November 29, 2021

UnionPay International partners with M2M to drive digital transformation in Africa

CASABLANCA, Morocco, Nov. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — UnionPay International (UPI) and M2M jointly announced a partnership to accelerate digital financial transformation in Africa, creating new frontiers by leveraging two entities’ strong core capabilities and footprints.

This partnership sets an ambitious product roadmap that allows M2M to provide innovative and customer-centric payment solutions to support issuers, acquirers, fintechs, processors and aggregators across more than 40 countries worldwide.

“Becoming UPI’s certified Third Party Service Provider (TPSP) is a major milestone underscoring our drive to be a one-stop shop and a service payment platform that truly offer clients solutions covering the entire value chain of payments including issuing, acquiring and processing of expanding UPI’s transactions worldwide”, said Mr Rachid SAIHI, CEO of M2M Group. “Thanks to this partnership, M2M Group will be among the first payments actors in Africa to provide end to end processing solutions for UPI’s transactions”.

“We are delighted to collaborate with M2M to facilitate the digital financial transformation in Africa”, said Mr Luping Zhang, General Manager of Africa Branch, UnionPay International. ” UnionPay International continues to offer high quality, cost-effective, innovative payment services through shared growth in the region and contribute value towards the global payment ecosystem”.

At the forefront of the digital era, M2M Group leverages more than 30 years of worldwide innovation and expertise. M2M Group is a leading software company that provides multichannel electronic payments and eGov solutions and services that enable convenience and trust for anyone, anywhere, anytime, and any device. M2M Group’s solutions address a wide range of applications accelerating digital convergence, enhancing user experience and boosting business agility and profitability. M2M Group is listed on Casablanca’s Stock Exchange.

With over 160 million UnionPay cards issued outside of mainland China, UnionPay has expanded its acceptance network to 180 countries and regions in recent years. At present, UnionPay cards are widely accepted in Africa across all sectors, effectively meeting the diverse purchasing needs of UnionPay cardholders visiting and living on the continent. Over 10 African countries have issued UnionPay cards, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa, eSwatini, Madagascar and Mauritius. The Nilson Report (Issue 1154) shows that UnionPay ranks first among all card schemes in card issuance and transaction volume. UnionPay has launched various innovative payment products in Africa in response to the worldwide digital transformation and financial inclusion.

November 29, 2021

Adagio Therapeutics Reports That None of the Mutations Present in SARS-CoV-2 Variant, Omicron, Are Associated with Escape from ADG20 Neutralization In Vitro

Additional in vitro studies to determine neutralization activity of ADG20 against Omicron are ongoing

ADG20 EUA submissions planned for prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in mid-2022

Inventory build continues in anticipation of EUA in second half of 2022, with 4 million doses available for distribution over the next two years

WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Adagio Therapeutics, Inc., (Nasdaq: ADGI) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential, today provided information related to the potential of its lead SARS-CoV-2 antibody, ADG20, to address the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant, and other known variants of concern. ADG20 is an investigational monoclonal antibody (mAb) product candidate designed to provide broad and potent neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2, including variants of concern, for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 with potential duration of protection for up to one year in a single injection.

“The continued global scale of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased levels of immune pressure on the virus, which is driving the emergence of variants containing mutations associated with escape from common classes of neutralizing antibodies induced by natural infection or vaccination. Unlike most antibodies currently available under EUA, ADG20 has been shown to target an epitope that is highly conserved among clade I sarbecoviruses and that is not readily targeted by the endogenous neutralizing antibody response,” said Laura Walker, Ph.D., co-founder and chief scientific officer of Adagio. “Due to the highly conserved and immunorecessive nature of the epitope recognized by ADG20, we expect that ADG20 will retain activity against Omicron, as we have observed in in vitro models with all other variants of concern identified previously. Further, none of the mutations present in the spike protein of the Omicron variant have been associated with escape from ADG20 neutralization. ADG20 was engineered for potent and broadly neutralizing activity in anticipation of both the rapid antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of future SARS-like viruses with pandemic potential.”

“ADG20 was uniquely designed to combine breadth, potency and duration of protection against SARS-CoV-2 for up to one year in a single injection. We did this anticipating that SARS-CoV-2 would continue to evolve and potentially render some early therapies and vaccines obsolete,” said Tillman Gerngross, Ph.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Adagio. “Our global clinical trials are advancing with potential EUA submissions in mid-2022 for both prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We continue to engage with the FDA and other regulatory bodies and governmental agencies to discuss potential acceleration of development plans and the need for a portfolio of therapeutic solutions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Given the significant potential health crisis resulting from the emergence of Omicron, Adagio is undertaking a number of activities to support ADG20’s utility in addressing this newly emerged variant of concern, including:

Conducting in vitro studies to evaluate the expected binding and neutralizing activity of ADG20 against Omicron. Initial data from these studies is anticipated by the end of the year; and
Recruiting patients in Adagio’s Phase 2/3 COVID-19 treatment trial, known as STAMP, across several clinical sites in South Africa (along with ongoing clinical trial efforts globally) in an effort to generate clinical data for ADG20 against infections due to the Omicron variant.

Based on the data being generated, Adagio plans to engage with health authorities and government agencies to accelerate development and supply of ADG20 to combat SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern.

ADG20 and Variants of Concern
The neutralizing antibody response induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination is dominated by three classes of receptor binding domain (RBD)-directed antibodies (Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3), which often share common escape mutations. The newly emerged Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant identified in South Africa contains mutations associated with resistance to a large proportion of these commonly elicited antibodies, which may be due to immune pressure on these antigenic sites. Data for most antibodies available under EUA or in late-stage clinical development show they target one of these three dominant antigenic regions within the RBD.

In vitro studies have shown that ADG20 binds to a highly conserved epitope within the RBD that is not targeted by any of the common classes of neutralizing antibodies induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. Thus, unlike many other clinical-stage antibodies, which were isolated from COVID-19 patients and recognize epitopes that are also targeted by endogenous neutralizing antibodies, there is limited immune pressure on the ADG20 binding site. The ADG20 epitope has remained conserved in 99.99% of the nearly 4 million full length SARS-CoV-2 viral sequences deposited in the GISAID database as of October 15, 2021, and, as shown in in vitro studies, ADG20 retains activity against prior variants of concern including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma. For the Omicron variant, none of the mutations present in the spike protein are associated with escape from ADG20 neutralization. Based on published epitope mapping and structural studies, Adagio anticipates that ADG20 will retain neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant whereas other mAb products may lose substantial activity against this variant.

Previously disclosed in vitro data demonstrated retained neutralizing activity of ADG20 against a diverse panel of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the recently emerged Lambda, Mu and Delta plus variants. Notably, findings from these in vitro studies showed that ADG20 demonstrated potent neutralizing activity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern tested, including those with reduced susceptibility to mAb products currently available under EUA or in late-stage development.

About ADG20
ADG20, an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses, is advancing through global clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. ADG20 was designed and engineered to possess high potency and broad neutralization activity against SARS-CoV-2 and additional clade 1 sarbecoviruses by targeting a highly conserved epitope in the receptor binding domain. ADG20 was further engineered to provide an extended half-life for durable protection. ADG20 has demonstrated potent neutralizing activity against the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma, other SARS-CoV-2 variants to date, and additional SARS-like viruses in preclinical studies. ADG20 is administered in clinical trials by a single intramuscular injection. To date, ADG20 has been well-tolerated in a Phase 1 trial with no safety signals identified through a minimum of three months follow-up across all cohorts. ADG20 has not been approved for use in any country, and safety and efficacy have not yet been established.

About Adagio Therapeutics
Adagio (Nasdaq: ADGI) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibody-based solutions for infectious diseases with pandemic potential, including COVID-19 and influenza. The company’s portfolio of antibodies has been optimized using Adimab’s industry-leading antibody engineering capabilities and is designed to provide patients and clinicians with the potential for a powerful combination of potency, breadth, durable protection (via half-life extension), manufacturability and affordability. Adagio’s portfolio of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies includes multiple non-competing, broadly neutralizing antibodies with distinct binding epitopes, led by ADG20. Adagio has secured manufacturing capacity for the production of ADG20 with third-party contract manufacturers to support the completion of clinical trials and initial commercial launch, ensuring the potential for broad accessibility to people around the world. For more information, please visit www.adagiotx.com.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “projects,” and “future” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning, among other things, the timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials of ADG20, including the timing of our planned EUA submissions, initiation, modification and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available and our research and development programs; the expected neutralizing activity of ADG20 against the Omicron variant; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for, our product candidates; our ability to identify patients, including in specific populations, with the diseases treated by our product candidates and to enroll these patients in our clinical trials; our expectations regarding the scope of any approved indication for ADG20; and the risk/benefit profile of our product candidates to patients; our manufacturing capabilities and strategy, including plans for doses available in the near future; and our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, clinical trials and financial position, unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during preclinical studies or clinical trials, clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that are lower than expected, changes in expected or existing competition, changes in the regulatory environment, and the uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process. Other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Adagio’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 and in Adagio’s future reports to be filed with the SEC, including Adagio’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. Such risks may be amplified by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Adagio undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

Contacts:
Media Contact:
Dan Budwick, 1AB
Dan@1abmedia.com

Investor Contact:
Monique Allaire, THRUST Strategic Communications
monique@thrustsc.com

November 29, 2021

Logistics of COVID Vaccine Donations to Africa Must Improve, Say Distribution Coordinators

The organizations coordinating the distribution of donated COVID-19 vaccines in Africa said Monday that the quality of the donations “needs to improve.”

The African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and COVAX said in a joint statement, “The majority of the donations to-date have been ad hoc, provided with little notice and short shelf lives,” making it “extremely challenging for countries to plan vaccination campaigns and increase absorptive capacity.”

COVAX is the U.N.-backed global initiative to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

“This trend must change,” the groups said, if the donated shots are to become “a sustainable source of supply that can complement supply from AVAT and COVAX purchase agreements.”

The groups are asking donors to adhere to several standards regarding vaccine donations beginning on January 1, 2022. The considerations include: making donations in large quantities to reduce transaction costs; ensuring that the doses have at least a 10-week shelf life upon arrival in the recipient country; and informing those countries of the availability of the shots no fewer than four weeks before their arrival.

The organizing groups are also asking donors to “provide rapid response on essential information.” They said, “last minute information can further complicate processes, increasing transaction costs, reducing available shelf life and increasing risk of expiry.”

Another request for the donated doses is that they are accompanied by the “necessary vaccination supplies,” including syringes, and paid freight expenses.

According to the Reuters news agency, Africa is currently reporting one million new COVID-19 infections about every 94 days and has reported more than 8,719,000 cases since the pandemic began.

The remarks come amid concern about the spread of Omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Omicron is the fifth WHO-designated variant of concern. It was first detected in recent weeks in South Africa, which has seen an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases. Effective today (Monday, Nov. 29), the United States will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other African countries.

Source: Voice of America

November 29, 2021

South Africa’s ‘Little People’ Urge Better Accessibility

From navigating shopping centers to government offices, South Africa’s “little people” say public spaces aren’t designed to be accessible for them. One advocacy group in Johannesburg is calling for better support to help them live independently.

“Different,” “abnormal” and “very small.”

Those are just some of the words Olivia Radebe — who was born with a condition that restricted her growth — says have been used to describe her.

The 27-year-old writer says her late grandmother encouraged her to persevere with her studies and with living independently — and she has. But Radebe says she still faces practical challenges navigating life in Johannesburg.

“You cannot ask help and not pay someone, you know. … Because I’m not on a permanent job and also the money that I get from the government is not enough to sustain me to that certain level whether I can afford to pay everyone and anyone, like it’s a bit of a challenge. So, in other words, I have to beg someone to help me,” Radebe said.

There are hundreds of causes for restricted growth — the most common being achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism that results in short arms and legs. Radebe was never diagnosed as a child.

Now, she says it would be too costly to go to a private specialist to find out. Radebe says she sometimes wonders what her underlying health issue is.

“Because at a later stage, I might be having other complications. … So, if I was diagnosed earlier, maybe I would have known that, okay, fine, in 10 years’ time, I should expect this, I should live like this. There are certain things that I need to avoid in order for me to [have] a long life,” Radebe said.

Specialized health care isn’t evenly available across the country. Parents have to look to big cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg to find the best resources for their children who show signs of restricted growth.

Rachelle Petersen, a member of Little People South Africa, has a son with achondroplasia.

“Our hospitals in areas, like impoverished areas, where there’s a day hospital. So, a parent will go and take the child but the nurses, the doctors are not aware of the condition that the child has,” Petersen said.

Raising awareness about people with dwarfism is one of the main reasons why Piet Nel established the non-profit Short Statured Persons South Africa.

“We can share ideas and come together and also that the public can know what we are about,” Nel said.

The 57-year-old says he has struggled with accessibility and discrimination throughout his life. Nel says the organization gives people like him more power to advocate for themselves and their unique needs.

“That’s why they say, ‘Nothing about us without us.’ You can’t do for us; we must talk for ourselves. Like I say, we must stand together and fight for our rights,” Nel said.

And the country, he added, is starting to listen. Nel’s group met with South Africa’s social development minister to discuss their health and reproductive needs that go unaddressed. He hopes it will be the first step toward bringing more support within their reach.

Source: Voice of America

November 29, 2021

Officials in Uganda Dismiss Report Country Could ‘Lose’ Airport to China

Ugandan officials are rejecting reports that China could take control of the country’s only international airport because of a failure to honor a loan agreement. China’s embassy in Uganda also dismissed the report. But analysts note the loan deal could become a problem if Uganda ever has trouble paying it back.

Local media reports had indicated that Uganda risked losing its only international airport to China over a $200 million loan to expand the facility.

According to documents shared with local media, China rejected Uganda’s request to re-negotiate some clauses in the 2015 loan deal.

This included a clause that required Uganda’s civil aviation authority to set up an escrow account to hold all of its revenues. Under the clause, the revenues in this account cannot be spent by the aviation authority without approval from Beijing.

Vianney Luggya, the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson, told VOA that the Ugandan government has no intention of defaulting on loan repayments to China.

“It is not true that Uganda is going to lose Entebbe International Airport in any way whatsoever. This is not the first time that this allegation is coming up. Uganda is not about to default in honoring the loan obligation. We are still within a grace period of seven years and during that period we have been paying interest,” said Luggya.

The loan agreement also gives China’s Export-Import Bank oversight over monthly operating budgets for the airport.The bank is also authorized to inspect both the Aviation Authority and Ugandan government books of accounts, which some see as eroding the sovereignty of the state.

When VOA contacted the Chinese Embassy in Uganda, they said they were not in position to comment and referred VOA to a statement they issued Sunday.

In the statement, the embassy said the loan agreement between China Exim Bank and Uganda was signed voluntarily through dialogue and negotiation on equal footing without any hidden terms or political conditions attached.

They said China-Uganda economic and trade cooperation and financing in the field of large-scale infrastructure follows the principle of equality and mutual benefit and has been conducted in accordance with the laws and rules of the international market and strictly abided by the laws of the host country.

Economic analyst Fred Muhumza explains that technically, any loan received from an EXIM Bank is not treated as a loan but as an export, thus making it difficult to renegotiate.

Muhumuza said it is time for the government and its lawyers to re-examine how it handles its agreements with donors.

“These loans are reviewed by solicitor general’s office, who are the lawyers. It also indicates, in case of arbitration, we go to China. We are really at the mercy of China. They have an upper hand on this,” he said.

Uganda currently owes China $1.6 billion in loans extended to the East African country for financing of major infrastructure development projects.

In a 2018 report, Uganda’s auditor general raised concern that Uganda had agreed to several stringent conditions in the loans and these had not only increased the cost of borrowing but also exposed Uganda’s sovereignty to risk.

Source: Voice of America

November 29, 2021

South Africa Evades Lockdown as President Pushes Vaccinations

Despite the rise of coronavirus cases in South Africa where the new omicron variant was detected, stricter lockdown measures are not being imposed. The country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa instead told those who remain unvaccinated that it’s time to roll up a sleeve.

South Africans were relieved to begin their week like any other Monday.

Tensions were high all weekend as the public awaited the government’s response to the omicron variant.

But President Cyril Ramaphosa told the nation last night that while coronavirus cases are on the rise, current measures of mask-wearing and a midnight curfew would suffice.

At a café in Johannesburg, head barista Allen Mhlophe said it was welcome news.

“I’m happy because we can be able to serve our community and, you know, keep the economy running and growing,” said Mhlophe.

Ramaphosa said while the world learned to live with the virus, vaccinations were key to keeping the country open.

About 41 percent of adults in South Africa have been vaccinated, according to government data.

Ramaphosa said it’s time for the remainder of people to get their shots.

“We still have too many people were expressing doubt and who are resisting to be vaccinated…. Vaccination is by far the most important way to protect yourself and those around you against the Omicron variant to reduce the impact of the fourth wave and to help restore the social freedoms we all yearn for,” he said.

The president also warned the government is exploring policies around making vaccines mandatory to access certain services or venues.

Barista Allen Mphole said that would be hard on businesses to police and could cause social divisions.

“You find that there’s those small quarrels whereby these other people who do not believe in vaccine but there are other people who do believe in it. So, it kind of causes a tension between not only the customers in the people who serve them, but within themselves as well,” said Mphole.

The omicron variant triggered widespread travel bans to southern Africa by Britain, the United States, European Union and other nations.

Ramaphosa named countries in his address late Sunday, saying their decisions were not based on science and unfairly punishing the economies of poorer nations.

Political scientist at the University of the Free State, Ina Gouws, said it was a strong message to the West.

But whether it changes restrictions remains to be seen.

“We already had the first reports from one of our medical experts that it doesn’t seem that this variant is particularly dangerous or resisting to the vaccine. So, I think maybe they will listen to that aspect of the approach rather than the political message that you are discriminating against Africa,” said Gouws.

Travel bans have also been imposed within the continent, with Mauritius, Rwanda and Kenya restricting flights.

Gouws said African nations should rather stand together and lobby for the return of flights to Europe and other nations.

“There’s an argument to make for African leaders to have a more coherent approach to this. More African leaders who speak up and consolidate these efforts, in my opinion, not just this one,” said Gouws.

The World Health Organization has called travel bans ineffective and said countries should instead require testing to prevent the spread of the virus.

Britian has said flights to South Africa will resume this week, although a 10-day hotel quarantine will be mandatory for arrivals.

Source: Voice of America