Month: March 2023

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2023 Digital Therapeutics Alliance Inaugural Summit: DTx Industry Leaders Gather to Transform Global Healthcare

Held at the Washington D.C. Marriott at Metro Center June 7 – 9, 2023.The 3-day Summit programming will be facilitated by leaders from all facets of the DTx industry, including policymakers, manufacturers, payors, and other experts to guide innovation and equity in healthcare.

Arlington, VA, March 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) is hosting its Inaugural Summit on June 7-9, 2023 at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center. Leaders from all facets of the digital therapeutics (DTx) ecosystem, including policymakers, clinicians, and payors, will join DTA members to discuss the challenges and opportunities of DTx integration into the healthcare system and identify optimized policy, reimbursement, and regulatory pathways to accelerate adoption.

The 3-day Summit programming will be facilitated by Andy Molnar, Chief Executive Officer of DTA, and feature keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions that cover the advancement of DTx, the impact of healthcare policy, reimbursement and regulatory pathways, clinical evidence requirements, and patient access optimization.

DTA’s Chief Executive Officer, Andy Molnar states: “We are here to transform healthcare and deliver a new category of medicine to patients to improve their lives. The 2023 DTA Inaugural Summit brings together the leaders in healthcare innovation that are making these monumental changes. We are building viable frameworks with partners from Capitol Hill, the investment ecosystem, clinicians, health plans, patients, and caregivers.”

DTx products use evidence-based, clinically evaluated technologies to optimize clinical and health economic outcomes, deliver high quality therapies to underserved populations, and transform how patients understand, manage, and engage in their healthcare.

Leading into the Summit, US-focused DTA members and staff will convene in Washington D.C. to meet with congressional members and other influential parties to advocate for the Access to Prescription Digital Therapeutics Act (S. 723 and H.R. 1458).This bill seeks to create a new benefit category for digital therapeutics and ensure permanent coverage and reimbursement of DTx products by Medicare and Medicaid.

Everett Crosland, DTA board member and Chief Commercial Officer for Cognito Therapeutics, commented, “Given the rapidly evolving reimbursement environment, DTA’s 2023 Inaugural Summit offers the DTx industry an unprecedented opportunity to engage and advocate on the issues that matter most to our companies, patients, providers, and payor partners. I’m excited to speak about the emerging frameworks that are shaping our future.”

Event details and registration: 2023 DTA Inaugural Summit 

About DTA:

The Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) is a global non-profit trade association of industry leaders and stakeholders with the mission of broadening the understanding, adoption, and integration of digital therapeutics into healthcare. DTA works to enable expanded access to high quality, evidence-based digital therapeutics for patients, clinicians, and payors to improve clinical and health economic outcomes. To learn more, please visit: www.dtxalliance.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

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Autumn Brennan
Digital Therapeutics Alliance
608-304-8000
abrennan@dtxalliance.org

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8799236

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Foundation advocates pyscho-social support for caregivers of children with autism

Ms Rafatu Salami, the Executive Director, Okenite Foundation for Special Needs Children, has called on government to expand inclusive health care services for women and people caring for children with disabilities.

Salami made the call at the Voices for Women’s Health high level meeting organised by the She Forum Africa in collaboration with Pathfinder International and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, on Thursday in Abuja.

She advised the incoming administration to focus on improving women’s health.

” Often neglected or perhaps not even recognised is the fact that those who have special needs children have dire need for social support as they go through unimaginable stress levels that could hinder their ability to provide proper care for the child.

“We have seen women going into complete mental breakdown, depression and totally lacking any will power to live because the task of caring for the child with disability could be overwhelming.

” So as we provide care for people with disabilities, let’s also provide the needed psychological care for the caregivers who in most cases are women,” she appealed.

Also, a panelist, Helen Beyioku-Alase, the President, Deaf Women Aloud initiative, said inspite of all legislations in the country, the health of women with disabilities was still not prioritised and health care provision was yet to be inclusive.

The Co-convener of the meeting, Ms Inimfok Etuk, explained that the event was convened to set agenda for the incoming administration.

” It is time to mobilize multi sectoral efforts to shape new priorities that would enhance quality, supportive and effective decision-making as they affect women’s health.” (NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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Foreign Policy: Humility achieves better result than bullying – Onyeama

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says humility can achieve better results in diplomacy when applied to the implementation of Nigeria’s foreign policy.

Onyeama stated that this postulation goes contrary to the ideology presented by some scholars who prefer Nigeria to “throw its weight around”.

The minister expressed this thought on Thursday in Abuja during the launch of the book, ‘Humility in Diplomacy’ authored by the Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bello Kazaure.

According to him, humility does not connote weakness but rather shows the strength of the country.

He lauded Kazaure for the book title which he described as a departure from the everyday perception of so many.

“I really like the tittle which is humility in diplomacy and I think this is very important for a country like Nigeria.

“Very often, over the past seven years, we hear scholars and others in international relations and foreign affairs writing about what the ministry should and should not be doing, as well as what the diplomats should and should not be doing.

“They expect us as a big country to be banging the tables hard and throwing our weigh around.

“Humility in diplomacy is very apt, especially in the context of a lot of what is happening globally. Yes, you might be big, but ultimately, humility is very important.

“And humility does not denote weakness, rather strength, and especially in the context of diplomacy where you are trying to achieve your own national interest.

“You very often find that humility can actually help you to be more successful and achieve those interests rather than throwing your weight around, being a bully and being extravagantly proud.

“So, I think it is a very apt tittle and it also represents the individual.

“It is an excellent read and also an important tool for generations to come and history.

“And it is testament to a very important period in the life of not just the author and the country but also where the world is at this particular period of time and to development during this period,” Onyeama said.

Also speaking, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari said it was a kown fact that diplomacy had helped to create an international order conducive for non-violent approach to the resolution of disputes.

Gambari, who was represented by Amb. Janet Olisa, Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, added that diplomacy has also fostered greater cooperation among state and non-state actors for sustainable peace and security.

“There is gainsaying that public diplomacy encourages people-to-people contact across borders or boundaries which the author is vastly conversant with,” Gambari said.

Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado–Bayero, described the book as a hallmark in the history of foreign affairs.

“I have read two books and I find it very rich in content and detailed in presentation which I believe will provide some good lessons to foreign officers.

“It will also be a reference book to students and researchers of international studies,” Ado Bayero said.

Kazaure expressed appreciation to all the dignitaries for their commendation, said that he was inspired by his experiences and the need to contribute to the development and improvement of the Nigerian Foreign Service..

“When I joined foreign service, I noticed it is a profession that connects the world and I am opportune to move around. I travelled all over the world.

“In the course of my work, I noticed that humility is key to succeeding if you want to become a diplomat and so I came up with the idea of putting my experiences both at home and abroad in a book.

“This is to enable me pass the message to the younger ones and those interested in becoming diplomats,” Kazaure said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also in attendance were the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami; Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu; and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Musa Bello; amongst others. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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AfricaFertilizer holds data validation workshop for Nigerians

AfricaFertilizer.Org (AFO) has organised a fertiliser technical working group workshop for stakeholders in the fertiliser sector to discuss and validate Nigeria’s 2022 fertiliser statistics.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day workshop ended on Thursday in Lagos.

NAN also reports that AfricaFertilizer is an initiative of the International Fertiliser Development Center (IFDC), established to promote data-driven decisions for African food systems, by providing high-quality, reliable, credible, and timely fertiliser statistics and information in over 20 sub-Sahara African countries.

Mr Sebastian Nduva, AFO Programme Manager, told NAN that the purpose of the workshop at the national level was to garner relevant data to boost the growth of the fertiliser industry.

“The purpose of organising the technical group at the national level is basically to bring together all the stakeholders in the fertiliser value chain to lend credibility to the data and statistics we provide out there.

“So, we have the private sector and the government, research institutions and customs, among others to validate national statistics in terms of fertiliser consumption.

“We also make rudimentary demand projections for the subsequent planting seasons,” Nduva told NAN.

He added the meeting would enable players in the industry to resolve underlying and hindering issues affecting the distribution of fertilisers in the country.

“As a key output of this meeting, we have validated statistics for the country and as well get to resolve issues that are underlying and hindering the distribution of fertilisers.

“At this workshop, we take the validation exercise very critically and any data that is not agreed upon by the stakeholders, we go a step further and work with them on a one-on-one basis to make sure that whatever is put out there is accurate.

“This workshop is key in the fertiliser industry not only in Nigeria but in all of Africa,” he said.

On his part, Mr Sale Adamu, a Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), said the workshop was important in driving the policies and decisions of the ministry.

“We are grateful to the IFDC for this workshop. It is a workshop where we take validated production data of the fertiliser sector.

“The data provided at the workshop will help to make the work of FMARD easier as the registrar of all fertiliser blending companies locally.

“The workshop enables us to have more information that we did not have previously from the various stakeholders that are invited to come and present what they have.

“It assists us to work better and when we have issues the data enables us to map out solutions to them,” Adamu said.

Also speaking, Mr Moses Negedu, a data analyst at the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria, stressed the need for relevant data to drive the sector’s growth.

“This workshop is going to have a very positive impact because once we can validate data, then we can now know where we are in the fertiliser industry and where we should be.

“Now we know our apparent consumption of fertilisers locally and we see all the gaps that are in the sector, and we now know how to tackle them.

“We have a lot of government agencies here that can take the feedback of this meeting to the government and it affects the policies that will come and affect the industry, as a whole,” Negedu said.

Commending the organisers of the workshop, Mr Innocent Okuku, the Executive Secretary, West African Fertiliser Association (WAFA), said relevant data would drive the growth of the sector.

“WAFA’s intention is to get the private sector to work together to support the improvement in the fertiliser industry in West Africa.

“When you compare West Africa and indeed the whole of sub-Saharan Africa with the rest of the world, we are lagging far behind in fertiliser use which is the major reason why we are not able to feed ourselves and we depend on import for a number of food items that we require.

“So, increasing the use of fertilisers will lead to increase yield and ultimately help us feed ourselves the more and be less dependent on imported food.

“WAFA works with the IFDC and other partners across each of the countries in West Africa to look at the data of production, export, consumption and other things related to fertiliser to assess the progress we are making to get greater output for agriculture.

“This data allows us to see where we are and based on that take decisions about how we can progress in the journey to make sure we are able to feed ourselves,” Okuku said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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Nigerians’ll smile with Tinubu as President – Rep

A member of the House of Representatives (APC-Sokoto), Mr Ibrahim Al-Mustapha says all Nigerians will smile with the emergence of Sen. Bola Tinubu as the new President of Nigeria.

“Glad tidings are therefore beckoning on Nigerians with Tinubu as successor to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“By the special grace of God, everybody will smile and Nigerians will not regret voting for him and his Deputy, Sen. Kashim Shettima,” Al-Mustapha said.

The lawmaker, who represents Rabah and Wurno Federal Constituency told newsmen in Sokoto on Friday that Tinubu had mastered the art of governance.

He recalled that the President-elect was able to achieve a very good economic balance in. Lagos State as its two-term Governor.

Al-Mustapha said: “Lagos is a mini Nigeria. It is the fifth largest economy in Africa that boasts of seventy countries.

“He was also able to hugely transform the internally generated revenue system in the state, hence was able to achieve myriad of development.”

He said that Tinubu would take deliberate steps to reduce the current the deficits status of the nation’s economy.

This, according to him, will shore up the overall revenue generation in Nigeria, adding, “this means more money for development.”

Al-Mustapha further said that Tinubu would overhaul the entire Nigerian systems including the civil service, education, agriculture and health, among others.

On insecurity, the lawmaker said:”This requires multidimensional approaches comprising kinetic and non kinetic issues.

“The root causes of the various security challenges must be identified and measures taken to redress them.

“The involvement of the various the traditional rulers is required like it was done during the Native Authorities.”

Al-Mustpha also said that a new Sokoto State was being heralded with the emergence of Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu of the APC as the Governor-elect and his Deputy, Alhaji Idris Gobir.

“It is a reincarnation of the government of the former Governor of the state, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko who held sway between 2007 and 2015.

“There was colossal development in all the sectors of the economy of the state ranging from agriculture, education, economy, Science and Technology, health , water resources and housing, among others,”he added.

Al-Mustpha also recalled that the defunct Wamakko’s administration initiated various policies and programnes that reduced the poverty level in the state.

He said: “So, I strongly believe that Ahmed Aliyu’s administration will build on the modest achievements of Wamakko’s government.

“There will be a lot of modifications and this will signal a new Sokoto state in tune with extant global trends.”(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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Centre, FCDO inaugurate digital community to boost inclusive growth, digital economy

The Policy Innovation Centre (PIC) of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has inaugurated a Digital Economy Community of Practice (DECoP) to drive inclusive growth and sustainable development in Nigeria digital ecosystem.

The event held in Abuja, Thursday, is in partnership with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to identify and boost the capacity of key digital players, and engender inclusive public-private sector collaboration.

Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, said the 2020-2030 National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy was built on eight implementing pillars.

Pantami said the pillars were geared towards expanding the scope of the digital economy and make it more flexible to accommodate the needs of all citizens.

“ This is just an effort to ensure total inclusion, we are trying to cascade digital economy to reach our states.

“ When it comes to digital skills, we have so many initiatives including skills for women, persons with disability including our children,” he said.

Mr Laoye Jaiyeola, Chief Executive Officer, NESG, said the growth achieved by the digital economy offered great opportunities however; it posed the risk of exclusion especially for women and girls who were mostly affected.

“ Access to and use of digital devices and services are neither universal nor equitable with women and girls disproportionately affected, leaving the most vulnerable digitally excluded.

“ The absence of a robust collaboration framework between the regulatory agencies, the private sector and development partners is an area within the digital sector that requires attention,” he said.

Also, Mr Jonathan Bacon, Political Director, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and United Kingdom, said Nigeria’s digital economy had the potential to benefit all citizen, stressing the need to ensure inclusivity.

“We have been trying to support digital inclusion.

“And, I would like to particularly recognise the efforts of Nigerian government in deepening digital inclusion through various policies and one good example of these is the gender digital inclusion framework,” he said.

Dr Osasuyi Dirisu, Executive Director, PIC, emphasised the need to bridge digital divide through cross-sectoral collaborations amongst digital stakeholders.

Dirisu said the collaboration would support an enabling environment for innovation, digital inclusion and expansion of the digital economy in critical sectors.

She said: “At the PIC, we prioritise inclusivity and diversity, hence our partnership with the FCDO to implement this project.

“Without focused collaboration amongst stakeholders, the unintended consequences of digital economy growth will be the widening of existing income gaps, exacerbation of inequalities and deepening poverty.

“We firmly believe the DECoP will support an enabling environment for innovation, digital inclusion and expansion of the digital economy in critical sectors.”

Ms. Maryam Gwadabe, member, DECoP, said the community would provide platforms to encourage the inclusivity of women in the Nigeria digital economy.

“Having me there will have a representation of women. We will actually engage and share our Knowledge, experience, and expertise on how to involve women to become digitally inclusive,” she said.

The DECoP is to be implemented in five pilot states to identify and accommodate digital initiatives at the sub-national level and identify, boost the capacity of key digital players.

They are expected to engender inclusive public-private sector collaboration to enable digital growth and capabilities especially for underserved groups at the sub-national levels. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

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