Since 2009, Abbott has provided compounds for DNDi to screen for activity against neglected diseases. This new agreement expands this relationship, and provides DNDi access to selected classes of molecules and accompanying data generated by Abbott that are crucial for the development of effective and accessible new treatments for neglected diseases.

"Innovative product development partnerships have significant potential for addressing neglected diseases," said
Dr. John Leonard, senior vice president, Pharmaceuticals, Research and Development, Abbott. "By combining the unique scientific expertise and resources of DNDi and Abbott, we look forward to accelerating research to find practical new treatment options for people affected by these diseases."

"Abbott has demonstrated a great level of commitment by partnering with DNDi to share not only its compounds, but also its expertise and resources. For DNDi, this implies a new critical mass of knowledge to pursue our goals of addressing the unmet needs of neglected patients in the poorest areas of the world," said Dr Bernard Pécoul, Executive Director of DNDi.

Equitable access to treatments for neglected diseases in all endemic countries, not only least-developed countries, is at the core of this agreement, and DNDi has committed to ensuring the lowest sustainable pricing for any products developed and distributed as a result of the agreement. Intellectual property (IP) related to this agreement, existing relevant Abbott IP and new IP generated by this collaboration will be subject to a principle of non-exclusive licensing to address neglected diseases in endemic countries. Under the agreement, Abbott has the right of first negotiation to become DNDi's development and distribution partner. DNDi is free to engage other partners if Abbott chooses not to serve as a development and distribution partner.

The agreement, in short implies:

-- Both DNDi and Abbott share their unique scientific expertise and resources to advance the development of drugs adapted to patient needs.
-- DNDi gains access to Abbott compounds, data and information to accelerate drug development.
-- Non-exclusive licensing structure for relevant IP in the neglected diseases field provides flexibility, thus expanding the potential of drug development.
-- Any resulting products will be provided in endemic countries at the lowest sustainable price to expand patient access.

About the London NTD event

The commitments announced by DNDi are a key part of a new, coordinated push by a diverse range of public and private partners to combat 10 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by 2020. Today, 13 pharmaceutical companies, the U.S. and U.K. governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and officials from NTD-endemic countries pledged to bring a unique focus to defeating these diseases and to work together to improve the lives of the billion people worldwide affected by NTDs.

In the largest coordinated effort to date to combat NTDs, the group announced at an event at the Royal College of Physicians that they would: sustain or expand existing drug donation programs to meet demand through 2020; share expertise and compounds to accelerate research and development of new drugs; and provide more than US$785 million to support R&D efforts and strengthen drug distribution and implementation programmes. The partners also signed onto the 'London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases,' in which they pledged new levels of collaboration and tracking and reporting of progress.

New funding commitments will fully support work toward the eradication of Guinea worm, as well as expedite progress toward the 2020 goals of: elimination for lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma, sleeping sickness and leprosy; and control of soil-transmitted helminthes, schistosomiasis, river blindness, Chagas and visceral leishmaniasis.

About Neglected Tropical Diseases

Neglected diseases are a group of tropical infections that disproportionately affect the world's poor and marginalized populations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a billion people or one-sixth of the global population suffer from one or more tropical infectious diseases. The partnership between DNDi and Abbott is focused on finding new treatments to address the following diseases:

-- Chagas disease is endemic in 21 countries across Latin America and kills more people in the region than any other parasite-borne disease, including malaria. In total, 100 million people are at risk worldwide and patient numbers are growing in non-endemic countries such as the United States, Australia, and Europe. The disease is transmitted by an insect known as the "kissing bug" and, without treatment, is potentially fatal. Existing treatments have an unsatisfactory cure rate and can have toxic side effects.
-- Helminth infections include filarial diseases, onchocerciasis (river blindness) and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) caused by parasitic worms, which inflict the heaviest socioeconomic burden of all the neglected tropical diseases and affect millions in poverty-stricken areas. Current treatments for these diseases cannot be used for patients who are infected with a related nematode worm, Loa loa, because of the severe side effects caused by rapid killing of juvenile Loa loa worms. There is an urgent need for a new treatment for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis in Loa loa endemic regions.
-- Leishmaniasis occurs in 98 countries, placing 350 million people at risk worldwide. The parasite that leads to infection is called Leishmania and transmitted by sandflies. Leishmaniasis is a poverty-associated disease with several different forms. Visceral leismaniasis, which is fatal without treatment, and cutaneous leshmaniasis are the most common. Existing treatments are difficult to administer, toxic, and costly. Drug resistance also is an increasing problem.
-- Sleeping sickness, or Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), is endemic in 36 African countries and around 60 million people are at risk of being infected. HAT is transmitted by the tsetse fly and is fatal without treatment. Up until 2009, existing treatments for stage 2 of the disease were toxic or difficult to administer. In 2009, DNDi and its partners launched the first new treatment for HAT in 25 years.

About Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit research and development organization working to deliver new treatments for neglected diseases, in particular sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, specific helminth infections, paediatric HIV, and malaria. DNDi was established in 2003 by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ) from Brazil, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Ministry of Health of Malaysia, and Pasteur Institute of France. The Special Programme for Tropical Disease Research (TDR) serves as a permanent observer. Since its inception, DNDi has delivered six new treatments for neglected patients: two fixed-dose antimalarials (ASAQ and ASMQ), nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) for late-stage sleeping sickness, sodium stibogluconate and paromomycin (SSG&PM) combination therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in Africa, a set of combination therapies for visceral leishmaniasis in Asia, and a paediatric dosage form of benznidazole for Chagas disease. www.dndi.org

About Abbott

Abbott and its philanthropic foundation, the Abbott Fund, are supporting innovative new efforts to advance the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neglected diseases around the world. In 2009, Abbott created an Executive Council for Neglected Diseases to coordinate efforts across the company to contribute innovative technologies, drug compounds and scientific expertise, working in partnership with non-profit organizations, academic research institutions and multilateral agencies. The Abbott Fund also supports programs to advance research and expand community education and outreach on neglected diseases.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT) is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs approximately 91,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.

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The human-to-human transmission of new, highly pathogenic strains of influenza virus poses today a major threat to human health and to the security of global society. With its rapid global spread, the 2009 pandemic (pdm) influenza virus reminded the world of this threat, resulting in an estimated 18,000 deaths worldwide. In Japan, infected patients over the winter season of 2009 accounted for a staggering 16% of the total population.

Tackling the challenge of such global pandemics requires new technology for rapid clinical diagnosis. To answer this need, Toshihisa Ishikawa and colleagues at the RIKEN OSC developed the RT-SmartAmp assay, a technique to rapidly detect the 2009 pdm influenza A(H1N1) virus from patient swab samples. By combining both reverse transcriptase (RT) and isothermal DNA amplification reactions in one step, the RT-SmartAmp assay does away with the need for RNA extraction and PCR reaction. The researchers adapted the RT-SmartAmp technique using a fluorescent primer to specifically detect the 2009 pdm influenza A(H1N1) virus within 40 minutes, without cross-reacting with the seasonal A(H1N1), A(H3N2), or B-type (Victoria) viruses.

The effectiveness of the RT-SmartAmp method was confirmed in clinical research carried out at Japanese hospitals during the period of October 2009 to January 2010, where it outperformed standard diagnosis tests in both speed and sensitivity. Of a total 255 clinical samples, 140 (54.9%) were identified as 2009 pdm A(H1N1)-positive by RT-SmartAmp, compared to only 110 (43.1%) detected by standard diagnostic tests. In 72.8% of all 140 infection-positive cases, the RT-SmartAmp assay detected the presence of the pdm influenza virus within 24 hours of fever onset.

Taken together, these results set a new standard for infection diagnosis speed, providing a highly-effective tool for rapidly detecting sub-types of the H5N1 virus and oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses and promising support in the battle to prevent global pandemic infection.

Reference:

Yuki Kawai, Yasumasa Kimura, Alexander Lezhava, Hajime Kanamori, Kengo Usui, Takeshi Hanami, Takahiro Soma, Jean-Etienne Morlighem, Satomi Saga, Yuri Ishizu, Shintaro Aoki, Ryuta Endo, Atsuko Oguchi-Katayama, Yasushi Kogo, Yasumasa Mitani Takefumi Ishidao, Chiharu Kawakami, Hideshi Kurata, Yumiko Furuya, Takayuki Saito, Norio Okazaki, Masatsugu Chikahira, Eiji Hayashi, Sei-ichi Tsuruoka, Tokumichi Toguchi, Yoshitomo Saito, Toshiaki Ban, Shinyu Izumi, Hideko Uryu, Koichiro Kudo, Yuko Sakai-Tagawa, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Aizan Hirai, Yoshihide Hayashizaki, and Toshihisa Ishikawa. "One-step detection of the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus by the RT-SmartAmp assay and its clinical validation". PLoS ONE, 2012, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030236

About RIKEN

RIKEN is Japan's flagship research institute devoted to basic and applied research. Over 2500 papers by RIKEN researchers are published every year in reputable scientific and technical journals, covering topics ranging across a broad spectrum of disciplines including physics, chemistry, biology, medical science and engineering. RIKEN's advanced research environment and strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration has earned itself an unparalleled reputation for scientific excellence in Japan and around the world.

About the Omics Science Center

Omics is the comprehensive study of molecules in living organisms. The complete sequencing of genomes (the complete set of genes in an organism) has enabled rapid developments in the collection and analysis of various types of comprehensive molecular data such as transcriptomes (the complete set of gene expression data) and proteomes (the complete set of intracellular proteins). Fundamental omics research aims to link these omics data to molecular networks and pathways in order to advance the understanding of biological phenomena as systems at the molecular level.

Here at the RIKEN Omics Science Center, we are developing a versatile analysis system, called the "Life Science Accelerator (LSA)", with the objective of advancing omics research. LSA is a multi-purpose, large-scale analysis system that rapidly analyzes molecular networks. It collects various genome-wide data at high throughput from cells and other biological materials, comprehensively analyzes experimental data, and thereby aims to elucidate the molecular networks of the sample. The term "accelerator" was chosen to emphasize the strong supporting role that this system will play in supporting and accelerating life science research worldwide.

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Main Contact
Stan Starsky
stan ;(at) peaceloveandsnacks.com
(678) 355-8344

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'First of all, being green is not just a trend, it is fast becoming part of our everyday life,' Klein said. 'As many Americans continue to feel the pinch of the recession, rising health insurance rates, medical bills and taxes, more and more people continue to discover that living green is a simpler way of life that will save you money, improve your health, inspire you to consume less, rally you to do  more with less and improve your overall lifestyle.'

Green living is a core value at The Spencer Institute, and Klein predicts the following top three green living trends for 2012:

As people become more educated on what real health and preventative living is, more of them will start or continue to prioritize a truly green and clean lifestyle, which includes food, air, products, commerce and industry.
More organic and healthy food choices will become available in 2012 as consumers demand more chemical and GMO-free foods as well as fewer processed, premade and packaged foods.
The global green economy will continue to grow as more individuals and corporations choose to invest their dollars and energy with socially responsible and environmentally conscious companies.

The Spencer Institute's Green Living Coaching Program, which provides green trends as well as education on the fundamentals of green living, is a 100 percent online and self-paced certification program that can serve as a complement to wellness or life coaching, public health education, nursing and more. The program is available online at http://spencerinstitute.com/green-living-coach-certification/

(more)

About the Spencer Institute
Founded by Dr. John Spencer Ellis, an international leader in wellness coaching, personal development and fitness, The Spencer Institute offers life coaching, holistic education, nutrition coaching, sports psychology and wellness training certification programs delivered in online and distance learning formats that are designed to provide a step-by-step blueprint to success. The programs were developed to help people find the career of their dreams while helping others live better lives. For more information about the Spencer Institute or the Green Living Coaching Program, please visit http://spencerinstitute.com/green-living-coach-certification/

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According to Randy Wall, the company representative, this is a product that can be effectively applied to almost any surface, and 'will work for up to 90 days protecting you, your family, co-workers, or your customers from dangerous germs.'

PureShield Inc. is a provider of several unique and cutting edge product technologies for manufacturers, janitorial, hygiene and biological surface protectors, home and business cleaning supplies, and auto care industries.

'This anti-bacterial laundry detergent,' according to Wall, 'is indeed a better solution for protecting persons who are health-conscious, germa-phobic, green product users, and non-toxic product users from having their clothing being infected with bacteria.'

However, he argued that while there are many anti-bacterial laundry soaps on the market, most provide a very short-lived solution.

'Now, with our newly EPA approved product, it provides longer lasting protection for clothing. And we have proof to back it up by providing further details at anti-bacterial laundry solution website and learn about the unique benefits of this anti-microbial laundry treatment,' said Wall. The website also provides a video that clearly explains how Bio Protect 500 can help people in their homes or business places.

With many people being health conscious these days and looking for alternative products to what is being generally provide on the market, PureShield's Bio-Protect 500 laundry detergent 'offers one the best non-toxic solution to reduce the spread of bacteria and mold.'

For further information, please visit http://bio-protect-500.com.

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Ms. Goyke brings nearly 25 years of experience leading technology and business process organizations to top performance with particular expertise in the contact center environment. Ms. Goyke joins Touchpoint after serving as Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at ICT Group. During her 10 years at ICT, she was responsible for their 180-person global IT delivery organization supporting a leading call center and business process outsourcer. Prior to ICT, Ms. Goyke was Senior Manager at Ernst and Young where she directed client engagements and revenue production for their high growth unit and call center practice. Moreover, she held executive leadership roles at Electronic Data Systems where she led 8 call centers supporting 2,000 employees.

'Pam brings the technical and strategic expertise, along with the business management background of a successful operations executive,' commented Rick Keefer, President and CEO, Publicis Touchpoint Solutions. 'This strong combination of skills and experience will be an important addition to our executive management team and will support our company-wide efforts to enhance our operational efficiencies in all customer focused relations. We're excited for her to join our team.'

Ms. Goyke will report directly to Rick Keefer and be based out of Touchpoint's headquarters in Yardley, PA. 
 
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For business inquiries, please contact Touchpoint Business Development, at (215) 525-9810 or eMail Impact@TouchpointSolutions.com.
 
About Publicis Touchpoint Solutions, Inc.
Publicis Touchpoint Solutions provides a comprehensive array of multichannel message delivery solutions to the life sciences industry. From in field to inside and from promotional to clinical, Publicis Touchpoint Solutions centers-of-excellence include field sales and service, live video detailing, inside credentialed sales specialists, inside sales and service, clinical health educators, and medical science liaisons. A wide range of vital support solutions—each of which serves all of the company's message delivery channels—includes recruiting, training, performance management, operations, data/analytics, and compliance. Publicis Touchpoint Solutions provides the human touch to precision multichannel messaging delivered at the right time and through the right channels to achieve maximum impact. Publicis Touchpoint Solutions is a member of the Publicis Healthcare Communications Group.

Website:          www.TouchpointSolutions.com
Twitter:            http://twitter.com/pTouchpoint
LinkedIn:         http://linkd.in/pTouchpoint    
 
 
About Publicis Healthcare Communications Group
Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG) is the largest health-oriented agency network in the world. A division of Publicis Group, PHCG manages top-tier agencies specializing in promoting innovative solutions in advertising, medical education, sales and marketing, digital, market access, and medical and scientific affairs. PHCG is dedicated to delivering ideas of purpose that compel action, change lives, and amplify business outcomes. With more than 4,000 employees, PHCG manages 14 agency brands through 53 offices located in 11 countries. PHCG's global brands are Saatchi & Saatchi Health, Publicis Life Brands, Digitas Health, Razorfish Health, Publicis Healthware International, Publicis Touchpoint Solutions, and Publics Medical Education Group, as well as strong regional brands.

Web: www.publicishealthcare.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/publicishealthcare
 

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