Untitled Document

Abbot to make ARV drugs cheaper in Africa!
Posted by: sandi
August 16, 2006, 6:23 pm
ABBOTT'S HIV DRUG TO BE MADE AFFORDABLE IN AFRICA
U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories announced it is implementing a new program aimed at expanding access to its new HIV drug, Aluvia (lopinavir/ritonavir), in the developing world. The company's initiatives include:

* A pricing structure that reduces the price of Aluvia tablets to $2,200 per patient per year in low-income and low-middle-income countries;
* A pricing structure of $500 per patient per year in Africa and the least developed countries;
* Significant investment in additional manufacturing capacity to meet the anticipated increased demand for high-quality, second-line HIV treatments; and
* Development of a new pediatric formulation of lopinavir/ritonavir to meet the treatment needs of HIV-positive children.

Aluvia is the same as the non-refrigerated Kaletra tablets. Lopinavir/ritonavir is the World Health Organization's recommended second-line treatment for HIV infection in the developing world. The company is working to register Aluvia in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

View Comments(1)
Add Comment

From Melinda Gates
Posted by: sandi
August 12, 2006, 6:34 pm
What Women Really Need

The next frontier: For many of the world's women, marriage is not a refuge from AIDS. It's a risk factor. But new technologies could change that.

Interesting article, and it can be found here:

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/Pri_Diseases/HIVAIDS/RelatedInfo/WomenAndAIDS.htm

Add Comment

Warner Music International
Posted by: sandi
May 25, 2006, 6:08 pm
Business Day (Johannesburg)

May 23, 2006
Posted to the web May 23, 2006

Ron Derby
Johannesburg

LISTED media group Johnnic Communications (Johncom) and Warner Music International's (WMI's) announcement of a joint venture at the weekend could be one of the most interesting recent business developments in SA's music industry, says South African Music Association CEO Sean Watson.

Johncom and WMI have joined forces to create Warner Music Gallo Africa (WMGA), a new music-based content company in SA, bringing on board Johncom-owned Gallo Music.

WMGA will house worldwide digital rights to Gallo Music's domestic repertoire, which includes artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Thandiswa Mazwai and Simphiwe Dana.

Watson said the fact that a multi- national such as Warner wanted to form a partnership locally was a tribute to the country's music industry. He said Warner might take a more proactive role with regards to the local music repertoire.

Last week's announcement of the joint venture also meant that Gallo Music's entire catalogue would now be available in digital format.

WMGA will be the licensee for WMI's lineup of international music acts in sub-Saharan Africa, which include the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Sean Paul and Josh Groban.

Johncom is extending its reach into sub-Saharan Africa, with plans under way to open new retail outlets alongside its already-established operations in Nigeria and Kenya.

Add Comment

From Matt Damon of One.org
Posted by: sandi
May 9, 2006, 6:44 pm
Here are some excerpts from Matt Damon's account of his recent trip to South Africa. If you'd like to read more, and find out how you can help, please visit www.one.org

"I just returned from a 7 day trip to South Africa and Zambia. What I saw changed my life. I want to tell you about my trip and let you know about billions of dollars in development assistance that is at risk this week.

Each day, I saw the devastating impact of AIDS and extreme poverty, but I also saw the incredible work being done to save lives and give people the tools to provide for themselves. I visited a facility that reduced, by half, the chances of a mother transmitting HIV to their child. I met a 24 year old woman who told me that there was a good chance the anti-retrovirals she was taking would save the her baby's life. The next day, I met a widow who had become self-sufficient thanks to a micro-finance loan. With her new financial freedom, she was not only able to take care of her children, but also began caring for local orphans.

The second day of the trip, I met children at an orphan care center in Zambia who had HIV\AIDS. Most of them couldn't remember their parents because they died of AIDS when they were only babies. Frederick, an HIV positive father showed me something called a "Memory Book." A scrapbook with pictures and stories about him he was putting together for his son so he would have something to remember him with after they he was gone. About 650,000 children in Zambia are AIDS orphans. They play "Duck, Duck, Goose" and "London Bridge" just like kids around the world, but without help; the problems they face are only going to get much worse. We can't let Congress cut funding that provides critical assistance to kids like these all across Africa."

Add Comment

Ladysmith Black Mombazo
Posted by: sandi
April 10, 2006, 6:55 pm
Ladysmith Black Mambazo's 'Long Walk to Freedom'

Venerated South African ensemble celebrates lengthy career, democracy and new music in concert at Caltech

By Bliss

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO: Still going strong after 45 years.

Sometimes raised voices really can help change the world. In the 1980s, many artists across the musical and geographic spectrum pumped up the volume to champion imprisoned South African activist Nelson Mandela and to condemn his country's repressive system of apartheid. Among them was Paul Simon, whose landmark 1986 album "Graceland" was buoyed by South African mbaqanga rhythms and the haunting polyrhythmic harmonies of seven-man band Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Mandela's release and the eventual dissolution of apartheid in the mid-'90s were hastened along by the widely credited dedication of artists such as Peter Gabriel, Miriam Makeba, Bono, Steve Van Zandt and, most consistently, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

The group had been performing since 1974, when founder Joseph Shabalala started combining traditional Zulu music with church hymns and a resonant, bass-heavy vocal blend. But it was collaborating with Simon that introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo to a global audience. They've been recording and touring internationally ever since, often for eight to nine months a year. Their newest CD is "Long Walk to Freedom," on which they revisit highlights of their repertoire with guest harmonies from Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Etheridge, Zap Mama, Taj Mahal, Emmylou Harris, Natalie Merchant, Lucky Dube, Thandiswa, Vusi Mahlasela and Hugh Masekela.

"We [chose] songs that have the message that we feel the world still has to listen to because we see some needs of those things that we sing about," explains co-founding member Albert Mazibuko, a cousin of Shabalala's. "We're also celebrating that Ladysmith Black Mambazo is 45 years old, and we are celebrating 20 years we have been touring around the world. And our country, South Africa, is 12 years old [since becoming a] democracy."

McLachlan joins them for a graceful rendering of "Homeless." According to Mazibuko, when Paul Simon first wrote them about recording the song for "Graceland," "it was a time when our people were sleeping in the mountains because their houses were burned down." It endures as a poignant "song of awareness" that Mazibuko says speaks to people "sleeping in the street" or who have lost their homes to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. "We still have to remind ourselves that we should take care of one another because these things are still happening."

A few weeks ago, Ladysmith Black Mambazo recorded "Weeping" with Josh Groban and producer Glen Ballard. It's another old song about apartheid that now speaks as a cautionary, tragic tale instead of a protest.

"I can't wait until the song is released [on Groban's next album]," Mazibuko enthuses. "The message is so strong in it."

Now eight men strong, Ladysmith Black Mambazo are touring in support of "Long Walk to Freedom."

"I would like to thank all the American society for accepting us and supporting us," Mazibuko says. "It's because of their love that [we] still carry on singing."

Add Comment

articles