Latest news with #Glaxo
Times
17-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Sir Colin Corness obituary: industrialist who went on to lead Glaxo
Sir Colin Corness took his perks seriously. When he became chairman of Glaxo (now GSK), he took a chauffeur-driven car to the company's Berkeley Square head office even though he lived only a few minutes' walk away. On £200,000 a year for two days a week in the 1990s, he was then one of Britain's highest-paid non-executive directors. 'We believe it is a fair salary for a man of Sir Colin's experience,' said a Glaxo spokesman. It was nearly double what Corness was paid latterly as chairman of Redland, the brick and tile-making firm he had joined 30 years earlier. Promoted to the board in 1977, he helped to turn it into one of the most successful companies in the European construction industry. 'I would just like to think I have continued with a very good recipe and made the most of it,' he said in 1991. 'Profits were £5 million a year when I joined. Last year they were nearly £250 million. Germany is booming and that is why we have recently been the UK's best-performing construction company. More than 80 per cent of our profits come from outside Britain, and we are the envy of the industry. There have been numerous competitors, of course, but we have always stayed ahead of those who have copied us.' Redland was founded after the First World War in Reigate, Surrey, to employ ex-servicemen making tiles from sand and cement instead of the traditional clay. That 1920s generation was still in control in the 1960s but Corness realised they would soon be bowing out, so it was 'the chance of a lifetime'. Within five years of his arrival they had all retired. The year before he joined the company a German, Rudolf Brass, turned up with a plan to introduce the tiles to West Germany, which was in the midst of postwar rebuilding. A joint venture followed, and when he took the reins Corness enthusiastically built more factories throughout Germany and eastern Europe. 'That was the secret of our success above all else,' he said. His undoing was a deal too far; a 1992 hostile takeover bid for Steetley, which also made bricks and tiles. 'We are bigger and we are rather more skilful at tax management than they are,' Corness said. But he underestimated the resourcefulness of Steetley's chairman, David Donne (obituary June 3, 2011). When they argued over who had the more bricks, Donne sent a helicopter to photograph the Redland brickyards. He squeezed the price up to £615 million, which stretched Redland so far that Corness stepped down and the firm was broken up a few years later. A barrister who never practised, Corness made a strong case against companies giving money to political parties, something he stopped at Glaxo as soon as he arrived. 'I disagreed with the practice of political donations,' he explained. 'After all, there had never been a poll taken as to what shareholders, employees or customers thought about such contributions.' Colin Ross Corness was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, in 1931, son of Thomas Corness and Mary (née Lovelace). Thomas owned a distillery that made George IV whisky and was taken over by Distillers Company, now part of Diageo. Colin had a brother, Ian, who became a sales executive. They were evacuated to the West Country during the Second World War. Growing up in Cheshire, as a Scout, Colin visited Alstonefield in the Peak District, regarded as one of Staffordshire's most attractive villages. He decided to live there when he retired. He attended Uppingham school and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read law. Having been denied a tank regiment, he did National Service as a lieutenant in the Royal Scots Dragoons cavalry. Corness entered the Inner Temple and was called to the Bar. He later obtained an MBA at Harvard Business School. He was engaged to be married but, his nephew Simon says, he remained single to prioritise his career. He was the first Cambridge graduate to join the Taylor Woodrow building group, at £500 a year. On his first day his boss told him: 'Before you start, as far as I'm concerned you don't know nothing.' Corness said: 'He was quite right, of course, so I immediately set out to remedy this.' He impressed the chairman, Frank (later Lord) Taylor, sufficiently for him to be made managing director of the construction arm aged only 30. But when he was poached by Redland four years later, Taylor was so angry he initially threatened that his firm would never again buy from Redland. 'It proved an empty threat,' said Corness, 'but it was many years before Frank would talk to me.' After he left Redland, he was welcomed back on to the Taylor Woodrow board. In the 1980s he was appointed to the court of the Bank of England and became a director of the SG Warburg merchant bank, National Westminster, the steel and aluminium firm Unitech, Courtaulds and WH Smith. He was chairman of Nationwide Anglia, the building society. Corness was also on the National Economic Development Committee for the building industry, the Industrial Development Advisory Board, the British-American Chamber of Commerce, the National Council of Building Materials Products and the Institute of Roofing. He was active in a number of charities. As chairman of Magdalene's campaign committee, his significant role in construction of the new library was recognised by having the top-floor reading room named after him. He was knighted for services to the construction industry in 1986. When he retired, he fulfilled his childhood desire to return to Alstonefield. 'I looked at many properties,' he said, 'but knew immediately that Stoneleigh, a Grade II listed Georgian property, was right for me. Its proportions were well suited to my needs and my collection of antiques.' He furnished Stoneleigh with a Georgian mahogany campaign secretaire, an 18th-century chest of drawers and a George III mahogany serpentine chest of drawers. Works of art included painted decoy ducks, a silver chamberstick, a 19th-century oak linen press, a vintage crocodile skin attaché case, a boot rack and a brass ship's gimbal desk lamp. The walls were decorated with an Edgar Hunt farmyard painting, a 19th-century Highland landscape oil painting and a John Speed map of Rutland. He eventually sold the property to live in London, where he enjoyed travel, music and tennis. Gerald Corbett, the former Railtrack chief executive who was a colleague on the Redland board, said: 'Colin set exacting standards of behaviour. Although he was quite old-fashioned, dry sherry before lunch and all the rest of it, with him your word was your bond.' Sir Colin Corness, industrialist, was born on October 9, 1931. He died on June 25, 2025 aged 93
Scoop
08-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Despite Being Preventable And Curable Cervical Cancer Remains 4th Biggest Cancer In Women
Prophylactic vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) – which is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and which causes cervical cancer – and screening, and treatment of pre-cancer lesions are very cost-effective strategies … Cervical cancer (cancer of the cervix) is preventable and curable, only if it is detected early and managed effectively. Yet it is the 4th most common cancer among women worldwide, with the disease occurring in 660,000 women and claiming the lives of 350,000 women in 2022 worldwide, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). China, India, and Indonesia had the highest number of cervical cancer cases in 2022. Moreover 42% of cervical cancer cases and 39% of deaths associated with it worldwide, took place in China and India- 23% cases and 16% deaths in China, and 19% cases and 23% deaths in India. India reported over 123,000 new cases of cervical cancer and around 77,000 deaths – highest number of deaths worldwide in 2022. Cervical cancer disproportionately affects younger women, and as a result, 20% of children who lose their mother to cancer do so due to cervical cancer, says WHO. As cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be eliminated, the WHO Director General had called upon the governments in 2018 to eliminate it. All governments globally committed to do so by 2030 (by endorsing the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 at the World Health Assembly 2020). But despite some progress, the world is way off the mark from the elimination goal in 2025. Where cervical cancer burden is greatest, access to lifesaving services is most broken Cervical cancer reflects the global inequities between the Global North and the Global South: The highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality are in low- and middle-income countries. In fact, 94% of the cervical cancer deaths in 2022 took place in these countries where access to health services is appalling. This reflects major health inequities which are driven by lack of access to vaccination, cervical cancer screening and treatment services. Prophylactic vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) – which is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and which causes cervical cancer – and screening, and treatment of pre-cancer lesions are very cost-effective strategies to prevent cervical cancer. WHO's call to deliver on #HealthForAll dates to the 1970s, but even now gaping health inequities and injustices plague the health systems – especially in the Global South. Vaccines against HPV have existed since almost 20 years now. No surprise for guessing that both Cervarix (made by Glaxo) and Gardasil (made by Merck) were made in the rich nations – and their rollout in the Global South has been far from ideal. In 2022, India-based Serum Institute in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology of the government of India developed India's first indigenously produced HPV vaccine called Cervavac. So, now there is a vaccine developed in the Global South too. But its rollout is far from ideal as of now. It is still not a part of India's public health programme, for instance. Same inequities block access to HPV screening in the Global South 'Almost all cervical cancers (~95%) are caused by persistent HPV infection. Women living with HIV are 6 times more likely to develop cervical cancer compared to the general population, and an estimated 5% of all cervical cancer cases are attributable to HIV,' said Dr Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva, former head of Indian government's national TB and HIV programmes. Dr Sachdeva was speaking at the National Dialogue and stakeholder meet organised by National Coalition of People living with HIV in India (NCPI Plus) bringing together over 100 community leaders from almost all states of India. Dr Sachdeva currently leads Molbio Diagnostics as President and Chief Medical Officer. He was speaking ahead of 10th Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC 2025), Japan; 2nd Asia Pacific Conference on Point of Care Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases (POC 2025), Thailand; and 13th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025), Rwanda. Cervical cancer screening efforts in most settings of the Global South have long been hampered by reliance on outdated methods like pap smears and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) test, both of which suffer from poor sensitivity, high subjectivity, and dependence on specialised infrastructure. Advanced molecular HPV tests developed by the Global North, while highly accurate than pap smear and VIA, remain inaccessible for most women living in peripheral, rural, and resource-limited settings, especially of the Global South. India's first point-of-care HPV test that can be deployed at point-of-need in the Global South In April 2025, India's first ever indigenously developed RT-PCR molecular test for HPV on Truenat (called HPV-HR Plus) got an independent multi-centric validation done by Government of India's Department of Biotechnology, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and Grand Challenges India. Truenat HPV-HR Plus test is made by Molbio Diagnostics in India. This independent validation of Truenat HPV-HR Plus was conducted under the study 'Validating Indigenous Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening in India.' The study involved leading Indian government's research institutes, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, ICMR National Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) Noida, and ICMR National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH) Mumbai, in collaboration with WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There are over 200 genotypes of HPV but those that put the infected person at risk of developing cervical cancer are few. Truenat HPV-HR Plus molecular test enables detection for 8 HPV high-risk genotypes – which account for over 96% cervical cancer cases worldwide. These HPV high-risk genotypes include 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52 and 58. Out of these, 16 and 18 high-risk genotypes dominate globally as 77% of invasive cervical cancer cases are associated with them. These high-risk genotypes can also cause cancer of the anus, penis, vagina, vulva, and oropharynx (throat). Raising cervical cancer awareness and health literacy among people with HIV As women living with HIV are 6 times more at risk of cervical cancer, communities and networks of people with HIV must come forward to find ways to integrate cervical cancer screening as well as for other cancers (such as breast cancer) programmatically and in people-centred manner, said Daxa Patel, co-founder of National Coalition of People living with HIV in India (NCPI Plus) and its former President. Agrees Pooja Mishra, Secretary of NCPI Plus that it is unacceptable when cervical cancer, which is preventable and curable – and the only cancer which can be eliminated – still kills 350,000 women worldwide. We also need to raise awareness, health and treatment literacy among the young people, said Mishra. That is why NCPI Plus took leadership in organising a national dialogue and stakeholder consultation on preventing cancers among people with HIV, especially women. Truenat HPV-HR Plus test is critical for closing the screening gap, particularly for asymptomatic women and women who are at higher risk for persistent HPV infection. By shifting HPV screening closer to the most-at-risk people and communities, this test ensures early detection, better triaging, and timely treatment – especially in historically underserved populations. Over 10,000 Truenat RT-PCR molecular test machines are already deployed globally in over 85 countries (mostly for TB), and mostly in the Global South nations in remote settings. Truenat is a battery operated (with solar power charging), laboratory independent, de-centralised and point-of-care test that provides highly accurate diagnosis for over 30 diseases (including TB, HPV, HCV, HBV, STIs, COVID-19, etc) within an hour – thus enabling same day test and treat, counselling and follow-up. Superiority of Truenat HPV-HR Plus test Older Pap smear test detects precancerous or cancerous cervical cancer cells whereas Truenat HPV-HR Plus test detects the presence of high-risk HPV DNA (8 genotypes). Pap smear is a cytological screening test and depends on the observing medical expert's skill and slide quality, whereas Truenat is a PCR-based nuclear acid amplification test with very high sensitivity and specificity. False negative reports are higher and false positive reports are also moderate when pap smear is used whereas both are low with Truenat HPV-HR Plus. The most recent validation of Truenat HPV-HR Plus showed 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity. Truenat HPV-HR is designed to work with cervical swab samples collected by a clinician (self-collection of samples is still under evaluation), and it gives highly accurate results in just 60 minutes. Whereas, a pap smear results may take 3-7 days as these are laboratory dependent. Easy to use and with high stability at room temperature, Truenat HPV-HR Plus requires minimal biosafety and is optimised for use at both the laboratory and near-patient settings. This test overcomes shortcomings of current diagnostic methods, including variable sensitivity and specificity, high costs, complex workflows, and dependence on advanced equipment, said Dr Sachdeva. Highlighting the importance of developing health technologies in the Global South, Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India said, 'Truenat HPV-HR Plus represents the kind of diagnostic innovation we need – dependable, scientifically rigorous, locally developed, and built to serve our public health system. It is a huge step forward in strengthening cervical cancer screening across India.' 'HPV infection is common. However, persistence of HPV infection could be deadly. Studies show that nearly half of persistent HPV infections do not resolve by 24 months. These silent carriers drive the progression to high-grade pre-cancerous lesions and cancer. That's why extended HPV genotype detection is crucial,' shared Dr Sachdeva. HPV also causes oropharyngeal cancers Oropharyngeal cancers related to HPV vary from 28% to 68% in the richer nations. Indian studies also show alarming numbers though, more research is needed for science-informed responses towards eliminating HPV related cancers in our population, said Dr Ishwar Gilada, President Emeritus of AIDS Society of India (ASI) and Governing Council member of International AIDS Society (IAS). 'While there is increasing evidence of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer in both men and women globally, there still remain gaps in gender-neutral HPV vaccination policies globally,' said Dr Sachdeva. Community leaders like Manoj Pardeshi, who is among the co-founders and inspiring lights of NCPI Plus, said that regardless of gender, all those eligible and at risk of HPV related cancers, must be vaccinated against HPV. Programme addressing cervical cancer elimination should expand to eliminate all HPV related cancers in people-centred ways, regardless of gender. HPV is transmitted through: – Sexual contact: Transmission mode is through vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person. – Skin-to-skin contact: Transmitted through non-penetrative sexual activities involving skin-to-skin contact. The WHO Guidelines recommend HPV detection via molecular test after age of 30 (and every 5 years thereafter). Vaccination against HPV is highly recommended for younger people under the age of 15 or before the initiation of sexual activity. Do not leave equity behind 'Truenat HPV-HR Plus test is about equity in detection. By expanding beyond traditional targets, we reach the genotypes that matter more in our populations for cervical cancer elimination. This means earlier intervention, fewer missed cases, and better outcomes,' said Dr Sachdeva. Truenat HPV-HR Plus offers the best of both worlds – critical genotype coverage and real-world deploy-ability. What does it mean to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030? To eliminate cervical cancer, all countries must reach and maintain an incidence rate of below 4 per 100,000 women. Achieving that goal rests on three key pillars and their corresponding targets: vaccination: 90% of all eligible young people must be fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15. screening: 70% of women should be screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45; treatment: 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed. No other cancer but cervical cancer is fully preventable and curable if detected and managed early. Even one death from it is a death too many. Shobha Shukla – CNS (Citizen News Service) (Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA received AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award 2024). She also coordinates SHE & Rights initiative (Sexual health with equity & rights). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here
Scoop
07-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Despite Being Preventable And Curable Cervical Cancer Remains 4th Biggest Cancer In Women
Cervical cancer (cancer of the cervix) is preventable and curable, only if it is detected early and managed effectively. Yet it is the 4th most common cancer among women worldwide, with the disease occurring in 660,000 women and claiming the lives of 350,000 women in 2022 worldwide, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). China, India, and Indonesia had the highest number of cervical cancer cases in 2022. Moreover 42% of cervical cancer cases and 39% of deaths associated with it worldwide, took place in China and India- 23% cases and 16% deaths in China, and 19% cases and 23% deaths in India. India reported over 123,000 new cases of cervical cancer and around 77,000 deaths – highest number of deaths worldwide in 2022. Cervical cancer disproportionately affects younger women, and as a result, 20% of children who lose their mother to cancer do so due to cervical cancer, says WHO. As cervical cancer is the only cancer that can be eliminated, the WHO Director General had called upon the governments in 2018 to eliminate it. All governments globally committed to do so by 2030 (by endorsing the global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 at the World Health Assembly 2020). But despite some progress, the world is way off the mark from the elimination goal in 2025. Where cervical cancer burden is greatest, access to lifesaving services is most broken Cervical cancer reflects the global inequities between the Global North and the Global South: The highest rates of cervical cancer incidence and mortality are in low- and middle-income countries. In fact, 94% of the cervical cancer deaths in 2022 took place in these countries where access to health services is appalling. This reflects major health inequities which are driven by lack of access to vaccination, cervical cancer screening and treatment services. Prophylactic vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) - which is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections and which causes cervical cancer - and screening, and treatment of pre-cancer lesions are very cost-effective strategies to prevent cervical cancer. WHO's call to deliver on #HealthForAll dates to the 1970s, but even now gaping health inequities and injustices plague the health systems – especially in the Global South. Vaccines against HPV have existed since almost 20 years now. No surprise for guessing that both Cervarix (made by Glaxo) and Gardasil (made by Merck) were made in the rich nations – and their rollout in the Global South has been far from ideal. In 2022, India-based Serum Institute in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology of the government of India developed India's first indigenously produced HPV vaccine called Cervavac. So, now there is a vaccine developed in the Global South too. But its rollout is far from ideal as of now. It is still not a part of India's public health programme, for instance. Same inequities block access to HPV screening in the Global South "Almost all cervical cancers (~95%) are caused by persistent HPV infection. Women living with HIV are 6 times more likely to develop cervical cancer compared to the general population, and an estimated 5% of all cervical cancer cases are attributable to HIV,' said Dr Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva, former head of Indian government's national TB and HIV programmes. Dr Sachdeva was speaking at the National Dialogue and stakeholder meet organised by National Coalition of People living with HIV in India (NCPI Plus) bringing together over 100 community leaders from almost all states of India. Dr Sachdeva currently leads Molbio Diagnostics as President and Chief Medical Officer. He was speaking ahead of 10th Asia-Pacific AIDS & Co-Infections Conference (APACC 2025), Japan; 2nd Asia Pacific Conference on Point of Care Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases (POC 2025), Thailand; and 13th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025), Rwanda. Cervical cancer screening efforts in most settings of the Global South have long been hampered by reliance on outdated methods like pap smears and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) test, both of which suffer from poor sensitivity, high subjectivity, and dependence on specialised infrastructure. Advanced molecular HPV tests developed by the Global North, while highly accurate than pap smear and VIA, remain inaccessible for most women living in peripheral, rural, and resource-limited settings, especially of the Global South. India's first point-of-care HPV test that can be deployed at point-of-need in the Global South In April 2025, India's first ever indigenously developed RT-PCR molecular test for HPV on Truenat (called HPV-HR Plus) got an independent multi-centric validation done by Government of India's Department of Biotechnology, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and Grand Challenges India. Truenat HPV-HR Plus test is made by Molbio Diagnostics in India. This independent validation of Truenat HPV-HR Plus was conducted under the study 'Validating Indigenous Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening in India.' The study involved leading Indian government's research institutes, including All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, ICMR National Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) Noida, and ICMR National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH) Mumbai, in collaboration with WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There are over 200 genotypes of HPV but those that put the infected person at risk of developing cervical cancer are few. Truenat HPV-HR Plus molecular test enables detection for 8 HPV high-risk genotypes – which account for over 96% cervical cancer cases worldwide. These HPV high-risk genotypes include 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52 and 58. Out of these, 16 and 18 high-risk genotypes dominate globally as 77% of invasive cervical cancer cases are associated with them. These high-risk genotypes can also cause cancer of the anus, penis, vagina, vulva, and oropharynx (throat). Raising cervical cancer awareness and health literacy among people with HIV As women living with HIV are 6 times more at risk of cervical cancer, communities and networks of people with HIV must come forward to find ways to integrate cervical cancer screening as well as for other cancers (such as breast cancer) programmatically and in people-centred manner, said Daxa Patel, co-founder of National Coalition of People living with HIV in India (NCPI Plus) and its former President. Agrees Pooja Mishra, Secretary of NCPI Plus that it is unacceptable when cervical cancer, which is preventable and curable - and the only cancer which can be eliminated - still kills 350,000 women worldwide. We also need to raise awareness, health and treatment literacy among the young people, said Mishra. That is why NCPI Plus took leadership in organising a national dialogue and stakeholder consultation on preventing cancers among people with HIV, especially women. Truenat HPV-HR Plus test is critical for closing the screening gap, particularly for asymptomatic women and women who are at higher risk for persistent HPV infection. By shifting HPV screening closer to the most-at-risk people and communities, this test ensures early detection, better triaging, and timely treatment - especially in historically underserved populations. Over 10,000 Truenat RT-PCR molecular test machines are already deployed globally in over 85 countries (mostly for TB), and mostly in the Global South nations in remote settings. Truenat is a battery operated (with solar power charging), laboratory independent, de-centralised and point-of-care test that provides highly accurate diagnosis for over 30 diseases (including TB, HPV, HCV, HBV, STIs, COVID-19, etc) within an hour – thus enabling same day test and treat, counselling and follow-up. Superiority of Truenat HPV-HR Plus test Older Pap smear test detects precancerous or cancerous cervical cancer cells whereas Truenat HPV-HR Plus test detects the presence of high-risk HPV DNA (8 genotypes). Pap smear is a cytological screening test and depends on the observing medical expert's skill and slide quality, whereas Truenat is a PCR-based nuclear acid amplification test with very high sensitivity and specificity. False negative reports are higher and false positive reports are also moderate when pap smear is used whereas both are low with Truenat HPV-HR Plus. The most recent validation of Truenat HPV-HR Plus showed 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity. Truenat HPV-HR is designed to work with cervical swab samples collected by a clinician (self-collection of samples is still under evaluation), and it gives highly accurate results in just 60 minutes. Whereas, a pap smear results may take 3-7 days as these are laboratory dependent. Easy to use and with high stability at room temperature, Truenat HPV-HR Plus requires minimal biosafety and is optimised for use at both the laboratory and near-patient settings. This test overcomes shortcomings of current diagnostic methods, including variable sensitivity and specificity, high costs, complex workflows, and dependence on advanced equipment, said Dr Sachdeva. Highlighting the importance of developing health technologies in the Global South, Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India said, 'Truenat HPV-HR Plus represents the kind of diagnostic innovation we need - dependable, scientifically rigorous, locally developed, and built to serve our public health system. It is a huge step forward in strengthening cervical cancer screening across India.' "HPV infection is common. However, persistence of HPV infection could be deadly. Studies show that nearly half of persistent HPV infections do not resolve by 24 months. These silent carriers drive the progression to high-grade pre-cancerous lesions and cancer. That's why extended HPV genotype detection is crucial," shared Dr Sachdeva. HPV also causes oropharyngeal cancers Oropharyngeal cancers related to HPV vary from 28% to 68% in the richer nations. Indian studies also show alarming numbers though, more research is needed for science-informed responses towards eliminating HPV related cancers in our population, said Dr Ishwar Gilada, President Emeritus of AIDS Society of India (ASI) and Governing Council member of International AIDS Society (IAS). 'While there is increasing evidence of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer in both men and women globally, there still remain gaps in gender-neutral HPV vaccination policies globally,' said Dr Sachdeva. Community leaders like Manoj Pardeshi, who is among the co-founders and inspiring lights of NCPI Plus, said that regardless of gender, all those eligible and at risk of HPV related cancers, must be vaccinated against HPV. Programme addressing cervical cancer elimination should expand to eliminate all HPV related cancers in people-centred ways, regardless of gender. HPV is transmitted through: - Sexual contact: Transmission mode is through vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person. - Skin-to-skin contact: Transmitted through non-penetrative sexual activities involving skin-to-skin contact. The WHO Guidelines recommend HPV detection via molecular test after age of 30 (and every 5 years thereafter). Vaccination against HPV is highly recommended for younger people under the age of 15 or before the initiation of sexual activity. Do not leave equity behind 'Truenat HPV-HR Plus test is about equity in detection. By expanding beyond traditional targets, we reach the genotypes that matter more in our populations for cervical cancer elimination. This means earlier intervention, fewer missed cases, and better outcomes,' said Dr Sachdeva. Truenat HPV-HR Plus offers the best of both worlds - critical genotype coverage and real-world deploy-ability. What does it mean to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030? To eliminate cervical cancer, all countries must reach and maintain an incidence rate of below 4 per 100,000 women. Achieving that goal rests on three key pillars and their corresponding targets: vaccination: 90% of all eligible young people must be fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by the age of 15. screening: 70% of women should be screened using a high-performance test by the age of 35, and again by the age of 45; treatment: 90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed. No other cancer but cervical cancer is fully preventable and curable if detected and managed early. Even one death from it is a death too many. Shobha Shukla – CNS (Citizen News Service) (Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA received AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award 2024). She also coordinates SHE & Rights initiative (Sexual health with equity & rights). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here
Express Tribune
27-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Deregulation boosts pharma profits by 210% YoY
Given that Covid-19 has pushed renewed focus on health, the demand for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has never been stronger. PHOTO: FILE Listen to article Owing to deregulated prices, Pakistan's pharmaceutical sector witnessed a remarkable surge in profitability, posting a 210% year-on-year (YoY) increase to Rs13.5 billion in the calendar year 2024, according to data compiled by Arif Habib Limited (AHL). The sector's net revenue increased by 21.1% YoY, reaching Rs196.8 billion, with leading contributions from AGP (+33.8% YoY), Glaxo (+23.2% YoY), and Abbott (+22.9% YoY), according to data gathered by AHL. "This 210% (or 3.1 times) YoY growth was driven by higher sales volumes and price adjustments following deregulation of drug prices," AHL analyst Menka Kirpalani told The Express Tribune. Gross profits also saw a significant increase of 64.9% YoY, reaching Rs68.6 billion, supported by better pricing strategies, currency stability, and lower active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) costs. Companies such as Glaxo (+339.2% YoY), Abbott (+67% YoY), and AGP (+44.4% YoY) played a key role in this expansion. The overall gross margin for the sector improved to 34.9%, with Hinoon (51.4%) and AGP (47.8%) leading the way. Net margins also increased to 6.9%, reflecting improved operational efficiency. The demand-side impact was negligible. Demand for pharmaceuticals and medicines naturally increases as the population grows, said Kirpalani. However, the main issue for the pharmaceutical sector was that their prices were regulated. Essential medicines were subject to a price cap linked to 70% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and non-essential medicines to 100% of CPI, meaning companies could only increase prices up to that limit. In February 2024, the government deregulated prices for the non-essential segment, allowing companies to adjust prices based on their own cost structures and profitability needs. As a result, gross margins improved, and volumes also increased. Previously, some products had stalled sales due to low marginsfor instance, Panadol was temporarily unavailable because companies were unable to maintain profitability under regulated pricing. With deregulation, both margins and sales have now increased, benefiting the industry. Despite the positive performance, finance costs grew by 4.7% YoY to Rs4.7 billion, mainly due to higher interest rates. Additionally, other income dropped by 44.4% YoY, impacting companies like Glaxo (-50.8% YoY) and Abbott (-51.6% YoY). Among individual companies, Glaxo reported a profit of Rs6.5 billion (+12.2 times YoY) with an EPS of Rs20.52, while Abbott recorded Rs5.2 billion (+20 times YoY) with an EPS of Rs53.46. Hinoon posted Rs3.2 billion in profit (+35.4% YoY) with an EPS of Rs61.41, and AGP reported Rs2.08 billion (+75.1% YoY) with an EPS of Rs7.44. However, Searl suffered a loss of Rs3.6 billion, facing operational challenges. Several companies, including Glaxo, Abbott, and Hinoon, announced dividends of Rs10, Rs10, and Rs40 per share, respectively, rewarding shareholders for the strong financial results.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GSK (GSK) Tops Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
GSK (GSK) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.59 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.53 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.72 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 11.32%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this drug developer would post earnings of $1.16 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.27, delivering a surprise of 9.48%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times. Glaxo , which belongs to the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, posted revenues of $10.4 billion for the quarter ended December 2024, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.04%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $10 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Glaxo shares have added about 3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 2.7%. While Glaxo has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Glaxo: unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.11 on $9.67 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $4.07 on $40.5 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Medical - Biomedical and Genetics is currently in the top 30% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc. (RNAC), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2024. This company is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.78 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +67.5%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $0.5 million, down 94% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (GSK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc. (RNAC) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on click here. Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
