Clinical Trial: Sanaria’s PfSPZ-CVac vaccine achieves high-level protection against Malaria

NaijaAgroNet:

A clinical trial has seen Sanaria’s PfSPZ-CVac vaccine achieving a high level protection against Malaria, reports NaijaAgroNet.

A report by the Nature described the achievement as a complete protection after 10 weeks with three doses of PfSPZ-CVac, investigators from the University of Tübingen noted that all nine subjects (100 per cent) immunized with three doses of Sanaria PfSPZ-CVac malaria vaccine in a recently completed clinical trial were protected against Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

This, NaijaAgroNet gathered was after they were exposed to the disease 10 weeks after their last vaccine dose, according to the Director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine at the University, led by Professor Peter Kremsner.

He explained that PfSPZ-CVac was administered to the nine subjects three times over eight weeks; the research demonstrated the three doses were also safe and effective when administered over just 10 days. Scientists at the Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that assays of the subjects’ cellular immunity correlated with vaccine-induced protection. A team from Antigen Discovery Inc. that studied the antibody responses of the nine protected individuals, identified 22 malaria parasite proteins that could be the targets of protective immune responses.

Sanaria founder and CEO, Stephen L. Hoffman, MD said, “We are extremely encouraged by these findings. Clinical trials of PfSPZ-CVac underway in Germany, the U.S., and Equatorial Guinea, and soon to start in Mali, Ghana, the U.S., and Gabon will lead to an optimized vaccination regimen that we expect to move rapidly into phase 3 clinical trials and licensure. The ability to complete an immunization regimen in 10 days will facilitate the use of PfSPZ-CVac in mass vaccination programs to eliminate the malaria parasite and to prevent malaria in travelers.”

PfSPZ-CVac is composed of live, purified malaria parasites and the antimalarial drug chloroquine. Volunteers in the clinical trial received three 0.5 mL injections of the vaccine by rapid direct venous inoculation. Ten weeks after their last immunization, all nine subjects who received the highest dose of malaria parasites were protected against the injection of live malaria parasites.

The clinical trial included 42 adult volunteers, 21-45 years old. Twenty-seven volunteers received PfSPZ-CVac at varying doses to evaluate alternative dosage regimens. There was no difference in adverse events between volunteers who received the vaccine and those who received the saltwater placebo. They were enrolled, vaccinated and assessed under the direction of Benjamin Mordmüller, MD at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen.

The German Center for Infection Research funded the current trial with additional support from Sanaria. Sanaria receives research support and funding from NIAID, which supported vaccine manufacture for this trial, and multiple other institutions in the United States, Europe, and Africa, most of which participate in the International PfSPZ Consortium and will continue its fund-raising efforts to expand its research and clinical programs.

According to the World Health Organization, African children are hardest hit by malaria. The WHO estimates that in 2015 malaria caused 214M clinical episodes and 438,000 deaths worldwide; others have estimated up to 730,500 malaria deaths in 2015. This enormous morbidity and mortality occurs despite investment of billions of dollars in malaria control efforts. Malaria is also a concern for tourists, diplomats, business travelers, aid workers, industrial workers, and military personnel worldwide.

Professor Ogobara Doumbo, Director of the Bamako Malaria Research Training Center at the University of Bamako, Mali, said, “Those of us in countries where people’s lives are devastated by malaria have been waiting for a highly effective malaria vaccine for decades. We are excited about these new results with PfSPZ-CVac in Germany, and are proud to be able to initiate the first field trials of PfSPZ-based vaccines in Mali, West Africa in collaboration with our colleagues from the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, NIAID, NIH and the University of Maryland School of Medicine.”

Also commenting, Professor of Tropical Medicine and Travel Medicine, Dr. Martin Grobusch, who also is the Director of the Center of Tropical Medicine at the University of Amsterdam’s Academic Medical Center, a clinic that cares for more than 16,000 travelers annually, said, “Travelers continue to be at high risk of acquiring malaria. A vaccine like PfSPZ-CVac that provides complete protective immunity for 10 weeks and can be administered in less than two weeks will be an ideal tool for the prevention of malaria in the traveling population.”

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Fake drugs, NAFDAC revolution and economic growth

Weekend Commentary@NaijaAgroNet: 

Prior to the creation of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) in 1992, the control and regulation of food, drugs, cosmetics, Chemicals and packaged water was seriously hampered by bureaucratic bottlenecks among other factors. The decision of the Federal Government to create the Agency in 1992 was therefore informed by the desire to ensure a more effective control of foods, drugs and other regulated products.

The late Minister of Health, Prof. Olikoye Ransome Kuti in 1999 while inaugurating the Governing Council of NAFDAC, said “NAFDAC as an agency is being inaugurated today, to give a frontal attack to the health problems arising from foods, chemicals, drugs, medicines and similar regulated products without the inhibition of civil service setting.”

In December 2016, NAFDAC under the leadership of Acting Director-General, Mrs. Yetunde Oni confiscated imported fruits juice worth millions of Naira in Onitsha, Anambra State; when the operatives of NAFDAC raided some markets and super stores in Onitsha. Some of the fruit juices confiscated were labelled Masafi, Euro drinks and Peach.

The Onitsha raid was in line with Federal Government’s ban on imported fruit juices and other products and it really achieved her aim of strengthening local industries and increase activities in the fruit juice manufacturing sector.

It is a fact that local production would reduce the foreign exchange put into importation of goods, so the activities of NADFAC is aimed at developing the local industry in Nigeria. Hence, on Tuesday, 24th of January, 2017 the agency destroyed substandard pharmaceutical products in Igwurita, near Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The destroyed products, stored in 21 containers were seized by the Nigerian Customs Services and NAFDAC and it is valued at N9.6 billion.

You can imagine if those fake pharmaceutical products such as Tramadol capsules of 100mg, Diclofena Sodium Capsule 50mg and Diahhea Stop 2mg, Oxyetracycline Hcl 50mg, Sildenafil tab mg, Diclotemac 40mg, Caffeine 30mg and conditioning preparation all imported from India and Nordana, USA  have gone into the market, millions of Nigerians would have died consuming them.

The N9.6Billion would have gone a long way to establish manufacturing companies and employ millions of Nigeria in the production of such genuine drugs. So, Oni, deserves accolades for the role she played during the reported case of “Plastic Rice” impounded by Nigerian Customs. She took quick action by putting the rice under laboratory test and discovered that the rice was not plastic as speculated but contaminated with microorganisms above permissible limit, hence the rice consignment is unsatisfactory and therefore unwholesome for human consumption.

Also, under the leadership of Mrs. Yetunde Oni, NAFDAC secured eight drug offenders in 12 months. And it is already in public domain that there are 52 cases in Court while eight convictions have been secured between February 2014 till date.

Among those convicted are Okwara Emmanuel who was sentenced to three years imprisonment for manufacturing and sales of fake Rambo insecticide and Dettol Antiseptic; Osita Paul Ely was sentenced to five years for importation of fake Maloxine tablets; Sylvanus Ifeanyi Nwanoro was sentenced to five years imprisonment for manufacturing and sales of fake Cof-N-Cold with Codeine syrup; Clara Onah was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for manufacturing and sales of fake Metronidazole and Juliana Madu was sentenced with an option of fine of N5,000.

I am happy with the directive of the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole that NAFDAC should register all Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, exhibitors at the ongoing 1st Nigeria Food Safety and Investment Forum within two weeks.

The directive given at the forum organised by the UN Industrial Development Organisation, UNIDO, in Lagos will boost local production and create massive employment to teeming Nigerian youths.

The onus is on the Federal Ministry of Justice to take steps in ensuring the speedy prosecution of other offenders while I call on the Federal Government to provide for more funds so as to get more vehicles, equipment for laboratories e.t.c.

At the same time, security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police should also provide water-tight security for the enforcement officials of NAFDAC as we have another hard working and dedicated Acting Director General overseen the activities of the Agency.

Also, Nigerians; who are the end users of fake drugs should assist NAFDAC by reporting notice of fake products so as for the agency to take necessary actions. There is a free text message number; 29543 available at no cost on the mobile networks for Nigerians to take advantage of.

We must help NAFDAC to carry out her task which include improving access to quality medicines; preventing the influx of substandard products by anti-counterfeiting measures and system strengthening to sustain local manufacturing; use of information technology in the regulation of food, chemicals and other consumables amongst others.

*Contributed by Kenny Adewole, an Abuja-based Journalist. He could be reached via kennyadewole@gmail.com    

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Pope Francis urges government to develop indigenous cultures, relationship to earth

NaijaAgroNet:

The Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis has urged the government to reconcile development, both social and cultural, with the protection of indigenous peoples and their territories, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Pope Francis made this call in Rome, Italy while in audience with the representatives of IFAD's Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum, which focused on economic empowerment of indigenous peoples, particularly women and youth.

This call has become vital especially when planning economic activities that may interfere with their cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth.

The 36-member delegation, which included representatives from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), were in Rome to take part in the Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous People Forum of IFAD.

During the morning meeting, the Pope emphasized the need for governments to pay attention to indigenous identity, and to generate guidelines and development approaches that include young people and women.

“For governments this means recognizing that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level,” he said.

Mirna Cunningham, President of the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development (CADPI), headed the delegation.

"I think the Pope's words are important," she said. "He went straight to the point. We have to remember that technological and economic development is not progress in itself and IFAD can play a very big role with technical and financial support to ensure that these measure are considered with indigenous peoples."

Antonella Cordone, Coordinator for Indigenous and Tribal Issues Policy and Technical Advisory Division at IFAD, said that “recognizing and institutionalizing indigenous peoples’ rights is essential, but we also have to work to set self-implementation strategies to support local economies. Otherwise we risk that indigenous peoples’ societies will disappear.”

Members of the delegation brought gifts to illustrate the work of indigenous peoples around the world, including an alpaca coat from Bolivian Andes, a blanket from the Igorot people in the Philippine Cordillera, and a bible translated into Miskitu from Nicaragua.

NaijaAgroNet recalled that between 10th and 13th February, IFAD hosted the Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum, bringing together representatives of indigenous peoples organizations and leaders of partner organizations to discuss the ongoing challenges faced by these communities.

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Watch out for International Year of Camels

NaijaAgroNet:

A call has been made to the United Nations to establishment of the International Year of Camels, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The President Bolivia, Evo Morales made this proposal during a meeting with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organistion (FAO), Graziano da Silva.

NaijaAgroNet also reports that the Bolivian President call came on the heels of a similar call to the UN in 2013 for an International Year of Quinoa.

The country, NaijaAgroNet gathered hopes this call will galvanise spotlight on the contribution these hardy animals can make to supporting farming and food security in other world regions, especially in developing countries.

The two men also discussed conducting a joint study to review the impacts of the International Year of Quinoa and facilitate more widespread production and consumption of the highly nutritious, grain-like crop sometimes called “Andean superfood.”

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Drought, a recurring phenomenon

Commentary@NaijaAgroNet:

Drought and water scarcity have become recurring problems in Bolivia over the past decade, but the situation has been particularly alarming since 2015.

Due to its geography and terrain, the impacts of climate change in Bolivia are manifesting in the form of hotter and more frequent dry periods, rainy seasons that are shorter but more intense, and an increase in the occurrence of hailstorms and freezes. Degradation of natural resources exacerbates the impacts these climate-related changes are having.

According to FAO, to cope with the impacts of climate changes on agriculture and food security countries must make organizational and technological changes to water management that correspond to the needs of small farmers. Restoring local water cycles is particularly important area for action that is essential to ensuring that communities have access to adequate water resources.

The Green Climate fund is an international funding mechanism established at the 2010 UN Climate Conference that aims to support developing country efforts to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Countries can receive stand-alone grants for simpler projects like well or cistern construction, or loans for more complex projects like the large-scale irrigation systems, either directly from the fund or via accredited implementing agencies, such as FAO.

In the case of the Bolivia proposal, the funding would be challenged directly to that country’s national “Mi Riego” (My Irrigation) program.

The proposal is being developed by a working group comprised of FAO experts and officials from Bolivia’s Ministers for Development Planning and Environment and Water. The group was convened following President Morales request for FAO assistance made at the recently held summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

One of FAO’s key roles is to assist countries in their efforts to respond to climate change by providing technical assistance, information and data, and other tools to strengthen their adaptive capacities.

For many countries, acquiring the capacity to access and use international financing mechanism represents a critical first step towards greater resilience to climate change.

Courtesy: FAO

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Togolese Gilbert Houngbo is new IFAD president

NaijaAgroNet:

The former Prime Minister of Togo, Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, has been appointed as the sixth President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized United Nations agency and international financial institution that invests in eradicating rural poverty in developing countries around the world.   

“I have come from the rural world. I have first-hand knowledge of the harshness of this kind of life,”  said Houngbo, who was appointed by IFAD’s member states at the organization’s annual Governing Council meeting.

Houngbo takes up the helm at a time when changing government priorities and the more immediate needs of humanitarian crises – like natural disasters, conflict and refugees – threaten to divert funding away from long-term development.

With growing global demand for food, increased migration to cities and the impact of climate change, investments in agriculture and rural development will be essential to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of ending poverty and hunger. 

“We have to keep our ambition and at the same time be realistic and pragmatic,” he said. “We have to demonstrate that every dollar invested will have the highest value for money.”

Houngbo has more than 30 years of experience in political affairs, international development, diplomacy and financial management. Since 2013 he has served as Deputy Director General of the International Labour Organization, where he has been responsible for external programmes and partnerships. Prior to that, he was Assistant Secretary General, Africa Regional Director and Chief of Staff at the United Nations Development Programme. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. His candidacy was unanimously endorsed by the governments of the African Union.

As someone who was born and raised in rural Togo, Houngbo believes that the inequality in today’s world should never be accepted, and that IFAD has a crucial role to play in bringing opportunities to the poor and excluded.

“The privilege of attaining high-quality education helped me develop a strong sense of responsibility towards improving the condition of those who have not had similar opportunities,”  he wrote in answer to questions during the nomination process.  “I believe that through a dynamic leadership of IFAD, I can contribute to visible change in the hardship-laden lives of the world’s rural poor.”

Houngbo was among eight candidates including three women vying for the organization’s top leadership position. He succeeds Kanayo F. Nwanze, who was President for two terms beginning in April 2009. Houngbo will take office on 1 April 2017.

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Pix: Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo - newly appointed IFAD president

Bolivia gets support to access climate funding

NaijaAgroNet:

The South American country of Bolivia, has received support to access the United Nations (UN) Green Climate Fund, requesting $250 million for efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change on food security and rural livelihoods in the country reports NaijaAgroNet.

This, NaijaAgroNet gathered formed top agenda of a meeting Thursday, between the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) led by Director General José Graziano da Silva and President Evo Morales, which is projected to assist Bolivia in accessing financial support for improved water management programmes in those areas of the Andean nation that have been hardest hit by prolonged drought.

Both agreed to jointly submit a technical proposal to the UN’s Green Climate Fund to the tune of $250 million in support for efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change on food security and rural livelihoods in Bolivia.

“This effort represents a clear example of how countries can access the Green Fund and will serve as a model for other nations in similar situations looking to access resources,” said FAO’s Director-General.

Strengthening water security is fundamental to boosting the resilience of small farmers, he said, adding that it would be important to establish institutional mechanisms for overseeing and evaluating how the funding is used.

“People are extremely worried as a result of the drought and lack of rain, so working with FAO we’re examining how the Green Fund can help us address this problem. Guaranteeing water for drinking and irrigation for our indigenous family farmers is equivalent to liberating our communities from poverty,” said President Morales.

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Dangote partners Rice Farmers, Sokoto Government

NaijaAgroNet:

A tripartite agreement led by the Dangote Rice Limited have been signed with rice farmers and Sokoto State government expected to boost rice production, even as Dangote group has decried huge forex on rice importation, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The partnership, NaijaAgroNet gathered is expected to create some 16,000 jobs for outgrower rice farmers in Sokoto State, so as to ensure the success of the scheme to make Nigeria self-sufficient in rice cultivation.

The agreement, NaijaAgroNet  also reported, was signed during the launch of the Dangote rice outgrower scheme in Goronyo, Goronyo Local government, Sokoto State, which was witnessed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar. Farmers were presented with rice seeds, fertilizers, nets, agro-chemicals.

Chairman of Dangote Rice Limited, Aliko Dangote said he was moved to go into rice cultivation because of the genuine interest of the Federal government to revive agriculture as the mainstay of the economy, and reduce importation of foods that could be produced locally.

He decried that Nigeria consumes 6.5 Metric tonnes of rice which costs the nation over 2 billion dollars annually, and pointed out that it is heartening that the government now has policy direction that encourages private sector’s active participation in agriculture.

“Buoyed by the policy direction of the federal government, we at Dangote decided to key into this by establishing Dan gone Rice Limited to partner with states to redress the present situation where a huge sumo forex is spent on importation of rice.

“In the next three years we want to produce one million tons of quality rice and make it available and affordable to the people. We hope to do 150, 000 ha and when we are done, Nigeria will not have anything to do with importation of rice.

“Dangote Rice outgrowers scheme is committed to creating significant number of jobs, increasing the incomes of smallholders farmers and ensuring food security in the country by providing high quality seeds, fertilizers and agro-chemicals as well as technical assistance on best agricultural practice to farmers.

“This Scheme will help to diversify the economy, alleviate poverty and reduce the nation’s import bill. The scheme has been designed as a one stop solution for the rice value chain,” he stated.

The Dangote Rice Project Director, Robert Coleman, said the Sokoto operation was a demonstration phase to familiarize the farming community with the programme, train extension workers and lead farmers as well as test modern technologies.

He noted that they would have 25,000 ha cultivated by nearly 50,000 outgrowers in 2017 in addition to hundreds of jobs expected to be created by the end of that year.

In his remarks, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal expressed delight at the event, saying the coming of Dangote to invest in the state was as a result of his sustained effort towards inviting prospective investors to the state.

He said the state under the scheme, just as it had done with the federal government, would distribute nets, water pumping machines and fertiliser T subsidised prices to help the farmers have good yield.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Umar Tambuwal, disclosed that the scheme would cover 10 local governments in the stated and that the state government is committing several millions of naira to support the famers in the scheme.

According to him, “the farmers participating in the 5000 ha pilot scheme, the state government is giving out free nets to fight against queue a birds during production which is costing the state N48 million. The state will release and sell 5000 units of water pump worth N170 million at a subsidised rate of N10, 000 each.

“We will also distribute 5000 bags rice seed (Faro 44) worth N32.5 million while fertilizer will be sold 50 per cent subsidised rate to complement the outgrower farmers.”

Sultan Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar however, commended President Buhari for his diversifying efforts, urging Nigerians to pray for him.

He commended the Sokoto State government for the encouragement and support being given to the outgrowers scheme, saying it is a thing of joy that the state is also involved by way of giving the famers some of the inputs needed so that the scheme could succeed.

The National President of Rice Farmers Association, Alhaji Aminu Goronyo described the scheme as one of the potential means of making rice available and at low cost to the people because the farmers are encouraged to put all their best into it.

He said he has no doubt the scheme would success because it a private sector driven and that given the pedigree of the Alhaji Dangote in business, he was sure there the scheme would be sustainable and sooner than later other states will key into it.

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Ambode dreams 3000mw 24-hr power generation for Lagos

NaijaAgroNet: 

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode said his administration is working at attaining 24-hour electricity power supply through generation of 3000megawatts in the next five years, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking at Lagos House in Ikeja after receiving the report of the Embedded Power Technical Committee constituted by the State Government with representatives from the public and private sector, Governor Ambode noted Wednesday that the quest by the country to achieve energy security could no longer be left for the Federal Government to address alone.

He pointed out that while the Federal Government continues in its efforts to resolve the power crisis, the sustainable solution going forward would be the pulling of commitment and resources of all stakeholders in the power value chain.

He explained the rationale behind the embedded power initiative of the State Government, saying that the major bane of the power situation in the country has always been with transmission, adding that the initiative was designed to permanently resolve power crisis in the State and by extension in the country.

“The reason why we embarked on this initiative is that we believe strongly that if the power problem is solved in Lagos, it is technically solved in the whole of the country and so because Lagos has more or less tested a solution that works, we can scale this up and also address it on a national scale,” he said.

Ambode also noted that the problem of power in Nigeria rest with transmission and that is the truth.

“Yes, we have generating companies and we have distributing companies and they say power is in the hands of the private sector but we know technically that that is not totally true. We also know that transmission is hundred per cent owned by government but we have tested here in Lagos and we have been able to provide 48 kilowatts of power without transmitting it which means that we generate and then distribute.

Further, Governor Ambode said the target of the State Government is to generate up to 3,000MW of power through accelerated deployment of various embedded power plants in strategic locations in the State within three to five years.

“Out of the 3000MW, 350MW will be delivered by Q1 2018, additional 850MW by Q4 2018, and the balance of 1,800MW not later Q3 2022,” he said, while the State Government will support the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to be signed between the Distribution Companies and the embedded power providers, to enhance bankability of the projects.

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Climate change: Water scarcity bane of small farmers

NaijaAgroNet:

One critical front for action for the small holder farmers at this climate change period has been identified as water management, according to Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), reports NaijaAgroNet.

He revealed that millions of the world's small-scale farmers are already wrestling with water scarcity, which will likely intensify as a result of climate change.

The FAO boss, who spoke as one of the panelists at the World Government Summit in Dubai, said this was why at the last UN climate change conference FAO and partners launched a global framework on water scarcity in agriculture that aims to support developing countries in bringing stronger policies and programmes for the sustainable use of water in agriculture online.

Participating in the panel discussion "Climate in Action: Feeding the Future" along with Graziano da Silva were Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan, Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the United Arab Emirates, and Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the World Government Summit (WGS) is a platform that brings together leaders and policy makers to showcase future trends in government services, leadership, innovation and economic policies.

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Pix; Graziano da Silva, the Director-General, FAO.