Tag: Cancer

Nigeria’s teleco operator 9mobile partners Medicaid to combat cancer

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NIGERIA – In line with its commitment to support initiatives that promote healthcare, Nigeria’s telecom operator, 9mobile, has partnered with Medicaid Foundation to support the fight against cancer. Both organizations held a six kilometer-walk against cancer, themed Walk Away Cancer’ in the central business district of Abuja, Nigeria. The event was put together to create awareness on the devastating effect of cancer, drum up support for the fight against the disease, and highlight the role of early detection in saving lives. Chief Executive Officer, MEDICAID, Dr. Zainab Bagudu, who convened…

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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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South Africa gets major investment to treat Covid-19, TB, cancer, HIV

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SOUTH AFRICA – United States-based multinational conglomerate NantWorks has entered into an agreement with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) for the transfer of manufacturing technology for Covid-19 and cancer vaccines and next-generation cell-based immunotherapies. This is a major boost to the country’s healthcare system in its efforts to treat infectious diseases such as cancer, HIV, tuberculosis and, more recently, Covid-19. As of 2019, South Africa had 7.5 million people living with HIV, 200,000 new HIV infections and 72,000 AIDS-related…

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KUTRRH launches Brachytherapy treatment for Cancer patients

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KENYA – As a center of excellence in cancer care, Kenyatta University Hospital (KUTRRH), a Kenyan National Referral Hospital with a 650-bed capacity equipped with state-of-art medical amenities, has attained yet another milestone by the launching of the brachytherapy treatment for cancer patients. Brachytherapy, also known as internal radiation, is a form of radiotherapy treatment where the source of radiation is placed on or inside the diseased area.  KUTRRH has installed one of the latest model equipment funded by the Central Government through the Ministry of Health (MOH) as part…

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U.S. FDA approves Takeda’s lung cancer therapy

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JAPAN – Japanese pharma company Takeda Pharmaceutical has been granted approval for its drug, Exkivity, to treat a type of lung cancer by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Takeda said the approval was based on an early-to-mid-stage trial testing 114 patients with non-small cell lung cancer, with results showing clinically meaningful responses with a median duration of about 18 months. Exkivity was approved for patients with a specific gene mutation called EGFR Exon20 insertions in non-small cell lung cancer, whose disease has progressed on or after chemotherapy. The company…

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Roche strikes US$3 billion deal with Adaptimmune to develop cell therapies for cancer

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SWITZERLAND – Roche has acquired rights to a group of off-the-shelf cancer cell therapy programs from Adaptimmune, agreeing to work with the biotech on five “shared cancer targets” as well as some additional personalized T cell therapies. The Swiss drugmaker will pay Adaptimmune US$150 million now and could add another US$150 million over five years if the deal remains active that long. The deal could be worth more than US$3 billion if various milestones are met, though that money isn’t guaranteed. Adaptimmune could also opt for royalties on sales or…

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Dr Reddy’s launches cancer drug in Canada as Cipla signs waterless products distribution deal

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INDIA – Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. has announced the launch of Reddy-Lenalidomide, a generic equivalent to Revlimid (lenalidomide) capsules, in Canadian market following an approval from the Health Canada. Reddy-Lenalidomide, a cancer drug, is one of the first generic medications of its kind to launch in Canada, a press release from the city-based drug maker said. Dr Reddy’s launch in Canada comes at a time when the cancer treatment market is estimated at approximately US$158 billion in 2020, and is expected to witness a revenue of US$268 billion in 2026,…

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Uganda improves cancer health care as it battles an increased disease burden

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UGANDA – Uganda has announced it is continuing to decentralize cancer health care in the country as cases are on the increase. The Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in a statement said there is an increasing burden of cancer. “It is estimated that for every 100 new cases diagnosed, 80 of them die majorly because they come to our health facilities late,” the statement said, adding that this is mainly due to lack of access to cancer services within close proximity of the population. UCI figures show that annually, over 7,000…

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Bayer, Novartis-backed Immunitas secures US$58 million to advance Immuno-Oncology treatment

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UK – Immunitas Therapeutics, a Waltham-based immuno-oncology startup, has closed a $58 million Series B financing round to continue developing its single-cell genomics-based therapies. The funding will be used to advance the startup’s lead program, IMT-009, into clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The immuno-oncology startup also counts on funding and support from important companies in the pharmaceutical sector such as Bayer and Novartis, which has allowed it to advance its research and clinical trials. So far, Immunitas Therapeutics has raised US$97 million in funding…

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Roche sets bar in early lymphoma treatment with Polivy study results

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SWITZERLAND – Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Roche, has said its cancer drug Polivy combined with a common chemotherapy regimen holds lymphoma in check for longer than the standard drugs, in patients who have not been previously treated. According to Roche, the drug is the first treatment shown to improve outcomes in such patients in 20 years. Polivy is currently approved for patients with an aggressive form of lymphoma after their disease has progressed following two prior treatments. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s…

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