Month: September 2021

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Weak Borders, Transitional Government Make Sudan Terrorist Target, Analysts Say

The fragile nature of the security situation in Sudan was exposed by a deadly gunfight in Gabra earlier this week. Authorities arrested 11 alleged terrorists following the battle in which five Sudan General Intelligence Service members were killed.

Analysts blamed the violence on the presence of foreign insurgents in the country and the transitional nature of the military-civilian government that has governed Sudan since 2019, when President Omar al-Bashir was ousted by the military after months of protests.

Khalifa Sidiq, a professor at the International University of Africa in Khartoum and an expert on Islamist groups, told VOA that Sudan’s proximity to other troubled states contributes to the problem.

“The Gabra incident,” Sidiq said, “is not removed from that context. During this transitional period, Sudan is experiencing a security crisis with open borders to hot spots in the region.” As examples, Sidiq pointed to Libya and to Somalia, where the jihadi group al-Shabab operates.

“Sudan’s borders with Chad and the Central African Republic are also porous,” he said.

Sudan’s history of terrorism goes back to the 1970s and was amplified during the 1990s, when it harbored al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and was found to have assisted al-Qaida in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Only after the ouster of al-Bashir and the payment of $335 million in compensation to the victims of several terror attacks did Washington remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terror.

Sidiq pointed out several factors prompting extremist groups to operate in Sudan.

“Among them is the presence of United Nations [and] African Union troops under UNAMID and its successor UNITAMS,” which he said were “foreign multinational forces operating in a Muslim country” that encourage “extremist groups to rise and combat them.”

Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center who was formerly with the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan as well as the former White House Africa director, agreed with Sidiq.

“There are genuine security threats in the country and those security threats require a competent, capable and professional security service to confront them. That much is not in doubt,” he said, adding, “I think the challenge that Sudan faces today is beyond these legitimate threats.”

Role of armed forces

This week’s killings in Gabra and an attempted coup last week, Hudson said, should not be used as an excuse by Sudan’s military to undermine the civilian-led government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

“This will likely be used by the military to demonstrate that they need to have a prominent role in running the country again,” he said. And this week’s shootings “just further underscore the need for a comprehensive conversation on security sector reform and the role of the military in the country going forward.”

As military and civilian officials in Sudan’s transitional government have traded accusations about what led to last week’s coup attempt, observers said the situation exposed the fragile military-civilian partnership in Sudan’s government.

No clear link to IS

Last year, Hamdok survived an assassination attempt when his motorcade was targeted with explosives while he was on his way to his office. Hudson said it wasn't clear whether the most recent events were connected to the assassination attempt.

Officials have not released information about the nationalities and motives of the terrorists connected to the latest events in Sudan.

“My sense is that [the Gabra incident] is separate, that there are former regime elements, [including] Islamists, which remain present in the country. I do not think that they are the same as Islamic State cells,” Hudson said. “I think that there’s been no demonstration that there’s overlap between elements of the former regime and more hard-core terrorists — you know, international terrorist elements. That link has not been established.”

Source: Voice of America

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Sinocare présente ses produits pour la gestion du diabète et des maladies chroniques lors de la deuxième exposition économique et commerciale Chine-Afrique

CHANGSHA, Chine, 29 septembre 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Sinocare, le leader mondial du développement de tests médicaux, a présenté sa dernière gamme de produits lors de la deuxième exposition économique et commerciale Chine-Afrique (CAETE), qui s’est tenue du 26 au 29 septembre au centre international de congrès et d’expositions de Changsha. Sinocare a présenté, sur le stand qui lui était réservé, différents types de produits pour la gestion des maladies chroniques, notamment le glucomètre, le tensiomètre, le détecteur de lipides sanguins et le détecteur d’acide urique, et a également dévoilé son analyseur multifonction portable analyseur HbA1C portable et son détecteur par fluorescence de produits finis de glycation avancée.

Sinocare Headquarters

CAETE est une plate-forme importante pour la Chine et les pays africains pour mener une coopération économique et commerciale, et des échanges et dialogues intéressants. Sous le thème « Nouveau départ, nouvelles opportunités, nouvelles réalisations », l’événement de cette année est axé sur les domaines des produits alimentaires et agricoles, des industries médicales et de santé, de la coopération en matière d’infrastructures et de chaînes industrielles, ainsi que de la coopération économique et commerciale approfondie. Sinocare a présenté un certain nombre de produits de pointe qui favoriseront davantage la coopération entre les secteurs médical et de la santé de la Chine et de l’Afrique, et permettront la construction d’une communauté médicale commune.

« Chez Sinocare, notre vision consiste à fournir des produits et des services de haute qualité aux personnes souffrant de diabète et d’autres maladies chroniques afin de les aider à améliorer leur qualité de vie. Nous avons hâte de travailler avec des professionnels de santé et des entreprises privées en Afrique pour fournir à davantage de personnes des solutions accessibles et abordables pour la gestion du diabète », a déclaré Louis Hu, directeur régional de Sinocare pour l’Afrique.

Lors de la CAETE, Sinocare a lancé ses produits phares pour quatre maladies chroniques : le Gold AQ PLUS et le Safe AQ Smart pour la glycémie, l’AES-U111 pour la pression artérielle ; iCARE2100 pour l’analyse multi-index ; et PCH50 pour l’analyse de l’HbA1C. Avec des caractéristiques et des avantages notables, les produits de Sinocare ont attiré l’attention d’innombrables participants qui se sont arrêtés sur le stand pour une consultation.

Gold AQ PLUS possède des propriétés électrochimiques supérieures et une résistance à la corrosion extrêmement importante avec une bandelette de test d’électrode en or pur à 99,99%. Le système est capable de détecter avec précision la température de l’échantillon de sang, le HCT et la température ambiante, et de corriger automatiquement les écarts de résultat. Son autre glucomètre phare exposé était le Safe AQ Smart, doté d’un système FAD-GDH pour des résultats exacts et précis, d’un système d’exploitation facile d’utilisation qui ne nécessite aucun codage et d’une éjection automatique des bandelettes de test.

Pour les patients présentant un taux de cholestérol élevé, le détecteur de lipides et de glycémie à double usage peut être utilisé pour la mesure quantitative du CT, du HDL, des TG et du GLU. Le détecteur a un débit rapide de glucose en 5s et de lipides en 100s, et prend en charge l’impression en ligne par USB et la transmission de données par Bluetooth. Par ailleurs, le système de surveillance de la glycémie et de l’acide urique à double fonction Safe AQ-UG peut être utilisé pour les personnes souffrant de diabète et d’hyperuricémie. Safe AQ UG respecte la norme ISO15197 2013 et est équipé d’une éjection automatique des bandelettes et d’un code intelligent pour les tests d’acide urique.

En outre, iCARE2100 est l’instrument multiplateforme innovant de Sinocare possédant plusieurs indicateurs pour réaliser des tests pratiques au chevet du patient. Alimenté par la technologie principale Liquid Phase iPOCT, iCARE 2100 prend en charge une haute précision et une détection instantanée. Sans utiliser d’autres consommables, les praticiens peuvent réduire les coûts des tests sans compromettre la qualité.

Au-delà de la Chine, Sinocare est présent dans 42 pays d’Afrique, dont l’Algérie, l’Égypte, l’Éthiopie, l’Afrique du Sud et plus encore. L’ensemble de ses ventes à travers le continent ont atteint plus de 110 millions de yuans, les produits les plus populaires de Sinocare étant les systèmes de surveillance de la glycémie, les tensiomètres, les analyseurs de profil lipidique et les détecteurs de HbA1c. La croissance rapide de Sinocare en Afrique s’explique par ses systèmes indolores et faciles à utiliser qui conviennent à un grand nombre de personnes, ainsi que sa stabilité de prélèvement d’échantillons et de bandelette de test avec une technologie brevetée.

Sinocare continue de se développer activement en Afrique et prévoit de créer des usines de production en Algérie et en Égypte pour réaliser la production locale de bandelettes de test de glycémie. Cette initiative réduira considérablement les coûts et le temps de transport, et accélérera ses capacités à fournir aux populations africaines des produits pour la surveillance du diabète.

À propos de Sinocare : 

Sinocare compte 19 ans d’expérience dans le secteur des lecteurs de glycémie depuis sa fondation en 2002. La société se consacre au développement, à la production et à la vente de la détection rapide des maladies chroniques grâce à l’utilisation de la technologie des biocapteurs. En 2016, après avoir acquis avec succès Nipro diagnostic Inc. (maintenant renommée Trividia Health Inc.) et PTS Diagnostics Inc., Sinocare est devenu le numéro 5 mondial des fabricants de glucomètres et l’une des principales sociétés au monde d’appareils de test au point de service.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez consulter le site : www.sinocareintl.com

Facebook : Sinocare In’tl 

Contact pour les médias : Echo Gao
Intl_mkt@sinocare.com

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1637313/Sinocare_Headquarters.jpg

 

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Adagio Therapeutics Announces New Data Highlighting the Potential of ADG20 for Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19

ADG20 Continues to be Well Tolerated in Healthy Volunteers with Prolonged Half-Life and Serum Virus Neutralization Activity Observed out to Six Months in Ongoing Phase 1 Study

Data from Quantitative Systems Pharmacology/Whole-Body Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling Support Evaluation of 300 mg Intramuscular Dose of ADG20 Given as a Single Intramuscular Injection in Ongoing Phase 2/3 Studies

Data to be Presented During IDWeek 2021 and 19th Annual Discovery on Target Conference

WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adagio Therapeutics, Inc., (Nasdaq: ADGI) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential, today announced new data from the company’s COVID-19 antibody program. Updated, six-month data from its ongoing Phase 1 study of ADG20 in healthy participants and data validating the selection of the 300 mg intramuscular (IM) dose given as a single injection that is being evaluated in the company’s ongoing global Phase 2/3 treatment (STAMP) and prevention (EVADE) clinical trials will be presented during four poster sessions at the Infectious Disease Society of America’s IDWeek 2021, being held from Sept. 29 – Oct. 3, 2021. In addition, Adagio’s chief scientific officer, Laura Walker, Ph.D., will present a subset of the ADG20 Phase 1 data as well as background on the identification and optimization of this differentiated antibody clinical candidate in an oral presentation at the 19th Annual Discovery on Target Conference on Sept. 30, 2021.

“The continued strength of the safety and pharmacokinetic data from our Phase 1 study is encouraging and further underscores the potential impact an antibody like ADG20 – which was designed to be potent, broadly neutralizing and delivered as a single IM injection – could have on people with or at risk of COVID-19,” said Lynn Connolly, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer of Adagio. “These Phase 1 data combined with our dose selection strategy, which relied on our innovative modeling approach, have allowed us to initiate and advance our pivotal trials of ADG20 in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. We anticipate these data will support an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application in the first quarter of 2022, which could enable us to bring an important treatment option to patients.”

Phase 1 Trial Update
Adagio is evaluating ADG20 in a Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single ascending-dose study to assess safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), immunogenicity, and serum virus neutralizing activity of ADG20 ex vivo against SARS-CoV-2. Data from a six-month evaluation timepoint confirmed the extended half-life of ADG20, which approached 100 days based on data from the 300 mg IM dose that was given as a single injection. In addition, 50% serum virus neutralization titers at six months after a 300 mg IM dose of ADG20 were similar to observed peak titers with the mRNA-1273 vaccine and exceeded those achieved with the AZD1222 vaccine series. Importantly, ADG20 was well tolerated with no study drug-related adverse events (AEs), serious AEs, or injection-site or hypersensitivity reactions reported through a minimum of three months follow-up across all cohorts. Participants will continue to be followed through 12 months to assess safety and tolerability, PK, immunogenicity and serum virus neutralizing activity.

Phase 1 Poster Information: (633) Preliminary Results from a Phase 1 Single Ascending-Dose Study Assessing Safety, Serum Viral Neutralizing Antibody Titers (sVNA), and Pharmacokinetic (PK) Profile of ADG20: an Extended Half-Life Monoclonal Antibody Being Developed for the Treatment and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Dose Selection Strategy
To support dose selection for Adagio’s global Phase 2/3 STAMP and EVADE clinical trials, the company modified an existing quantitative systems pharmacology whole-body physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (QSP/PBPK) model to better characterize the PK of extended half-life monoclonal antibodies in serum and key sites of viral replication in the respiratory tract. Adagio’s model adequately a priori predicted the observed ADG20 serum PK in non-human primates (NHPs) and humans. The model was further optimized based on data from Adagio’s Phase 1 clinical trial and then applied for dose selection for STAMP and EVADE.

For the STAMP treatment trial, data compiled to date suggest that the 300 mg IM regimen has a projected ability to rapidly achieve and maintain target concentrations at key tissue sites of viral replication, including the ability to attain near complete (> 90%) and durable (> 28-day) SARS-CoV-2 receptor occupancy across a range of baseline viral loads. Further, for the EVADE prevention trial, data compiled to date suggest the 300 mg IM regimen has a projected ability to rapidly exceed target serum concentrations in the majority of simulated patients and to maintain potentially effective concentrations for up to 12 months.

Dose Selection Poster Information

  • (1086) A Whole-Body Quantitative System Pharmacology Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic (QSP/PBPK) Model that a priori Predicts Intramuscular (IM) Pharmacokinetics of ADG20: an Extended Half-life Monoclonal Antibody Being Developed for the Treatment and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
  • (1089) Use of a Whole-Body Quantitative System Pharmacology Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic (QSP/PBPK) Model to Support Dose Selection of ADG20: an Extended Half-Life Monoclonal Antibody Being Developed for the Prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
  • (1088) A Whole-Body Quantitative System Pharmacology Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic (QSP/PBPK) Model to Support Dose Selection of ADG20: an Extended Half-Life Monoclonal Antibody Being Developed for the Treatment of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

The STAMP and EVADE clinical trials are currently ongoing and enrolling patients globally. For more information, please visit clincialtrials.gov.

About ADG20
ADG20, a monoclonal antibody targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses, is being developed for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. ADG20 was designed and engineered to possess high potency and broad neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 and additional clade 1 sarbecoviruses, by targeting a highly conserved epitope in the receptor binding domain. ADG20 displays potent neutralizing activity against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain as well as all known variants of concern. ADG20 has the potential to impact viral replication and subsequent disease through multiple mechanisms of action, including direct blocking of viral entry into the host cell (neutralization) and elimination of infected host cells through Fc-mediated innate immune effector activity. ADG20 is administered by a single intramuscular injection, and was engineered to have a long half-life, with a goal of providing both rapid and durable protection. Adagio is advancing ADG20 through multiple clinical trials on a global basis.

About Adagio Therapeutics
Adagio (Nasdaq: ADGI) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential. The company’s portfolio of antibodies has been optimized using Adimab’s industry-leading antibody engineering capabilities and is designed to provide patients and clinicians with a powerful combination of potency, breadth, durable protection (via half-life extension), manufacturability and affordability. Adagio’s portfolio of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies includes multiple, non-competing broadly neutralizing antibodies with distinct binding epitopes, led by ADG20. Adagio has secured manufacturing capacity for the production of ADG20 with third-party contract manufacturers to support the completion of clinical trials and initial commercial launch. For more information, please visit www.adagiotx.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “projects,” and “future” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning, among other things, the timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials of ADG20, including the timing of our planned EUA application, initiation and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available and our research and development programs; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for, our product candidates; our ability to identify patients with the diseases treated by our product candidates and to enroll these patients in our clinical trials; our manufacturing capabilities and strategy; and our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Adagio’s prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on August 6, 2021 and in Adagio’s future reports to be filed with the SEC, including Adagio’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Such risks may be amplified by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Adagio undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Contacts:
Media Contact:
Dan Budwick, 1AB
Dan@1abmedia.com

Investor Contact:
Monique Allaire, THRUST Strategic Communications
monique@thrustsc.com

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UN Aid Chief to Ethiopia on Famine in Tigray: ‘Get Those Trucks Moving’

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths said on Tuesday he assumes famine has taken hold in Ethiopia's Tigray where a nearly three-month long “de-facto blockade” has restricted aid deliveries to 10% of what is needed in the war-torn region.

Griffiths told Reuters during an interview that his request was simple: “Get those trucks moving.”

“This is man-made, this can be remedied by the act of government,” he said.

War broke out 10 months ago between Ethiopia’s federal troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which controls Tigray. Thousands have died and more than two million people have been forced to flee their homes.

“We predicted that there were 400,000 people in famine-like conditions, at risk of famine, and the supposition was that if no aid got to them adequately, they would slip into famine,” said Griffiths, referring to a U.N. assessment in June.

“I have to assume that something like that is happening,” he said, adding that it was difficult to know exactly what the situation was on the ground in Tigray because of a de-facto aid blockade and lack of fuel, cash and trucks.

Ethiopia's U.N. mission in New York said that “any claim on the existence of blockade is baseless.” It said aid groups “faced shortage in trucks as a result of the non-return of almost all trucks that travelled to Tigray to deliver aid.”

Truck drivers carrying aid into Tigray have been shot at least twice and some Tigrayan drivers have been arrested in the neighboring region of Afar, although they were later released, according to U.N. reports.

Malnutrition

Griffiths said a lot of trucks go into Tigray and don’t come back, compounding the humanitarian problems. He said no fuel trucks had gone into Tigray since late July.

“First of all, they probably don’t have fuel to come out,” he said. “And secondly, they may not wish to, so the consequences for humanitarian operations — whatever the cause — is problematic.”

The United Nations in Ethiopia said on September 16 that only 38 out of 466 trucks that entered Tigray since July 12 had returned. On Tuesday, World Food Program in Ethiopia posted on Twitter that 61 commercial trucks had left Tigray in recent days and they expected more to depart in coming weeks.

“We’ll continue to work with transporters to overcome any logistical issue to ensure trucks are on the road, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid,” WFP Ethiopia said.

In Tigray, the United Nations says 5.2 million people, or 90% of the population, need help.

According to the United Nations, screening of children under age 5 during the first half of September revealed that 22.7% of are malnourished and more than 70% of some 11,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women are acutely malnourished.

“As a comparison this is about the same levels of malnutrition that we saw in 2011 in Somalia at the onset of the Somali famine,” Griffiths said.

Griffiths said 100 trucks a day of aid needed to get to Tigray, but only 10% had gained access in the past three months.

“We need the Ethiopian government to do what they promised to do which is to facilitate access,” said Griffiths, who met with Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen last week during the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders in New York.

Mekonnen assured him that access is improving, but Griffiths said, “it needs to improve a great deal more.”

Source: Voice of America

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Fear of Bandits Keeps Students in Nigeria’s Kaduna State Away From School

Nigerian authorities have reopened schools in northern Kaduna state after closing them for two months due to insecurity. The region has suffered a string of armed kidnappings and the U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, says about one million Nigerian children are "afraid to return to school."

Nigerian educator Naomi Ibrahim opened Kewta Primary School in Kaduna state seven years ago, after an attack by Boko Haram militants forced her to flee her hometown in Borno state.

She says the aim is to help children affected by conflict get a basic education, but waves of violence and mass kidnappings are threatening her work and keeping students away.

"Some are from Borno, some Adamawa, Gombe and other places like that. We're just praying, it is God that is keeping us safe,” said Naomi Ibrahim, an educator and school owner.

Ibrahim says only 50 of about 120 students appeared for the new term, which began last week. She blames insecurity in the region for the low attendance.

Kaduna is one of the states worst hit by mass school kidnappings that began in northern Nigeria late last year. Since December, the government reports more than 1,000 school children have been seized from schools in the region.

The kidnappings are usually carried out by bandits - local criminal gangs demanding ransom from the victims’ families. Other states affected include Niger, Zamfara, and Katsina.

To address the problem, Kaduna state authorities closed schools in July but reopened them this month, saying the situation had improved.

Community leader Abu Mohammed agrees.

"There's an upgrade really in terms of security attention from the government. Why? Because the government has made a clarion call for all the security apparatus and they have all gathered here in Kaduna, they have gone into the forests to see where their (bandits') stations are,” he said.

But Aishatu Musa says the fear that bandits could kidnap her children from school has not gone away.

"I'm scared about what is happening now, that's why I don't want them to go to school yet.," she said.

Two weeks ago, UNICEF estimated one million Nigerian children could miss out on education due to security concerns.

The agency estimates Nigeria has the greatest number of out-of-school children in the world, about 13.2 million. UNICEF Nigeria's education manager, Rudra Sahoo, says the actual figure could be even higher.

"In the months of May, June and July, there were regular attacks particularly in the north central and northwest region, and as precautionary measure, 11,000 schools closed during that time," said Sahoo. "The schools are opening now but the apprehension on the minds of the parents is there."

For now, schools like Kewta Primary school will carry on with classes, despite uncertainty about whether it is safe to do so.

Source: Voice of America