Macropharma, Emcure ink deal
Macropharma Corporation, a local marketing and distribution company, and India's Emcure Pharmaceuticals recently signed an agreement for Macropharma to distribute and market in the Philippines Emcure's extensive line of pharmaceuticals. The agreement was signed by Macropharma president Jose Rivera and Emcure executive director Arun Kumar Khanna.
Established in 1981 in Pune, India, has expanded from its single manufacturing facility into a network of several world-class manufacturing facilities and is now one of the top Indian pharmaceutical companies.
Khanna said Emcure is today a vertically integrated pharmaceutical company with infrastructure, skills, and resources at par with the best in the world. The company has carved a niche for itself as a preferred outsourcing partner for some of the largest multinational companies both in India and other countries.
Emcure researches, manufactures, and markets formulations under its own brands in India and exports them to Asia, Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. It is also active in the campaign against HIV/AIDS its "Let's Fight AIDS Together" initiative. It supplies antiretroviral drugs to Africa, Asia Pacific, and the CIS. "We took another significant step towards fulfilling our corporate social responsibility by starting 'Taal,' a pharmacy for HIV/AIDS," said Khanna.
Macropharma is an emerging leader in the local pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the biological, diagnostics, dietary supplements, pharmaceutical raw materials, medical devices and equipment sector. Rivera said that as a marketing and distribution company, Macropharma is dedicated to supplying the Filipino people with some of the latest medicines and other health-care products available in the world today.
Macropharma markets immunologicals, vaccines and antisera, diagnostic kits, dietary supplements, pharmaceutical raw products, as well as medical devices and equipment. "Some of our products are so innovative that the market it seeks to capture can be considered untapped segments," said Rivera. "That is why we are constantly seeking for better products, a task we are prepared to handle through our links with people and organizations that have access to new medical technology."
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Pharma looks to IT solutions
LONDON
Growing regulatory pressure and intensifying competition will drive pharmaceutical companies to adopt product-lifecycle-management (PLM) software and services, according to a new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor. Titled Streamlining Information in the Pharmaceutical Industry with PLM, the report estimates that spending on PLM by the pharmaceutical industry in Europe, North America, China, and Japan will total $460 million by the end of 2007 and more than double by 2012.
The report offers insights into four key attributes that pharmaceutical companies should look for in a PLM technology vendor, discusses successful PLM strategies, and argues that partnering with a technology vendor is beneficial. It notes that while PLM at its core aligns closely with the pharmaceutical industry's business processes, most current PLM technologies lack configurability attributes and other essential features.
"PLM software and services solutions are still a nascent market for the pharmaceutical industry," says Markella Kordoyanni, pharmaceutical technology analyst at Datamonitor and author of the study. "Although the industry is starting to recognize the potential benefits of PLM in drug development, unless pharmaceutical companies adopt a strategic mindset about PLM, with all the process-management changes and cultural adaptations it requires, PLM will remain a tactical solution whose potential is not maximized."
Pharmaceutical companies constantly strive to accelerate drug-development processes and decrease the time it takes to bring a drug to market because the window from discovery to launch is both lengthy and costly. As competition from generic drugs grows, the industry has an additional motive to shorten the time it takes to bring a drug to market. Furthermore as mergers and acquisitions continue, companies are in need of tools like PLM to harmonize their product portfolios and enhance visibility across the entire pipeline.
PLM addresses the challenges of managing a portfolio of tens or hundreds of drug candidates from disparate research and development facilities and manufacturing plants spread across the globe. Adding to the business drivers for investing in PLM is the increasing pressure by regulatory bodies that emphasize compliance to ensure drug safety, Datamonitor said. As a result, the industry is in need of sophisticated tools that automate research processes and create electronic trails that can help reduce noncompliance errors. PLM supports regulatory compliance by including applications that track adherence to regulation codes and identify risks of noncompliance.
Datamonitor believes that only an enterprise-wide system will maximize the value of PLM in a pharmaceutical company by offering the visibility and flexibility the organization needs across its otherwise isolated functional departments. Furthermore, recognizing the value of an enterprise PLM solution indicates that the organization has a strategic view of PLM, rather than a tactical and merely technical view.
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Progress Gold with lutein launched
Wyeth Nutrition launched in September the "new" Progress Gold, a milk supplement for children one year and above. The new formulation is now enhanced with lutein, a nutrient known for its role in preventing eye damage-by filtering out potentially damaging blue light and by working as an antioxidant.
Lutein is found in the light receptors found in the human retina. Although it cannot be synthesized by the body, its levels in the body could be increased by consuming lutein-rich foods such as broccoli and other green, leafy vegetables.
Blue light is part of visible light that passes through the retina. It is found not only in objects that are evidently blue-they can be found practically anywhere. Therefore, everybody is exposed to it.
Certain structures in the human eye are not fully developed at birth, but between a child's second and fourth birthday, visual development accelerates, and 20/20 vision is achieved. However, structural changes continue to occur. During this period, children's eyes are exposed to potentially damaging blue light.
When exposed to blue light, an oxidation reaction occurs in a child's eyes. This could lead to the formation of free radicals, which in turn could result in the formation of photochemical lesions. Because exposure to blue light may not bring pain or discomfort, damage is often well underway when certain signs are noticed.
By fortifying Progress Gold with lutein (200 mcg/L), Wyeth aims to supplement a child's needs for the nutrient during this crucial time of visual development. Also, the other nutrients present in Progress Gold serves to supplement to the nutrients that should come from a balanced diet.
During the launch held at the Sofitel Hotel, two experts discussed the role of lutein in a child's visual development. These were Dr. Eric Lien, adjunct professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois, and Dr. Marcelino Banzon, current head of the Philippine Society of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.
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New rules for sunscreens proposed
WASHINGTON
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a new labeling system for sunscreens in an effort to better inform consumers about how well a cream protects the skin against harmful sunrays. The FDA also proposed standards for formulating and testing over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen products that provide ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) protection.
The proposals include a rating system for UVA protection on a scale of one to four stars, corresponding to low, medium, high, and highest protection available in an OTC sunscreen product. If a sunscreen does not provide at least a one-star level of protection, FDA is proposing to require that the product bear a "no UVA protection" marking on the front label near the SPF value.
Sunlight is composed of the visible light and invisible ultraviolet light, of which there are two types: UVA light is responsible for tanning and UVB for sunburn. Both can damage the skin and increase the risk of skin cancer.
"For more than 30 years, consumers have been able to identify the level of UVB protection provided by sunscreens using only sunburn-protection factor or SPF values," said FDA commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach.
SPF values refer to the time difference that ultraviolet light produces sunburn with and without sunscreen protection. An SPF of 15, for example, means the skin can bear 15 times the ultraviolet radiation before sunburn sets in.
"Under [the] proposal, consumers will also now know the level of UVA protection in sunscreens, which will help them make informed decisions about protecting themselves and their children against the harmful effects of the sun," Von Eschenbach said.
The FDA proposal also revises existing SPF testing procedures allowing new combinations of active ingredients and asking for comments on the issue of nanoparticles.
In addition, a "Warnings" statement in the "Drug Facts" box will be required of all sunscreen-product manufacturers. The warning will say: "UV exposure from the sun increases the risk of skin cancer, premature skin ageing, and other skin damage. It is important to decrease UV exposure by limiting time in the sun, wearing protective clothing, and using a sunscreen."
The FDA said the warning is intended to increase awareness that sunscreens are only one part of a sun-protection program.
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Philippine Heart Center pilots online tertiary care to the provinces
The Philippine Heart Center (PHC) and selected provincial hospitals will be the testing ground for a public-sector initiative to bring specialist care to far-flung patients via the Internet as part of the government's hospital-development plan and efforts to address the dwindling ratio of medical specialists to patients, especially in the provinces.
All systems are ready for the implementation of the ORET Easy Web (E-Web) health-care system, a PhP1.5-billion online referral and diagnosis program jointly funded by the Netherlands government, through its ORET (development-related export transactions) financing program, and the Department of Health (DOH).
PHC will be the hub of this program, initially linking up with the Davao Medical Center, Cagayan de Oro's Northern Medical Center, Cebu's Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, and the Bicol Regional Teaching and Training Hospital to offer the capabilities of its resident specialists by remote. The next phase of the program will target medical centers in Northern Luzon.
Speaking during the program launch, Dr. Criselda Abesamis, DOH head for health-facilities development, disclosed that a component of the hospital-development plan is the upgrading of selected, if not all, DOH hospitals toward specialization. "E-Web can also be a strategic solution to meet the problem of outward migration among specialists from urban and suburban areas," she said. "For patients, this would definitely lessen a lot of the expenses, providing accessible services to patients in Davao, Mindanao, Cebu and even in Luzon. We don't have to fly in specialists from the PHC."
Abesamis hinted that the outcome of this project will set the stage for other tertiary specializations, such as oncology, to follow suit. The goal is to make each satellite site at par with the hub medical center. PHC will continue to backstop quality assurance in terms of monitoring visits by PHC personnel, bulk procurement, and financial reinforcement geared to make each site independently viable.
Wayne Spittle, vice president and general manager of Philips Medical Systems Asia Pacific, said the E-Web project is a good example of how the company can innovate propositions and business models for emerging markets. Oret has also cofinanced similar projects in other developing Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam over the past 10 years.
Real-time, remote consultation
The online collaboration between the center and satellite hospitals consists of real-time voice and video consultation between doctors from the two sites, to be supported by broadband technology and the data-sharing capabilities of the E-Web software developed by Philips Medical Systems.
Collaborating medical specialists will be able to simultaneously view patient images for quick decisions on diagnosis and subsequent therapy, and compare multiple studies from one patient or similar case studies of different patients for research and education purposes.
PHC and its satellites are also acquiring advanced medical-imaging equipment as part of the E-Web set-up. From 2005 to 2006, PHC has taken delivery of a 40-slice CT, a dual gamma camera now housed in the hospital's new nuclear-medicine building, a 1.5 magnetic-resonance-imaging system and a biplane catheterization-laboratory (CATH-LAB) system. CATH-LAB systems have been completely installed in three of PHC satellite hospitals as of September 2006.
An E-Web set-up in each site is comprised of an E-Web server hooked up to these equipment and several workstations. The server is backed by an image-storage facility for patient records dating up to five years.
Poruri Ramakrishna, Philips Medical System's health-care IT specialist, said that the web-based nature of the E-Web software minimizes the cost of operation in each site. "We don't have to purchase any advanced PC. We just have to keep on adding storage, so whatever investment is made today will be protected in years to come."
The five-year storage requirement per site is covered by a two-terabyte storage capacity which can be upgraded by another two or four in the next five years. Allaying concerns over the security vulnerabilities of an Internet-based setup, he assured that E-Web is protected by firewalls rated as one of the best and most reliable in the world from US-based company Juniper Networks.
M Grace Roxas
JCI revises hospital standards
OAK BROOK, Illinois
Joint Commission International (JCI) released the updated international accreditation standards for hospitals, which will serve as the basis of JCI's onsite hospital accreditation survey beginning January next year. The revised standards maintain JCI's focus on providing a framework for hospitals around the world to use to deliver safe, high-quality care. Notable changes include the following:
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Additional importance to the role of hospital leaders in overseeing all areas of performance, including the revision of some chapters to include standards related to the role leadership must take to set and implement priorities for ongoing organizational performance and improvement.
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New chapters for anesthesia and surgical care, medication management, and use and management of communication and information. These concepts were previously found in JCI standards but are now grouped into content-specific chapters.
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International patient-safety goals, which were introduced as part of the JCI survey process this year, are published for the first time in the manual. There are six goals, along with intent statements and measurable elements.
"The revised hospital standards are an evolution of JCI's accreditation process in its mission to foster safe, high-quality patient care around the world," said Karen Timmons, chief executive officer. "We believe that the field will embrace these standards as a roadmap to organizational and staff improvement, with patients being the ultimate beneficiaries of our efforts to promote continuous standards compliance."
Additional changes for accredited hospitals include strengthened credentialing and privileging standards for health-care professionals, as well as strengthened quality and patient-safety standards that require root-cause analysis for sentinel events, analysis for all adverse events and patterns of events, at least one proactive analysis process each year, and adoption and use of at least one clinical-practice guideline and clinical pathway each year.
The revisions were based on feedback from regional advisory councils in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East; surveyors; accredited organizations; staff; and health-care experts. Regional advisory councils represent an important constituency group from which JCI will regularly seek counsel as well as collaboration opportunities regarding accreditation, quality, patient-safety, and performance-measurement activities. The JCI's standards subcommittee was instrumental in the revisions to the standards.
JCI has been accrediting hospitals worldwide since 1999. Accreditation standards are based on international consensus standards and set uniform, achievable expectations for structures, processes, and outcomes for hospitals.
For more information about new hospital-accreditation standards, please visit www.jcrinc.com/25300.
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UCB acquires Schwarz Pharma
The management and employees of UCB Philippines and Schwarz Pharma Philippines recently celebrated the global launch of UCB - The Next-Generation Biopharma Leader. The new company is the outcome of the global acquisition of Schwarz Pharma (of Germany) by UCB , a Belgian biopharmaceutical company. UCB is an established leader in the fields of central nervous system (CNS), allergy, and inflammation while Schwarz is a key player in cardiology with a rich R&D pipeline in the area of CNS.
By integrating expertise in large, antibody-based molecules and small, chemically derived molecules, UCB is determined to become the next generation biopharma leader in the fields of CNS, inflammation, and oncology.
Virgilio Gomez, president and general manager of UCB Philippines said "the entire organization echoes the inspiring words of our CEO Mr. Roch Doliveux when he said that being 'The Next-Generation Biopharma Leader' means keeping the patients at heart." He added: "Keeping in our minds and hearts the lives of the people we are working for and alleviating their suffering from severe diseases will drive and motivate us in building our new future together. This is the strong commitment that we have to our partners in the medical community and the Filipino patients."
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UP Manila holds postgrad course
The department of psychiatry and behavioral medicine of the University of the Philippines Manila will hold its fourth annual postgraduate course on The Clinical and Psychosocial Dimensions of Violence: The Role of the Mental Health Professional at the Astoria Plaza on October 25 to 26.
Onsite registration fees are PhP 2,000 for the two-day course and PhP1,200 for one day only. Preregistration fees are PhP 1,800 for two days and PhP1,080 for one day only. Students with valid school IDs get 50-percent discount. The last day for preregistration is on October 17.
For register or to get more information, please call Mary Carlin (+63-919-8722441) or Dhel delos Santos (+63-2-5250803 or +63-2-5218450, extension 2436).
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