💉 AstraZeneca puts in $2 billion on radiopharma; Novo goes big in China; Merck bets big on Korea
💉 AstraZeneca puts in $2 billion on radiopharma; Novo goes big in China; Merck bets big on Korea
#509 | Novartis' big aims for Singapore; AbbVie bets on IBD; A future without babies
Hello, and welcome back to a fully loaded week of updates with The Kable, your weekly fix from the world of life sciences.
The Africa CDC has been making all the right moves and noises on its mission to manufacture 60% of vaccines used on the continent locally by 2040. One of the factors involved in this mission is obviously human capital. In its latest move, the agency has released a paper on how it sees the development of this human capital in furtherance of its mission.
Last week, we told you about dengue in Brazil and the havoc it is causing. Neighbouring Argentina isn't too far behind, with the disease expected to shatter several records as it runs riot.
Over in India, an ominous new study says extreme heat at work can double the risk of stillbirth.
In more doom and gloom, the UN says we are losing our battle against electronic waste. It might only be a matter of time before all the e-waste in the world unites and rises up as a mechamonster to rule over us all. Okay, that second sentence wasn't added by the UN, but hey, we have all seen those movies, okay?
Last year, several agencies released reports on how the world needs to transition to a plant-based diet to mitigate some of the effects of a warming planet. Putting a spanner in that works is a study that says urban humans don't have much of an ability to digest plants anymore.
And finally, in what is quite the breakthrough, researchers transplanted a gene-edited kidney from a pig into a human. And that is not the only xenotransplantation story today. Scientists elsewhere also transplanted a pig liver into a human. Oink.
Before we move on to stories of the week, The Kable is Editorial Partner to Pharmaconex, Africa's most influential hub for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in the MEA region, something we're really thrilled about.
Like The Kable, Pharmaconex shines a spotlight on the pharma industry story in Africa & is committed to building a community for the industry members where they can benefit, expand, and share knowledge so that the region thrives. The newest edition to the Pharmaconex Family, Pharmaconex West Africa, brings its decade of knowledge and expertise to Nigeria. It will be held from 22-24th of April in Lagos, Nigeria, and you really should REGISTER TO ATTEND.
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Stories Of The Week
The baby boom goes bust. Yes, yes, we all know there are more than 8 billion people on the planet now and that the number is expected to reach 10 billion not too far in the future. A recent study, however, says population growth might be in its end stages. By the century's close, a whopping 97% of countries will see fertility rates dip below the magic number needed to keep populations stable. And most live births are set to happen in, you guessed it, the least wealthy nations - places already juggling economic and political hot potatoes. It's a clarion call for the world to brace for a future where supporting a youthful, fast-growing population in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable becomes the norm. Combined with a shrinking population in the Western world, this fertility plot twist might just turn immigration into the world's next favourite economic growth strategy. If we manage to make it till 2100, we might need to figure out by then how to navigate the tricky tides of global demographics.
(The Lancet)
Cholera's comeback. In an urgent call to arms, the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision has highlighted a worrying spike in cholera cases worldwide, doubling from 2021 to 2022, with projections indicating an even steeper increase. This surge underscores a dire need for immediate action across several fronts: enhancing access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, swift outbreak detection and response, and improving healthcare quality and accessibility. Particularly pressing is the call for ramping up the production of affordable oral cholera vaccines, given the current stockpile pressures and the shift to a one-dose regimen amid vaccine shortages. This situation has sparked an international plea for collaboration among governments, donors, vaccine producers, and communities to reverse the rising tide of cholera - a disease both preventable and treatable, yet currently on a distressing trajectory due to gaps in basic public health infrastructure, exacerbated by climate change, conflict, and displacement.
(UNICEF)
An AI pill for every ill. Nvidia, best known for its graphics prowess, is making waves in a rather unexpected arena: the bustling world of drug discovery, thanks to its generative AI magic. Just over a year after teasing us with plans to dabble in molecule design, the tech giant is finally letting the cat out of the bag. Using its BioNeMo toolkits, Nvidia's venturing into the complex web of DNA, RNA, and proteins, drawing parallels to how ChatGPT deciphers the English language. This is a real game-changer for drug discovery, enabling researchers to run virtual experiments before getting their hands dirty in the lab. Through its AWS HealthOmics platform, Nvidia's rolling out cloud-based goodies like DNABERT and EquiDock, promising insights into genetic functions and protein interactions. The cherry on top? Over 100 biopharma bigwigs are already on board, betting big on Nvidia's AI to pioneer the next gen of medicines.
Nvidia wasn't the only tech biggie to make an AI-based healthcare announcement this week. Big daddy Google joined in the fun, too. At its Google Check Up event, the search biggie unfurled a plethora of advancements in healthcare AI, from the radiologist-aiding MedLM for Chest X-rays to personalised health insights in Fitbit Labs and the inclusive Skin Condition Image Network (SCIN). The company's push into multimodal AI, exemplified by collaborations with HCA Healthcare and the development of models like Gemini for complex clinical reasoning, underpins Google's vision of AI as a lynchpin in future healthcare.
(Nvidia, Google)
Pandemic Pact Powwow. A new pandemic agreement has been mired in rounds of accusations and counter-accusations and flying tempers with the pharma lobby, as usual, finding itself in opposition to proponents of free trade and putting people over profits. Amid all this, the WHO has once again asked for sparring partners to come to terms on a deal because the length of time spent on this one is beyond parody now. These two stories from Health Policy Watch outline, in excellent detail, what the various conflicting perspectives are and how resolution might come about. And the Africa CDC has issued a statement on the African side of it all. Excellent quartet of reads to burrow in for the weekend with.
(Health Policy Watch, Health Policy Watch, WHO, Africa CDC)
Agency Observer
A shot in the arm against TB. South Africa is now the stage for a groundbreaking Phase 3 trial of a new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate, M72/AS01E, spearheaded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute with a little financial muscle from the Wellcome Trust and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This could be a game-changer, marking the first new TB vaccine in a hundred years, aimed at the pulmonary type, which is the most common and a particular scourge in low- and middle-income countries. The vaccine, initially developed by GSK and now in partnership with Gates MRI for this crucial stage, is showing promise not just for science but for humanity, targeting up to 20,000 participants, including those living with HIV.
(Gates MRI)
WHO speeds up for good health. The WHO is taking a leaf out of its pandemic playbook to make accessing vital health products a breeze. Traditionally, WHO would sequentially develop recommendations for health products like medicines and vaccines and then prequalify them or list them for emergency use. However, during the COVID-19 crisis, WHO shifted gears and ran these processes in parallel, dramatically speeding up the time it took to green-light life-saving antivirals. Inspired by this success, WHO is now making this nimble approach the new normal for all health products. This means that, by working on recommendations and prequalification or emergency use listing at the same time, WHO aims to get innovative health solutions into the hands of those in low and low-middle-income countries much faster, all while keeping the process's integrity and confidentiality intact. It's a win-win for global health, ensuring faster access to essential therapies without cutting corners.
(WHO)
Vaccines meet VCs. Gavi is teaming up with Seedstars for INFUSE 2024, a global shout-out to innovators ready to beef up health systems and immunisation delivery in the face of climate threats. This year, they're zeroing in on the climate crisis - a villain exacerbating health challenges like malaria and making disease outbreaks more frequent and severe. The mission? To find and scale low-carbon, resilient health solutions that can outsmart climate-induced health menaces, boost frontline workers' ability to combat them, and ensure vaccines reach their destinations come hell or high water.
(Gavi)
Breakthroughs
CRISPR scissors for HIV. Imagine a future where, instead of merely keeping HIV at bay with medication, we could snip it right out of our DNA. Researchers from the University of Amsterdam have dipped their toes into this sci-fi scenario, leveraging CRISPR technology in early trials with a promise that, one day, it could potentially obliterate HIV from the human body. But let's not get ahead of ourselves—while the idea is as cool as it sounds, it's still very much a work in progress. The team calls it a "proof of concept," a fancy way of saying they've got a long road ahead before this becomes a reality for those living with HIV. Plus, with other scientists and companies also in the race (and already testing on humans without alarming side effects), it's clear the journey to a cure is on, but buckle up, it's going to be a marathon, not a sprint.
(New Scientist)
Corporate
Go big or go home. It has been another week of alliances and acquisitions in the world of Big Pharma, with no deal bigger than the $2 billion AstraZeneca shelled out to strengthen its radiopharma pipeline by acquiring Fusion Pharma. Elsewhere, AbbVie placed a bet on Parvus Therapeutics, signing a deal to develop and commercialise its’ therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases. It has been a big week in the pharma manufacturing space as well, starting with Lonza's $1.2 billion deal to acquire a manufacturing site from Roche. Novo Nordisk is shelling out $560 million to up its production capabilities in China, MilliporeSigma is pledging €300 million to expand its biologics plant in South Korea, and Novartis, in a departure from its habit of layoffs, is creating jobs with a $256 million antibody plant expansion in Singapore.
(AstraZeneca, Parvus, Lonza, FiercePharma, Merck, Novartis)
Outbreaks
Not just a buzzword anymore. As dengue fever sprints across the globe, breaking records from Brazil to Bangladesh, it's morphing from a historical health hiccup into a full-blown pandemic panic. From 500,000 cases in 2000 to a staggering 5.2 million in 2019 and deaths expected to hit a new high in 2024, it's clear this isn't your great-great-grandparent's dengue. Climate change and urban sprawl are the culprits behind the scenes, turning once sporadic outbreaks into regular calendar events. Brazil's response? Roll out the first-ever national dengue vaccine campaign amid states of emergency. Meanwhile, Argentina and Peru are reeling from their own unprecedented outbreaks, and even countries previously untouched, including the U.S., are now hosting this unwelcome guest. With the Aedes mosquito enjoying a climate-changed world's extended warm welcome and urban centres providing the perfect breeding ground, the fight against dengue is becoming as complex as it is critical. Amidst this, innovations like genetically modified mosquitoes and new vaccines offer hope, but with a caveat: the world needs a united front to keep this old foe from claiming the future.
(Vox)
Bottom line
The heat is on, on the street, on every beat. Climate record books got a thorough rewrite last year, and according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), we're potentially gearing up for an even steamier sequel in 2024. The WMO's latest report sounds a loud alarm, particularly over the scorching ocean temperatures and vanishing sea ice, noting that we've hit the highest average global temperature in nearly two centuries. Over 90% of the ocean felt the burn with heatwave conditions, spelling trouble for marine life and food systems. The WMO flagged these changes as particularly alarming, with ocean heat being a stubborn issue that might not cool down for millennia. WMO leaders hope this "Red Alert" will spur a global wake-up call to mitigate these increasingly extreme and frequent climate events, essentially saying the ball is in our court to prevent further climatic chaos. Heh.
(WMO)
Packaging from chemical hell. So you thought your food packaging was just used to pack your food? Well, think again because a new study says food packaging has been harbouring a cocktail of up to 68 "forever chemicals" known as PFAS, which might just outlast us all due to their incredibly strong bonds. These chemicals aren't just sticking around for good times; they're linked to some pretty nasty health outcomes, including the Big C and issues with our reproductive and immune systems. The kicker? Regulators might have been in the dark about most of these, as 61 of these eternal guests weren't even on their radar, let alone their regulatory lists. And of these, only a select few have had their toxicity checked out.
(Environmental Science and Technology)
Long reads
Navigating climate anxiety with science. The simple, albeit alarming, truth is that our planet is warming at an unnerving pace due to human activities, setting off a domino effect of environmental consequences - from deadly heatwaves to rising sea levels and intensifying wildfires. Yet, the dialogue isn't solely about how hot it's getting but rather how these changes ripple through society, elevating existing challenges and uncovering new ones. Uncertainties loom large, not just in the physical effects but in the societal shifts they may trigger, adding layers of complexity to the climate conundrum. However, it's not all gloom; the discourse veers towards actionable insights, emphasizing democracy's role in mitigating climate change and the importance of collective action towards a cleaner, sustainable future. This nuanced exploration of fear, hope, and the interplay between emotion and action offers a grounded perspective on one of humanity's most pressing dilemmas.
(Nature)
A step forward, a mile to go. In an uplifting yet cautionary update, UNICEF's recent reportreveals a historical milestone in reducing child mortality, with figures falling below 5 million for the first time ever in 2022. This victory is the fruit of global efforts spanning vaccinations to nutrition enhancements. Yet, the shadow of 4.9 million young lives lost, mostly to preventable conditions, looms large, highlighting the unequal battle still faced by families, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. The disparities within countries, like Ethiopia's urban-rural divide, underscore the need for intensified action. Community health worker programs show promise, offering a beacon of hope through local, practical health education and services. However, the fight is far from over, with newborn deaths remaining stubbornly high and financial backing for health services showing worrying signs of stagnation post-pandemic. As we celebrate the progress, let's not lose sight of the journey ahead. For a deeper dive into the nuances of this crucial global challenge, here's a piece on Goats and Soda.
(Goats and Soda)
Oh and, Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.
Very informative