The award is given by the dlsu Health Sciences Campus in honor of Saint Miguel Febres Cordero, a Brother of the Christian Schools from Ecuador known for his intense devotion to God and the Holy Family, commitment to duty in keeping with Saint La Salle's precepts, and service to students and the community. He was an exemplary educator and an acknowledged scholar and writer whose life was marked by humility, simplicity, unquestioning obedience to his vows, and uncomplaining devotion to duties, even as these posed extreme difficulties and pain arising from his frail constitution. The award consists of a medal with an inscribed image of Saint Brother Miguel and a plaque citing the circumstances and reasons for the award.

    The award has previously been given to doctors Fe del Mundo in 1994, Victor Valenzuela in 1995, Antonio Samia in 1996, Perla Santos Ocampo in 1997, Mita Pardo De Tavera in 1998, Paulo Campos in 1999, Luis Mabilangan in 2000, Conrado Dayrit in 2001, Ernesto Domingo in 2002, Teodora Tiglao in 2003, Bayani Blas in 2005, and Nelia Maramba in 2006.

    Any living Filipino citizen may be nominated by an individual, group, or organization until December. Nominees must not be informed about their nomination.

    For more information or to submit a nomination, contact the dls-hsc College of Medicine, Dasmariñas, Cavite (63-46-4160226 ext. 185, +63-46-4160465, vparpa@hsc.dlsu.edu.ph). M

Gsk launches vaccination program

GlaxoSmithKline recently launched the Famili Vaccines Patient Program to provide the public access to information on vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccination. The program enables the family to take charge of their health and wellness through vaccination.

    The Famili Vaccines hotline-63-2-8140808 (Metro Manila), 1-800-10-9gskvax (toll-free)-provides free inbound and outbound information services. For inbound service, callers may ask questions on vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccination schedule, preventive care, and location of vaccination centers. The outbound service includes reminders for vaccination schedules, disease information, invitations to promotions and events via text message or a phone call. Enrollment through an accredited doctor is free and comes with a kit that includes information booklet on diseases.

    The Philippines is the first to launch the Famili Vaccines Program, an Asia-Pacific-wide program that aims to improve vaccination coverage for all age groups. The Gsk aims to expand its reach to provide vaccination services for every member of the family. M

Kineti-Kids goes nationwide

Kineti-Kids: Its Fun to be Fit, a fitness program for schoolchildren being carried out by the Coca Cola Company, Department of Education (DepEd), and the Food and Nutrition and Research Institute (fnri), goes nationwide after a successful two-year pilot in four schools in Metro Manila.

    Kineti-Kids, launched in 2004 after Coca Cola signed an agreement with the DepEd and fnri, is a scientifically designed nutrition-education and physical-activity program for elementary-school children riding on the current physical-education and health and science subjects. It aims to promote a healthy and active lifestyle among school children.

    "The success of the pilot phase validated our belief in the project. Today, we seal our confidence as we embark on reaching more school children all over the country," said Jose Bayani Baylon, vice president for public affairs and communications of Coca Cola.

    Kineti-Kids is part of Coca-Cola's "Healthy and Active Lifestyle" (hal) program, which seeks to promote positive change in the lives of Filipinos through the promotion of the values of a daily balanced diet, proper hydration, and physical activity. The program supports DepEd's "Adopt a School" program. M

Diabetes Bus goes on world tour

Under the motto "a global drive to change diabetes," Novo Nordisk recently unveiled its Changing Diabetes Bus, which will go on an 18-month journey around the world to raise awareness about diabetes.

    The project is part of Novo Nordisk's commitment to educate as many people as possible about diabetes so they can take action on their own behalf. "In order to defeat this pandemic, we need to combine prevention, detection, and treatment methods together with raising awareness of diabetes and its alarming social, humanitarian, and economic consequences," said Lise Kingo, executive vice president at Novo Nordisk.

    The bus and its messages will be relevant to every visitor; people passing by, as well as people with diabetes or health-care professionals and decision-makers, can all learn something new about diabetes and the urgent need for change.

    Each corner of the bus features an important theme in the fight against diabetes, and big plasma video screens, computers, and the possibility of having a diabetes test or a body-mass index (bmi) measurement will keep visitors busy and entertained while they get an overview of the past, present, and likely future scenarios of diabetes.

    The Changing Diabetes Bus forms an important part of achieving the goal of calling for change on a global level. The campaign aims to secure support from governments all over the world to call for the adoption of a United Nations Resolution on diabetes by World Diabetes Day 2007 (November 14). Only by joining forces is it possible to raise awareness of the disease, improve care and encourage action preventing the worldwide spread of diabetes.

    A UN resolution on diabetes will hopefully help bring this silent killer out of the shadows, improve diabetes care for many people, and encourage concerted actions to prevent diabetes and its complications.

    Changing the course of diabetes for good must necessarily involve a focus on future generations. Novo Nordisk has chosen to support Unite for Diabetes by engaging youth directly in the debate through the formation of an international youth panel, and by developing a Youth Charter on the needs of children who have diabetes today or are at particular risk of developing diabetes in the future. In this way, Novo Nordisk supports a future where empowerment, control, independence, and optimism are the mindset of people with diabetes. M

MMC breaks ground for new wing

The Makati Medical Center (mmc) began implementing a PhP1.6-billion expansion program that initially covers construction of a 12-level new wing, which will house, among other facilities, five centers of excellence in health care. Mmc chair Manny Pangilinan led the hospital's board of directors, officers, and guests at the recent groundbreaking rites for the new wing which will rise at the corner of Amorsolo Street and Ayala Avenue.

    The new wing will have at least seven levels above ground and five basement-parking levels.

    The new building is part of the hospital's three-year facilities-improvement program. It will house new laboratories, new delivery rooms, a heart station, eye and ear services, a breast-cancer center, expanded endoscopy center, dialysis center, physical-therapy center, satellite pharmacy, and operating rooms. Patient rooms will remain in the old building, which will also undergo major renovation.

    Other state-of-the-art facilities in the existing building will also be transferred to the new wing, which is designed to raise patient comfort several notches higher. When completed, the new wing will have a "hotel and spa" feel. M

Gsk buys Domantis for US$451M

LONDON

GlaxoSmithKline (gsk) has agreed to buy antibody therapy developer Domantis for US$451 million dollars in cash. Domantis, a privately-held British company will become part of gsk's Biopharmaceuticals Center of Excellence for Drug Discovery (cedd) but will continue to operate from its laboratories in Cambridge, southern England.

    Founded in 2000, Domantis is focused on developing the next generation of antibody molecules, called human domain antibodies, that are small enough to be administered in inhaled, topical, and potentially oral forms. Its current research programs include antibody therapies for rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. M AFP

Pfizer undergoes major overhaul

NEW YORK

Pfizer Inc.'s fourth-quarter profits more than tripled to US$9.4 billion, largely as a result of the sale of its consumer-health-care business. Fourth-quarter revenues rose slightly to US$12.6 billion compared with US$12.5 billion for the same period in 2005. For the whole of 2006, Pfizer booked net profits of US$19.3 billion, up sharply from US$8.1 billion in 2005, as annual earnings per share rose to US$2.66 from US$1.09.

    "In the face of many challenges in 2006, we substantially achieved a number of financial targets that we set early in the year," said chief executive Jeffrey Kindler, who took over the reins in mid-December. "We took decisive action and delivered solid performance despite challenges, including the significant revenue impact due to the loss of exclusivity of Zithromax and Zoloft in the US," he added.

    Quarterly profits got a strong injection from Pfizer's sale of its consumer-health-care business to Johnson & Johnson for US$16.6 billion.

    However, Kindler said Pfizer continues to face a "difficult operating environment," partly due to what he described as the inherent risks involved in bringing new drugs to the market.

    Pfizer is also undergoing a major restructuring and cost-cutting drive that would mean shedding 10,000 jobs or 10 percent of its global workforce by the end of 2008. Kindler said the company was closing two manufacturing plants in the United States and selling one in Germany. The group also plans to close two research sites in the US, as well as other sites in Japan and France.

    "Pfizer is a great company with a great future," Kindler said. "We are facing significant challenges, however, in a profoundly changing business environment."

    The company is suffering as generic-drug makers pump out rivals to best-selling medications such as its antibiotic Zithromax and antidepressant Zoloft, and it has nothing in the development pipeline to excite Wall Street.

    Sales of Pfizer's blockbuster anticholesterol drug Lipitor have dipped. Late last year, it made the shocking decision to scrap its most promising drug, torcetrapib, after a high number of patient deaths during clinical trials of the cholesterol-lowering treatment.

    "I believe we must fundamentally change the way we run our company to meet these challenges and to take advantage of the diverse and attractive opportunities that we see in the marketplace," Kindler said.

    The company said it would save US$1.5 to US$2 billion from the latest cost-cutting drive, which comes on top of an existing effort to slash US$4 billion in outlays. Over 2007 and 2008, Pfizer said its revenues would be only "comparable" to 2006 levels, while earnings per share would go up six to nine percent compared to US$2.66 in 2006.

    Pfizer said it was proceeding with the reorganization of its US sales force, and was cutting its European sales staff by more than 20 percent subject to consultation with trades unions.

    John LaMattina, head of global research and development, said the goal was to create smaller and more focused business units that will enhance innovation. "These and other actions will allow us to reduce costs in support services and 'bricks and mortar' and to redeploy hundreds of millions of dollars into the discovery and development work of our scientists," he said.

    LaMattina said Pfizer was committed to delivering four new drugs each year by 2011, while maintaining its investment in research and development. "This will give us the best of both worlds-the entrepreneurial spirit of a small company, aligned with the world-class technologies, platforms, and capabilities that only a company of Pfizer's size can provide," he said. M AFP

GSK net income up 15 percent

LONDON

GlaxoSmithKline, Europe's biggest drug maker, booked a 15-percent increase in net profits for 2006, buoyed by soaring sales in the United States and despite a poor performance in Europe. The British pharmaceutical group also issued better-than-expected earnings guidance for the year.

    Net profits surged to US$10.6 billion in 2006 compared with the previous year. Revenue increased by 7.2 percent to US$45.5 billion, while pretax profits climbed 19 percent to US$15.3 billion. Sales in the US surged by 16 percent to US$20.4 billion, while European sales edged up one percent to US$10.8 billion.

    But Seretide/Advair and Avandia experienced slowing sales last year, generating revenues of US$6.5 billion and US$3.1 billion respectively. Demand for the two blockbuster drugs-which comprise on-fifth of group revenues-has waned recently and both face competition from new market entrants, analysts said.

    "Sales growth is coming from an ever widening portfolio of fast-growing products, and sustained improvements in margin have enabled us to deliver a strong financial performance," said chief executive Jean-Pierre Garnier. "We also have very healthy momentum in our pipeline, with 10 new products added to our late-stage development efforts in the last 12 months. We now have over 30 significant product opportunities in phase-iii development or registration, including five major new products planned for launch this year."

    GSK has five major new drug launches on the cards this year, including Tykerb for breast cancer and cervical-cancer vaccine Cervarix. M AFP

Sanofi-Aventis 2006 profits surge

PARIS

Sanofi-Aventis unveiled an 11.1-percent jump in 2006 net profit, but said generic competition for its heart drug Plavix had hit sales in the fourth quarter. Adjusted net profit in the full year was US$9.16 billion. That compared with analysts' predictions of US$8.36 billion and was higher than the company's own expectations.

    But for the fourth quarter, adjusted net profit was US$1.79 billion, down 4.6 percent from a year earlier. That decline was due to a slump in sales of Plavix, one of Sanofi's most profitable products, owing to competition from a generic version in the United States. Plavix sales fell by 87 percent in the US in the last three months of 2006 and by 26 percent for the whole year.

    Sanofi said it had 18 new drugs and vaccines in the pipeline to be submitted for regulatory approval this year and next, but warned that it would face yet more competition form generic drugs in the years to come. The company is also appealing against a recent US ruling in favor of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals and Teva in their challenge of the intellectual-property rights over another blood-thinner drug Lovenox. M AFP

Novartis upbeat after record 2006

ZURICH

Novartis said it was aiming for another year of bumper profits in 2007, with new product launches set to boost earnings from record levels reached in 2006. Novartis reported a 17-percent increase in annual net profit in 2006 to a record US$7.2 billion, which was in line with analysts' predictions.

    However, net profit in the fourth quarter of US$1.66 billion was lower than the market consensus of US$1.75 billion. Full year sales rose 15 percent to US$37 billion and operating profit was up 18 percent at US$8.17 billion, giving Novartis an operating margin of 22.1 percent, compared with 21.4 percent the previous year.

    Chair Daniel Vasella said the results reflected Novartis's focus on health care, and was confident of another record year in 2007. "Launches are planned for several innovative medicines in 2007 and 2008, and we will keep investing aggressively in research and development to sustain our performance. I am confident of another year of record sales and earnings in 2007," he said.

    Group net sales are set to rise at a mid- to high-single-digit rate in 2007, and net sales in the pharmaceuticals division at a mid-single-digit rate. Novartis also said that it had received approval from the European Commission for its blood-pressure treatment Exforge to be sold in the European Union. It also hopes to launch its diabetes treatment Galvus, currently being examined by regulatory authorities in the EU and United States, along with a hepatitis-B treatment, a hypertension drug, and a leukemia treatment. M AFP

AstraZeneca earnings jump 28%

LONDON

AstraZeneca's annual net profit soared by almost one third in 2006 even as it outlined plans to cut 3,000 jobs worldwide. Net profits leapt 28.3 percent to US$6.1 billion on annual sales of US$26.5 billion. Sales inched up by 10.5 percent last year, buoyed by a strong performance from the group's five top-selling drugs and cost cutting.

    "In 2006, AstraZeneca reported another strong set of financial results," said chief executive David Brennan. "We are determined to maintain the sales momentum of our current product portfolio ... while driving further productivity improvements and enhancing cash returns to shareholders."

    The top-five blockbuster drugs-Nexium, Crestor, Arimidex, Symbicort, and Seroquel-generated combined sales growth of 23 percent to reach US$13.3 billion, about half of total group revenues. However, AstraZeneca warned that its top-selling drugs would experience a drop in sales this year owing to competition from generic drugs. The five key products were forecast to generate sales growth of just 10 percent in 2007.

    The third-biggest European drugs maker also said that it is implementing a worldwide cost-cutting program that will cost US$500 million and result in the loss of about 3,000 jobs or 4.6 percent of its global workforce of 65,000.

Deal with Bristol-Myers

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca announced a collaboration with Bristol-Myers worth up to US$1.35 billion to develop and commercialize two diabetes compounds. Under the terms of the deal, AstraZeneca will make an upfront payment of US$100 million to Bristol-Myers, which discovered both the saxagliptin and dapagliflozin compounds.

    Bristol-Myers is in line also to receive up to US$650 million from development and regulatory milestones, as well as US$300 million per compound for sales milestones.

    Brennan said the deal "represents a significant step in delivering our externalization strategy as it gives us access to two strategically important late-stage compounds in an area of high unmet medical need."

    Saxagliptin is currently in phase-iii development and the companies plan to file for US regulatory approval in the first half of 2008. Dapagliflozin is in phase IIb.

    The collaboration agreement is worldwide, except for Japan, where Bristol-Myers announced an exclusive license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical for saxagliptin. M AFP