Day: September 7, 2022

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Zenas BioPharma nomme Simon Lowry, M.D. au poste de directeur médical

WALTHAM, Mass. et SHANGHAI, Chine, 07 sept. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zenas BioPharma, une société biopharmaceutique mondiale déterminée à devenir un leader dans le développement et la commercialisation de thérapies immunitaires pour les patients dans le besoin à travers le monde, a annoncé aujourd’hui la nomination de Simon Lowry, M.D., au poste de directeur médical de la société. Le Dr Lowry apporte plus de 20 ans d’expertise clinique dans la conception et l’exécution de programmes cliniques de stade précoce à avancé à Zenas, où il dirigera les fonctions cliniques, médicales et de pharmacovigilance de la société au niveau international.

« Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir le Dr Lowry au sein de Zenas à ce moment crucial pour la société, alors que nous commençons deux essais d’enregistrement de phase trois pour notre principal produit candidat, l’obexelimab, au quatrième trimestre de cette année, et que nous entamons les premiers essais cliniques sur l’homme pour plusieurs programmes en cours », a déclaré Hua Mu, M.D., Ph. D, président-directeur général de Zenas. « Le leadership éprouvé du Dr Lowry, sa vaste expérience du développement clinique et sa grande expérience en matière d’essais cliniques à l’échelle mondiale renforceront davantage notre capacité à mener à bien notre mission, qui consiste à transformer la vie des patients dont les besoins médicaux ne sont pas satisfaits, en leur proposant les meilleurs traitements immunitaires de leur catégorie. »

Le Dr Simon Lowry a ajouté : « De nombreux patients atteints de maladies rares et auto-immunes ont besoin d’options thérapeutiques nouvelles et efficaces. L’équipe de Zenas, très expérimentée et talentueuse, a considérablement développé son portefeuille en très peu de temps, et je suis impatient de diriger l’avancement continu des programmes cliniques de Zenas jusqu’à la commercialisation, tout en renforçant le portefeuille de programmes innovants de la société. »

Le Dr Lowry est un médecin possédant 20 ans d’expérience dans des sociétés pharmaceutiques et biotechnologiques importantes et émergentes, où il a dirigé des programmes de développement fructueux, des équipes d’affaires cliniques et médicales, et interagi avec des organismes de réglementation dans plusieurs domaines de la médecine, y compris la rhumatologie, l’immunologie et l’ophtalmologie. Avant de rejoindre Zenas, le Dr Lowry était directeur médical chez Kinevant Science, une société biopharmaceutique au stade clinique, spécialisée dans le traitement des maladies inflammatoires et auto-immunes rares. Le Dr Lowry était auparavant responsable de la R&D en immunologie chez Roivant Sciences, où il dirigeait tous les actifs de l’immunologie en phase de développement clinique, et était un membre clé de l’équipe de direction. Il a également occupé le poste de directeur médical chez Sun Pharma North America, où il était responsable de quatre domaines thérapeutiques de marque (immunologie et dermatologie, ophtalmologie, neurologie et oncologie), et a dirigé tous les aspects du développement et des fonctions médicales (y compris le développement clinique, les informations médicales, la médecine de terrain, La recherche sur l’économie et les résultats de la santé (HEOR), les publications/communications médicales et les opérations). Au début de sa carrière, il a travaillé chez Novartis, où il a occupé le poste de vice-président, directeur de franchise des affaires médicales mondiales, immunologie et dermatologie, et chez Pfizer, où il a occupé des postes à responsabilité croissante, notamment celui de vice-président du groupe des affaires médicales en oncologie.

Avant sa carrière dans le secteur pharmaceutique/biotechnologique, le Dr Lowry a pratiqué la médecine interne dans diverses institutions au Royaume-Uni et en Australie. Il a obtenu son BA au Trinity Hall, de l’université de Cambridge, au Royaume-Uni et son diplôme médical MB BChir à la Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine.

À propos de Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma est une société biopharmaceutique mondiale déterminée à devenir un leader dans le développement et la commercialisation de traitements immunitaires pour les patients dans le monde entier. Avec un développement clinique et des activités aux États-Unis et en Chine, Zenas fait rapidement progresser un important programme de traitements innovants qui continue de s’accroître grâce à notre stratégie de développement commercial fructueuse. Notre équipe de direction expérimentée et notre réseau de partenaires commerciaux stimulent l’excellence opérationnelle pour apporter des thérapies potentiellement transformatrices afin d’améliorer la vie des personnes confrontées à des maladies rares et auto-immunes. Pour tout complément d’information sur Zenas BioPharma, veuillez consulter le site www.zenasbio.com et nous suivre sur Twitter à l’adresse @ZenasBioPharma et LinkedIn.

Contact auprès des investisseurs et des médias :
Joe Farmer
Zenas BioPharma
IR@zenasbio.com

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Zenas BioPharma Appoints Simon Lowry, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

WALTHAM, Mass. and SHANGHAI, China, Sept. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zenas BioPharma, a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of immune-based therapies for patients in need around the world, today announced the appointment of Simon Lowry, M.D., as the company’s Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Lowry brings over 20 years of broad clinical expertise in the design and execution of early to late-stage clinical programs to Zenas, where he will lead the company’s global clinical, medical affairs, and pharmacovigilance functions.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Lowry to Zenas at this pivotal time for the company as we commence two phase three registration trials for our lead product candidate, obexelimab, in the fourth quarter of this year and initiate first-in-human clinical trials for multiple pipeline programs,” said Hua Mu, M.D., Ph. D, Chief Executive Officer at Zenas. “Dr. Lowry’s proven leadership, broad clinical development background, and extensive global clinical trial experience will further strengthen our ability to execute on our mission to transform the lives of patients with unmet medical needs by bringing best-in-class immune-based therapies to patients.”

Dr. Simon Lowry added, “There are many patients with autoimmune and rare diseases in need of effective new treatment options. The deeply experienced and talented Zenas team has made impressive progress advancing the company’s pipeline in a very short period of time, and I look forward to leading the ongoing advancement of Zenas’ clinical programs through commercialization while further expanding the company’s pipeline of innovative programs.”

Dr. Lowry is a medical doctor with 20 years of experience at large and emerging pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies directing successful development programs, leading clinical and medical affairs teams, and interacting with regulatory agencies across multiple areas of medicine, including rheumatology, immunology, and ophthalmology. Prior to joining Zenas, Dr. Lowry was Chief Medical Officer at Kinevant Science, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on treating rare inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Lowry was previously Head of Immunology R&D at Roivant Sciences, leading all development stage immunology assets into clinical development, and served as a key member of the leadership team. He also served as Chief Medical Officer at Sun Pharma North America, where he was responsible for four branded therapeutic areas (Immunology & Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Neurology and Oncology), and led all aspects of development and medical functions (including clinical development, medical information, field medical, HEOR, publications / medical communications, and operations). Early in his career, he worked at Novartis, where he served as Vice President, Global Medical Affairs Franchise Head, Immunology & Dermatology, and Pfizer, where he served in roles of increasing responsibility, including as Vice President, Oncology Medical Affairs Group Leader.

Prior to his pharmaceutical/ biotechnology career, Dr. Lowry practiced internal medicine at various institutions in the UK and Australia. He received his BA from Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, UK and his MB BChir medical degree from Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine.

About Zenas BioPharma

Zenas BioPharma is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of immune-based therapies for patients around the world. With clinical development and operations in the US and China, Zenas is rapidly advancing a deep pipeline of innovative therapeutics that continues to grow through our successful business development strategy. Our experienced leadership team and network of business partners drive operational excellence to deliver potentially transformative therapies to improve the lives of those facing autoimmune and rare diseases. For more information about Zenas BioPharma, please visit www.zenasbio.com and follow us on Twitter at @ZenasBioPharma and LinkedIn.

Investor and Media Contact:
Joe Farmer
Zenas BioPharma
IR@zenasbio.com

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Zenas BioPharma Nomeia Simon Lowry, M.D. para Diretor Médico

WALTHAM, Mass. e SHANGHAI, China, Sept. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A Zenas BioPharma, uma empresa biofarmacêutica global comprometida em se tornar líder no desenvolvimento e comercialização de terapias imunológicas, anunciou hoje a nomeação de Simon Lowry, MD para seu Conselho Diretor. O Dr. Lowry tem mais de 20 anos de ampla experiência clínica na concepção e execução de programas clínicos de estágio inicial a final na Zenas, onde ele passará a liderar as funções globais de clínica, assuntos médicos e farmacovigilância da empresa.

“Estamos muito contentes em receber o Dr. Lowry na Zenas neste momento crucial para a empresa, quando damos início a dois testes de registro de fase três do nosso principal candidato a produto, obexelimabe, no quarto trimestre deste ano, e aos primeiros testes clínicos em humanos de vários programas de pipeline”, disse Hua Mu, M.D., Ph.D., Diretor Executivo da Zenas. “A liderança comprovada do Dr. Lowry, seu amplo histórico de desenvolvimento clínico e extensa experiência com ensaios clínicos globais irão fortalecer ainda mais nossa capacidade de executar nossa missão de transformar a vida dos pacientes com necessidades médicas não atendidas, com a oferta das melhores terapias imunológicas aos pacientes.”

O Dr. Simon Lowry acrescentou: “Há muitos pacientes com doenças autoimunes e raras que precisam de novas opções de tratamento eficazes. A equipe profundamente experiente e talentosa da Zenas fez um progresso impressionante ao avançar no pipeline da empresa em um período muito curto de tempo, e estou pronto para liderar o avanço contínuo dos programas clínicos da Zenas com a sua comercialização e maior expansão do pipeline de programas inovadores da empresa.”

O Dr. Lowry tem 20 anos de experiência com grandes empresas farmacêuticas e de biotecnologia emergentes, tendo dirigido programas de desenvolvimento bem-sucedidos, liderado equipes de assuntos clínicos e médicos, e interagido com agências reguladoras em várias áreas da medicina, incluindo reumatologia, imunologia e oftalmologia. Antes de ingressar na Zenas, o Dr. Lowry foi Diretor Médico da Kinevant Science, uma empresa biofarmacêutica de estágio clínico focada no tratamento de doenças inflamatórias e autoimunes raras. Anteriormente, o Dr. Lowry foi Chefe de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento em Imunologia da Roivant Sciences, liderando todos os ativos de imunologia em estágio de desenvolvimento para o desenvolvimento clínico, e serviu como um membro-chave da equipe de liderança. Ele também atuou como Diretor Médico na Sun Pharma North America, onde foi responsável por quatro áreas terapêuticas de marca (Imunologia e Dermatologia, Oftalmologia, Neurologia e Oncologia) e liderou todos os aspectos do desenvolvimento e funções médicas (incluindo desenvolvimento clínico, informações médicas, medicina de campo, HEOR, publicações/comunicações médicas e operações). No início da sua carreira, ele trabalhou na Novartis, onde atuou como Vice-Presidente, Chefe de Franquia de Assuntos Médicos Globais, Imunologia e Dermatologia, e na Pfizer, onde atuou em funções de responsabilidade crescente, incluindo como Vice-Presidente, Líder do Grupo de Assuntos Médicos de Oncologia.

Antes da sua carreira farmacêutica/biotecnológica, o Dr. Lowry exerceu medicina interna em várias instituições no Reino Unido e na Austrália. Ele é formado em Medicina pela Trinity Hall, Cambridge University e pela Cambridge University School of Clinical Medicine no Reino Unido.

Sobre a Zenas BioPharma

A Zenas BioPharma é uma empresa biofarmacêutica mundial comprometida em se tornar líder global no desenvolvimento e comercialização de terapias imunológicas para pacientes em todo o mundo. Com desenvolvimento clínico e operações nos EUA e na China, a Zenas está avançando rapidamente um vasto pipeline de terapêuticas inovadoras que continua a crescer por meio da nossa estratégia de desenvolvimento de negócios de sucesso. Nossa experiente equipe de liderança e rede de parceiros de negócios impulsionam a excelência operacional para oferecer terapias potencialmente transformadoras para melhorar a vida das pessoas que enfrentam doenças autoimunes e raras. Para mais informação sobre a Zenas BioPharma, visite www.zenasbio.com e siga-nos no Twitter em @ZenasBioPharma e LinkedIn.

Contato com Investidores e com a Mídia:
Joe Farmer
Zenas BioPharma
IR@zenasbio.com

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IPLOOK Chosen by Oceanlink to Enable the Delivery of 4G Mobile Network on Pacific Islands

IPLOOK’ s MNO solution allows Oceanlink to quickly and economically deliver 4G network services to its mobile users; Achieving IPLOOK’ s first commercial 2G&3G&4G LTE deployment (CSFB Feature) in Kiribati

HONG KONG, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ —  IPLOOK Technologies, the leader in end-to-end LTE/5G mobile core network vendor, announced it has been chosen by Oceanlink, a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in Kiribati, to provide its 4G mobile core network for commercial deployment on Pacific Islands. This deployment enables Oceanlink to address the high-performance and stable network demands, expanding its service offerings to customers.

On the islands of Kiribati, the legacy 2G/3G network connection is not developed as quickly as the growing market demand for high-speed internet and multiple media services. By deploying IPLOOK’s carrier-grade  EPC and IMS platform, Oceanlink achieved a swift rollout of the new-built 4G commercial network while significantly lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) and reducing overall time to market, delivering its customers a truly seamless connectivity experience with less network disruption.

“To satiate customers’ demands for highly reliable network connectivity, we chose IPLOOK as our partner. Backed up by an excellent team to undertake this network transformation, we are well-positioned to address future growth and expansion,” said Liyong Liang, CTO of ACCLINKS.

“We are excited to work with ACCLINKS to expand mobile services and cost-effectively scale their networks by leveraging our MNO solution,” said Owen Ouyang, Region Director in the MENA region of IPLOOK, “This cooperation is a prime example of our high-quality and easy-to-deploy network solution that accelerates operators’ ability to create revenue opportunities.”

About Oceanlink

ACCLINKS (Branded as “Oceanlink”) has been serving customers on Pacific Islands since 2003. The company establishes trust with customers through professional services, customized products and quick response. ACCLINKS provides high quality products and top level professional services.

More info at http://www.acclinks.com/.

About IPLOOK

Founded in 2012, IPLOOK is an industry-leading end-to-end, cloud-based mobile network solution provider. IPLOOK’ s highly scalable virtualized 3G/4G/5G core network software products can be deployed in the deployment scenarios for Mobile Network Operators (MNO), Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO), Wireless Internet Services Providers (WISP) and Enterprises.

Reach out more at https://www.iplook.com/. Follow IPLOOK on LinkedIn @IPLOOK Technologies

Contact us:

E-mail: info@iplook.com

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Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa Welcomes the East African Court of Justice Ruling that Rwanda Government’s Seizure of his Trade Union Centre Mall Was Illegal

TORONTO, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Entrepreneur and philanthropist Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa is pleased to announce that on August 30, 2022, the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) ruled that Rwanda government’s seizure and auctioning his Union Trade Centre (UTC) Mall were illegal. EACJ awarded Ayabatwa US$1 million, 6% interest and court costs. The government seized the US$20 million Mall in 2013, alleging that UTC was ‘abandoned’ because Ayabatwa who is Rwandan-born resided outside Rwanda. UTC was at the time a thriving business, hosting 80 businesses with nearly 500 employees, managed by a strong local team in good standing with Rwandan authorities. Then in August 2015, the government declared UTC a tax defaulter of US$1.4 million, an absurd claim, since the Mall was managed by the Rwandan state. Two years later, the government auctioned UTC for a mere US$8 million, less than half its actual value.

Union Trade Centre Mall

Ayabatwa took the government to EACJ, which ruled in 2020 that seizure and auctioning UTC were illegal. The government was ordered to account for rental and sale proceeds of UTC from 2013 and to compensate Ayabatwa for damages amounting to US$500,000 and 6% annual interest from the date of judgment. Ayabatwa appealed the ruling, however, because the Court did not restore his ownership of UTC. That is when the government fabricated a new absurd allegation that Ayabatwa and his associates had embezzled US$458,058 from UTC in 2011. The cited ‘crime’ was in fact a loan acquired during the construction of UTC Mall. Now, the Rwandan government has once again lost the UTC Mall case. Ayabatwa welcomed the 30 August 2022 Court ruling, remarking that “there are times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but with truth on your side, justice always prevails.”

About Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa

Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist from Rwanda. He is founder of Pan-African Tobacco Group, Africa’s largest indigenous manufacturer of tobacco products in nine African countries and in the United Arab Emirates, trading across eastern, western and southern Africa. Ayabatwa is one of Africa’s leading philanthropists, assisting communities to uplift themselves in food security, access to clean water, reforestation, education, and engineering internships.

Pan-African Tobacco Group
info@ptg-hld.com
www.ptg-hld.com

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1892959/Tribert_Rujugiro_Ayabatwa__UTC_founder_Tribert_Rujugiro_Ayabatwa.jpg

David Himbara, Pan-African Tobacco Group, info@ptg-hld.com, www.ptg-hld.com

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Watchdog Groups Call On Biden to Be More Aggressive on Climate

As the world grapples with multiple climate-related disasters on different continents, a watchdog group in Washington is pressing the Biden administration to take more aggressive action to reduce emissions in the United States.

A report, issued by the liberal-leaning Revolving Door Project, outlines a wide number of actions that the group believes President Joe Biden can implement by executive action, meaning that he would not need to coax cooperation from U.S. lawmakers currently preoccupied with looming midterm elections.

Headlines this week underscore the challenges facing the planet. As the report was issued, Pakistan was suffering from catastrophic floods that have displaced tens of thousands and ravaged crops; a powerful typhoon recently dropped a meter of rain on South Korea; China is suffering its worst heat wave on record; and the western United States is gripped by a drought of historic severity.

The Environmental Protection Agency may seem like the most obvious focus of the report’s attention, and the list of steps that agency might take is indeed long. However, the report also homes in on actions available to many other federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense, that are not typically associated with climate change issues.

“Every part of the government should be thinking very much about how to consider climate in the work that they do — how to incorporate it into their existing mandates to protect their various domains, and to be thinking and acting very creatively and aggressively on this,” Max Moran, a research director at the Revolving Door Project and one of the report’s authors, told VOA.

EPA urged to act

The Environmental Protection Agency has the most expansive authority over climate-related issues in the federal government, but its enforcement capacity was significantly reduced during the Trump administration.

“The EPA can be one of the most powerful governmental actors in the United States when it is given the resources and direction to effectively implement its mandate,” the Revolving Door Project notes. “It has broad authority to police pollution and environmental degradation to minimize environmental destruction and public health impacts.”

The report urges the agency to be more aggressive in punishing corporations that violate environmental regulations, pointing out that penalties handed out by the agency often involve companies hiring their own auditors to assure future compliance or funding projects that have little to do with mitigating the damage they have caused.

As the agency works to reinvigorate its enforcement capacity, the report recommends multiple other ways in which it can step up its policing of rules regulating some of the most environmentally damaging emissions, including the powerful greenhouse gas methane.

Departments of Interior, Justice

The report notes a number of measures available to the Department of the Interior to reduce carbon emissions, one of the largest of which is capping abandoned oil and gas wells. Although old wells are not commercially viable, they still emit thousands of tons of methane into the environment every year, and capping them would greatly reduce the volume of gas that escapes.

In addition, the report calls on Interior to stop leasing federal land to energy companies for further development of fossil fuel extraction operations and to reform mining regulations to reduce damage to the environment from factors including the degradation of water sources and the runoff of dangerous chemicals.

The Department of Justice, the report argues, is insufficiently aggressive about prosecuting criminal violations of environmental laws.

“Environmental litigation is key to ensuring that companies and individuals comply with environmental laws,” it says. “Without the threat of litigation, the laws protecting ecosystems and public health are toothless.”

It notes that one government database identifies “thousands of facilities across the country with multiple significant violations” that have remained out of compliance for years without facing prosecution.

Administration shifts climate team

There is reason to believe the Biden administration is prepared to focus more on executive action than it has in the first year and a half of the president’s term. For most of that time, Biden was trying to negotiate with a balky Congress on major environmental legislation, and aggressive action by the executive branch might have made agreement more difficult to reach.

Now, however, with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which included the largest investment in green energy and other climate-conscious programs in history, the likelihood of further legislation is unlikely in the near term.

Last week, Biden announced that he has hired a veteran Washington insider, John Podesta, as a senior adviser in charge of rolling out the billions in tax incentives and other programs put in place by the IRA.

At the same time, Biden announced the promotion of Ali Zaidi to national climate adviser, to replace the departing Gina McCarthy. Zaidi is a veteran of the Obama administration where, for eight years, he served in a variety of posts related to climate policy.

In a statement announcing the nomination, Biden seemed to signal that more executive action is coming.

“The Inflation Reduction Act is the biggest step forward on clean energy and climate in history, and it paves the way for additional steps we will take to meet our clean energy and climate goals,” the president said.

While the IRA earned the support of some Republicans in Congress, there is significant resistance in the GOP to greater regulation in general, and greater environmental regulation in particular. If the Biden administration does become more assertive about environmental regulation, Republicans will have little recourse in the near term. However, they are likely to use the issue to try to drive turnout in both November’s midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election.

Source: Voice of America