💉 The APTF comes a step closer to fruition; Cervical cancer gets a lot of money; Africa unites against malaria

#507 | Merck sets up distribution centre in Brazil; Walking is good for your heart; The Arctic loses its ice

Mar 08, 2024

Hello, and welcome back to The Kable for your weekly fix of everything that's cooking in the life sciences.

Last week, we wrote about how the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation (APTF) is one of the most-watched development agencies of 2024. And lo, more action on the APTF front with the African Development Fund putting in $12 million to bring the agency to operational status sooner. And honestly, it could never be soon enough.

In Tanzania, fragmented approaches to addressing HIV, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have led to gaps in treatment and prevention efforts, compounded by the stigma surrounding these diseases. The country is revolutionising its public health strategy by integrating services for these diseases under the new National AIDS, STIs and Hepatitis Control Programme (NASHCoP), aiming to enhance efficiency, reduce transmission, and improve overall health outcomes by 2030. A good read from Gavi.

A couple of weeks ago, there was good news to report on one on GSK's HIV treatments. This week, it is time for bad news with the WHO saying that resistance to GSK's HIV drug dolutegravir has been higher than expected in some countries, with resistance rates ranging from 3.9% to 19.6% among individuals transitioning to a dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy regimen. Additionally, cases of resistance have also been observed in patients using the injectable HIV preventive drug cabotegravir, specifically among a certain class of HIV drugs known as integrase-strand transfer inhibitors.

LabioTech takes a not-very-deep dive into the 14 most valuable - by market cap - drug makers in the world.

Seasons come, seasons go but biopharma layoffs are constant. Ask the 400 people being laid off at Sumitomo or the 2,000 people Evonik is saying buh-bye to.

Oh, and if you think everything changes, why not ask the US FDA who has issued yet another Form 483 to yet another Indian drug manufacturer?

When Mark Cuban launched his Cost Plus Drugs company to offer generic medicines to US consumers, we cheered. We're cheering some more today because his company is also looking to manufacture its own meds.

Elsewhere, Merck is pumping in €20 million in setting up a new distribution centre in Brazil. This new centre in São Paulo will serve as a domestic hub for the region.

And finally, move over bird flu because parrot fever is here to claim its share of the limelight. At least five people can attest to this by their absence.

Stories Of The Week

Africa says 'buzz off' to malaria. 95% of malaria's global death toll is accounted for by countries in Africa. Makes sense then that the continent would unite to fight the menace. And that may just happen. Earlier this week, Ministers of Health from African countries carrying the highest burden of malaria pledged to accelerate efforts to end malaria deaths. The commitments made include enhancing leadership, increasing domestic funding for malaria control, investing in data technology, applying latest technical guidance, and improving infrastructure and multi-sectoral collaborations. The WHO-supported declaration underscores a unified approach to tackle malaria through increased political and societal engagement, aiming to reverse the stalling progress since 2017 caused by various factors including economic crises, climate change, and health system fragilities. This concerted effort seeks to address the rise in malaria cases and deaths, particularly post-Covid, and is part of the broader "High burden to high impact" initiative, aiming for a future free from malaria. And now that working malaria vaccines are here, it may be time for multiple African nations to set up vaccine manufacturing facilities locally too.
(WHO)

New treaty on the clock. A new pandemic treaty is being negotiated upon for a while now. And there has been lots of chatter afoot about how African nations are the reason the world is not able to agree to a new pandemic treaty. So what if experts say the treaty is vastly unequal? Now, here is Devex, talking to Africa CDC on the agency's wishlist from such a treaty.
(Devex)

New drugs on the block. In a recent clinical triumph, two groundbreaking drugs, zoliflodacin and fosravuconazole, have emerged as potent weapons against gonorrhoea and the skin-damaging fungal mycetoma, respectively. Developed through collaborations between non-profit organizations and traditional pharmaceutical companies, these innovations offer new hope in combatting antimicrobial and antifungal resistance. Nature examines how these developments come at a crucial time as global health faces the dual challenges of rising drug resistance and a lack of investment in antibiotic research. This article spotlights the pivotal role non-profits like the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) play in bridging the gap left by the pharmaceutical industry's retreat from antimicrobial drug discovery.
(Nature)

Agency Observer

A $600 million boost against cancer. Nearly $600 million has been pledged by global health donors, including the World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and UNICEF, to combat cervical cancer globally, marking the first global forum dedicated to eradicating the disease. This substantial funding aims to broaden access to vaccinations, screening, and treatments worldwide, especially in low and middle-income countries where a woman dies from cervical cancer every two minutes. High-income countries have seen benefits from introducing the HPV vaccine, which prevents most cervical cancers, but the reach in poorer regions remains limited.
(Gates Foundation)

Breakthroughs

Ivana Valkalot. Turns out that old marketing spiel from Japan about walking 10,000 steps a day might not be so far off the mark after all. Researchers at the University of Sydney took a deep dive into the lives of over 72,000 folks, average age 61, to see how much truth there is to this step-count saga. They tracked everyone's steps for a week and then kept an eye on them for almost seven years. The results? Walking between 9,000 and 10,000 steps daily might just be the sweet spot, linked to a significantly lower risk of checking out early or having heart troubles.
(British Journal of Sports Medicine)

Outbreaks

Drones vs. Dengue. In Brazil, as dengue fever cases skyrocket during the hot, rainy season, some cities are deploying drones to scout for mosquito breeding grounds in an innovative bid to combat the disease's spread. Despite this high-tech approach and the declaration of a state of emergency due to the alarming infection rate, experts warn that the current vaccine supply - six million doses this year and 50 million over the next five - is insufficient to significantly impact the dengue situation. With only enough vaccines to cover just over 13% of the population in five years, the fight against a disease now present in 85% of Brazil's municipalities becomes increasingly challenging. This situation underscores the urgency of finding effective solutions to control and eventually eradicate dengue fever, which has already led to 299 confirmed deaths this year.
(Reuters)

An STI for everybody. Europe faces a new criminal on the rise: sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which saw a dramatic surge in 2022, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Gonorrhoea cases soared by 48% to over 70,000, while syphilis and chlamydia infections also saw significant increases, with syphilis up by 34% and chlamydia by 16%. ECDC officials highlighted the urgent need for attention and action towards this escalating health issue. Contributing factors to this rise include enhanced surveillance, increased home-testing, and riskier sexual behaviours post-Covid, notably among young heterosexuals and particularly young women. Although the current spike in gonorrhoea is not attributed to antimicrobial resistance, the ECDC remains vigilant. Officials stressed that the reported figures might only represent the "tip of the iceberg," as many cases remain undetected and called for intensified efforts in testing, treatment, and prevention, including the use of condoms, to combat this growing threat.
(Reuters)

Bottom line

Wither ice? Imagine Antarctica or the Arctic region and all you can think of is ice, no? Well, not for much longer maybe. A recent study warns that the Arctic may experience summer days devoid of sea ice within the next decade, marking a drastic shift from a "white Arctic" to a "blue Arctic" due to fossil fuel emissions. This significant transformation, potentially occurring over 10 years earlier than prior forecasts, threatens the region's unique wildlife and could lead to consistently ice-free Septembers between 2035 and 2067, depending on global efforts to reduce fossil fuel consumption. The research highlights the urgent need for reduced emissions to avoid extended periods of ice absence, which not only impacts Arctic fauna but also intensifies coastal erosion due to stronger ocean waves.
(Nature Reviews Earth & Environment)

Long reads

Making (it big) in Africa. A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the big new pharma market that Africa is, and Africa's increasing push on domestic manufacturing. Here is a piece that (vaguely) details how it will all pan out.
(WEF Agenda)

Oh and, Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.