July 30, 2021 – Madagascar Newswire

July 30, 2021August 2, 2021

CDC: Delta Variant Infections in Vaccinated People May Be as Transmissible as in Unvaccinated

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the delta variant of the coronavirus is as contagious as chickenpox and that infections in vaccinated people may be as transmissible as in the unvaccinated.

Internal CDC documents, first obtained by The Washington Post, urged staff to “acknowledge the war has changed” in light of the delta variant.

The CDC said the variant requires a new approach to help the public understand the danger, adding that evidence shows the delta variant may pose a greater risk for hospitalization and death.

The agency also emphasized that vaccines are highly effective at preventing infections, severe disease and death. The CDC said that while the vaccinated are less likely to get sick, they might be just as likely as those who are unvaccinated to pass the disease to others.

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview Friday with Reuters that he hopes regulators will grant full approval for COVID-19 vaccines as soon as next month. He said the move could encourage more Americans to get the shots, which are currently authorized on an emergency-use basis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that civilian federal government employees must be vaccinated or submit to regular testing and wear masks.

Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Osaka are the new prefectures to be under the state of emergency. Several other prefectures will be placed under pre-emergency measures.

Under a state of emergency, business is suspended in locations that serve alcohol or have karaoke. Under pre-emergency measures, businesses are asked not to serve alcohol.

Japan reported more than 10,000 daily coronavirus cases Thursday, the first time the country’s daily count exceeded 10,000.

Around the globe

In Israel, health officials began administering coronavirus booster shots Friday to people older than 60 who have been fully vaccinated in an effort to stop a recent spike in cases.

Italy’s Health Institute announced Friday that the delta variant accounted for almost all new COVID-19 cases in the country at nearly 95% of cases as of July 20.

German officials announced Friday that unvaccinated travelers arriving in the country will need to present a negative COVID-19 test result.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference from Geneva on Friday that “hard-won gains are in jeopardy of being lost” because of the delta variant.

WHO officials have said they fear that 47 of Africa’s 54 countries will miss a September target of vaccinating 10% of their populations, a goal set earlier this year by the World Health Assembly, the world’s highest health policy-setting body. Africa accounts for less than 1% of the more than 4 billion vaccine doses administered globally.

Overall, around the globe, just 1.1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose.

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported Friday more than 197 million global COVID infections and more than 4.2 million deaths from the disease worldwide.

Source: Voice of America

July 30, 2021August 2, 2021

Malawi Ready to Store, Distribute Incoming COVID-19 Vaccine: Official

BLANTRYE, MALAWI – Malawi expects to receive more than 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine soon. In May, the country had to discard 20,000 doses due to a lack of demand. But officials say that when the new vaccine arrives, demand will be high and Malawi will be prepared.

Over the next two months, Malawi is expected to receive about 372,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and about 300,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Experts are warning the country needs to be ready to store and distribute it.

In May, authorities burned about 20,000 expired doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that went unused due to a shortage of distribution centers and widespread vaccine hesitancy, the latter caused by myths and misinformation about their safety.

Queen Dube is chief of health services in Malawi’s Ministry of Health. She said there will be no repeat of that incident, because a government campaign has now convinced Malawians the vaccines are safe and protective.

She notes that a recent consignment of 192,000 AstraZeneca vaccines, which the country received last Saturday were gone within days.

Even if some of the donated vaccines are due to expire soon, they will be distributed within sufficient time, she said.

“It’s this scenario where you have one week of shelf-life left that puts you in very difficult circumstances,” Dube said. “But, you know, we have created demand. Remember on 27th [July] we vaccinated 75,000 people and so even if we had all those doses that were to expire in two weeks, say for example 100,000 doses, we should be able to quickly use them within two, three days.”

Dr. Alinafe Kasiya is a public health expert with Village Reach, an international health charity that is supporting vaccine delivery in African countries.

He said countries need to think about their storage and distribution systems.

“That means a number of things; Do we have enough capacity to be able to store the vaccines that are coming?” Kasiya said. “I mean some of the vaccines might have different cold chain requirements. But also do we have a logistic system in place to be able to move these vaccines around? Do we have enough people trained? Are we opening up enough sites? Are we looking at doing more to create demand?”

Kasiya, the country director for Village Reach in Malawi, applauds Malawi’s government for creating demand for the vaccine.

Queen Dube says even though the Pfizer vaccine needs ultra-cold storage, no doses will be wasted.

“There are two things with Pfizer,” Dube said. “We now have evidence that if you take it out of an ultra-cold system you can store it at temperatures between two to eight degrees. These are normal temperatures that we store our vaccines in; and you can use it for 31 days.”

So far, Malawi has recorded about 51,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 1,600 deaths. Only a tiny fraction of the country’s 18 million people have been inoculated, though that number will quickly rise if more people cooperate with the government’s vaccination campaign.

Source: Voice of America

July 30, 2021

Takeda and Frazier Healthcare Partners Announce Collaboration to Launch HilleVax, Inc. to Develop Clinical Stage Norovirus Vaccine Candidate

Takeda Will Focus its Efforts on Dengue, Zika and Pandemic Vaccines

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) (Takeda) and Frazier Healthcare Partners (Frazier) today announced a collaboration to launch HilleVax, Inc. (HilleVax), a biopharmaceutical company to develop and commercialize Takeda’s norovirus vaccine candidate. Takeda has granted a license to HilleVax for the exclusive development and commercialization rights to its norovirus vaccine candidate, HIL-214 (formerly TAK-214), worldwide outside of Japan. Takeda will retain commercialization rights in Japan and HilleVax will integrate certain Japan development activities into its global development. Takeda remains committed to vaccines and this collaboration allows Takeda to focus primarily on dengue, COVID-19, pandemic influenza and Zika.

HIL-214, which is a virus-like particle (VLP) based vaccine candidate, completed a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 2b field efficacy study in 4,712 adult subjects in which HIL-214 was well-tolerated and demonstrated clinical proof of concept in preventing moderate-to-severe cases of acute gastroenteritis from norovirus infection.¹ To date, the candidate has been studied in nine human clinical trials with safety data from over 4,500 subjects and immunogenicity data from over 2,000 subjects.

Ursula Belinda Myles, General Manager of Takeda’s Access Market Cluster (covering much of Africa) commented: “Africa’s underlying burden of endemic diseases is one of the largest in the world, and infectious diseases play a larger portion of these diseases across the continent. Like many other nations, COVID-19 has emphasized Africa’s greatest challenges around healthcare and highlighted the need for continued greater investment in healthcare systems. These investments are critical to secure economic development as Africa implements flagship projects around the 2030 Africa Health Strategy.”

Ursula added: “The announcement of our partnership with Frazier Healthcare Partners will allow Takeda to focus efforts and resources on vaccines for diseases prevalent across Africa and provide support in alleviating the growing burden that infectious diseases have on public health systems.”

Norovirus is a common intestinal infection marked by diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, nausea and sometimes fever that may lead to clinically significant dehydration.² Norovirus is recognized as the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis across the age spectrum.³ It is estimated that norovirus causes nearly 700 million cases of illness and more than 200,000 deaths worldwide per year with significant additional economic and social burden.³ No vaccines are currently approved for norovirus infection, and HIL-214 continues to be the most advanced norovirus vaccine candidate in human clinical trials.

“Takeda and Frazier have a history of successfully partnering together, and we are confident in HilleVax’s capabilities to progress HIL-214, the most advanced norovirus vaccine candidate in development with the potential to address the huge global burden of norovirus-associated acute gastroenteritis,” said Rajeev Venkayya, M.D., President of the Global Vaccine Business Unit, Takeda. “This will allow Takeda to focus its efforts and resources on our dengue vaccine, which we have begun filing for licensure around the world, our pandemic programs, and our partnership with the US Government to develop a Zika vaccine

Takeda’s Commitment to Vaccines

Vaccines prevent 2 to 3 million deaths each year and have transformed global public health. For more than 70 years, Takeda has supplied vaccines to protect the health of people in Japan. Today, Takeda’s global vaccine business is applying innovation to tackle some of the world’s most challenging infectious diseases, such as dengue, COVID-19, pandemic influenza and Zika. Takeda’s team brings an outstanding track record and a wealth of knowledge in vaccine development and manufacturing to advance a pipeline of vaccines to address some of the world’s most pressing public health needs. For more information, visit www.TakedaVaccines.com.

About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetic and Hematology, Neuroscience and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

About Frazier Healthcare Partners

Founded in 1991, Frazier Healthcare Partners is a leading provider of growth and venture capital to healthcare companies. With nearly $4.8 billion total capital raised, Frazier has invested in over 200 companies, with investment types ranging from company creation and venture capital to buyouts of profitable lower-middle market companies. The firm’s Growth Buyout team invests in healthcare and pharmaceutical services, medical products and related sectors. The Life Sciences team invests in therapeutics and related areas that are addressing unmet medical needs through innovation. Frazier has offices in Seattle, WA and Menlo Park, CA, and invests broadly across the US, Canada, and Europe. For more information about Frazier Healthcare Partners, visit the company’s website at http://www.frazierhealthcare.com.

About HilleVax

HilleVax is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel vaccine candidates. Its initial program, HIL-214, is a virus-like particle (VLP) based vaccine candidate in development for the prevention of moderate-to-severe acute gastroenteritis caused by norovirus infection. For more information about HilleVax, visit the company’s website at http://www.HilleVax.com.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takeda’s future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as “targets”, “plans”, “believes”, “hopes”, “continues”, “expects”, “aims”, “intends”, “ensures”, “will”, “may”, “should”, “would”, “could” “anticipates”, “estimates”, “projects” or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takeda’s global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations; the success of or failure of product development programs; decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takeda’s operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takeda’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takeda’s other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takeda’s website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/reports/sec-filings/ or at www.sec.gov. Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takeda’s future results.

CONTACTS:

Takeda Media Contacts:
Japanese Media Ryoko Matsumoto ryoko.matsumoto@takeda.com +81 (0) 3-3278-3414	edia Outside Japan Amy Atwood amy.atwood@takeda.com +1-774-571-3316
For HilleVax, Inc.:	For Frazier Healthcare Partners:
David Socks info@hillevax.com +1-650-325-5156	Liz Park liz.park@frazierhealthcare.com +1-650-319-1831

References

¹Sherwood J, et al. Vaccine 2020; 38(41):6442-6449

²https://ww.cdc.gov/norovirus/index.html [accessed 2021 April 27].

³Hall AJ, et al. Expert Rev Vaccines 2016;15(8):949-951

Mohammed Al Nasseri
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
+971507694646
Mohammed.alnasseri@fleishman.com

July 30, 2021

L’industrie chinoise des circuits intégrés accélère la production avancée de puces (expert)

BEIJING, 30 juillet 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Article publié sur China.org.cn.

L’industrie chinoise des circuits intégrés est en train de passer d’un développement à grande vitesse à un développement de grande qualité, alors que les procédés nationaux et plus avancés de fabrication de puces font des percées dans l’ensemble de la chaîne industrielle, a déclaré un expert.

Dans un article publié au début du mois sur Guancha.cn, un agrégateur d’informations et de commentaires en ligne basé à Shanghai, le Dr Bao Yungang, vice-directeur de l’Institut des technologies informatiques (ICT) de l’Académie chinoise des sciences (CAS), a noté que les procédés chinois de fabrication de puces en 14 nm et 28 nm gagnaient du terrain et étaient utilisés pour de nombreuses applications dans divers domaines.

China's homegrown AI chips are on display at the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, July 7, 2021. [Photo/VCG]

Le processus de fabrication des puces en 14 nm du pays a surmonté de nombreuses difficultés technologiques grâce à des améliorations significatives des techniques de fabrication, des technologies de conditionnement et des matériaux d’équipement clés, a déclaré M. Bao.

Il a ajouté que le nœud de 14 nm est le procédé de fabrication de puces le plus largement utilisé dans des domaines tels que l’électronique grand public haut de gamme, l’informatique à haut débit, l’intelligence artificielle et l’automobile.

Selon les statistiques, le marché mondial des semi-conducteurs a réalisé environ 200 milliards de dollars de ventes au premier semestre 2019. Le procédé de fabrication de puces en 14 nm a représenté 65% de ces ventes.

M. Bao a déclaré que la Chine était désormais en mesure de produire en masse des puces en 28 nm, alors que le pays a réalisé d’importants progrès dans le développement de certains équipements et matériels essentiels.

28 nm est la ligne de démarcation entre la fabrication de circuits intégrés (CI) de basse à moyenne gamme et de milieu à haut de gamme, a-t-il expliqué.

Outre les puces pour les processeurs, les cartes graphiques et l’intelligence artificielle (IA), d’autres produits industriels courants tels que les télévisions, les climatiseurs, les automobiles, les trains à grande vitesse, les satellites, les robots industriels, les ascenseurs et les drones sont les applications les plus courantes pour le processus technologique de 28 nm, a ajouté M. Bao.

« La Chine doit de toute urgence se diriger vers la production de puces haut de gamme, car être capable de produire des puces en 28 nm signifie qu’elle peut répondre à la majeure partie de la demande de puces sans compter sur d’autres pays », a-t-il souligné.

En 2019, la capacité de production des circuits intégrés pour les procédés de pointe (<10 nm) ne représentait que 4,4% de la capacité installée dans l’ensemble du secteur, tandis que les procédés supérieurs à 28 nm représentaient 52% de la part globale, selon le rapport « Global Wafer Capacity 2020-2024 » publié par IC Insights.

Alors que les procédés de fabrication de puces en 14 nm et 28 nm peuvent répondre à une grande partie de la demande intérieure, la Chine s’efforce de promouvoir des procédés de pointe afin de s’affranchir progressivement de sa dépendance vis-à-vis de l’étranger.

Wen Xiaojun, directeur de l’Institut de l’information électronique au Centre chinois pour le développement de l’industrie de l’information (CCID), a déclaré au portail d’information chinois huanqiu.com, que le procédé national de fabrication de puces en 14 nm devrait être produit en masse d’ici l’année prochaine.

En tant que plus grand marché mondial de semi-conducteurs, la Chine a investi considérablement dans l’acquisition de semi-conducteurs et dans le recrutement de talents afin de soutenir l’industrie de la fabrication de puces et la rendre identique à celle des meilleures fonderies du monde.

Un rapport de Goldman Sachs publié l’année dernière prévoit que la Chine devrait être en mesure de produire des puces de 7 nm d’ici 2023.

Étant donné la dynamique du secteur de la production de puces, les opérateurs de communication nationaux, les fournisseurs d’équipements et les fournisseurs de services de communication doivent étudier de nouveaux modes de service tout en innovant l’architecture des appareils pour gagner la confiance des clients et stimuler les progrès technologiques, a noté M. Bao.

Selon lui, la clé pour arriver à de nouvelles avancées réside dans une meilleure intégration au sein du système mondial d’innovation et de collaboration, car « l’industrie des circuits intégrés est vraiment une industrie mondiale et aucun pays ne doit être isolé de la chaîne industrielle ».

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583059/China_org_cn.jpg

July 30, 2021

‫مارغريت كروتي تتولى قيادة شركة جون سنو (JSI) ومجموعة وكالات ورلد إيديوكيشن العالمية

بوسطن, 29 يوليو 2021 /PRNewswire/ — أعلن مجلس إدارة شركة جون سنو عن تعيين مارغريت كروتي في منصب رئيس الشركة والرئيس التنفيذي القادم. وستخلف جويل لامستاين، الذي شغل منصب رئيس الشركة والرئيس التنفيذي منذ تأسيسه شركة جون سنو بالتعاون مع بيرت هيرشهورن في عام 1978.

ستتولى مارغريت رئاسة شركة جون سنو الربحية ومؤسسة جون سنو غير الهادفة للربح للأبحاث والتدريب ومؤسسة ورلد إيديوكيشن غير الهادفة للربح التابعة لها، نظرًا لما تحظى به من سجل حافل من القيادة والابتكار في القطاع غير الهادف للربح والقطاع الخاص على حد سواء في مجالات التعليم والصحة العامة.

ستنضم مارغريت إلى شركة جون سنو وورلد إيديوكيشن في يناير 2022 من منصبها رئيسًا تنفيذيًا لمؤسسةPartnership with Children، وهي شركة تقدم خدمات الصحة المجتمعية وإدارة المدارس المجتمعية في مدينة نيويورك.

وقد علق جويل قائلًا: وجدنا في مارغريت شخصًا لديه معرفة بمجالات التنمية الاجتماعية والصحة الدولية والمحلية في الولايات المتحدة ورؤية ستساعد على النهوض بمؤسسة جون سنو والتعليم العالمي إلى المستقبل، مع رعاية الثقافة التي تشتهر بها مؤسسة جون سنو.

لقد قادت مارغريت سابقًا مبادرة إنقاذ الأطفال للحد من وفيات الأطفال والأمهات على الصعيد العالمي. كما أمضت سبع سنوات في مؤسسة إي إف التعليم أولًا (EF Education) وعملت في شركة ماكينزي وشركاه في جاكرتا بإندونيسيا.

تخرجت مارغريت من جامعة برينستون بدرجة البكالوريوس في التاريخ والدراسات الأميركية الأفريقية، وحصلت على ماجستير في إدارة الأعمال من كلية هارفارد للأعمال وماجستير في الصحة العامة من جامعة كولومبيا. وهي تعمل في العديد من مجالس الصحة والتعليم، بما في ذلك مجالس الصحة في شبكة نورثويل هيلث، والمعهد الطبي المفتوح، وكلية الدراسات العليا للصحة العامة في جامعة المدينة، وسي تشانغ كابيتال بارتنرز، وصندوق المستشفيات المتحدة، ومنظمة أكسيس هيلث إنترناشيونال. وهي عضو في مجلس العلاقات الخارجية ومنظمة الرؤساء الشباب، وتعمل في العديد من فرق العمل الحكومية والمجالس الاستشارية للتعليم العالي، وترأس برنامج القادة الناشئين للقادة الشباب في القطاع الاجتماعي.

اطلع على الإعلان بالكامل.

تعتبر شركة جون سنووالشركة الفرعية غير الربحية التابعة لها، ومعهد جون سنو للأبحاث والتدريب، منظمات استشارية عالمية في مجال الصحة العامة تُكرس جهودها لتعظيم المساواة في خدمات الصحة وتحسين صحة الأفراد والمجتمعات، وتوفير بيئة حيث يمكن للأفراد المتحمسين متابعة هذه القضية.

للتواصل:
ماري كاثرين أراندا
mary-kathryn_aranda@jsi.com

الشعار- https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583410/JSI_Logo_Logo.jpg

July 30, 2021

Margaret Crotty annoncée à la tête de la famille des agences internationales JSI et World Education

BOSTON, 29 juillet 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Le conseil d’administration de JSI a annoncé la nomination de Margaret Crotty comme prochaine présidente et directrice générale. Elle succédera à Joel Lamstein, qui occupe les fonctions de président et directeur général depuis qu’il a fondé John Snow, Inc. avec Bert Hirschhorn en 1978.

Margaret, qui possède une solide expérience en matière de leadership et d’innovation dans les secteurs privé et à but non lucratif, dans les domaines de l’éducation et de la santé publique, dirigera John Snow, Inc. à but lucratif, le JSI Research & Training Institute à but non lucratif et l’entité affiliée World Education, Inc. à but non lucratif.

Margaret rejoindra JSI et World Education en janvier 2022 après avoir occupé le poste de PDG chez Partnership with Children, un prestataire de services de santé communautaire et de gestion d’écoles communautaires basé à New York.

« En Margaret, nous avons trouvé quelqu’un qui a une bonne connaissance des domaines du développement social et de la santé, tant au niveau international qu’au niveau national aux États-Unis, et qui a une vision qui permettra à JSI et à World Education d’aller de l’avant, tout en entretenant la culture qui fait la renommée de JSI », a commenté Joel.

Auparavant, Margaret a dirigé l’initiative de Save the Children, qui vise à réduire la mortalité infantile et maternelle dans le monde. Elle a également passé sept ans chez EF Education et a travaillé pour McKinsey & Co. à Jakarta, en Indonésie.

Margaret est diplômée de l’université de Princeton, où elle a obtenu une licence en histoire et en études afro-américaines. Elle est également titulaire d’un MBA de la Harvard Business School et d’une maîtrise en santé publique de l’université Columbia. Elle siège à plusieurs conseils d’administration dans les secteurs de la santé et de l’éducation, notamment ceux de Northwell Health, de l’Open Medical Institute, de la City University Graduate School of Public Health, de SeaChange Capital Partners, du United Hospital Fund et d’ACCESS Health International. Elle est membre du Council on Foreign Relations et de la Young Presidents Organization, fait partie de plusieurs groupes de travail gouvernementaux et de conseils consultatifs de l’enseignement supérieur, et préside le programme Emerging Leaders destiné aux jeunes leaders du secteur social.

Lire l’annonce complète .

John Snow, Inc., et sa filiale à but non lucratif, JSI Research & Training Institute, sont des organisations mondiales de conseil en santé publique qui œuvrent en faveur d’une plus grande équité en matière de santé et de l’amélioration de la santé des personnes et des communautés, et qui offrent un environnement où les personnes passionnées par cette cause peuvent s’y consacrer.

Contact :
Mary-Kathryn Aranda
mary-kathryn_aranda@jsi.com

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1583410/JSI_Logo_Logo.jpg