💉 A new malaria drug for Brazil and Thailand; Indonesia partners with Novo Nordisk on insulin packaging; Generic Viagra, fake data
#525 | The population... it's growing; Obesity... it's booming; The heat... it's on fire
Hello, and welcome back to The Kable. What would you like first, the bad news or the delusions? Well, okay then, Covid is over. Happy? So what if the WHO says it is still killing over 1,700 people every week? If we just stopped all testing and reporting, cases won't exist.
Africa's mpox surge continues unabated. The new, deadlier strain reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has now spread to the country's largest city with 25 cases being reported. And in South Africa, mpox case numbers have risen to 22 with 3 fatalities so far.
In good news halfway around the globe, after years of testing and trials, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and GSK are launching the single-dose drug Tafenoquine to prevent malaria relapse in Brazil and Thailand. The drug will be co-administered with Chloroquine.
The World Bank has a new IDEA. What IDEA and why is it in caps? Because it is the Inclusive Digitalization in Eastern and Southern Africa (IDEA) program, launched by the bank last month. What does it envisage? A spend of close to $2.5 billion to increase internet access and inclusive use of digital services to more than 180 million people across eastern and southern Africa.
The WHO, in an otherwise humdrum week, pulled a couple of rabbits out of its hat. First, with the launch of its MeDevIS program to improve access to medical devices and tech. And then with the announcement that the first-ever self-test for hepatitis C is now pre-qualified.
CEPI is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring its 100 Days mission is successful, in the event of another pandemic. The latest of its initiatives involves funding Apriori which uses its AI platform to protect against viruses.
In Indonesia, a boost for localisation with the news that the country's state-owned Bio Farma has partnered with Novo Nordisk to package insulin locally.
In the Caribbean region, just like many other parts of the world, it is dengue that is reigning supreme with a record-breaking surge seeing case numbers at a 470% increase from the previous high of last year.
In South Korea, kimchi is sending people to the hospital and overworked robots are killing themselves. Apropos of nothing, overworked and striking doctors in the country will not see their licenses suspended.
What was that? Bird flu? Yes, we have updates. In Cambodia, two boys have become the 6th and 7th human cases this year. A study in Nature says the bird flu strain prevailing in the bovine US has minimal air spread. Exhale. Nature also says that if bird flu were to become a pandemic, your past immunity will come in handy. Nature also details the steps countries around the world are taking to prepare for the possibility of bird flu morphing into a pandemic. The good bit with all these developments in the bird flu domain is that CEPI could actually start work right now and have therapeutics ready within 100 days of a declared pandemic. Win-win. CEPI says it is preparing. The US government has handed yet another contract to yet another drugmaker to develop yet another bird flu drug. Reuters has a breakdown - only if you're interested - on the various strains of bird flu that have been reported around the world. And completely out of context, China conducted an emergency drill for an unexplained pneumonia outbreak. What?
In a special report from outer space, NASA says drug-resistant bacteria on the International Space Station are mutating to become functionally distinct from their brethren on planet Earth.
And finally, the UN released its report on global population trends, the World Population Prospects 2024. The report says the world's human population is projected to reach a peak of 10.3 billion in the 2080s. Important to note: the report doesn't dwell upon the re-entry of space microbes or what a bird flu pandemic could do to population numbers.
Stories Of The Week
Trust the data. If you can't trust the data, what can you trust, eh? What if the data were faked? Huh? Who would do that? According to the US FDA, a company called Synapse Labs would do that. And what data did Synapse falsify? According to the same agency, Synapse used fake data to gain approvals for generic Viagra versions launched by Indian drugmakers in the US. Late last year, European regulators had recommended suspending all drugs that relied on studies conducted by Synapse. The US FDA too has now asked companies to redo studies elsewhere to gain approvals for their drugs.
(The Economic Times, US FDA, EMA)
Obesity... it's a growth market. Excuse the pun but the recent boom in GLP-1 drugs to counter obesity is not likely to peter out anytime soon. A new report by pharma insights and analytics agency Evaluate says obesity and diabetes drugs will be the top-selling drugs in the world in 2030. The report forecasts that by 2030, obesity drugs will drive more than $100 billion in revenue for drug makers. Which tracks with WHO numbers predicting obesity and diabetes to be the leading cause of disease and death in the same time frame.
(Evaluate)
The 3 Cs. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) released a new report this week which says countries that see conflict are also disproportionately impacted by climate change. The report - When Rain Turns to Dust – based on research in southern Iraq, northern Mali and the interior of the Central African Republic concludes that of the 20 countries most vulnerable to climate change, the majority are at war and that in 25 years, 200 million people will need humanitarian aid, a number that is at 100 million right now.
(ICRC)
Breakthroughs
Combine and cure. In a further boost to makers of GLP1 drugs, in a groundbreaking study, researchers from Mount Sinai and City of Hope have discovered a promising new diabetes treatment by combining harmine, a natural plant compound, with GLP1 receptor agonists. This combo not only reversed diabetes in mice but also increased human insulin-producing beta cells by 700% over three months. The project spanned 15 years, moving from basic beta cell biology to high-tech drug screenings and, finally, to human studies. With clinical trials underway, this innovative approach offers new hope for the millions affected by diabetes. And new revenue streams to add to the billions being minted by drugmakers.
(Science Translational Medicine)
Bottom line
The heat... will it ever be off? Since June 2023, the world has been setting heat records every month. And June 2024 made it 13 months in a row of shattering heat records. What is worse, the data from Copernicus shows that temperatures have breached the 1.5°C mark. For the 12 months ending in June 2024, the world's average temperature was the highest on record for any such period, at 1.64°C above the pre-industrial average. The data also suggests that 2023's record as the hottest year ever may be short-lived with 2024 well on track to overtake it. You want our recommendation? Get a few cats as pets. That way, all your clothes will be well-ventilated and you will be better equipped to deal with the escalating heat.
(Copernicus)
Think before you tweet. A new report by UN trade agency UNCTAD brings distressing news about the environmental impact of digitalisation. Just one highlight (lowlight?) from the report: the energy required for data mining for bitcoins last year reached 121 terawatts. The agency's Digital Economy Report 2024 is not just a collection of distressing facts though. It offers concrete solutions to keep the digital boom booming without overloading the environment. And yes, it involves reducing, reusing and recycling.
(UNCTAD)
Long reads
Making in Africa. Much has been made in recent times about the imperative for Africa to achieve pharma independence. Lessons learned from Covid are still fresh. And we've all seen what the now-stalled pandemic pact discussions looked like. Here is a fresh, new thought piece on how Africa can finally achieve that much sought-after state of not being reliant on external sources for its healthcare needs.
(The New Times)
The war against malaria. Devex has consistently had some of the best reads on various health and development topics, primarily affecting the Global South. It is no surprise therefore that a Devex piece on the development of an mAB for malaria is an interesting read too.
(Devex)
Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.
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