Day: July 1, 2021

Seattle, July 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AGC Biologics, a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), announced the signing of a purchase agreement for a state-of-the-art Cell and Gene Therapy commercial manufacturing facility in Longmont, Colorado, currently owned by Novartis Gene Therapies. Once the transaction closes, pending final due diligence, the facility will equip AGC Biologics with significant additional capacity and space to continue to expand its end-to-end Cell and Gene Therapy (C&GT) offering, ensuring security of supply for current and future C&GT customers. This facility is only 16 miles from AGC Biologics’ state-of-the-art large-scale stainless steel mammalian facility in Boulder, CO.

This news comes just three months after AGC Biologics announced an expansion at its Center of Excellence for Cell and Gene Therapy in Milan, Italy. AGC has invested heavily in C&GT services since the acquisition and integration of MolMed in 2020, and AGC Biologics is now one of the very few CDMO’s in the world offering end-to-end C&GT services, including plasmid production of all grades.

The Longmont facility adds 622,000 square feet of operations and office space within six buildings on the sprawling 229-acre overall campus, located 40 minutes north of Denver. AGC Biologics aims to hire a significant percentage of the talented staff employed by Novartis at the facility.

“The Longmont facility fits perfectly into AGC’s long-term growth and expansion plans,” says AGC Biologics Chief Executive Officer, Patricio Massera. “This move is driven by our dedication to satisfy the needs of our current and future customers.”

“Adding this facility into our global network will be one more step towards our vision of being able to offer our partners, whatever they need it, wherever they need it,” says AGC Biologics Chief Business Officer, Mark Womack.“

About AGC Biologics:

AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to deliver the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, every step of the way. We provide world-class development and manufacture of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), viral vectors, and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with cGMP-compliant facilities in Seattle, Washington; Boulder, Colorado; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba, Japan and we currently employ more than 1,800 employees worldwide. Our commitment to continuous innovation fosters the technical creativity to solve our clients’ most complex challenges, including specialization in fast-track projects and rare diseases. AGC Biologics is the partner of choice. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com.

Attachment

• dronegenuity-Longmont-CO-017-1

Matteo Pellegrino
AGC Biologics
mpellegrino@agcbio.com

July 01, 2021

• FDA 510k-cleared real-time 3D intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter has potential to improve standard of care for structural heart disease and electrophysiology procedures
• Reduced need for general anesthesia accelerates workflows, increases efficiency, and broadens treatment options

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the first minimally-invasive heart procedure using its new real-time 3D intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter. The Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LAAO) procedure was carried out by Mohamad Adnan Alkhouli, M.D., at Mayo Clinic (Minnesota, U.S.). Used together with Philips Premium Cardiology Ultrasound System (EPIQ CVx), the real-time 3D Philips Intracardiac Echocardiography Catheter – VeriSight Pro – offers superior 2D and 3D live image guidance for a wide range of procedures in structural heart disease and electrophysiology, allowing interventionalists to navigate procedures with ease, provide superior care, and optimize cath lab performance.

Live ultrasound imaging during structural heart disease and electrophysiology procedures typically relies on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) imaging, in which an ultrasound probe is passed down the patient’s throat and into their esophagus, until it lies next to the heart. TEE requires the patient to be sedated or given general anesthesia, lengthening preparation, procedure, and recovery times and carrying a degree of risk. Philips’ ICE catheter VeriSight Pro uses the same ultrasound technology, miniaturized to fit on the tip of a 1.98mm diameter (9 French) catheter so that it can be navigated to the patient’s heart via their vasculature – the same route used to introduce other catheters during minimally-invasive cardiac surgery. General anesthesia is typically not required, reducing patient risk, and opening up procedures to patients who are not good anesthesia candidates.

“Securing the best-possible live images enables interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists to boost procedure confidence and deliver optimum outcomes for more patients,” said Chris Landon, Senior Vice President and General Manager Image Guided Therapy Devices at Philips. “The exceptional 2D and 3D imaging capabilities of Philips Intracardiac Echocardiology Catheter – VeriSight Pro – make it a superb choice for image guidance in interventional procedures, reducing reliance on general anesthesia and the logistical hurdles that go with it.”

For interventional cardiologists, VeriSight Pro delivers a good alternative high quality 3D live image to TEE, including 3D Volume and Color Flow imaging. Based on Philips’ innovative xMATRIX 3D ultrasound transducer technology, Verisight Pro can provide a 90 by 90 degree 3D field of view as well as allowing physicians to view two scan planes simultaneously – for example, the long and short axes of the left atrial appendage (LAA) to select the appropriately sized device for LAA closure. VeriSight Pro provides superior 2D ICE imaging, as well as the ability to access new views more easily. Interventionalists can digitally change the scan angle to capture views without manually repositioning the ultrasound tip, a unique feature of this ICE catheter.

Philips Intracardiac Echocardiology Catheter – VeriSight Pro – is designed to be used with Philips Premium Cardiology Ultrasound System (EPIQ CVx). Philips offers integrated solutions for the treatment of Structural Heart Disease, combining interventional X-ray, 3D ultrasound and related interventional tools that are designed to enable confident navigation and positioning of devices to optimize outcomes while reducing procedure time.

Philips Intracardiac Echocardiology Catheter – VeriSight Pro – is available on a limited basis in the U.S.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Groves
Philips Global Press Office
Tel.: +31 631 639 916
E-mail: mark.groves@philips.com

Fabienne van der Feer
Philips Image Guided Therapy
Tel: + 31 622 698 001
E-mail: fabienne.van.der.feer@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Attachments

• Real-time 3D Philips Intracardiac Echocardiography Catheter – Verisight Pro
• Philips Intracardiac Echocardiography Catheter – Verisight Pro – product only
• Philips Intracardiac Echocardiography Catheter – Verisight Pro – product in hand

Tampa, Florida, June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cancer informatics and digital pathology provider Inspirata announced today a multi-year extension of its close partnership with one of the world’s leading cancer registries, the Victorian Cancer Registry (VCR) in Australia. The multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract extension will bring Inspirata’s E-Path Plus to Cancer Council Victoria’s network of 265 health services and 26 laboratories to support VCR’s ground-breaking accomplishments in shortening the time it takes to turn around cancer data and improving the accuracy of the data abstracted from cancer reports.

An important part of the Cancer Council Victoria, the Victorian Cancer Registry documents all instances of reportable cancer originating within the Australian state of Victoria, using this data to inform cancer policy development and monitor policy impact on cancer incidence, survival and mortality, and to release data for research purposes. Inspirata’s E-Path suite, already deployed in over 400 cancer centers and laboratories globally, draws on proprietary Natural Language Processing (NLP) and other clinically optimized AI to instantly interpret the text of diagnostic reports, identify reportable cases, and route them directly to the relevant cancer registry.

“Over the past five years, the engagement between Inspirata and the Victorian Cancer Registry has evolved from a good relationship based on initial success with the E-Path pilot to a true partnership with a clearly defined set of mutual goals and deliverables,” said Satish Sanan, CEO of Inspirata.

Inspirata previously ran a pilot for its cancer reporting automation solution, E-Path, in two Victorian laboratories with the intention of improving the cancer reporting process. This pilot demonstrated considerable improvements in accuracy and completeness and a substantial reduction in the burden of cancer reporting for pathology laboratories using E-Path.

“With approximately 94% of all pathology notifications in Victoria currently being captured by E-Path, and plans to increase this even further over the next few years, we’re thrilled to bring the overarching benefits of E-Path Plus to our network,” said Professor Sue Evans, Director of the Victorian Cancer Registry. “The partnership between Inspirata and VCR signifies a joint commitment to continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of cancer reporting in Victoria.”

About the Victorian Cancer Registry

The Victorian Cancer Registry, funded by the Victorian Department of Health keeps a record of people with cancer in Victoria. We analyse data, conduct and support research, and provide a service to Victoria’s Family Cancer Centres. Under the legislation Improving Cancer Outcomes Act 2014, it is mandatory for health services and pathology laboratories in Victoria to report to us all cancer diagnoses. On receiving the cancer information, we collate the data by person and tumour streams ensuring information is up-to-date and complete. This information is used to understand how cancer is distributed and has changed over time in Victoria.

Currently, in addition to receiving notifications from health services and pathology providers, we also receive cancer notifications from cancer screening registers and other jurisdictional population-based registries. The VCR routinely links with several other databases and registries such as the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, the National Death Index and government databases to ensure the data is best used to assist researchers and policy developers.

About Inspirata

Inspirata, Inc. helps patients fighting cancer—and the clinicians they trust—to make every moment matter. Our comprehensive cancer informatics solutions bring disparate data together throughout the entire cancer care journey to drive informed decisions that improve survivorship.

Inspirata has assembled the most advanced and proven technologies to address the complex challenges of delivering cancer care and conducting ground-breaking research. We combine leading digital pathology solutions with automated cancer registry solutions, comprehensive cancer informatics and advanced patient engagement tools to bring users the broadest oncology informatics platform available globally. To learn more, visit www.inspirata.com.

Victorian Cancer Registry Contact:

Fiona Kennett
Manager, Cancer Information
fiona.kennett@cancervic.org.au

Inspirata Contact:

Emil Mladenov
Vice President of Corporate and Digital Marketing
emladenov@inspirata.com
+1-813-467-7616

Emil Mladenov
Inspirata, Inc.
+1-813-467-7616
emladenov@inspirata.com

PRAIA, Cape Verde, June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a decision on interim measures dated June 8, the United Nations Human Rights Committee called on Cape Verde to “refrain from extraditing Mr. Alex Saab to the United States of America” and to “take all necessary measures to ensure access to appropriate health care […] by independent and specialized physicians of his choice”. This decision ordering interim measures is the first urgent step resulting from the registration of a complaint filed by Alex Saab before United Nations Human Rights Committee.

In an interview on June 29, 2021, the Cape Verdean Prosecutor General, Mr Jose Luis Landim, makes a frontal attack on the United Nations, claiming that the UN Human Rights Committee does not have the competence to impose the suspension of the extradition of Alex Saab from Cape Verde to the United States of America.

Such a position is alarming and is a legal, strategic and ethical mistake.

First, this position is completely wrong in law. We would like to remind Mr Landim that Cape Verde has chosen to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights since August 6, 1993 and the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights since May 19, 2000. It must therefore comply with its international obligations in good faith and fully respect the decisions of the expert body responsible for interpreting the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Human Rights Committee. Saying that the Committee does not have the power to request the suspension of an extradition that may expose someone to risks of irreparable harms and of violations of the right to life and right of physical integrity, is an unforgivable legal error totally incompatible with the rule of law.

Second, such a position is a frontal attack on the United Nations and the human rights that are at the heart of the values that the Organization defends. It sends a clear message to the world that Cape Verde can exercise its sovereignty to violate human rights while ignoring the norms of international human rights law to which it has subscribed and ignoring international decisions. In doing so, Cape Verde, after defying the ECOWAS Court of Justice which ordered it to release the arbitrarily detained Alex Saab, after violating Alex Saab’s diplomatic immunity as a Special Envoy and an Ambassador to the African Union, is taking a hostile stance towards the United Nations and placing itself on the outside of the international community.

Third, such a position is a mistake in terms of fundamental ethical values. By requesting the suspension of Alex Saab’s extradition pending the examination of the merits of the case, the Human Rights Committee was inviting Cape Verde to show humanity and common sense by considering that the extradition would be detrimental to the physical integrity and life of Alex Saab. The Committee did not take a political position, but a purely humanitarian one.

MEDIA Contact:
Sara Flounders
International Action Center
Https://www.iacenter.org
E-mail: iacenter@iacenter.org
Tel: +1 212-633-6646

New York, June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Open Society Foundations will invest more than $100 million over the next five years in strengthening a range of feminist-led movements and increasing their leadership across a broad range of sectors, from politics and the private sector to civil society and government.

The majority of the funding will help strengthen feminist organizations and funds around the world. Open Society is focused on growing transformative feminist political leadership through explicit investments in initiatives that support more women, transgender, and gender non-conforming people in positions of leadership in politics and governance. This includes support for expanding progressive multilateralism and feminist leadership in peace and security.

The investments will also boost efforts to ensure that women, girls, transgender, and gender non-conforming communities can make their own decisions about issues affecting their bodies and reproductive health care.

“Increased feminist leadership in all areas of public life is needed to ensure we build inclusive, peaceful, and open societies. That is why we are proud to announce a $100 million commitment to help expand such opportunities,” said Mark Malloch-Brown, president of the Open Society Foundations. “Philanthropy sits in a unique position to create a basis for women and girls to take on leadership responsibilities and mobilize their communities for progressive political change.”

Open Society will invest across several gender justice initiatives, including:

• Developing and sustaining transformative feminist leaders in politics and governance, with a focus on leaders of minority identities
• Strengthening feminist movements globally, particularly to combat rising authoritarianism
• Strengthening feminist leadership in peace and security, with a priority on women under threat of political conflict, such as in Afghanistan
• Improving access, rights, resources, and agency to make decisions about bodies and reproductive health care
• Advancing economic justice and rights for women across the board by supporting their rights as workers and providers of care
• Reshaping digital platforms to stop the targeted harassment of feminist activism online

Open Society announced the funding at the Generation Equality Forum in Paris. The forum is a global gathering for gender equality convened by U.N. Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, in partnership with youth and civil society. Open Society serves as the lead philanthropic actor of the Action Coalition on Feminist Movements and Leadership, which aims to strengthen women’s rights, voices, and agency across the globe.

“From the challenges brought by COVID-19 to women and girls in the United States, to the changing peace and security circumstances in several countries, to the new opportunities in Chile and Argentina, and the new generation of emerging leaders in the African continent—we are experiencing unprecedented developments around the world,” said Kavita N. Ramdas, director of the Open Society Women’s Rights Program. “Open Society’s groundbreaking $100 million investment in feminist organizing and leadership will help ensure that more women, girls, transgender, and gender non-conforming people are able to fully engage and participate in the decision-making that affects their lives—from their homes and schools, to their workplaces and communities, to shaping constitutions and governments.”

Office of Communications
Open Society Foundations 
(212)-548-0668
media@opensocietyfoundations.org