💊 Moderna makes a purchase; France makes clean air legal; Swab your nose for viruses

#248 | A global vault for human poop

Hello, and welcome back to The Kable. It has been a second since we wrote about Moderna in this newsletter. Well, Moderna is back in The Kable... with its first acquisition. The mRNA specialist is putting down $85 million to expand its synthetic biology capabilities with a buy of Japan's DNA manufacturer OriCiro Genomics. OriCiro's cell-free synthesis and amplification technologies should help Moderna speed up pipeline development. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, a commercial vaccine for mpox is not anywhere in Moderna's pipeline. That will change maybe if there's an outbreak outside Africa. Meanwhile, the CEO says a mpox vaccine is "no use to the planet."

In good news from Africa, Ghana's e-Pharmacy platform went live across the country this week. Called the Ghana National Electronic Pharmacy Platform (GNEPP), the platform allows users nationwide to upload prescriptions and request home delivery of affordable drugs.

And finally, in yet another recall for an Indian-manufactured drug, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has recalled an anti-venom for snake bites after experts said the drug is no longer effective. A study published in 2019, had concluded that this anti-venom is not effective against most of the lethal snake species found in India.