me, if everyone threw their problems in a pile for you to see, you would grab yours back. Tackle your problems and fears swiftly; don’t run away from them. The best solution is to face them head-on, no matter how powerful they may seem.
Fears, in particularly, stop you from taking chances and making decisions. They keep you cornered to just the small space where you feel completely comfortable. But your life’s story is simply the culmination of many small, unique experiences, many of which require you to stretch your comfort zone. Letting your fears and worries control you is not ‘living’; it’s merely existing. Bottom line: Either you own your problems and fears, or they will ultimately own you.
Quit living in another time and place.
Some people spend their entire lives trying to live in another time and place. They lament about what has been, what they could have done, or what they might have become. However, the past is gone, and the future doesn’t exist. No matter how much time we spend thinking and lamenting about either, it doesn’t change anything.
One of life’s sharpest paradoxes is that our brightest future hinges on our ability to pay attention to what we’re doing right now, today. We need to live more in the moment. Living in the moment requires active, open, intentional awareness on the present. Don’t fantasise about being on vacation while at work, and don’t worry about the work piling up on your desk when you’re on vacation. Live for now. Notice the beauty unfolding around you.
Quit trying to be someone you’re not.
One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change for people to like you. Be yourself and the right people will love you, and you’ll love yourself more too.
Quit being ungrateful
Not all the pieces in the puzzle of life will seem to fit together at first, but in time you’ll realize they do, perfectly. So thank the things that didn’t work out, because they just made room for the things that will. And thank the ones who walked away from you, because they just made room for the ones who won’t.
No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.
Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has led stakeholders in the health care industry, including President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. (Alh) Ahmed Yakasai, to call on community pharmacists in the country to remain committed to quality health care delivery in the country.
The governor made the call while speaking at the opening ceremony of the 35th Annual National Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), tagged “Coal City 2016” and held at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, Enugu State recently.
Ugwuanyi, who was the guest of honour at the event, said he was delighted to host community pharmacists across the country for the first time in the state, adding that he was ready to work with the ACPN in improving the health care delivery system in the state.
L-R, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, president, PSN; His Excellency, Rt. Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu State Governor; Pharm. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okoye, managing director/CEO, Juhel Nigeria Limited and Pharm. (Dr) Albert Kelong Alkali, national chairman, ACPN at the 35th Annual National Conference of ACPN in Enugu, Enugu State.
Acknowledging the vital role of community pharmacists, especially being the closest health care professionals to the people, the governor said this should spur them to be more dedicated and passionate about their chosen profession.
He further noted that the conference came at a time that the state government was intensifying efforts to rid the state of counterfeit medicines and improve the standard of health care delivery.
“As a government, we have indeed previously expressed our determination to transform Enugu State into a choice destination of medical treatment in Nigeria. And in pursuit of this vision, we have, among other things, commenced the construction of three new specialist hospitals to be located in the three senatorial zones of the state, while intensifying efforts towards the completion and commissioning of an ultra-modern diagnostic centre. We are also ensuring the continuous upgrading and strengthening of existing health facilities and institutions in the state,” he disclosed.
In his speech at the conference, PSN President, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, who noted that he was impressed with the level of organisation of the conference by the ACPN, said the association had indeed made a number of giant strides in recent years.
Extolling the crucial roles community pharmacists play in every society, Yakasai enjoined them to avail themselves of capacity development programmes in order to enhance their relevance as primary health care providers.
“Pharmacists are the third largest health professionals but community pharmacy is the gateway to health for the majority of care seekers all over the world,” he said.
Assuring ACPN of maximum support from the PSN and other relevant stakeholders, Yakasai said: “To meet the ever-changing needs of the public, the PSN is ready to continue to partner with ACPN and regulatory authorities like the PCN, NAFDAC and others to strengthen pharmacy practice, especially in the community. We are seeking the support of our colleagues to review the pharmacy laws to enable the PCN perform its regulatory function effectively by eradicating charlatans and illegal drug traders.
“We are liaising with the PCN to establish the satellite pharmacy concept with appropriate legal framework to deepen and widen the reach of community pharmacy in the under-served areas. Arrangement is also being worked out to provide four million dollar intervention fund that would be disbursed to aspiring and enterprising pharmacists, young and old, who are intending to establish and operate their own pharmacy.”
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who was represented by Dr Christopher Amah, chief medical director (CMD), University of Enugu Teaching Hospital, said the theme of the conference, “Manpower Development in Community Pharmacy Practice – Adopting Global Best Practices”, was apt, considering the challenge facing the health care sector and the fact that it was coming at a time the country was making efforts to improve the sector.
“I want to assure you of my support towards any policy that you reach at this conference that will favour pharmacy profession in the country, and to also tell you that the ministry of health is ready to work with you and ensure that the environment is more conducive for the practitioners to operate,” Adewole said.
In his own contribution, registrar of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm. N.A.E Mohammed, who equally commended the theme of the conference, assured that the PCN was working round the clock to ensure that the various challenges confronting the ACPN would soon come to an end.
“We are here to inform the association that there is never a cloud that the sun cannot shine on; therefore, the ACPN and the pharmacy profession shall definitely shine, no matter the challenges. We also wish to let you know that the drive towards the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) is on course and that we have stepped up our game regarding task force activities in all the states of the federation in order to sanitise the drug environment,” Mohammed stated.
Also speaking at the event, chairman of the occasion, Pharm. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okoye, managing director, Juhel Nigeria Limited, noted that the conference was strategic as it came at a time the state government was recording great achievements in restructuring health care infrastructures in the state, adding that the presence of community pharmacists from all states of the federation would further encourage good pharmaceutical practice in the state.
Speaking earlier, National Chairman of ACPN, Dr Albert Kelong Alkali said that the theme of the conference, which had received commendation from all the stakeholders at the conference, was meticulously chosen to educate community pharmacists nationwide on the current best practices globally.
He noted that the conference offered good opportunity for community pharmacists who had been working since the beginning of the year to unwind and learn.
The highlights of the event were the unveiling of the redesigned green cross emblem for community pharmacists, and the presentation of the “Distinguished Public Service Award” to the wife of the governor, Mrs Monica Ugwuanyi, who is the founder of Ugo Touch of Life Foundation (U-TOLF), a pet project aimed at assisting people battling with ailments such as cervical cancer, hypertension, eye problem, type 2 diabetes, heart failure, among others.
The conference had in attendance several other personages from the health care sector and other walks of life, including Hon. Dennis Oguerinwa Amadi, member representing Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency of Enugu State; Dr Samuel Ngwu, Hon. Commissioner for Health, Enugu State; His Royal Highness, Igwe Dr. Julius N. Nnaji, Igwe of Nike, Enugu State; and Pharm. Layi Gobir, managing director, Smart Mark Limited, Lagos and keynote speaker.
Others were Rt. Rev. DrEmmanuel Chukwuma, Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese; Pharm. Azubike Okwor, former president, PSN; Pharm. Deji Osinoiki, former national chairman, ACPN; Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, immediate past president, PSN; and Pharm. (Alh.) Olufemi Ismail Adebayo, immediate past national chairman, ACPN.
Pharmacists in the country have been enjoined to take over control of herbal medicine from non-professionals and semi-literate practitioners.
Speaking at a two-day workshop jointly organised by the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) at the college’s secretariat in Yaba on 26 May, Prof. Mbang Femi-Oyewo, dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) said pharmacists cannot afford to have non-professionals dictating the pace when it comes to the issue of herbal medicine.
A cross-section of participants at the two-day workshop. Front Row (L-R): Mr Rasaq Olasumbo of Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board; Prof (Mrs) Cecilia Igwilo, chairman, WAPCP’s Faculty of Drug Production and Quality Assurance; Prof. Wilson Erhun, WAPCP secretary general; Pharm Iyiola Gbolagade, national secretary, PSN, and Prof. Udoma Mendie, former dean, UNILAG’s Faculty of Pharmacy
“I am happy that Nigerians are beginning to look towards herbal medicine these days. Unfortunately, those who didn’t go to school are the ones controlling things. This is why we need to take over as professionals and do things the way they are supposed to be done. They must be well formulated, properly labelled, safe for use and quite affordable,” she noted.
When reminded how expensive herbal research and production can be, the dean remarked that while the observation is true, pharmacists know better than to despise the days of humble beginning.
“It has been done in many countries, especially China and India. They have equally discovered that there are some herbal products that are quite nutritional; hence the influx of what we know today as Nutri-ceuticals.
“I think the problem that often arises is that of safety measures and documentation. The truth is that herbs work in a subtle way. Some give instant relief while others take some time. But if it is obvious that you are not getting result, it is time to seek help from physicians,” she said.
Prof. (Mrs) Cecilia Igwilo, chairman, WAPCP’s Faculty of Drug Production and Quality Assurance, also affirmed that Nigeria had been using herbal products for quite a long time.
“It is a known fact that people in the rural and even some urban areas use a lot of herbal medicine. As expected, we have herbs for headache, stomach upset and several ailments.
“For instance, I use ‘efirin’ (basil plant) whenever I have a mild stomach upset. One important thing to note is that there are several benefits attached to the use of medicinal plants like bitter leaf, kola, garlic, ginger and the likes,” she hinted.
On the desired properties of a good herbal formulation, Dr Chuks Azubuike, a senior lecturer in the Department of Pharmaceutics, University of Lagos (UNILAG), stressed that such must be accepted, economical for large scale manufacture, chemically and physically packaged, preserved against microbial contamination, able to provide correct dose of drug and therapeutically correct.
In a related development, Prof. Udoma Mendie, former dean, UNILAG’s Faculty of Pharmacy harped on packaging and safety of herbal products, saying a good herbal product must have anti-counterfeiting features, Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) anti-tampering device and child-resistant packaging.
Congratulating participants at the workshop, Pharm Iyiola Gbolagade, PSN national secretary said he was certain that much knowledge had been received.
“I don’t want to agree with the perception that Nigerians have negative feeling towards herbal medicine. Everything you get from herbs is not necessarily fetish and it has nothing to do with witchcraft.
“I recall that the first thing our people do whenever a woman gives birth is to go and cut roots and leaves to be boiled for her. It has nothing to do with incantation or charms. It is as good as orthodox medicine,” he said.
The PSN secretary however observed that the only challenge that needs to be addressed is ensuring that herbal practitioners are producing and giving people the right formulations.
“That is where I believe we need to work on. For instance, as a community pharmacist, when people approach us with complaints about an ailment, we always want to find out whether they have taken a pain reliever like paracetamol or herbs before coming,” he said.
He berated self-styled herbal practitioners hawking suspicious contents they describe as herbs in little containers and selling especially to the public.
“What we want to ensure is that they are not just concocting all sorts of rubbish and giving to people. We are concerned about safety. That is why PSN is proudly collaborating with WAPCP.
“In Nigeria, the common denominator of what people do is money. That is why we are saying pharmacists, whom herbal medicine is supposed to be in their purview by virtue of our training, should take up the gauntlet and challenge the quacks,” he charged.
Expressing satisfaction with the two-day seminar, Prof. Wilson Erhun, WAPCP secretary general reported that research has shown that the use of herbal products is on the increase.
“People are having increased confidence in the use of herbal products. We seem to have a gap in terms of validation when it comes to safety and good quality. That demands empowerment.
“What the college is doing now is to try and empower pharmacists and herbal practitioners to be able to focus on these products so that they will be safer for consumption,” he emphasised.
Erhun also announced that WAPCP was reaching out to all the countries that are involved (as seen in an earlier presentation on Sierra Leone) which are at a disadvantaged position compared to Nigeria.
“We are trying to equip more of these countries. Herbal production is more of research and development. When you look at the likes of China and India, it is not as if their products are superior to ours,” he said.
The WAPCP secretary however conceded that funding is a challenge, adding that once there is no funding, research becomes a problem.
Also in attendance at the event were Prof Olukemi Odukoya, former dean of UNILAG Faculty of Pharmacy; Pharm. Wilson Ukachi, WAPCP administrative manager; Ibeji Ifeoma, WAPCP account officer; and Dare Kute, WAPCP administrative assistant.
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has condemned the attempt by some medical personnel to blame a pharmacist for the unfortunate incident that resulted in the death of 14-year-old Amina Ibrahim, in Dalla Local Government Council, Kano State, who suffered severe burns after allegedly taking two tablets of Co-trimaxole, a sulfa antibiotic.
Pharm. (Dr) Albert Kelong Alkali, national chairman, ACPN (right) and Pharm. Adeoye Afuye, national secretary, displaying the new Green Cross Pharmacy Emblem to the press.
The association noted during a press conference held at its national secretariat, Lagos, recently, that the said drug was purchased from an unregistered patent medicine store and was not sold by a pharmacist.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a form of toxic epidermal necrolysis, is a life-threatening skin condition, in which cell death causes the epidermis to separate from the dermis. The syndrome is thought to be a hypersensitivity complex that affects the skin and the mucous membranes. The most well-known causes are certain medications (such as aslamotrigine), but it can also be due to infections, or more rarely, cancers.
According to the national chairman of ACPN, Pharm. (Dr) Albert Kelong Alkali, the late Amina had taken the drug after complaining of catarrh, adding that she had returned to the store the following day with symptoms of a reaction which was perceived by the drug vendor as malaria and this prompted him to give her a sulfa-based anti-malaria which compounded the reaction resulting in the burning of her face and neck, which later degenerated into the Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
Alkali, while urging Nigerians to patronise only registered pharmacies for their drug needs, condemned the action of the patent medicine store owner, saying he had no right to have stocked such drugs and should not have handled the reaction as it had gone beyond his scope.
“Patent medicine vendors are only stop-gaps where there is no pharmacy. Therefore, the emphasis now is that government must empower regulatory agencies like the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to be able to do their work effectively.
“Also, I will advise that any matter relating to drug reactions which are deeply unpredictable should be referred to the appropriate experts on drugs, which are pharmacists. I also need to emphasise that drugs are poisons; when taken appropriately, there will not be problem, but when you take them inappropriately, you can be harmed. So, the case was purely drug mismanagement.”, Alkali said
Asked why it took so long for the association to issue a statement on the incident, the number one community pharmacist in the country said the incident happened at a time all community pharmacists and stakeholders in the industry were in Enugu for the 35th Annual National Conference of the ACPN, making it difficult to react immediately.
He added, however, that following a thorough investigation that revealed that the incident did not happen in a pharmacy and that the culprit was not a pharmacist, the association found it expedient to inform the nation that the allegation was false and that health professionals should be careful in their utterances, especially when it affects other professionals.
Speaking further, Alkali said in order to distinguish licensed pharmacists from charlatans, all registered members of the ACPN across the country must have the original pharmacy emblem with the Rx sign and erect it at their premises.
According to him, the Green Cross pharmacy emblem is a patented professional sign of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and placed under the ACPN, with the power of attorney to manage since 1976.
He added that the sign is a mark of identifying registered and pharmacist-owned premises since 1976.
Alkali, while emphasising that the association will not recognize any illegal emblem, disclosed that the Green Cross emblem is not new, as it had been in use since 1976.
“We are only trying to rebrand and repackage it and to let people know that the emblem is our symbol and, as such, it is compulsory that every member should have one and erect it at their premises. The symbol shows members of the public where quality medicines and excellent pharmaceutical care and services are provided.
“It is of paramount importance to inform people that in line with the value of the emblem, the ACPN has restructured it and it is more aesthetically packaged. The emblem carries the serial number of PSN and any emblem different from the one from ACPN is regarded as fake, if mounted in any premises, and it shall be pulled down with a fine.
“The general public should take note that registered pharmacies can only be recognised by the presence of the Green Cross emblem and this should always be a reference for Nigerians when procuring pharmaceutical services and products,” Alkali said.
On the criteria for getting the emblem, the ACPN boss said the emblem is meant for pharmacist-owned premises that are registered with the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), and that it is the responsibility of the association to verify membership before issuing out the emblem to any interested pharmacy.
We have given our members enough time to get this emblem and by the time the period elapses, we will think of the right punishment to be meted out to defaulters,” he said.
While appreciating the pressmen in attendance, the Director of Information Centre (DIC) for the ACPN, Pharm. Bukola Folorunsho urged them to help sensitise the public more on the danger of drug abuse and misuse, as well as the need to source their drugs from the right source.
She also urged them to work with the DIC in the area of information verification, saying only the centre can provide accurate information about the activities of the association to the public.
Other national officers at the press briefing were Pharm. Adeoye Afuye, national secretary, ACPN; and Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, national assistant secretary, ACPN.
Pharmacy Alumni of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has made a clarion plea to members and well-meaning pharmacists across the country to come to the rescue of students in its faculty.
Addressing a gathering of parents, distinguished pharmacists and guests at the induction/oath-taking ceremony of 92 Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) graduands which held recently at UNILAG main auditorium, Dr Arinola Joda, secretary of the Alumni, announced that the faculty needed all the help it could get.
Dr Arinola Joda
“We know that the government cannot do it all alone, hence our continual plea for assistance,” she said. “For the record, UNILAG Faculty of Pharmacy is doing exploits and not lazy. We are always up and doing. We are only sensitising you because we know that one or two pharmacist(s) out there can just decide to donate all to us.”
Among other things, the alumni appealed for extra precision balance, faculty generator and a bus.
Joda also used the occasion to assuage the after-school fear often nurtured by new pharmacy graduates, assuring the new inductees that the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm.) has set up a platform to mentor young pharmacists like them.
“Let me reiterate, once again, that the role of a mentor is not to give you money or capital to start a venture but to develop you. It is however the mentee’s responsibility to identify who is good for him.
“It is pertinent to also warn that you cannot choose somebody in hospital pharmacy to be your mentor while you are planning to go into community pharmacy,” she said.
While rallying support for the faculty alumni, Pharm Olufunsho Okunowo, chief executive officer of Royal Priesthood Laboratory advised the new graduands to have representation in the alumni.
“This is necessary because a river that forgets its source will always struggle to remain relevant,” he cautioned.
In an apparent show of solidarity to the alumni’s appeal, three pharmaceutical companies indicated interest in meeting some of the faculty’s demands.
While Pharm. Steve Okonkwo, a PSN Fellow and managing director of Altinez Pharmaceuticals pledged N500,000 on behalf of the company, Pharm Olufunsho Okunowo announced that his firm, Royal Priesthood Laboratory, was willing to donate one analytical balance to the faculty.
The last donor, Pharm Ernest Okafor, chief executive officer of Nemitt Pharmaceuticals Limited also promised the alumni a sum of N100,000.
He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger. – Confucius
John Maxwell said, ‘’if you want to lead, you must learn. If you want to continue to lead, you must continue to learn.’’ You cannot be a good leader in your industry or profession without the attitude of learning or personal development.
We all want to be leaders in our various professions. This is natural. People desire to be at the top in what they do. Athletes in the Olympics want to triumph in their areas. They want the gold medals in order to be celebrated. Students read and stay awake in the night because they want to prepare ahead of their examinations. It is when the student reads and prepares, that he can sail through during appraisals.
Business executives and professionals attend various capacity building training events in order to be awake and up-to-date in the happenings of their industries. It is no longer news that we are in a competitive world and the more you equip yourself, the more you fit into this challenging arena.
Right attitude
My favourite Nigerian writing icon and international award winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, gave a remarkable advice to her graduating seniors at Johns Hopkins University on 18 May, 2016, when the institution honoured her with an honorary degree. She said, “…embrace ignorance. Say those words, ‘‘I don’t know’’ because by embracing ignorance, you open up the possibility of knowledge.’’
This is a great mindset for learning. When you accept within you the need to seek knowledge, the environment to develop learning as an attitude is developed. You cannot seek knowledge when you have not developed the attitude to learn. You must first see the need to learn; you must accept that you don’t know before creating an environment for learning. Learning is an attitude of individuals who desire to get better in life’s journey. The more you learn the better you become.
I see learning as an attitude. I see learning as a way of life. The man, who likes learning, will always want to learn, unlearn and relearn. Show me the man who embraces learning and self-development and I will show you the man who is designed to succeed. When you learn, you improve in all you do. Learning develops capacity.
Learning as preparation
The man who fails to learn is a true definition of the man who plans to fail. Failure is almost automatic and inevitable when one fails to learn. Learning is one of the greatest forms of preparation whether in sales profession or any other life endeavour.
The journey to success requires high level of preparation. You must be prepared as a sales professional, as a student, as a business owner or in whatever you do. I am a living witness to this fact. I have mentored a lot of professionals who rose from operatives to managerial positions because they embraced an attitude of learning, as well as personal and career development.
You lose nothing when you learn. In fact, you gain everything. Attitude of learning develops the mind and everything you will become emanates from the mind. Learn something new every day. You cannot perform beyond your capacity. This is not just logical, it is also practical. People give only what they have. No one gives what he doesn’t have. You can take this to the bank!
The salesman’s secret
Today’s competitive and advanced world is waiting for people who are proficient in what they do. A salesman who displays expertise in his job is likely going to be on top of his game. Buyers would naturally flock around the salesman who knows more and speaks more about his product. Buyers buy from smart salesmen!
A salesman’s proficiency in product knowledge and market information is a function of the salesman’s ability in seeking information that will enable him advance in these areas. A salesman who has more market and product information in a given environment and under the same circumstance would have miles of advantages more than his less-informed competitors. Buyers buy from virtuosos. People buy from salesmen who have shown reasonable level of dependability.
Developing capacity is one of the ways that ensures trust in what you do. The more you increase in knowledge and ability, the more you attract people to your side. Build capacity today.
Criticism can be an encouragement to make one perform better. Each time I write an article, I give it to my editors to go through and point out any areas of improvement. In this way, we obtain a more acceptable version as iron sharpens iron. A crucial aspect of our editorial work in Pharmanews involves searching for errors in manuscripts and correcting them. This process is constructive and aimed at building up.
Criticism is a form of counselling. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.” You must welcome the opinions and advice of people who sincerely wish you well and desire your progress. They are your encouragers.
I vividly remember how I went to Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi (popularly called Juli) when I was about to start Pharmanews in 1979. I presented my vision and plans to him and we shared the ideas concerning the house colour, frequency, target audience, circulation and so on. With that encouragement I boldly started working on the maiden edition, which was published in May.
I believe that someone who wants to venture into any form of business should seek the counsel of the people they trust. Many businesses have failed because the owners obtained wrong advice from untrustworthy people. What advice do you expect from a person without integrity and doing crooked and corrupt business? He can offer only what he has.
Sometimes certain criticisms come with the intention of discouraging and preventing you from moving ahead. This form of criticism can be quite damaging. You need the wisdom of God to identify sources of such negative criticisms. This is because they could come from your close relations and friends who pretend to love you. But their hearts are full of envy, bitterness and wickedness. Ask God for the spirit of discernment.
The workplace is full of colleagues who may be envious of your progress and promotion. Be vigilant. They are waiting for the opportunity to pull you down. Their comments on your performance may be just clandestine destructive criticisms. Their prayer and hope is that you will hit the rocks one day. Therefore, wisdom demands that you dine with them with the proverbial long spoon.
When the maiden edition of Pharmanews eventually got published in May 1979, many colleagues hailed and received it with excitement. But some openly criticised the idea and vehemently opposed it. The attack from some close quarters was so harsh and scathing that I had to withdraw from certain professional activities and just coast along while concentrating on my life purpose.
I literally converted all the ranting and harangue to potential and kinetic energy for my work. I so concentrated on my work that I became deaf to distractions. I was able to classify people around me as friends and unfriendly friends, without bitterness to anyone. I was not bitter because I was convinced that they did not know what they were doing. They were ignorant of what God had asked me to do, and listening to them meant disobeying God.
My friend, count it all joy when you are criticised, even negatively. See negative critics as people kicking you from your back with the intention of making you fall. Thank God that you are in front and they are behind you.
Thank God that there is cause for criticism. If you don’t want to be criticised, do nothing and be nobody. Aristotle said, “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” If you are afraid of criticism then you are afraid of accomplishing anything.
Do you know that sticks and stones are only thrown at only fruit-bearing trees? If you see children throwing stones at a mango tree, there must be mangoes on the tree. If you are not trying to accomplish something significant, nobody will criticise you.
Don’t give your precious time to negative opinions. Those who criticise successful people are failures themselves. They are not interested in solving problems and never offer better solutions. Their desire is to cause you distraction and make you fail in your endeavour. Don’t argue with them because you can never win; instead you fall into their trap. It is better to ignore them and concentrate on your assignment. Spend your time and energy on your task. When you eventually succeed they will join you in your time of glory.
Dale Carnegie said, “Any fool can criticise, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” Critics may frustrate and destroy you if you are not walking with the Spirit, obeying and pleasing God. But as long as you are on the right path, critics may gather in one direction against you but they will scatter in seven directions. The plans they are hatching against you will never succeed because you are fulfilling your purpose and serving God.
The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) has expressed concern over the dwindling number of production pharmacists in the country.
In a chat with Pharmanews during the recent Purple Tie Luncheon, held by University of Lagos (UNILAG) Pharmacy Alumni, Pharm Gbenga Falabi, chairman of the association, said he was worried that the trend, if not properly checked, could soon cause several local pharmaceutical companies to close down.
“If you look at the number of production pharmacists that we have today, it is not enough to go round the country.
“They can even be counted by just calculating the number of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in Nigeria. Mind you, not all these companies have production pharmacists anyway,” he said.
While lamenting that some colleagues had ended up in the banking, telecommunications, and oil sectors, which they perceived as being more lucrative, Falabi encouraged young pharmacists to chart a new course that would make the profession proud, especially in the area of industrial pharmacy.
The NAIP boss further disclosed that, as way of checking the decline in the population of production pharmacists in the country, the association had concluded arrangements to conduct enlightenment tour round pharmacy schools with a view to addressing final year students on benefits associated with industrial pharmacy.
“Of course, we know some pharmacy graduates are not interested in such field. That is why we are taking the campaign to them. It is quite necessary that young pharmacists should begin to pride themselves in the profession,” he stressed.
In a separate interview, Dr Lolu Ojo, immediate past chairman of NAIP, concurred with his successor.
He noted that the industry had indeed suffered a human resource deficit in the past few years, adding that the keynote speaker at the last NAIP national conference alluded to the fact that the best brains in the practice were no longer attracted to the industry.
“This has opened the industry to the near take over by ‘mercenaries’. Industrial pharmacy is the most lucrative aspect of the profession. What is happening now is a cultural shift to the left and it is temporary,” he reassured.
Ojo further stated that he was convinced that, with the right kind of leadership particularly at the regulatory level, industrial pharmacy would get back to the position of quality service and professionalism that had always characterised the profession.
On what could be done to make industrial pharmacy more appealing to young pharmacists, the former NAIP chairman hinted that the solution is multidimensional.
“The industry is too fragmented and we need to have semblance of orderliness before sanity can prevail. The orientation of the young ones needs to change to determine what they want.
“If they are humble and patient enough, they can acquire the necessary skills and competencies that will be required in future if they choose to be industrial pharmacy entrepreneurs,” he said.
When prodded to give the recent statistics of industrial pharmacists presently working in the country, Ojo remarked that the number could be up to 1500 or more.”
Contributing to the discussion, the managing director of Merit Healthcare Limited opined that pharmacy schools were trying their best under a very difficult environment.
“I however think the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the regulatory bodies need to do more in terms of control, advocacy, education and funding,” he said.
The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigerian, (NAIP), is a technical arm of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, and the professional body of all pharmacists in the industrial sector in Nigeria having over 300 companies as corporate members.
NAIP’s uniqueness derives from its technical functions and diverse membership cutting across the manufacturing, marketing, distribution, consulting and publishing segments of the industry.
Clara is a young lady who resides with her family in the same estate as D-Line Pharmacy & Stores in Port Harcourt. Being a community pharmacy, the members of Clara’s family are regular customers of Pharmacist Donald and his staff. It is well known that Clara has suffered from a psychiatric condition and has been admitted to a hospital for this cause in the past.
Early one morning, Clara walks into the pharmacy and requests for some antimalarial medication. She meets Pharmacist Donald on duty and informs him that she has a fever. She also complains of intense fatigue. After selecting the antimalarial drug of her choice and two bottles of orange juice, she pays for them. Pharmacist Donald adds a can of energy drink, as a gift, to help with the fatigue.
Later that afternoon, Clara returns to D-Line Pharmacy with the goods she had purchased in the morning. This time, she claims that she is not suffering from a fever and proceeds to demand for a refund of the payment she has made. Pharmacist Donald is shocked at this development and refuses to refund the money paid. Instead, he insists that she will now have to pay for the energy drink he gave her, which apparently she did not return with.
Considering the subject of capacity to contract, what would be the legal position of these two parties?
As previously stated, a contract is an agreement which is binding at law. However, even when all the ingredients of a valid contract are present, it may not be enforceable against certain categories of people like infants, lunatics, drunkards and the illiterate.
The issues to be considered in this case are:
The meaning of lunacy or mental disorder.
The legal position of contracts made by lunatics.
The intention of the seller to enter into legal relations.
First of all, it is important to properly define a lunatic or mentally disordered person, according to the law. In the Mental Health Act, U.K. 1959, the term “mental disorder” is very loosely expressed. Under the Act, mental disorder is defined as “any disorder or disability of mind.”
The concept of mental disorder, as defined by the Act, does not necessarily correspond to medical categories. However, mental disorder is thought by most psychiatrists to cover schizophrenia, anorexia nervosa, major depression, bipolar disorder and other similar illnesses, learning disability and personality disorders.
Concerning business transactions, contracts involving a lunatic or a person with mental disorder can be divided into two types: contracts for necessaries and contracts for other things. In the case of contracts for necessaries, the person with mental disorder is bound like everyone else. Section 2 of the Sale of Goods Act 1893 provides that where necessaries are sold and delivered to a person “who by reason of mental incapacity or drunkenness is incompetent to contract, he must pay a reasonable price therefore.” The case of Chapple v. Cooper has helped to define necessaries as “those without which an individual cannot reasonably exist.”
For cases involving contracts for other things, the guiding rules were laid down in the case of Brown v. Jodrell and further established by Melton v. Camrout. Where goods are not necessary goods, the mentally disordered person is also bound by his contracts, unless he can show that: 1) owing to his mental condition, he did not understand what he was doing; and 2) the other party was aware of his incapacity.
In the case of Clara and D-Line Pharmacy & Stores, three separate sets of items were received by the buyer proceeding from the transaction. The first is the antimalarial medication. The second consists of the bottles of orange juice. The third is a can of energy drink offered by the seller.
The first set, by definition, would be classified as necessaries, being medication required for the existence of the individual involved. Going by the provisions of the Sale of Goods Act, necessary goods sold are to be paid for (as long as the price is reasonable) regardless of the incapacitation of the buyer.
The second set of goods, however, would be governed by different rules. The transaction for the bottles of juice, not being necessaries, would not be as strict. In this case, the buyer, a mentally disordered person, can be released from her obligation to pay for the goods if she can prove that: 1) she did not know what she was doing at the time of purchase; and 2) the seller was aware of her medical condition.
The third category of goods consists of the energy drink which was freely given by Pharmacist Donald on conclusion of the sales. This introduces the issue of the intention of the seller to enter into legal relations. In the Rhodes Case of 1889, it was declared that the obligation of the buyer (mentally incapacitated) would not arise unless it was the intention of the person supplying the goods that he should be repaid. In other words, he must not have intended to play the role of benefactor but that of creditor.
In the light of the foregoing, Clara is bound by her contract for the purchase of antimalarial drugs (being necessaries). The contract for the sale of orange juice is valid but voidable at her option, if she can satisfy the required conditions. And she is under no obligation to pay for the energy drink, being a gift freely received.
Principles and cases are from Sagay: Nigerian Law of Contract.
This article is motivated by the outcome of a recent and deep interaction between me and one of my mentees. He is not a pharmacist and he does not have the grounding of a typical salesman. He is an accountant by training and he spent the whole of his youth working as an auditor.
By providence, however, he found himself as the sole driver of sales in his organisation early this year after some level of training in and exposure to pharmaceutical salesmanship and management. He proved himself almost immediately, surpassing the records of those (supposedly with the right qualification and experience) who had been entrusted with the same assignment in the past. His major strengths are: commitment, dedication, loyalty, drive and integrity. He goes the proverbial ‘extra mile’ to deliver results and he is extremely passionate about his work.
However, I noticed that he often carried out his tasks all alone; so I continuously advised him to be strategic to get more output per unit of input. At the last meeting, I asked if he knew what it meant to be strategic and the answer provided indicated a gap in knowledge. We searched the internet together and got some materials that provided, in simple language, the definition of being strategic.
I found the product of our simple and unplanned exercise so fascinating that I called a meeting of the managers in my company to discuss the topic: Learning to be Strategic. The lessons learnt went beyond being excellent at delivering results in an organisation, to doing things better at personal, family and relationship levels.
Explanation
To be strategic means that you do not react immediately and equally to everything. We do not live in a world where 1+1 will always equal 2. In Nigeria, so many things have changed fundamentally in the past 12 months and we are all living witnesses to the consequences of these changes. It is the nature of our world. Nothing is static. The assumptions are changing by the minute and to remain afloat, we have to anticipate the happenings before they occur and have a contingency plan on how to handle each case.
The cause of low sales in one region may be entirely different from that of other regions; therefore, the sales manager’s reaction cannot be the same for all regions. At home, it is important to understand what makes your partner (or children or neighbour) to behave the way they do and then devise a means to handle each person and each situation appropriately, rather than a spontaneous reaction which tends to create further mistrust and division.
To be strategic requires being holistic in your approach. Your emphasis or concern should be on the complete system (that is the overall, big picture) rather than the individual parts. And this comes with a sound knowledge and understanding of the business. This aspect is very important for people in sales who are always thinking about volume without a consideration for cost and the impact of their activities on the image of the company and the brand that they are promoting.
Without business understanding, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to deliver results on a consistent basis. It is, therefore, very important for each individual in an organisation to know how his activities, results (or lack of it) impact on the total company.
Time-factor
To be strategic means consciously deciding how you want to invest your time and doing what you have planned to do. Time is one of the most important resources we have as individuals and organisations. It is always there waiting to be used or, as some do, misused. It waits for no one, being permanently and rigidly on auto-run. It is, therefore, up to you (and the managers of an organisation) to decide on how to use it.
It is better and more purposeful to decide, in advance, how you want to use your time. By so doing, you will be able to eliminate time wasters, get more results per unit of time and live a better life.
The execution ability is also important here. You have to be resolute in your determination to do what you have planned to do and one major tool is to avoid procrastination, distractions and remaining focussed. If anyone fails to do this, such person will be left wondering, all the time: what have I done with my time? It is not enough for the work to be good; it has to be timely.
Anticipating change
To be strategic means conceiving, leading, and implementing necessary changes and transformation. The notion that change is certain appears to be the only thing in the world that never changes.
To remain in ‘good health’ as an individual or as an organisation, it is important to anticipate the change that will, of necessity, occur in the system and the environment of business and personal lives. It means that you do not rest on your oars, as you have to be scanning the environment permanently for scent of the changes that will occur now or later.
We are in serious economic crisis in Nigeria today because our leaders failed to anticipate that a day like this was coming. If they did, they would have saved the money they squandered on frivolities and preserved the real sector for economic growth.
Your children will not and cannot live the life you lived, no matter the length and frequency of your sermons. The entire space has changed. They have access to information in minutes than you ever had in all your years. Good parenting will, therefore, mean that you know about this fundamental shift and have a plan to handle it.
Understanding investments and risks
Being strategic means that you understand investments, impacts, outcomes, costs, risks and consequences. A lot of people rush into things without a deep understanding of what they set out to do. There is nothing like a ‘free lunch’ because there is always a price tag. It is important to think deeply before you commit yourself or your organisation to a venture, agreement or transaction.
Risk-taking is associated with returns but you have to understand the cost, consequences and impact of the risk that you are about to take. In some cases, it is good to prepare risk cushions in advance of your actions.
Being strategic means assessing the need for, and building support systems. As good as you are or your organisation is, you cannot last forever. It is important that you carefully design and build support systems, as this will help in achieving predictable success on long-term projects and goals.
Being strategic means evolving your role to meet the changing business needs and always considering what adds the most value, not just working hard. It is always important to ask the question persistently about what value you are adding to the system. If you have been good before, are you still good now? What will the company miss if you are no longer there?
References:
http://www.leadershipmutt.com/2010/09/that-strategy-thing-part-1-thinking-strategically.html: Accessed on Friday, 17thJune, 2016
http://www.profitguide.com/manage-grow/strategy-operations/what-does-it-really-mean-to-think-strategically-45900: Accessed on Saturday, 18thJune, 2016
Arthur C. Clarke was the first, in 1956, to write on the nanotechnology concept, in a short story called “The Next Tenants”. This is considered to be the first work of fiction broadly describing what is today known as nanotechnology. Today, the application of nanotechnology is gaining prominence in the pharmaceutical and health care industries as it offers some exciting possibilities that were only imagined decades ago. For example, Nanosensors have been developed to monitor inflammatory diseases by checking the level of nitric oxide in the bloodstream, using carbon nanotubes embedded in a gel that can be injected under the skin.
Nanotechnology is the study, design, synthesis, manipulation, and application of functional materials at nanometer scale, where one nanometer equals to a billionth of a meter. Imagine the largest nano base material which has a size of 100nm is about half the size of smallest cellular form in existence – the bacteria called mycoplasma which has a diameter of 200nm. Many functional nanomaterials, also called nanoparticles (NPs), having the size of macromolecules such as DNA and proteins, have been developed.
Source: shayonano.com
Nanoparticles have unique mechanical, optical, magnetic, electrical and biochemical properties, making them suitable in drug delivery systems, diagnostics & monitoring techniques, bio-sensing (biosensors), blood purification, cell repair and tissue engineering. This emerging field of medicine, commonly called nanomedicine, is attracting great interest from researchers as it has opened up new vistas in chemotherapy, providing the possibility of delivering and targeting pharmaceutical, therapeutical and diagnostic agents to cancer cells.
Drug delivery
Nanoparticles have been successfully used as drug delivery materials because of their high drug-carrying capacity and stability in the blood stream. The surface of nanoparticles are usually coated with ligands to enhance their affinity towards specific cells and co-polymers and to protect them from immune cells. The self-controlling system of drug releasing helps to reduce the plasma fluctuation and minimises the side effects.
Nanoparticles used in drug delivery include polymers in drug delivery system (DDS) such as polymeric miscelles, polymeric NPs, polymeric drug conjugates, dendrimers, nano crystals and lipid-based NPs like liposomes and solid lipids nanoparticles. These types of nano particles are organic based, whereas inorganic based nanoparticles include silica base materials such as Xerogels and mesoporous silica NPs, and Metal NPs such as gold, silver, iron, platinum, quantum dots.
Mode of application
Nanoparticles can be incorporated, encapsulated, conjugated, or absorbed with drugs, using different techniques such as electrospinning technique (electrospunnanofibres), nano-precipitation technique, emulsification based methods, layer by layer synthesis, non-covalent complexation and conjugation to polymeric carrier via liable linkers.
The resulting formulation constitutes a drug delivery systems which have the ability to recognise and deliver the active drug to the target cell by receptor mediated endocytosis. The localised therapeutic activity ensures reduced toxic side effects, provide improved therapeutic index, reduced drug dosage, and ultimately reduces the cost of drugs. These merits have led to the more precise and improved treatments of conditions such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes among others.
References
Wanigasekara J and Witharana C. (2016) “Applications of Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery and Design – An Insight” Current Trends in Biotechnology and Pharmacy Vol. 10 (1) 78-91
Earl Boysen of Hawk’s Perch Technical Writing, LLC. “Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery” http://www.understandingnano.com/nanotechnology-drug-delivery.html
For Nigerian pharmacists to be easily distinguished from patent medicine vendors, while operating in accordance with global best practices, more attention must be paid to manpower development, says eminent pharmacist and astute entrepreneur, Pharm. (Alh.) Yakubu Layi Gobir.
Pharm. Gobir, an Havard Business School graduate, said this while delivering a keynote address on the topic, ‘Manpower Development in Community Pharmacy Practice – Adopting Global Best Practices’, at the opening ceremony of the 35th Annual National Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), held recently at Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, Enugu State.
Gobir, who is the managing director of Smart Mark Limited, Lagos, and founder of Invivo Pharmacy, urged community pharmacists to start looking beyond their confines, so as to grow the profession in line with global standards, adding that it is their collective responsibility to ensure an enduring, respectable, professional and impactful delivery of pharmaceutical services in the community setting.
He further stated that manpower development in community pharmacy practice is not limited to pharmacists alone but to all staff involved in the running of a pharmacy.
“Adopting global best practices in community pharmacy practice is the path to promoting the impact of our profession on national health development goals, and in adopting it, mediocre practices will have to be identified and reformed,” Gobir said.
Gobir, a celebrated entrepreneur, who, in 2003 started Forward Stores, which now has over 65 out lets in Nigeria and Ghana, however lamented that there is a huge shortage of pharmacists in the country.
“The United Kingdom, a developed country with a population of 64 million people and a successful national health system has 2,500 Boots Stores alone. There are 47,391 registered pharmacists, with about 38,867 in England. On the other hand, South Africa with a population of 53 million has 13,474 registered pharmacists – 8,134 females and 5,134 males.
“But in Nigeria, as at 2014, there were 2,705 registered pharmacies, with a vast majority of them in Lagos State, and in 2015, the number grew to 3,426 with the majority still in Lagos,” the Smart Mark boss said.
He further noted that manpower development is a process rather than just a passive activity, saying it involves planning, implementation and results.
He added that for manpower to be effective within an organisation, it must be deliberately planned and included in the overall programme for the staff, adding that such plan must be implemented and the results from the human resource training must be measurable.
According to him, the three major ways that training of manpower in an organisation can be implemented are through formal training, which includes skill acquisition programmes, skill development programmes and formal training towards manpower development; on-the-job training, through which manpower skills and competencies can be developed by experience on the job; as well as professional training, in which an organisation encourages and sponsors professional training and continuing education programme for its staff.
Speaking on the challenges of manpower development in community pharmacy, Gobir disclosed that most community pharmacists misplace their priorities by paying the most attention to physical and capital resources rather than investing in the human resources, which according to him, ultimately harness the other factors of business into maximising profit yields.
“Other challenges facing manpower development include: lack of incentives and rewards to personal development; passive competition, or better still, absence of active competition among pharmacists; wrong attitude of being complacent with just offering products and making sales, while leaving out important gaps on community pharmacy services and pharmaceutical care that is impactful to the customers; and lack of vision-driven pharmacies,” he said.
He however expressed delight that major improvements are beginning to manifest in pharmacy practice generally and in the attitudes of pharmacists in the country.
According to him, “there seems to be paradigm shift towards global best practices as a number of community pharmacists are beginning to develop skills and competencies in offering patient care services along with quality product delivery.”
The veteran entrepreneur, who returned to pharmacy practice in 2014, also encouraged community pharmacists to be more service-oriented by investing more in their workforce training in order to increase productivity and quality service delivery.
“In addition, community pharmacy owners should build their businesses with global-standard vision at heart; they should see themselves as mirrors of the profession to the public eye; incentives and rewards, no matter how little, should be introduced to personnel that undergo any form of skill development, while bodies such as the PSN and PCN should intensify discussions towards making policies to regulate and ensure manpower development and continued training within community pharmacy practice in Nigeria,” he concluded.
As a man thinketh, so is he. Why are you sad or anxious? What experience in the past makes you feel helpless or worthless? Are you still carrying the burden of the past? Maybe, just maybe, you are troubled because of the troubles you foresee in the future?
This might sound strange, but it is the gospel truth that nothing in this world can make you anxious; there are no circumstances, situations or events that can make you feel helpless. It is your response and, most times, your reaction that determines your outcome. In other words, it is not what happens that really affects us; it is what we think it means. That is the reason two people will experience the same trial of life (which, by the way, is a part and parcel of our existence) and one person may come out of it to become a strong, powerful and refined personality, while the other will become helpless, hopeless and eventually depressed. The difference? Your thinking!
Thoughts mixed with negative emotions of fear, doubts, worry, anger, jealousy, hatred or greed are primarily the building blocks of negative attitude, which (over time) becomes our habit, and which eventually results into our character. This is what later metamorphoses into stress, feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, pessimism and, above all, depression.
Oh yes, emotional pains are real – the death of a family member or a close friend; sudden loss of fortune; traumatic experience, such as loss of some bodily function; or rape. But the reality is, you must learn to separate yourself from any events in your past that you cannot control. Remember, our past doesn’t equal our future, unless we still live in the past. Perhaps, you need to forgive yourself or others, if need be.
Most times, people try to use negative thoughts, sadness, anxiety and depression as a catalyst to turn their life around, but it will only lead to more problems. However, if you change the dominating thoughts in your head to positive thoughts of wellness, you will be relaxed and be in the best position to think about your life and take necessary immediate action to change things for good.
Changing your negative thoughts to positive ones doesn’t actually mean you will turn your disease into health. But with a positive thought and the right mindset, you can recreate health from sickness because positive dominating thoughts in your heart will change how you feel about a situation. And when you have positive emotions of faith, hope and enthusiasm, your perception about your health and life will change and you will be in the best position to live a healthy and good life.
During my days in community practice, one of my distinguished customers shared this remarkable story with me. Her husband had always believed that only Panadol Extra, and not Panadol could treat his headache successfully. This state of mind had persisted for many years. At one time, the husband had a serious headache. Unfortunately, there was no Panadol Extra at home but they had Panadol. The woman begged him to use the Panadol, with the assurance that it would work. However when the husband took the drug, it indeed seemed to be ineffective. Then, the wife harnessed the power of the mind and after four hours, took another two caplets of Panadol and informed her husband that she had got Panadol Extra. She gave it to the husband to use, and in less than two hours the headache had disappeared.
What really happened here? The man believed in his mind that he had finally obtained the only cure to his headache and his body system immediately followed suit.
Researches have shown that the best way to correct a negative thought is to immediately counter it with a positive one. Assuming your subconscious mind says you are powerless, instantly communicate to your conscious mind that you are so powerful beyond measure. The secret behind this strategy is the fact that your mind, as powerful as it is, cannot process inconsistent thoughts simultaneously.
Whenever I have doubts about anything or my mind thinks negatively about something, I immediately counter it with positive thoughts in my subconscious mind through imagination and affirmation. To get the best out of imagination and affirmation in order to strengthen the fibre of your mind and enhance the vibration of your thoughts, repetition is the master key. Say it over and over again until it finally sticks to your subconscious mind. Imagine it repeatedly until it becomes crystal clear in your head. And when it is fixed in your mind, you’ve got it and you will know you’ve got it because then your mind will be dominated by positive thoughts of gratitude, contentment, security, happiness, good health and tranquility. Just like the night automatically follows the day, good health and good life will automatically follow your good thoughts of wellness and abundance.
ACTION PLAN: What are your dominating thoughts? Are you focusing on your problems or the solutions? Are you always thinking about good health or bad health? Think about good health always. Use affirmation and imagination to retrain your thinking. Persist until you have a health conscious mindset.
AFFIRMATION: I will always think positively. I will think good health and abundance. I am committed to a healthy lifestyle.
It was an atmosphere of celebration at the conference hall of Nike Lake Resort, Enugu, venue of the opening ceremony of the 35th Annual National Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), as Pharm. Olanrewaju Jonathan Ofi, from Ekiti State and Pharm. Atiku Abdul from Kano State, were announced winners of the 2015 and 2016 editions of the Ahmed Yakasai Community Pharmacy Practice Support Award.
Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, president, PSN (2nd from left) raises the cheque to the admiration of the participants, with Pharm. (Dr) Albert Kelong Alkali, national chairman, ACPN; Pharm. Atiku Abdul and Pharm. Olanrewaju Jonathan Ofi.
Speaking on the presentation of the award, which was inaugurated in 2014 to provide financial assistance to community pharmacists, chairman of the Award Committee, Pharm. Abdulsalam Yinka Aminu reiterated the resolve of the committee to ensure transparency in the selection of beneficiaries of the award.
“We were unable to give out the award in 2015 due to some issues that cropped up, even though a winner emerged, but today, the two recipients have been unveiled,” Aminu said.
Aminu, who was the immediate past chairman of ACPN-Lagos, stated that the award was a timely and significant intervention for community pharmacists, considering the capital-intensive nature of establishing and running a community pharmacy.
He noted that such gestures, like the Ahmed Yakasai award, could go a long way in encouraging more pharmacists to be more committed and dedicated to the profession.
“Pharm. Yakasai, to me, is undoubtedly a man with a large heart, as he singlehandedly decided to start giving out the award without discussing with anybody and without thinking of getting anything in return.
Yakasai has, through the presentation of the of the award in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to three pharmacists outside of his state and tribe, portrayed himself as a truly forthright and detribalised Nigerian.”
Expressing his delight, the 2016 winner, Pharm. Abdul, who practises in Kano, described the award donor, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, as a man who truly has the love of Pharmacy at heart.
Abdul, who attributed his selection as a beneficiary of the award to divine intervention, added that he never envisaged winning.
“I am highly delighted because I wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “So I sincerely appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. I therefore hope that this kind of gesture continues. I also call on other stakeholders in the profession to imbibe this gesture as it will encourage people to continually strive towards the development of the pharmacy profession. I thank the committee for doing a thorough job in the selection.”
In his own remarks, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, who said he had no intention to contest for PSN presidency when he took the decision three years ago to give 300,000 naira every year for the next ten years, further disclosed that he organised the award to give back to the profession that had benefitted him over the years.
“I felt I have to contribute to the development of Pharmacy from the token God has given to me and that is why I decided to give a meagre3 00,000 naira only for the next ten years. And to further prove my love for Pharmacy,” Yakasai said.
…As Yakasai urges young pharmacists to make a difference
Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, president of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm) has expressed disappointment that no other pharmacist has been able to make it to the status of health minister almost 23 years after he occupied the same position.
L-R: Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, NAPharm president, in a warm embrace with Pharm Ahmed Yakasai, PSN president at the event.
Addressing participants at a recent mentoring programme organised by NAPharm, in Lagos, Adelusi-Adeluyi, a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) charged the gathering of young pharmacists to learn from the lapses of older colleagues and hit the ground running.
“As young people, I want you to go in pursuit of happiness. Unless you lack confidence, pharmacists can hold their own anywhere in the world. As pharmacists, we need to always be on our guard. There was a time that I was the only black pharmacist attending international Federation of Pharmacists (FIP) meetings.
“Twenty-three years ago, I was made a federal minister of health. However I am not happy that since then no pharmacist has made it to that position again,” he bemoaned.
While acknowledging the fact that pharmacists had been generally marginalised in political appointments, the managing director of Juli Pharmacy disclosed that it was high time pharmacists started giving serious consideration to politics too.
The NAPharm president however singled out the duo of Tolu Ogunlesi, presidential aide on new media and Jimi Agbaje, former Lagos gubernatorial candidate, for making the profession proud.
“Pharmacy is indeed a profession to be proud of. At least, I can say that I am impressed with Tolu Ogunlesi. He is an epitome of pharmacy excellence. Jimi Agbaje is another person I respect so much,” he said.
Buttressing his view, Pharm Ahmed Yakasai, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) encouraged young pharmacists to launch out and make the difference.
“Anybody can be successful if they push hard. As young people, the time we spend on social media running ourselves down will do us no good. Don’t join those who sit and keep lamenting that the older pharmacists are not doing enough for them,” he remarked.
While charging young pharmacists to be responsible professionals, the PSN president stressed that they should aim to emulate the online exploits of the likes of HealthPlus and MedPlus.
“Please don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to promote or hold brief for anybody. But it is good to say the truth in whatever form it comes. Let me also say that I am impressed with what Pharm. Seun Omobo and Young Pharmacists Group are doing by sponsoring people to the annual FIP event,” he stated.
The simmering debate on the propriety of public officials travelling out of the country for medical treatment reached a crescendo recently, when President Muhammadu Buhari left Nigeria on a 10-day vacation to London to rest and also see an ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist for a persistent ear infection.
In an attempt to douse the furore generated by the president’s decision, his special adviser on media and publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, explained that the president had been examined and treated by his personal physician and an ENT specialist in Abuja, following which he had been recommended to see an ENT specialist in London for further evaluation. The recommendation, he said, was purely precautionary.
Still, many public commentators flayed the president’s action, describing it not only as an indictment on the country’s health system but also a needless waste of time and resources, especially at a time when the country is enmeshed in economic turmoil and violent agitations, among many other pressing issues. Vice President of the Commonwealth Medical Association, Dr Osahon Enabulele described it as a national shame of immense proportion that the president had to be recommended for foreign medical care, despite the presence of over 250 ENT specialists in the country.
We believe that the outrage trailing the president’s decision is justified, considering that it was this same government of Mr Buhari that banned medical travels for public office holders, except in cases that cannot be handled in Nigeria. There is no substantial evidence that the president’s condition fits into this exempted category. There is also mounting concern over the unacceptable capital flight of billions of naira siphoned yearly from the country’s coffers by public officials for treatment of all sorts of conditions abroad.
The disdain Nigerians had always harboured for medical tourism by public officials was apparently responsible for the elation that greeted the then declaration by President Buhari that he was ending the practice. For this same president, barely one year into his administration, to be seen as breaking his prescribed code of conduct is a sad commentary not just for the new administration, as most of the critics have argued but the state of health care in the country.
It is indeed an open secret that hundreds of Nigerians who have the means, not just government officials, travel out daily to Europe, America and even Asian countries like China and India for medical treatment. According to the 2014 NMA Annual Report, the Indian High Commission confirmed that Indian hospitals received 18,000 Nigerians on medical visa in 2012 alone and they spent about 260 million dollars for their medical trip. There is indeed an urgent need to curtail this anomaly.
The truth however remains that to holistically address the challenge of huge capital flight from Nigeria as a result of medical tourism, drastic steps must be taken to tackle the cankers troubling the nation’s health sector, improve health care delivery, and ensure our hospitals have the capacity to provide quality medical care for Nigerians.
That the health sector has for several decades suffered serious neglect, is overstating the obvious. It is no news that our teaching hospitals are apex centres of medical excellence in name only. A visit to most of the teaching hospitals clearly shows palpable infrastructural decays. It is thus not surprising that any Nigerian with the means would rather seek alternative institutions abroad to tend to his or her health conditions rather than these hospitals.
We call on the Nigerian government to, as a matter of urgency, come up with, and implement a blueprint that will transform the nation’s health sector. The federal government must demonstrate the required political leadership to positively turn around the nation’s public hospitals by tackling the challenge of infrastructural decay. These facilities must be re-equipped with modern diagnostic and treatment apparatus as it is the case in the countries Nigerians are trooping to for health care. Moreover, adequate attention must be given to the welfare and working conditions of health workers to ensure they are well-motivated to give their best at all times.
Another fundamental issue that must be addressed is transparency in the management of funds for the health sector. It is really disheartening that while there have been repeated complaints that budgetary allocation to the sector is paltry, there are reports that even this meagre allocation is being embezzled and diverted. Only recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) commenced investigations into allegations of financial mismanagement by the health ministry. According to a letter recently addressed to Amina Shamakin, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, “The commission is investigating a case of criminal conspiracy, embezzlement, abuse of office, diversion of public funds and money laundering…”
Additionally, there is a paramount need to audit the nation’s medical care processes to bring them in line with contemporary global best practices. Many Nigerians have lost confidence in the health sector’s capacity to provide the care that they need and deserve and regaining this confidence is crucial.
It is our view that if the challenges confronting the health sector are conscientiously addressed, not only would Nigeria end medical tourism for public officials and citizens, but the nation would be able to attract huge inflow of foreign exchange from patients that would come from outside Nigeria to access our hospitals for treatment. When we achieve this, it is the Nigerian nation, not just the heath sector that will ultimately enjoy the benefits.
(OBSERVATIONS AT THE NIGERIAN ARMY AUDIOLOGICAL CENTER, LAGOS)
(By Matthew Abe, BSc, BPharm.)
Caesarian Section is the procedure by which a surgeon cuts through the abdomen and uterus of a pregnant woman to bring out the baby alive. Here in Nigeria, vaginal birth is regarded as the normal mode of delivery. Whenever a Caesarian Section is required, it is almost always as a result of medical necessity. Such conditions include:
Baby’s head is too large for the mother’s pelvis
Baby is in a breech position
Placenta previa
Foetal distress during labor
Very low birth weight of baby
Mother has diabetes or other chronic conditions that might make vaginal delivery dangerous for her. (1.)
In the United States of America, 30% of births are by elective surgery. (1.) The incidence of hearing and speech impairment in children born by Caesarian Section gives cause for worry. 1 in 20 children born by C-S who had full Audiological investigation at the Nigerian Audiological Centre, Lagos were diagnosed with hearing and/or speech impairment. Screening of the new-born for hearing impairment is not a routine procedure in post-natal healthcare in Nigeria. Late detection of permanent congenital and early-onset hearing loss often has severe effect on linguistic, speech, cognitive and educational development in affected children.(2.) The aim of this article is to draw attention of members of the public to the incidence of hearing and speech impairment in children born by C-S so that the physician/ surgeon, audiologist and speech pathologist may be involved in measures to prevent or treat these unpleasant conditions in children.
METHOD
The case-notes of 650 pediatric patients were examined for their mode of birth and remarkable illness after birth including audiological impairment. All the babies were below the age of 4 years.
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE BABY AFTER CAESARIAN SECTION
Overall, a cesarean section is an extremely safe operation. Most of the serious complications associated with cesarean sections are not due to the operation itself. Instead, the complications come from the reason for the cesarean section. For example, a woman whose placenta separates too early (placental abruption) may require an emergency cesarean section. In this case, problems arise primarily from the placental abruption—not the actual surgery.(1.) However, some children present with some pathological conditions after C-S birth. Some of these conditions are listed in Table 1.
Tablel. Audiological Conditions presented by patients who were delivered by Caesarian Section.
Name of Patient
Pathological condition
O.M.
CS birth. Jaundice at birth, treated with phototherapy. Blabs.
O.D.
CS birth. Seizure at 6 weeks. Speech not clear. Communicates through signs.
O.F.
CS birth. Neonatal Jaundice. Convulsion at 7 months. Also had pneumonia. Delayed developmental milestone. Lack of speech.
O.S.
CS birth. Neonatal Jaundice treated with phototherapy. Speech not clear. Has normal twin sister.
Infants delivered by C-S are three times more likely than babies delivered vaginally to fail their first hearing test. (4) The otoacoustic emissions test ( OAE ) in the new born is affected by fluids which are retained in the middle ear. Vaginal births may help dissipate middle ear fluids.(4)
In an Israeli study, 1,653 new-borns were evaluated. 1,170 were vaginal while the rest 483 were by C-S. 21% of the C-S infants failed the OAE test while only 7% vaginal births failed the test. The tests were conducted within 48 hours of birth.(4)
Viral Infections
Virus present at birth causes more than 10% of hearing loss in children. More than 10% of babies born with an infection of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) will suffer permanent hearing loss. CMV is the most common non-inherited cause of hearing loss in children.(5.) The source of infection is probably nosocomial. Among children who show virus symptoms, 1 in 3 suffers hearing loss, compared to 1 in 10 who show no symptoms. For symptomatic children, hearing loss will affect both ears. Children without symptoms usually suffer hearing loss in one ear. Infection at surgery is more common than at vaginal birth. Hearing loss from CMV is severe to profound. It can develop over time and may vary as it progresses.
Effect of Epidural Anaesthesia
The effects of maternal lidocaine hydrochloride anaesthesia on the brainstem auditory evoked response in neonates born by C-S have been evaluated.(6) Significant delay has been noted in the central neural component of the ABR at 90 dB for the experimental versus the control. In a particular study, the mean wave IV intervals were prolonged when test was conducted at less than 4 hours when compared to findings at 48 hours or longer. The changes in the serial auditory brainstem-evoked response test occur after maternal lignocaine amount in neonates correlated with blood lignocaine concentrations.(6)
MEDICAL AND AUDIOLOGICAL INTERVENTION
Hearing screening at birth should be incorporated in post-natal healthcare in Nigeria. The traditional birth attendants, faith-based healthcare givers, maternity centers and hospitals should ensure that the new-born gets a hearing test before leaving their facility and every year after until at least 6 years old. Kids with hearing loss need hearing aids. If the hearing loss is profound, then a cochlear implant may be recommended.
An anti-viral vaccine is the ultimate goal of treatment. CMV can also cause brain damage and vision problem. Prevention is of utmost importance. The role of behavioral and educational interventions cannot be over-emphasized.
CONCLUSION
Hearing loss from birth prevents speech and language acquisition in the affected children. This is a big cause of worry for parents. In the cultural milieu in which we live, it is common to read non-natural meanings to this condition in children. It is pathetic when some parents hide such children in their homes feeling that there is nothing that can be done to remedy the situation. Such children obviously need to go to school and also to acquire some vocational skills. This writer has come across a twenty-four year old male who had no speech and was on hearing aid in both ears. The parents, who are university teachers, prepared him for a career in fashion designing and he made a success of his training. At the time you are reading this article, the young man may be preparing for his wedding. In his sign language and lip-reading, he made it known to his parents it was time to marry.
WHO/PAHO and partners have set out their strategic response to Zika which will place a greater focus on preventing and managing medical complications caused by Zika virus infection. To date, US$121.9 million are necessary to effectively implement the Zika Strategic Response Plan, July 2016 to December 2017.
“Much has been learned about Zika virus infection, how it spreads, the consequences of infection and priorities for its control since we developed the initial response framework,” said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan. “The response now requires a unique and integrated strategy that places support for women and girls of child-bearing age at its core.”
The revised Zika Strategic Response Plan includes a greater focus on preventing and managing medical complications caused by Zika virus infection and expanding health systems’ capacities for that purpose. Risk communication targeting pregnant women, their partners, households and communities will be central to prevention efforts to ensure they have the information they need to protect themselves.
Other elements include integrated vector management, sexual and reproductive health counselling as well as health education and care within the social and legal contexts of each country where Zika virus is being transmitted.
The plan highlights several specific characteristics of the Zika outbreak that require a collaborative, global response and support. These include
the potential for further international spread of Zika virus given the wide distribution of Aedes mosquitoes that are capable of transmitting Zika virus,
the lack of population immunity in areas where Zika virus is circulating for the first time and which allows the disease to spread quickly,
the absence of vaccines, specific treatments and rapid diagnostic tests, and
inequalities in access to sanitation, information and health services in affected areas.
Funding
More than 60 partners are engaged in the global response to Zika, up from 23 partners in February 2016. To date, WHO, PAHO and 14 partners (out of the more than 60) have expressed funding needs in the combined amount of US$121.9 million to implement the revised plan from now until December 2017.
“Coherent funding mechanisms are essential for successful implementation of this revised Strategic Response Plan,” said Dr Chan. In May 2016, the United Nations Secretary-General established a UN Zika Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund to generate and ensure the effective use of the required funding.
The need to advance the national health care emergency system of African countries, in order to forestall a continental epidemic, was the focus of the two-day workshop on emergency health system in Africa.
The seminar, which was organised by the Association Of Good Clinical Practice in Nigeria (AGCPN) in conjunction with Pfizer Plc, was well attended by experts on the subject.
According to the President of AGCPN and Professor of Radiation Medicine at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, the need for an effective and efficient health emergency system is indispensable, to the overall healthcare service delivery.
Okoye argued that continuous neglect of health emergency will have negative effect across broad spectrum in the health sector.
She added that “there is the need for capacity development both human and infrastructural, with clinical trial as a fulcrum towards addressing future public health emergencies in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“There is the need for close collaboration between public and private establishments/sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa towards combating and reducing mortality and morbidity.
Also, Prof. Maurice Iwu harped on the need to enhance modulation in tracking diseases as well as the introduction of microbiota system. He noted that there is an urgent need for concerted efforts in improving healthcare emergency in the sector for optimum results.
The participants also emphasized on how pertinent it is for all tiers of Governments, NGO and private partners to support clinical trials and research generally across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Information should be at the heart of patient, staff and business success—not the core of their challenges. We make it easier for healthcare organizations to efficiently capture, transform and manage information to reduce risk, increase efficiency and improve care. Healthcare: www.ricoh-usa.com/healthcare
BABE 2016 welcomes attendees, presenters, and exhibitors from all over the world to Atlanta, USA. We are delighted to invite you all to attend and register for the “7th World Congress on Bioavailability & Bioequivalence: BA/BE Studies Summit” (BABE 2016) which is going to be held during August 29-31, 2016 at Atlanta. The organizing committee is gearing up for an exciting and informative conference program including plenary lectures, symposia, workshops on a variety of topics, poster presentations and various programs for participants from all over the world. We invite you to join us at the BABE 2016, where you will be sure to have a meaningful experience with scholars from around the world. All members of the BABE 2016 organizing committee look forward to meeting you in Atlanta, USA.
BABE 2016 Conference which is an International Pharma Marketing Industry Conference is a scientific platform to meet fellow key decision makers all-around the Academic Institutions, Healthcare Institutes, Pharmaceutical, Biotech, CROs supply chain, Logistics practitioners making the congress a perfect platform to share experience, foster collaborations through the research talks & presentations to put forward many thought provoking strategies. It’s a perfect stage to brainstorm, discover new ideas, search for new skills and a platform to show your capabilities and discoveries to the world. BABE 2016 will be one of the outstanding Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Conferences.The Bioavailability Bioequivalence Research Center and BA/BE global conferences aims to become a regional center of excellence for assuring the safety and efficacy of generic pharmaceutical products for human use. It plays a key role in the drug development period for both new drug products and their generic equivalents. These studies are also important in the post approval period in the presence of certain manufacturing changes. Information in the overall set of data that ensure the availability of safe and effective medicines to patients and practitioners can be discussed in bioavailability meeting.
Why to attend???
With all the scientific people over the world focused on learning about Pharmaceutical Current and Novel trends and advanced strategies in Pharma Marketing Industry.This is a best globalised opportunity to reach the largest assemblage of participants from the Pharma community. We anticipate participants, renowned speakers and eminent delegates across the globe attending the conference to share their valuable presentation and galvanize the scientific community. BABE 2016 is a 3-day event offering the Exhibition at venue to showcase the new and emerging technologies and Conduct presentations, distribute information, meet with potential scientists, make a splash with new drug developments, and receive fame and recognition. Our services have always met with great achievement in Business Conferencing. World-renowned speakers, the most recent and advanced techniques, developments, and the newest updates are the prominent features of the conference.
Target Audience:
CRO
Professors, Associate Professors, Asst Professors
PhD Scholars
Graduates and Post Graduates
Directors, CEO’s of Organizations
Association, Association presidents and professionals
Noble laureates in Health Care and Medicine
Bio instruments Professionals
Research Institutes and members
Supply Chain companies
Manufacturing Companies
‘Bioavailability and Bioequivalence’ is an international forum to present and discuss current perspectives in drug research. Bioequivalence Conference provides the scope for opportunities to learn progressed by international scientists and academicians. The Bioavailability Bioequivalence Research Center and BA/BE global conferences aims to become a regional center of excellence for assuring the safety and efficacy of generic pharmaceutical products for human use. It plays a key role in the drug development period for both new drug products and their generic equivalents. These studies are also important in the post approval period in the presence of certain manufacturing changes. Information in the overall set of data that ensure the availability of safe and effective medicines to patients and practitioners can be discussed in bioavailability meeting.
The global generics sector reached $269.8 billion in 2012. This sector is expected to reach $300.9 billion in 2013 and $518.5 billion in 2018, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.5%.
An overview of the global market for generic drug including coverage of therapeutic
Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2012, estimates for 2013, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2018.The North American market is estimated to reach nearly $73 billion in 2011 and is expected to increase at a 7.9% compound annual growth rate to reach nearly $107 billion in 2016.
The United States is currently spending almost $250 billion a year for prescription drugs. If drugs were sold in a competitive market, without government-imposed patent monopolies, this might achieve savings up to $200 billion a year.
Major Associations :
Bioanalytical Focus Group and Ligand Binding Assay
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)
Royal Netherlands Chemical Society
The European Bioanalysis Forum
BEBAC Consultancy Services for Bioequivalence and Bioavailability
American Thyroid Association
Generic Pharmaceutical Association
FDA
European Generic medicines Association.
Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA)
European Economic Area
Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA)
Bioequivalence and Bioavailability forum
FDA Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology
Drug Watch
ORPHANET Parenteral Drug Association
PharmGKB
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC)
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS)
Clinical Trials Information from National Institutes for Health (NIH)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
For more details please visit- http://bioavailability-bioequivalence.pharmaceuticalconferences.com/
(Buenos Aires, Argentina • 28 August – 1 September 2016)
Rising to the challenge: reducing the global burden of disease.
During the 2016 FIP Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists will rise to the challenge to reduce the global disease burden. Are you prepared to take this challenge?
Of the top 10 causes of death around the world, nine are diseases. Heart disease, stroke, HIV/AIDS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, diabetes and diarrheal diseases are among this list. But the burden of disease is not just about the years of life lost due to death; it is also about years lost due to living in less than full health. As a result, there has been an effort to change from a sickness care model to a health model. Our role in improving the outcomes of treatments is the essence of the pharmacy profession and of pharmaceutical scientists. Creating, preparing and providing medicines is based on this role. Moving from a sickness model to a health model means that pharmacy is also now about disease prevention and health promotion.
Pharmaceutical scientists, pharmacists and pharmacy educators are dedicated to integrating evidence-based practice to improve the use of medicines. Innovation that creates new treatment options with medicines, collaborative practices (not only within health professionals, but also individuals and communities themselves), practices that improve the use of medicines, prevention (of both diseases and complications from existing disease) and public health programmes all have the potential to reduce the global burden of disease.
The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and the Confederaçion Farmacéutica Argentina (COFA) invite you to Buenos Aires, the dynamic capital of Argentina and home of the tango. Come and be captivated by the lively atmosphere in this elegant city, the gateway to South America, where plains, vineyards, jungles and great rivers await discovery
In every health care delivery system, there is need for pragmatic leadership to ensure the provision of optimum health care service. All over the world, governments and private institutions are developing and implementing unique models for meeting present and emerging challenges in health care delivery. Pharmanews-WhiteTulip Training is equipped to help deliver the requisite capacity development required to champion sustainable models of service delivery among health care and pharmaceutical industry players.
We wish to invite you to participate in our international programme on “Health Care Leadership, Financing and Innovation”, taking place in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates.
Date: Saturday 20 – Thursday 25 August, 2016
Time: 9.00a.m – 5.00p.m (daily)
Venue: Executive Towers at Bay Avenue,
Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Target Participants
Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Medical Laboratory Scientists and other clinical, administrative, management and technical personnel in the public and private health care system.
Course Content:
Essentials of Clinical Leadership
Strategic Management and Organisational Communication
Quality Management Protocols
Health Care Financing Models and Structure
Investment Models in Health Care Facility Development
Comparative Study of Global Health Care Entrepreneurship Models
ICT in Health Care Systems
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Lead effectively, communicate clearly and deliver optimal health care service within the health care delivery system.
Understand basic concepts in managing and developing strategies for effective change.
Understand globally accepted and sustainable techniques in quality management protocols.
Understand global health care financing models, challenges and its opportunities for Innovation in Africa.
Comprehend best investment models and current management approaches and strategies for achieving effective facility development.
Learn global best-case models for driving health care entrepreneurship ventures.
Effectively initiate and supervise ICT integration with operational processes of health care service
Participants are expected to arrive on Saturday, 20 and depart on Thursday, 25 August.
Registration Fee
$1,850 (or Naira equivalent) per participant on or before 12 August, 20
$1,950 (or Naira equivalent) per participant after 12 August, 2016.
Group discounts: 3 – 5 participants: 5%, 6 – 9 participants: 10%, 10 participants and above: 15%
Registration fee covers: Tour, workshop materials, tea/coffee break, lunch, certificates, and visa processing ONLY.
Participants are to take care of their travel expenses, dinner, and accommodation.
Hotel Accommodation
Participants can get accommodation close to the workshop venue at an average rate of $100 –$120 per night. For more options on hotel accommodation, please visit the online booking site: www.agoda.com
Cancellation
For cancellation of registration fee, 70% of the fee will be refunded, if cancelled at least seven (7) days to the workshop and the information communicated to us by sms or email, using: training@pharmanews-whitetulip.com
There will be no refund if cancelled thereafter.
Method of Payment
Participants should pay registration fee into Pharmanews-WhiteTulip training account in GTBank Plc (A/c No. 0179132705) and send their full names and bank deposit slip number by sms or email to training@pharmanews-whitetulip.com. Payments in dollars should be made to Pharmanews Ltd. Domiciliary Accounts: GTB A/c No. 0005082226
Payment Online
Payments can also be made through our payment portal on GTBank SME market hub facility. To make payment online, visit: https://pharmanews.smemarkethub.com
Please note that payment in naira can only be accepted in Nigeria. In Dubai, the dollar equivalent will be paid.
Financial Transactions in Dubai
Your financial transactions in Dubai will be done in the local currency, UAE Dirham. The current rate is 3.7 Dirham to 1 US$.
Arrival and Departure
Participants are expected to arrive on or before Saturday, 20th and depart Thursday, 25th.
City Tour
For the tour, temperature will be at an average of 37° Celsius. We advise casual wear with shoes suitable for walking. Cameras will also be useful for pictures.
Travel Information
Intending participants are advised to make reservation for flight ticket to Dubai through these online booking sites: www.wakanow.com or www.opodo.co.uk. Available airlines on the booking sites are Emirates, Kenyan Air, Etihad, Ethiopian Airways, and Qatar Airways, among others.
Visa
After registration, participants will be contacted on the procedures for visa procurement. The visa fees are covered in the registration fee.
Novartis will lead the development of antimalarial compound KAF156 with scientific and financial support from Medicines for Malaria Venture in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
KAF156 belongs to a novel class of antimalarials that act against both the blood and liver stages of the parasite’s lifecycle
Antimalarials with new mechanisms of action are urgently needed to tackle emerging parasite resistance to current therapies
Novartis announced today that it will further expand its long-standing partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). Novartis will lead the development of antimalarial compound KAF156 with scientific and financial support from MMV in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This agreement sets out the terms and conditions for the development of KAF156 and its future availability to patients.
“With a child dying from malaria every two minutes and the threat of drug resistance growing year-on-year, there is a real urgency to step up global efforts to combat this disease,” said Joseph Jimenez, CEO of Novartis. “Partnerships and collaborations like this one with MMV are essential for the development of next generation antimalarials and accelerating efforts to eradicate this deadly disease.”
KAF156 belongs to a novel class of antimalarial molecules and is one of the first antimalarial drug candidates to enter Phase IIb clinical development in more than 20 years. It acts against the two parasites responsible for the majority of malaria deaths (Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax) and against both the blood and liver stages of the parasite’s lifecycle. Further, it has the potential to provide a more convenient dosing regimen and to address the multidrug resistance that has emerged in five countries of the Great Mekong Sub-region (GMS). KAF156 builds on the heritage of Novartis in antimalarial drug development and the launch in 1999 of Coartem®, the first fixed-dose Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT). ACT is the current standard of care in malaria treatment.
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Novartis in the development of this exciting candidate antimalarial medicine with the potential to tackle drug resistance and improve patient compliance,” said Dr. David Reddy, CEO of MMV. “As such, this agreement marks an important milestone, as MMV continues its mission to discover, develop and deliver new, effective and affordable antimalarials to the patients who need them most.”
The Novartis Malaria Initiative is committed to drive research, development and access to novel drugs to eliminate malaria. It is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s largest access-to-medicine programs. Since 2001, the initiative has delivered more than 750 million treatments without profit, including 300 million dispersible pediatric treatments, developed by Novartis in collaboration with MMV, mostly to the public sector of malaria-endemic countries. Although preventable and treatable, malaria continues to kill a child every two minutes and threatens the lives of many more.(1) It is caused by parasites transmitted to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. A comprehensive range of interventions is required to eradicate the disease, from bed nets and spraying for prevention to diagnostics and medicines to treat the disease and block its transmission.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Novartis International AG.
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About the Novartis Malaria Initiative
The Novartis Malaria Initiative is focused on conducting research and development for the next generation of antimalarials, improving access to treatment and helping communities deliver better healthcare. Operated by Sandoz, the Novartis generics and biosimilars division, the Novartis Malaria Initiative is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s largest access-to-medicine programs. Since 2001, the initiative has delivered more than 750 million treatments without profit, including 300 million dispersible pediatric treatments, mostly to the public sector of malaria-endemic countries.
Novartis has a long heritage in antimalarial drug development. Coartem®, the first fixed-dose Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT), was launched in 1999. ACT is the current standard of care in malaria treatment. Currently, there are two potential antimalarial therapies in Phase II clinical trials in the Novartis portfolio, KAE609 (cipargamin)(2) and KAF156. Both are new classes of compounds that treat malaria in different ways from current therapies, and could help combat growing resistance to existing artemisinin-based combination therapies.
About MMV
MMV is a leading product development partnership (PDP) in the field of antimalarial drug research and development. Its mission is to reduce the burden of malaria in disease-endemic countries by discovering, developing and delivering new, effective and affordable antimalarial drugs.
Since its foundation in 1999, MMV and partners have built the largest portfolio of antimalarial R&D and access projects ever assembled, and brought forward six new medicines that are already saving lives. MMV’s success is based on its extensive partnership network of over 400 pharmaceutical, academic and endemic-country partners in more than 55 countries.
MMV’s vision is a world in which innovative medicines will cure and protect the vulnerable and under-served populations at risk of malaria, and ultimately help to eradicate this terrible disease.
www.mmv.org
About KAF156
KAF156 belongs to a new class of dual-acting compounds known as imidazolepiperazines (IZPs) that target the parasite at both the liver and blood stage of its reproductive cycle. If confirmed in clinical trials, the dual antimalarial activity of the IZP compounds would give this class promise as a potential first-line therapy for the prevention and treatment of malaria(3,4). KAF156, currently in Phase IIb clinical trials, is the result of a Wellcome Trust, Medicines for Malaria Venture and Singapore Economic Development Board supported joint research program with the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. The research program aimed to discover the next generation of antimalarial drugs. Novartis is developing KAF156 with scientific and financial support from MMV.
References
World Health Organization, World Malaria Report 2015: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/200018/1/9789241565158_eng.pdf?ua=1. Last accessed January 2016.
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