💊 WHO’s new digital health guide; Africa CDC’s push for diagnostics access; Lupin’s new diabetes brands

#410 | Brazil’s growing Zika and dengue burdens; Gene editing HIV away; GLP-1 to make Pavlov’s dog drool again

Hello! Welcome back to The Kable. We’re kicking the week off with news of the Africa CDC and partners launching the Africa Collaborative Initiative to Advance Diagnostics (AFDAC) to accelerate access to diagnostics on the continent. The AFDAC will promote local manufacturing of diagnostics, map and build capacity of the Africa Biobanking Network, facilitate regulatory harmonisation, and advance negotiations in the global market.

In a first for Zimbabwe, MedOrange Pharmacies is offering online prescription services. Particularly beneficial for individuals with chronic conditions, the MedOrange App allows ordering medication and consulting with health professionals online.

The Togo Ministry of Health has released a request for expressions of interest (EOI) in a healthcare equipment PPP, as the authority is seeking private partners to deliver imaging equipment across five hospitals in the country.

GSK recently announced its exit from Nigeria. This departure will translate into job losses and exacerbated drug shortages. This article assesses Nigeria’s ability to withstand the loss of GSK and other global entities due to forex challenges; it also proposes solutions to the challenges posed.

With contamination-linked deaths and medical product alerts issued by the WHO, India-made drugs’ trustworthiness has taken a hit. But it doesn’t appear like global reliance on Indian drugs will change anytime soon. There has been no adverse impact on exports. Meanwhile, victims’ families in the Gambia have resorted to legal action.

In Uruguay, birds are no longer flying flu-ing. On Friday, authorities announced that the sanitary emergency would be lifted for 60 days. Nonetheless, certain sanitary measures should still be followed and birds should have a dose of the avian influenza vaccine, especially since the industry is making the most of this 60-day window to feature a poultry show during the Expo Prado fair next month. 

Latin America has a broad portfolio of innovative medicines for cancer and orphan diseases. But only 13% of patients who could use these medicines have access to them. This article outlines the challenges involved in improving access. 

Lupin has been marketing the diabetes brands Ondero and Ondero Met in India since 2015 under a co-marketing agreement. Now, Lupin has acquired the brands and their trademark rights from Boehringer Ingelheim for Rs 235 crore to expand its diabetes portfolio in India.

About a year after announcing its plans to spin off its generics and biosimilars business Sandoz, Novartis has set the date for the separation as sometime around October 4. Novartis is proposing offering its shareholders one Sandoz share for every five Novartis shares they own.

And finally, some things never change. Like the emergence of new Covid variants. We were just getting used to Eris, but on Thursday, the US CDC said that it was tracking a new Covid variant called BA.2.86. And on Friday, the UK Health Security Agency said that the first case caused by that variant had been detected in the country in a person with no recent travel history. Israel, Denmark and the US have also reported cases of the variant.