💉 Samsung to make Pfizer drugs; Marburg no longer an outbreak in Equatorial Guinea; AfDB's new grant for rural healthcare in Morocco
#359 | The WHO and the Global Fund in a new agreement; Taurine, the secret to health ageing; Greenhouse gases on a high
Hello there, and welcome back to The Friday Kable. This has been a mixed bag of weeks on the news front with some extremely busy news days mingling with days light on news. Today is on the lighter side.
First up, 100 million of India's population is diabetic according to the largest epidemiological study on diabetes and NCDs in India. The report also says more than 136 million other people are pre-diabetic while over 315 million have high blood pressure.
Days after declaring the Marburg viral outbreak over in Tanzania, the WHO now says the outbreak is a thing of the past in Equatorial Guinea as well.
Samsung Biologics has entered into an agreement with Pfizer to make drugs from Big Pharma's biosimilars portfolio at its latest facility, encompassing immunology, inflammation, and oncology products. As per a submission by the CDMO, the worth of this contract is estimated to be $411 million.
Amid reports that Egypt is mulling a partnership with Russia to set up a pharma factory in the country, Egypt's General Authority for Healthcare (GAH) has signed a slew of agreements with the Arab Hospitals Federation (AHF), AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Viatris for various initiatives to boost the country's healthcare sector.
The African Development Bank has announced a €120 million funding to support Morocco’s efforts to improve healthcare for women and children in rural areas, especially in the regions of Beni Mellal-Khenifra, Draa-Tafilalet and Guelmim-Oued Noun.
And finally, South Africa's cholera outbreak continues unabated with the death toll now reaching 31.
The week that was
The week kicked off with a report from Edelman on how much people around the world trust pharma. The report found that in China, 89% of people trusted the industry – higher than anywhere else in the world.
In India, the government banned 14 types of fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs as an expert panel claims that there is no therapeutic justification for these medicines and that they could pose risks to humans.
Based on principles of equity, transparency and data privacy, the WHO and the European Commission announced the launch of a landmark digital health partnership. 80 countries and territories are already connected to the EU Digital Covid-19 Certificate. Starting this month, the WHO will take up the EU’s system of digital Covid certification to set up an open-source digital health tool of its own.
About 30 African countries banned single-use plastic bags, but there are hardly any monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in place. The UNEP Regional Coordinator for Chemicals, Waste and Air Quality discusses the plastic crisis in Africa and how the UN treaty on plastic pollution can benefit developing countries.
The WHO has been highlighting the climate crisis as a health crisis, drawing from the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report which looked at the human health impacts of a rapidly warming world. But there exist gaps in evidence and applied research on the connections between health and climate. The WHO hopes to bridge this gap with the help of a new roadmap. In a bid to catalyse research which will inform the integration of climate and health action, the WHO has launched the development of a global research agenda – Research for Action on Climate Change and Health, or REACH 2035.
The biotech company Promosome is suing Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech, accusing them of infringing an mRNA tech-linked patent in the production of their Covid vaccines. Promosome is asking for a share of the royalties from the sale of Covid vaccines.
The WHO's Global Tuberculosis Programme announced the creation of a new online platform, the TB research tracker. This platform will provide a unified access point for the latest information on TB clinical trials and operational research projects aimed at enhancing TB prevention, treatment, and care.
And finally, there's new research that global governments need to intensify efforts to combat the increasing threat of drug-resistant infections. The research, undertaken by experts from the universities of Leeds, Edinburgh, and Hamburg, reveals that government plans globally focus on AMR policy formulation and implementation tools but lack sufficient monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
Newsworthy
A new multilateral framework against communicable diseases. The WHO and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) have inked a renewed Strategic Framework for Collaboration, aimed at enhancing health systems and bolstering collaborative efforts in the fight against major communicable diseases.
The fresh five-year framework builds upon the previous agreement from 2018 and aligns with the Global Fund Strategy for 2023-2028, and the WHO's General Programme of Work, both focusing on community-centric health responses, pandemic preparedness, and challenges stemming from climate change. The revised framework also supports the broader goals of achieving health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In the face of strained global health budgets, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasised the need for continued collaboration between the WHO and the Global Fund to assist countries in expanding services for the three diseases as part of their journey towards UHC.
The new strategic framework will strengthen and extend collaboration, which has already resulted in significant country-level achievements over recent years, including advancements in HIV testing, TB detection, malaria elimination, and the development of 50 evidence-based national strategic plans.
Despite these successes, substantial work remains to be done in countries to speed up progress towards ending AIDS, TB, and malaria epidemics, and to build robust health systems capable of responding to future emergencies. With this new framework, WHO and the Global Fund will leverage their comparative strengths across 35 areas for collaboration, divided into four categories: health policies and guidance, advocacy and health governance, health products and innovations, and technical support and capacity building.
(WHO)
R&D
Repurposing cancer drugs against inflammation. An experimental drug called Saracatinib, previously tested for the potential treatment of cancer, lung and Alzheimer's disease, might be able to slow down atherosclerosis, a condition leading to heart disease, according to a study involving mice and rabbits. Researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine identified Saracatinib as a potential candidate for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) through a combination of systems immunology-driven-drug repurposing and functional screening using human samples. The study revealed that Saracatinib reduced inflammation signalling by over 90% in human blood and diseased tissue samples, thereby suggesting its potential to reduce atherosclerosis progression and inflammation.
Atherosclerosis is a condition where fatty deposits build up and harden into plaques in blood vessels, leading to inflammation and potentially blocking blood flow causing heart attack or stroke. While the current standard of care for ASCVD involves reducing lipid levels and controlling other cardiovascular risk factors, inflammation often persists in many patients, even with reduced plaque deposits, leaving them at high risk for heart attack. Hence, the authors of the study noted the importance of identifying uses for existing drugs to aid in the development of targeted immunotherapies for ASCVD.
Despite these promising findings, the researchers caution that further clinical trials are needed to verify the effectiveness of Saracatinib in patients. The study team intends to use their protocol to explore potential treatments for other inflammatory conditions associated with ASCVD, such as rheumatic arthritis or type 2 diabetes. Although Saracatinib has shown potential, it is still crucial to ensure its effectiveness in patients before it can be utilised as a treatment.
(Nature Cardiovascular Research)Â
The dental discord. In a plot twist worthy of a dental drama, the culprit behind tooth decay isn't whom we thought it was. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and the Adams School of Dentistry and the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina have found a new bacterial villain in the saga of tooth decay: Selenomonas sputigena. Historically, the sugar-loving, acid-producing Streptococcus mutans was seen as the primary offender. Yet, in this dental whodunit, our researchers reveal that S. sputigena, so far only implicated in gum disease, is actually a partner in crime with S. mutans, significantly enhancing its tooth-damaging capabilities.
This unexpected finding has turned the dental world upside down (hasn't it?), giving us fresh insight into the tooth decay process and potentially new ways to prevent cavities. Think of it as a microscopic Bonnie and Clyde situation. S. mutans uses sugar to create sticky, protective plaques. S. sputigena, armed with its surface-moving appendages, gets trapped in these plaques and rapidly multiplies, forming honeycomb-shaped "superstructures" that protect S. mutans. The result? A potent partnership leading to more acid production and severe cavities. Future cavity prevention strategies could involve dismantling these bacterial fortresses, leading to a new era of dental warfare. With these revelations, it seems the fight against tooth decay has just entered a new and exciting chapter!
(Nature Communications)Â
The Kibble
The fountaurine of youth. In a groundbreaking study that would make a cat (known taurine lovers) purr in delight, researchers have discovered that taurine, a nutrient we produce and consume, has serious anti-ageing potential. Scientists, who've been trying to crack the code of ageing for a quarter-century, found that ageing animals lack taurine and that daily taurine supplements could turn them into Methuselahs of the animal kingdom, extending their lives by up to 12%.
In the study, the researchers decided to give some ageing mice and monkeys their daily taurine fix, while the others were left taurine-less and probably envious. The results were eye-opening. The taurine-supplemented gang aged slower maintained healthier weights, and even boasted improved muscle strength. It's as though they were on some exotic animal fitness regime! Apparently, the supplement also dealt with "zombie cells" (old cells that refuse to die) and DNA damage, which sounds like a plot for a sci-fi movie. Meanwhile, the monkeys also showed improved health and bone density, presumably doing their best Tarzan impressions.
While the results are promising, we don't know yet if humans will get to join the taurine party. But given its positive effects and the fact that it can be obtained naturally or boosted by exercise, taurine could well be the dark horse in the race for anti-ageing solutions. Stay tuned as scientists start taurine trials to measure a wide range of health parameters and possibly find the elixir of life!
(Science)Â
Weight Watchers anonymous. In a study that would bring joy to those sick of religiously logging every lettuce leaf and kernel of popcorn in their diet apps, researchers have found that you don't need to track every crumb that crosses your lips to lose weight. They ran a six-month trial with participants using a commercial weight loss program and found that folks only needed to track their diet about 30% of the time to lose more than 3% of their weight, 40% of the time to lose over 5%, and about 70% of the time to lose over 10%.
The study revealed three distinct tracking patterns. The 'super users' tracked most days of the week and lost about 10% of their weight. The 'casual trackers' started off well but began slacking after four months, tracking only once a week. Still, they managed to lose about 5% of their weight. Lastly, the 'low trackers' who logged entries for just three days a week, gradually dropping to zero, lost only 2% of their weight. So, if you've been meticulously logging every food item like a calorie accountant, it's time to relax a bit and remember that every entry skipped isn't a step towards dietary doom. Turns out, success can be a bit more relaxed than you think!
(Obesity)Â
Bottom line
Net zero? More like all zero. A new study led by Imperial College London suggests that most countries' net-zero greenhouse gas emissions pledges are at risk of failing without stronger policy action. The study revealed that 90% of global net-zero commitments provide little confidence they'll be fully enacted, potentially jeopardising key climate targets. The team has called for nations to make their climate targets legally binding and bolster them with comprehensive, long-term plans and short-term implementation policies.
The researchers analysed 35 net-zero targets, all from countries responsible for more than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Their confidence in these policies was determined based on legally binding status, the existence of credible policy plans, and short-term plans aligning with a downward emissions path over the next decade. Shockingly, 90% of the examined policies, including those of major emitters like China and the US, were found to have 'lower' or 'much lower' confidence. The team proposes that only by increasing the number of legally binding net-zero policies and defining clear sector-specific implementation pathways can we increase our confidence in meeting climate targets.
(Science)
High? It's the methane, stupid. Once upon a time, 50 leading scientists turned into climate detectives to figure out what on Earth is happening to, well, our Earth! And their findings? Things are heating up faster than a Brit's sunburn on the first day of summer.
Apparently, our planetary spaceship is on the "unprecedented rate" plan when it comes to global warming. Who knew there were speed tiers in this disaster? Not content with waiting for the snail-paced reports of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), these eco-sleuths have gone rogue. They're launching an open data, open science platform, a sort of climate-nerd Facebook, but with fewer cat videos and more depressing bar graphs. It updates key climate indicators annually, giving us all the latest news on just how roasted we're getting.
Their data revealed that human-induced warming has skyrocketed. We're now blazing at an average of 1.14°C above pre-industrial levels for the decade, up from a chilly 1.07°C from 2010 to 2019. Talk about cranking up the thermostat!
The twist? Our greenhouse gas emissions are "at an all-time high," releasing 54 (+/-5.3) billion metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent into the atmosphere annually. That's more bloating than after a festive dinner! But it's not all grim. We're making headway in ditching coal, though that ironically warms us up even more by reducing the cooling effect of particulate pollution. So, quitting the black stuff is like removing the sunglasses before staring at the sun.
The plot thickens with the remaining carbon budget, our last-ditch chance to keep global warming within 1.5°C. In 2020, the IPCC estimated we had about 500 billion metric tonnes of CO2 wiggle room. But surprise, surprise, we're now sitting around half that. Let's just say if our carbon budget was a phone battery, we'd be anxiously hunting for a power outlet.
So, here's the punchline: if we don't want our 1.5°C goal to fade into a mirage, we need to step up our emissions game. Time to go full throttle.
(Earth System Science Data)Â
Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.