National health-care expo set
The Megatrade Hall, the nation's premier exhibition venue, and Image Plus Business Solutions (IPBS), an event- management group, have teamed up for the National Healthcare Expo 2005 (NHE2005) slated August 10 to 14 at Megatrade Hall 1, SM Megamall and on September 14 to 18 at Cebu Trade Halls 1 and 2, SM Cebu City.
NHE2005 will showcase health and fitness products and services to help raise public awareness about good health, keeping fit. It provides not just a venue for the health-care and fitness industries to promote their products and services, but also a means for health-care and pharmaceutical companies and organizations, hospitals and health-care providers, providers of alternative health care, manufacturers of health-care and fitness equipment, medical and health professionals and students, and consumers to interact.
The event brings an exciting mix of health-care products, equipment, and services with special emphasis on concern for babies and children, healthy living, alternative health care, first aid and solutions for common health problems. There will be in-depth discussions on the latest trends in health care, launch of new health-care products, and presentations on healthy lifestyles.
NHE2005 is supported by government and nongovernment health organizations and medical institutions. For details, call IPBS at +63-2-5322813, +63-2-5336038, +63-2-5344648, and +63-917-2815090 or send an e-mail to imageplusevents@yahoo.com.
Bayer earnings up in first quarter
LEVERKUSEN, Germany
Bayer booked net profits of US$848 million in the period from January to March, a rise of 55.6 percent from the year-earlier period. Operating profit, as measured by earnings before interest and tax, was up by 50.1 percent at US$1.486 billion on a 15.7-percent increase in sales to US$8.715 billion.
"We have gotten off to a very good start in 2005 and that confirms our optimistic forecast for the full year," chair Werner Wenning said.
The maker of aspirin said it was targeting an increase of more than five percent in sales to more than US$32.5 billion for the whole of 2005. Full-year operating profit was expected to rise by around 20 percent.
Fitness for breakfast
We stretched, we made affirmations of health and wellness, and we danced (or tried to).
Nestlé's interactive media press conference on the importance of fitness and living well was a study of how even media people should experience what they preach or write about.
This "Experience Fitness" took place at the Pinnacle Health Pointe in Eastwood, Libis on March 9. Fitness and nutrition experts were on hand to guide the participants through a variety of exercise and dancing activities.
Cory Quirino, celebrity and columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, talked about self-empowerment and keeping oneself feeling and staying young through proper nutrition and sleep, exercise, and a positive attitude. "You can reach all your dreams and goals if you are able to master yourself," she advised.
Belly dancing expert Imee Guanio demonstrated a few moves of the latest workout trend to hit the country--belly dancing, a unique and exciting way of getting in shape. This erotic dance from India is physically invigorating yet not too hard on the joints.
Pinnacle's fitness manager Earl Jimenez, meanwhile, pointed out how even posture can be severely affected by our stress-filled lifestyle. Nutritionist Milvi Lim then shared tips on healthy eating. "No food is bad or good. Balancing your diet ensures healthy eating," she explained.
"Experience Fitness" also promoted Fitness, Nestlé's breakfast cereal, as an ideal way to start the day.
Among Filipinos these days, missing breakfast is an accepted sacrifice for our busy schedules. This practice, however, has a negative impact on one's physical and mental performance throughout the day, which cannot be compensated by food intake later in the day.
Nestlé Philippines has thus developed a product that will fit into this reality, which promises convenience without sacrificing the nutrients essential for the traditional breakfast.
Fitness is a whole-wheat breakfast cereal that is deliciously light and crunchy. It is packed with important vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron. Besides being low in fat, it is rich in fiber that promotes digestive well-being.
The locally owned and managed Pinnacle Health Pointe is one of Metro Manila's more advanced fitness and health facilities. It offers Group Xtrim, an innovative group exercise program that covers a whole spectrum of exercises. Classes include Belly Tease, Strip n' Tease, Power Boxing, Hatha Yoga, even Sing n' Spin (a videoke workout for lung power).
M. Ciriacruz
13-year silicone ban coming to end?
WASHINGTON
A panel of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that the US regulator allow a company to sell silicone breast implants, a move that would end a 13-year ban. The FDA panel voted seven to two to recommend that California-based Mentor Corp. be authorized to sell its implants, but with very strict conditions.
Mentor convinced the expert panel that its silicone-gel implants were safe and durable. It won its backing after the panel voted five to four against a similar bid by rival company Inamed Corp.
Studies on Mentor's implants showed that only 1.4 percent leaked in their first three years.
Silicone implants were removed from the market in 1992 after several women complained that they became sick after their implants had ruptured and leaked.
Dow Corning, a silicone-implant maker, was forced to pay US$2.35 billion in compensation to more than 300,000 women in the United States and Canada following a lawsuit.
The FDA does not have to follow its expert panels' recommendations, but often does. The agency ignored more than a year ago a panel's recommendation to lift the silicone ban and asked silicone- implant makers to provide more data on their product's durability.
About 260,000 breast-augmentation operations, using saline (salt water) implants, were conducted in the US last year, according to industry figures. An additional 63,000 operations were conducted on women who had had breast cancer.
Silicone implants are allowed in rare cases with strictly regulated clinical trials.
AFP
Vaccine firm to open in Singapore
SINGAPORE
Acompany focused on developing vaccines for infectious diseases prevalent in the Asia-Pacific announced it is setting up shop in Singapore this year. SingVax Pte. Ltd., founded by two British vaccine-industry veterans and the Singapore- government-linked BioOne Capital, should start operations around July at the Biopolis, a high-tech biomedical-research and development complex in the city-state.
"There is a growing need for new and improved vaccines to fight against emerging and reemerging infectious diseases," SingVax chief executive Douglas Thomas said. "SingVax has adopted a product-based approach, targeting infectious diseases in this region and aims to be the partner of choice for companies seeking to access the vaccines market in the Asia-Pacific region."
SingVax is currently developing two vaccines, one against the potentially fatal Japanese encephalitis and the other for hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD).
Thomson said SingVax was aiming to develop vaccines targeted at children, noting that current Japanese encephalitis vaccines were designed at adult travelers. For the HFMD, SingVax was working to develop a prophylactic Enterovirus 71 vaccine targeted at children before they enter child-care centers in a bid to reduce transmission.
The potential market for the two vaccines is estimated at US$400 million.
SingVax hopes to have a team of 30 skilled staff next year and its operations are expected to boost Singapore's ambitions of becoming a hub for cutting-edge biomedical research.
AFP
12 students in J & J's SHINE
Twelve college students from selected universities in Metro Manila took part in the first SHINE (Scaling Heights In New Environments) on-the-job training program of Johnson & Johnson Philippines. They are Katrina Bollozos, Maris Lallana, Nemia Rose Aquino, Angeli Ko, Lloyd Chan, Lorenz Tan, Timothy Go, Nina Solano, Cristina Jacinto, Isabel dela Cruz, Jacinto Miguel Gervasio, and Candice Tan.
Ruiz Salazar, human-resource director of Johnson & Johnson Philippines, said SHINE, a summer internship program for senior college students, was established to provide students with corporate projects to work on and showcase their innovation, work standards, and competencies while exposing them to the real challenges of corporate work.
After passing a tough selection process, the interns were assigned to different divisions of the company and given challenging and output-driven tasks that allowed them to experience work in the corporate world. After their two-month stint, they presented their projects, key learning, and recommendations to a panel composed of their direct supervisors, the management board, and selected managers. Katrina Bollozos was named Best Intern while Nemia Rose Aquino won the Best Project Award.
Merck KGaA wins patent case
DARMSTADT, Germany
German pharmaceutical firm Merck KGaA announced it had won a nine-year legal dispute over a class of peptides undergoing development. The United States Supreme Court on June 13 ruled that pharmaceutical companies have the right to use inventions developed by other companies without infringing patents if the use is reasonably related to a drug-approval application. The high court ruled that it is not necessary to pay for use of the technology or wait for years until the patent runs out.
All nine US Supreme Court justices agreed with Merck's argument that the 1984 US Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act (commonly called the Hatch-Waxman Act) applied not only to generic-drug companies who use proprietary research to prepare their products for launch as soon as patents expire on branded pharmaceuticals. They ruled that the law applies as well to clinical studies and even to testing in animals and test-tube experiments in the preclinical phase when the intent is to ultimately seek approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for the product.
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Writing for the court, Justice Antonin Scalia said: "At least where a drugmaker has a reasonable basis for believing that a patented compound may work through a particular biological process, to produce a particular physiological effect, and uses the compound in research that if successful would be appropriate to include in a submission to the FDA, that use is 'reasonably related' to the development and submission of information… under federal law."
The case involved a dispute between Merck KGaA and Integra LifeScience Corp. of New Jersey. The patents in question covered a class of peptides developed in the 1980s by the Burnham Institute and later bought by Integra. In the late 1980s, Merck hired scientists at Scripps Research Institute to advance research on similar peptides to develop a method for blocking the blood supply, and thus the growth potential, for cancerous tumors.
In 1996, the Burnham Institute sued Merck, and Integra joined the suit when it acquired Burnham's peptide patents. Initially, a jury awarded Integra $15 million, which later was reduced to $6.4 million. Merck appealed the ruling.
The drug that resulted from the further investigation of the peptides, cilengitide--angiogenesis inhibitor--is being codeveloped by Merck and the US National Cancer Institute. Now in phase-II clinical trials for the treatment of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain tumor, cilengitide has received orphan-drug status in both the US and the European Union because of the lack of adequate treatments for this deadly form of cancer. Cilengitide is expected to reach market after the Integra patents expire.
Merck KGaA Media
VRPMC opens oncology center
The Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center (VRPMC) inaugurated its oncology center on June 21. The center is dedicated to the memory of VRPMC founder Dr. Victor Potenciano, who succumbed to cancer after fighting it for nine years. VRPMC chair Irma Potenciano said the completion of the oncology center was a fulfillment of her late husband's wishes.
Oncologist Francisco Lopez, who heads the center, said it will initially offer minor surgery, chemotherapy, and palliative care, along with support programs like counseling for both patients and their families and a range of complementary therapies "designed to work in conjunction with [surgical and medical] treatments to enhance the patient's comfort and sense of well-being."
Aside from Dr. Lopez, the center's roster of specialists includes Drs. Gary Lorenzo, Edna Banta, Emil Bautista, Christian Palma, Norma Ona, and Mediatrix Bustos.
Architect Arturo Lising, who designed the center, described it as "minimalist,with environment-friendly" interiors, and a homey look. The center is open Mondays to Fridays from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.
A. Mendoza
Mercury, Citibank launch VISA card
Mercury Drug and Citibank recently launched the Mercury Drug-Citibank VISA card to offer consumers the convenience of paying for their health-care expenses in credit while enjoying shopping rebates. The card gives cardholders a rebate of two percent for all purchases at Mercury Drug and 0.5 percent for purchases in other establishments. Cardholders also get free annual physical examination at Healthway Medical Clinics.
Nina Aguas, Citibank country business manager for the global consumer group, said their partnership with Mercury Drug revolutionized the way cobranded cards can be made more responsive to consumer needs. "The concept behind the Mercury Drug-Citibank card is to allow Filipinos to address their health requirements without necessarily spending more [and to give] them value for their money. These rebates are automatically credited in their monthly statements," said Aguas.
Vivienne Que-Azcona, Mercury Drug president, said their partnership with Citibank is in line with Mercury Drug's 60th anniversary celebrations. Mercury Drug now has more than 500 company-owned stores and franchisees nationwide. "Apart from providing safe and reliable medicines, we also make sure that we sell medicines at competitive prices. [By giving a] two-percent rebate, the Mercury Drug-Citibank card enables our cardholders to purchase medicines at a lower price," said Azcona.
Cardholders can also get discounts from partner merchants, among them, Healthway Medical Clinics, Lifeline Arrows Emergency Response Services, The Medical City, Cebu Doctors Hospital, Asian Eye Institute, Fitness First and Body Care, Clarity Aesthetic and Laser Center, and Sarabia Optical.
With all these benefits, this card certainly gives consumers value for their money and assures us that healthy living has its rewards."
A. Mendoza
Mundipharma takes flight
It was three years in the making but the world market leader in the development and marketing of opioid analgesics is now officially launched in the country as Mundipharma Philippines. Key people in the medical specialties concerned with pain management, Mundipharma, and the media celebrated the formal launch on July 11 at the NBC Tent at The Fort in Taguig.
Mundipharma was first established in Switzerland in 1957. It has since grown to become a worldwide licensing and distribution network for the Purdue/Mundipharma/Napp independent-associated companies together with Mundipharma Laboratories GmbH and Mundipharma Medical GmbH. It is present in over 100 countries, with third-party collaborations in the Middle and Far East, Africa, and Australia. Its product range covers immediate- and controlled-release analgesics at step two and three of the World Health Organization analgesic ladder.
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In 2000, Mundipharma introduced its controlled-release analgesic Tramundin (tramadol hydrochloride) in the Philippines through Pascual Laboratories. Two years later, Mundipharma and Pascual set up an analgesics division, which was spun off as an affiliate company called ADP Pharma Corporation in April 2003. Lito Ardeta, acting general manager of Mundipharma said that within three years, the need to educate and reeducate doctors on pain increased and the personnel of ADP grew considerably that the mother company in Switzerland decided to fully take over to set up its own corporate identity here.
Mundipharma will focus on developing its analgesics line to be distributed mainly by Zuellig, while Pascual retains the marketing of Mundipharma's major antiseptic product, Betadine.
Besides Tramundin, which is used for moderate to moderately severe pain, Mundipharma's product line includes controlled-release opioids for severe pain, namely MST Continus (morphine sulphate) and OcyContin (oxycodone).
MundiPharma's office is at the Taipan Place in Ortigas. Its organization is composed of 37 people headed by Ardeta. Its field force is present in most key cities of the Philippines, including Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Butuan, General Santos, and Zamboanga.
During the launch, Ardeta promised the medical community a continuing partnership, especially in reaching out to and helping those who suffer from pain in silence. "[They] do not deserve such torture," he stressed. "We have been, and we will keep on working together to identify, assess, and provide patients who suffer from pain with solutions," he asserted.
M. Ciriacruz
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