Month: September 2021

Organ transplant milestone as Thermo Fisher launches robust diagnostic technologies

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USA – Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced two new additions to its transplant diagnostics portfolio at the annual meeting for the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI). These new products will allow transplant laboratories to better characterize samples while also increasing speed and confidence. The transplant diagnostics market comprises of the sale of transplant diagnostics test products as well as related services. Transplant diagnostics are tests performed prior to the relocation or transplantation of a donor organ to a recipient patient. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) diagnostic testing, PCR-based assay,…

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30% of African nations hit WHO’s Covid-19 vaccination target

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CONGO – Fifteen out of the 54 countries that make up the African continent have achieved the 10% Covid-19 vaccination target set for September by the World Health Organization in May.   Seychelles and Mauritius have fully vaccinated over 60% of their populations, Morocco 48% and Tunisia, Comoros and Cape Verde over 20% while almost 90% of high income-countries have met this target. Most of the African countries that have met the goal have relatively small populations and 40% are small island developing states. All these countries have enjoyed sufficient supplies…

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Biocorp and Novo Nordisk ink partnership deal to enhance diabetes care

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USA – Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, has partnered with French-based device maker Biocorp to smarten up its line of disposable FlexTouch insulin pens with Mallya smart sensor device to be used by people with diabetes. The new agreement with Novo Nordisk calls for the reusable Mallya to be distributed after a new version is proven to work with the company’s FlexTouch insulin pen. Biocorp is poised to receive an upfront payment and milestone funding tied to the development of the new device. Nonetheless, the exact amounts…

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WHO introduces new drugs for management of chronic diseases

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SWITZERLAND – Newly updated guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) one essential medicines list has been published providing further recommendations for diabetes and cancer treatment drugs. The WHO Essential Medicines List provides key guidance documents that assist countries in prioritizing critical health products that should be widely available and affordable throughout health systems. The updated Essential Medicines Lists include 20 new medicines for adults and 17 medicines for children, and new uses for 28 previously listed medicines. The Expert Committee’s recommendations increase the number of essential medicines to address…

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GE Healthcare, partners, strengthen cancer care in West Africa with latest solutions

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NIGERIA – As part of its ongoing commitment to providing quality healthcare to Sub Saharan Africa, GE Healthcare has presented its cutting-edge technologies to increase accessibility and provide clinicians with faster access to information and help increase the quality of care, particularly in the field of oncology. GE Healthcare, the US$18 billion healthcare business of GE, and a leading global medical technology and digital solutions innovator, made this announcement during the ARCON conference held in Nigeria. In Nigeria, cancer leads to approximately 72,000 deaths every year. It is estimated that…

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Siemens Healthineers invests US$ 32 million in Delaware facility expansion

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USA – German medtech company Siemens Healthineers has announced that it will expend US$32 million in a bid to expand 29,000-square-foot facility based in Newark’s Glasgow Business Community hub. The company plans to use the money to install new manufacturing equipment, including large-scale specialties and formulation process equipment. Supporting the company’s plans, the state Council on Development Finance will provide it with two grants from the Delaware Strategic Fund totaling US$ 2 million. The company is one of Delaware county’s largest private employers and taxpayer. With1,300 employees on full-time basis,…

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MMV signals win with novel ganaplacide/lumefantrine combination in children with malaria

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AFRICA – Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) in partnership with global drug manufacturing giant Novartis, have reported positive phase 2b study results for novel non-artemisinin combination to treat uncomplicated malaria. The study which was conducted in children below the age of 12 involved the use of ganaplacide/lumefantrine combination therapy and provides support for continued development of the combination. “The world needs a diversified pipeline of anti-malarial medicines, especially as we are faced with emerging resistance to current treatments,” said Sujata Vaidyanathan, Head Global Health Development Unit, Novartis. Malaria, the oldest…

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MFine clinches US$48 Million in series C funding to ramp up virtual care infrastructure

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INDIA – Healthcare startup MFine has announced that it has raised US$ 48 million in series C funding steered by BEENEXT and Moore Strategic Ventures alongside other existing investors to build one of the largest virtual hospital in the world. Mfine is a health-tech startup that offers an AI-powered online doctor consultation app. MFine is now using Assistive Intelligence (AI) to help doctors make clinical decisions, as well as to bring vitals monitoring and health management to consumers’ smartphones. This means, the doctor, making the diagnosis quicker and sharper. Specialist…

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Philips and Teladoc Health in partnership to enhance E-health

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USA– US-based healthcare IT firms Royal Philips and Teladoc Health have entered into a partnership to enhance delivery of healthcare solutions in Australia and New Zealand. The two global healthcare IT firms have stated that they will combine their virtual care journey allowing organizations to leverage scarce clinical resources with remote patient monitoring across health facilities. New patient insights derived from virtual care models will ensure that practitioners can provide patients with improved access to specialist care regardless of time or location. This is a unique partnership in Australia and…

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WHO sets pace in competency building with health focused academy campus in France

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FRANCE – Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, today broke ground for the WHO Academy’s campus in the French city of Lyon. This event marks a milestone in meeting the needs of WHO Member States and a growing global health workforce for expanded access to life-long learning, health guidance and competency-building. “The ambitions of the WHO Academy are not modest: to transform lifelong learning in health globally,” said Dr Tedros. “The COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful demonstration of the value of health…

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