Category Archives: Others
Viettel Sets Off A Digital Revolution In Vietnam Through Its New Subsidiary Company
HANOI, Vietnam, July 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ – Amid rapid technological developments, tech companies are in a race to equip the local population with the latest developments and inventions. Vietnam’s leading telecommunications company, Viettel, is aiming to do so by setting up its eighth subsidiary company – the Viettel Digital Services Corporation. This new business is tasked with developing strategies and providing solutions to create a digital society.
“Viettel Digital Services Corporation or VDS will focus on developing strategies in some of the country’s main industries including the digital financial sector, data services sector, credit, insurance, advertising and e-commerce sectors. We want VDS to transform Viettel from a traditional telecoms company into a digital services provider, while playing a key role in the construction of Vietnam’s digital economy,” said La Dang Dzung, acting chairman cum general director of Viettel Group.
One of the main goals of VDS is to fully develop Mobile Money to allow all mobile users to transfer and receive money and make payments via their mobile accounts wherever they are. This will remove the physical barriers to provide safe and simple digital financial services to people in rural and remote areas who have limited access to traditional financial services. According to the chairman, this will also be the beginning of the digital revolution in the country.
“Such digital financial infrastructure and digital trading will not only connect people across the country, we will also cooperate with companies and the start-up community to create a cashless society. This will, in time, become the foundation of Vietnam’s national payment and financial infrastructure,” said Mr. La.
VDS targets to have 26 million subscribers within its ecosystem and establish 600,000 payment service points by 2025.
Developing a digital society is Viettel’s latest project to help Vietnam keep up in the global technology race. Over the last three decades, the telecom company has built a telecommunications network covering most of the country’s population. It has also entered other industries including information technology services, network security, and digital services.
About Viettel
Viettel Group is the largest telecommunications group in Vietnam with 76 million customers. The group has more than 20 subsidiary companies operating in different businesses including telecom, investment, real estates, foreign trade and technical services. In 2014, Viettel earned US$9.8 billion in revenue and US$2 billion in profit, ranking among the top largest enterprises in the country in terms of revenue. Viettel Global is also one of the biggest Vietnamese overseas investors. It is currently operating 9 telecommunications companies in 9 countries across Asia, Africa and Asia with 13 million customers.
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L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals LLC et sa filiale L.E.A.F. Rwanda Ltd concluent un accord avec un façonnier pour la fabrication du LEAF-1404
KIGALI, Rwanda et VALLEY FORGE, Pennsylvanie, 12 juillet 2019 /PRNewswire/ — L.E.A.F. Rwanda Ltd (« LEAF Rwanda ») a annoncé ce jour la signature d’un contrat avec un façonnier américain, par l’intermédiaire de sa société mère américaine, L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals LLC, pour la fabrication de son premier anticancéreux générique complexe, le LEAF-1404, selon les normes CGMP mondiales.
Installé aux États-Unis, le façonnier, qui dispose d’installations de fabrication stériles de pointe, a été inspecté avec succès par la FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration). Fort d’une longue expérience dans la fabrication clinique et commerciale de médicaments approuvés pour le marché international, le façonnier sera chargé de la production clinique et à grande échelle du LEAF-1404 dans des conditions conformes aux normes CGMP. LEAF Rwanda envisage de commercialiser le LEAF-1404 en Afrique et en Europe. À cette occasion, la filiale formera aux États-Unis des fabricants de médicaments du Rwanda et d’autres pays d’Afrique, en vue de la construction à Kigali de son usine aux normes CGMP.
LEAF-1404 est une version générique complexe du Caelyx®/Doxil®, doxorubicine liposomale pégylée disponible depuis plus de 20 ans en Occident et servant au traitement du cancer ovarien, du cancer du sein et du Sarcome de Kaposi. Il n’existe actuellement aucune version générique du Caelyx®/Doxil® approuvée en Europe ou en Afrique. Les statistiques internationales sur le cancer indiquent que 90 % des cas de Sarcome de Kaposi dans le monde sont recensés en Afrique. Pourtant, malgré le fardeau considérable de la maladie, les patients de ce continent n’ont pas accès au Caelyx®/Doxil®.
« Grâce à la fabrication du LEAF-1404 selon les normes CGMP, nous allons nous rapprocher de notre objectif de fournir un anticancéreux innovant, sûr et abordable aux patients atteints du cancer du sein, du cancer ovarien et du Sarcome de Kaposi. LEAF-1404 viendra combler un vide considérable dans le traitement des patients africains souffrant du Sarcome de Kaposi, qui depuis plus de 20 ans n’ont pas ou peu eu accès à ce médicament. Alors que la maladie fait toujours des victimes en Afrique, elle a pratiquement été éradiquée dans les pays occidentaux », déclare le Dr. Clet Niyikiza, fondateur, président et PDG de L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals.
L’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) rapporte qu’un médicament sur dix en Afrique est de qualité inférieure ou contrefait (1). La médiocrité de ces produits y a entraîné 100 000 décès selon l’agence de presse de la BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) (2).
« Le fort taux de mortalité dû aux médicaments médiocres ou contrefaits est inacceptable. En prenant cette initiative, LEAF Rwanda pourra fournir des médicaments de qualité au continent africain », déclare le Dr. Victor Moyo, directeur général adjoint, responsable de la recherche et du développement, et directeur du service médical de L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals.
Le contrat en place assure l’intégration complète des services pour la formulation et le remplissage-finition de produits médicamenteux aux normes CGMP.
« La fabrication du LEAF-1404 selon les normes CGMP par LEAF Rwanda pour le mettre à la disposition du continent africain depuis le Rwanda donnera aux patients atteints du cancer du sein, des ovaires et du Sarcome de Kaposi accès à un médicament important et sûr. Nous avons hâte de collaborer avec LEAF Rwanda et L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals afin d’offrir dans les meilleurs délais ce médicament à la fois sûr et abordable, alors que le Rwanda et les autres pays africains renforcent leur système de soins », déclare Dr. Diane Gashumba, ministre de la Santé de la République du Rwanda.
Pour en savoir plus, rendez-vous sur le site www.leafpharmaceuticals.com.
À propos de L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals
L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals est une société pharmaceutique internationale américaine dont la mission est de découvrir, de mettre au point et de commercialiser des thérapies innovantes et sûres contre le cancer. La société s’engage à soutenir et à autonomiser toutes les familles (Lifting and Empowering All Families, L.E.A.F.) en développant et en rendant accessibles de nouveaux médicaments pour les patients du monde entier, notamment ceux des régions les plus défavorisées.
À propos de L.E.A.F. Rwanda
L.E.A.F. Rwanda est une filiale à 100 % de L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals, dont la mission est de faire du Rwanda la plaque tournante de la recherche et du développement (R&D) en biotechnologie, et de la fabrication et de la commercialisation de produits pharmaceutiques en Afrique et au-delà. Basée à Kigali, cette société s’efforce d’attirer et de retenir des scientifiques et des chercheurs cliniques, d’Afrique ou d’ailleurs, hautement spécialisés en biotechnologie dans le but de découvrir et de mettre au point des médicaments innovants et de qualité contre les maladies affectant principalement la population du continent. L.E.A.F. Rwanda travaillera en partenariat avec L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals LLC pour faciliter le transfert de compétences avancées vers le continent africain et développer à long terme un secteur de biotechnologie robuste en Afrique.
Contact médias : Dr. Navreet Dhindsa
Communications d’entreprise
ndhindsa@leafpharmaceuticals.com
Téléphone : +1 781 305 4192
Références :
- OMS : https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/substandard-and-falsified-medical-products consulté le 11 juillet 2019
- BBC : https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-47640706/solving-the-problem-of-fake-drugs-in-nigeria consulté le 11 juillet 2019
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L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals LLC and its Affiliate L.E.A.F. Rwanda Ltd Enter into an Agreement with a Contract Manufacturing Organization to Manufacture LEAF-1404
KIGALI, Rwanda and VALLEY FORGE, Pennsylvania, July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — L.E.A.F. Rwanda Ltd (“LEAF Rwanda”) announced today that it has signed a manufacturing agreement with a US Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO), through its United States (US) parent company, L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals LLC, to manufacture its first complex generic anticancer medicine, LEAF-1404, under global current good manufacturing practices (cGMP).
The US based CMO, which has state of the art sterile manufacturing facilities, has previously undergone successful inspections by United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). With deep experience in clinical and commercial manufacturing of drugs approved for marketing globally, the CMO will be responsible for both the clinical and large-scale commercial production of LEAF-1404 under conditions that are compliant with cGMP. LEAF Rwanda plans to market LEAF-1404 in Africa and Europe. LEAF Rwanda will use this opportunity to train, in the US, drug manufacturers from Rwanda and across Africa, in preparation for launching its cGMP compliant drug manufacturing plant, scheduled to be built in Kigali, Rwanda.
LEAF-1404 is a complex generic version of Caelyx®/Doxil®, a pegylated liposomal doxorubicin that has been available for over 20 years in the Western World for the treatment of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and Kaposi Sarcoma. There is currently no generic version of Caelyx®/Doxil® approved in Europe or Africa. Global cancer statistics indicate that 90% of Kaposi Sarcoma cases in the world occur in Africa. Yet, with such a high disease burden, Caelyx®/Doxil® has not been accessible to patients in Africa.
“The manufacturing of LEAF-1404 under cGMP will take us a step closer to bringing innovative, safe and affordable anti-cancer drug to patients with breast cancer, ovarian cancer and Kaposi Sarcoma. In particular, LEAF-1404 will address a key gap in the treatment of patients with Kaposi Sarcoma in Africa who have had very limited or no access to this medicine for more than 20 years now. While the disease is still taking lives in Africa, it has been virtually eliminated in Western countries”, says Founder, President, and CEO of L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Clet Niyikiza.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1 of every 10 medicines found in Africa is substandard or falsified (1). These poor-quality products result in 100,000 deaths annually in Africa according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) news service (2).
“The high death rate from substandard or falsified medicines is simply not acceptable. LEAF Rwanda is taking this initiative to help supply high quality medicines to help treat cancer on the African continent”, says Dr. Victor Moyo, Executive Vice President, Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals.
The agreement, now in place, ensures end‐to‐end, fully integrated services for formulation and fill-finish of drug products under cGMP standards.
“By manufacturing LEAF-1404 under cGMP by LEAF Rwanda and making it available from Rwanda for the African continent and beyond, we access an important and safe medicine to treat patients suffering from cancers of the breast, ovary and from Kaposi Sarcoma. We look forward to a partnership with LEAF Rwanda and L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals to make this drug available readily, safely and affordably for the first time, as we strengthen our healthcare systems in Rwanda and across Africa”, says Dr. Diane Gashumba, Minister of Health of the Republic of Rwanda.
For more information, please visit www.leafpharmaceuticals.com.
About L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals
L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals is a US global pharmaceutical company with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative and safe therapies for cancer. The company is committed to Lifting and Empowering All Families (L.E.A.F.) by developing and making accessible new medicines for patients globally, especially the lesser served regions of the world.
About L.E.A.F. Rwanda
L.E.A.F. Rwanda is a wholly owned subsidiary of L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals that is focused on establishing Rwanda as a hub for biotechnology research and development (R&D) as well as pharmaceutical manufacturing and commercialization in Africa and beyond. This Kigali, Rwanda headquartered company is working to attract and retain highly skilled biotechnology scientists and clinical researchers from Africa and elsewhere, in a quest to discover and develop innovative, high quality medicines against diseases that predominantly afflict the health of the African population. L.E.A.F. Rwanda has partnered with L.E.A.F. Pharmaceuticals to facilitate advanced skills transfer to the continent, for long term sustainability of a robust biotechnology industry in Africa.
Media Contact: Dr. Navreet Dhindsa
Corporate Communications
ndhindsa@leafpharmaceuticals.com
Phone: +1 781 305 4192
References:
- WHO: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/substandard-and-falsified-medical-products accessed on July 11, 2019
- BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-47640706/solving-the-problem-of-fake-drugs-in-nigeria accessed on July 11, 2019
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One in four people in Africa pay bribes to access services, survey says
Corruption disproportionately affects the poor and young
BERLIN, July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The tenth edition of Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – Africa, released on African Anti-Corruption Day by Transparency International in partnership with Afrobarometer, reveals that more than half of all citizens surveyed in 35 African countries think corruption is getting worse in their country. Fifty-nine per cent of people think their government is doing badly at tackling corruption.
The largest and most detailed survey of citizens’ views on bribery and other forms of corruption in Africa, the survey asked 47,000 citizens in 35 countries about their perceptions of corruption and direct experiences of bribery.
The results show more than 1 in 4 people who accessed public services, such as health care and education, paid a bribe in the previous year. This is equivalent to approximately 130 million people.
The report also highlights that corruption disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, with the poorest paying bribes twice as often as the richest. Young people pay more bribes than those over 55 years old.
“Corruption is hindering Africa’s economic, political and social development. It is a major barrier to economic growth, good governance and basic freedoms, like freedom of speech or citizens’ right to hold governments to account,” said Patricia Moreira, Managing Director of Transparency International. “While governments have a long way to go in regaining citizens’ trust and reducing corruption, these things don’t exist in a vacuum. Foreign bribery and money laundering divert critical resources away from public services, and ordinary citizens suffer most.”
The police is considered the most corrupt institution, with 47 per cent of people believing that most or all police are corrupt. Many citizens also think government officials and parliamentarians are highly corrupt, at 39 per cent and 36 per cent respectively.
As in the previous edition of the GCB for Africa, the police consistently earn the highest bribery rate across the continent. This may be one of the reasons that two-thirds of those surveyed fear retaliation for reporting corruption. On a positive note, more than half of citizens believe that ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption.
“To reduce the heavy burden of corruption on ordinary people, African states that have not done so should ratify and effectively implement the African Union Convention to Prevent and Combat Corruption,” said Paul Banoba, Regional Advisor for East Africa at Transparency International. “Africans believe they can make a difference. Governments must allow them the space to do so.”
Transparency International urges governments to put anti-corruption commitments into practice and to:
- investigate, prosecute and sanction all reported cases of corruption in both the public and the private sector, with no exception;
- develop minimum standards and guidelines for ethical procurement and build strong procurement practice throughout the continent with training, monitoring and research;
- adopt open contracting practices, which make data and documentation clearer and easier to analyse and ensure transparency in hiring procedures;
- create mechanisms to collect citizens’ complaints and strengthen whistleblower protection to ensure that citizens can report instances of corruption without fear of reprisal;
- enable media and civil society to hold governments accountable;
- support political party funding transparency;
- allow cross border cooperation to combat corruption.
Authorities should also establish public registers that name the owners of shell companies and adopt and enforce laws that address stolen assets.
Additionally, business leaders and boards of companies, including multinational companies operating in Africa, should effectively and transparently implement the highest international anti-corruption and anti-money laundering standards.
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