The Filipino Doctor That Helped to Save Millions

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQjPz_z2vIcRyxLC8qmmG6oqVikTilkG9aHS5i50kjBQ7cLWgINUe6hCHTokEYC8aaADdiEn19UFjH6EnI7_kc9U8XC-qT5Ij9K7vvVMaifQECW_o9RsHQAIwHZ3ddk1hcXbmawND8cAA/s1600/Dr.-Abelardo-Aguilar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQjPz_z2vIcRyxLC8qmmG6oqVikTilkG9aHS5i50kjBQ7cLWgINUe6hCHTokEYC8aaADdiEn19UFjH6EnI7_kc9U8XC-qT5Ij9K7vvVMaifQECW_o9RsHQAIwHZ3ddk1hcXbmawND8cAA/s640/Dr.-Abelardo-Aguilar.jpg" width="496" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />The discovery of Pencillin was a breakthrough in medicine. It was only then that infections were treated effectively. That it saved millions of lives was never put in question. <br /><br />But it also had side-effects and a considerable number of the world’s population were allergic to penicillin. Another breakthrough was needed.<br /><br />On a Philippine island, Streptomycesery threes, a fungus, found in the soil was sent to a laboratory in the United States. The year was 1949. A young doctor working as a researcher for a drug multinational sent it. His name was Dr. Abelardo Aguilar, an Ilonggo. It was the breakthrough that was needed. It was 1952. It led to the development of Erythromycin. Eli Lilly and Company owned the new antibiotic. It changed the world.<br /><br />Erythromycin was name Ilosone after Iloilo. This was useful in the treatment of respiratory tract infections, intestinal infections and several sexually transmitted diseases.<br /><br />Dr. Aguilar left Eli Lilly and Company and set up his own clinic, ministering to poor patients. Unfortunately, his contribution to the discovery of Erythromycin was never recognized by the pharmaceutical multinational. It cited that it was done when he was an employee and any discovery belonged to the company and no monetary compensation was due to Dr. Aguilar.<br /><br />Dr. Aguilar passed away in 1993 and was never given a single centavo as compensation for being co-discoverer of erythromycin.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=5544835517721897626&postID=%204945290637077044134&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9Bov-5jxblscorzGCopVL5Xz68i6dvP9jIudFNjEHqR8MMdmVfysddhDjGUhuvlerb67aHnfQDJEUeUQZ5kjo_Wx4ig1t1Up2WOpNkMj-NaNLwPtxqdA3ez_SOd-1IwiRZWwI2BCbpA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=5544835517721897626&postID=%204945290637077044134&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMggqAn9B6n_ue3iBOqDQgfJmfpRxWvLyKJRt7IFP17wasPqRAsizTNNHpZHUKMuDMZm5A4duwa4m0IFs-cBh79J03YQVVToXxjf2LZ6qNn4CyLwa8Wy-c4jj2UC8QFH081Ja_q0iaXdM/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></div> <br />

Innovations Movers and Shakers Pharmaceuticals Professional The Filipino Doctor That Helped to Save Millions

The discovery of Pencillin was a breakthrough in medicine. It was only then that infections were treated effectively. That it saved mil...

Read more »

Php3 Billion budget for the first dengue vaccine in the Philippines

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OMRRhfJro34Y3XXCgIo93Eebu0zBnb7xdYYQxXHuG97C686i5sXzmDlHsuKu_lkFrHMGlQCy_EpGQjO-bIW_KmXgPjyJXlDilwKR68j6QTQS2YFAjixk_gNiRTDRm7W_XCJZibOG7f4a/s1600/Dengue+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3OMRRhfJro34Y3XXCgIo93Eebu0zBnb7xdYYQxXHuG97C686i5sXzmDlHsuKu_lkFrHMGlQCy_EpGQjO-bIW_KmXgPjyJXlDilwKR68j6QTQS2YFAjixk_gNiRTDRm7W_XCJZibOG7f4a/s640/Dengue+pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />The long anticipated immunization program against dengue fever was launched in the Philippines this past week. The program initially vaccinated 600 schoolchildren in Manila with the objective of 1 million children to be immunized against dengue in 2016.<br /><br />Half the world’s population is now at risk of Dengue Fever due to its rapid spread around the world. Decades have been spent in developing the vaccine. The vaccine first got approval last year in December in Mexico. This is not the only vaccine against dengue being developed and it is only part of a larger effort against the disease which includes controlling the mosquitoes that are the carriers of dengue fever.<br /><br />Dengue causes flu-like symptoms and has no specific treatment since it is a viral disease. Fatality rates can reach up to 20%. There is an estimated 390 million dengue cases annually which is a 30 fold increase in the last 50 years.<br /><br />Dengue has had cases in 100 countries while in the 1970s there were only 9 countries that experienced dengue cases.<br /><br /><br />Currently, Sanofi is undertaking studies on Dengvaxia, administered 3 times in a year and is claimed to have an 80% success rate in dengue hospitalizations. The US National Institutes of Health conducted a study with a 100% success rate.<br /><br />Dengvaxia, which is approved for use in individuals aged 9 to 45, is registered in the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil and El Salvador, with regulatory review processes underway in other countries. In the Philippines, students who are nine years old or older are being vaccinated. The vaccinations are free and presently taking place in public schools in Manila. The Department of Health has allocated 3 billion pesos for the initial immunization program.<br /><br /></span></div> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=5544835517721897626&postID= 5053295212439507737&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9Bov-5jxblscorzGCopVL5Xz68i6dvP9jIudFNjEHqR8MMdmVfysddhDjGUhuvlerb67aHnfQDJEUeUQZ5kjo_Wx4ig1t1Up2WOpNkMj-NaNLwPtxqdA3ez_SOd-1IwiRZWwI2BCbpA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=5544835517721897626&postID= 5053295212439507737&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMggqAn9B6n_ue3iBOqDQgfJmfpRxWvLyKJRt7IFP17wasPqRAsizTNNHpZHUKMuDMZm5A4duwa4m0IFs-cBh79J03YQVVToXxjf2LZ6qNn4CyLwa8Wy-c4jj2UC8QFH081Ja_q0iaXdM/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></div> <br />

Events Healthcare Cost News Pharmaceuticals Technology Php3 Billion budget for the first dengue vaccine in the Philippines

The long anticipated immunization program against dengue fever was launched in the Philippines this past week. The program initially vacc...

Read more »

Freshman Students Organize Hackathon Focused On Solving PH Healthcare Problems

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf792etKP7v4U7D7hXQ7Wvdrs1zC4FoZ5jEvgJsdreBt8WxP4IDFP8Z3dLa4uE0Nk41ED8hFIDZm7Q3HMmuG3fHVDaZMvzKIiTHlY5Xhr2LNF15MkeQ-oxoZxEl_8ASmgxemOMX3fsQN-/s1600/healthhacks02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUB2TiLVIqF57f3HC95uvWV65kzHZdgGe4YzCbL3Dkm-rtbImOreZ3mcNuStYzZklQ2Ph27QCSBtKfzNFUiwFpBrekysO9YAXbCq5H12CGlau-Qpng2UotA5xo1tA3Wj84panoFBKHSHw/s1600/healthhacks04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUB2TiLVIqF57f3HC95uvWV65kzHZdgGe4YzCbL3Dkm-rtbImOreZ3mcNuStYzZklQ2Ph27QCSBtKfzNFUiwFpBrekysO9YAXbCq5H12CGlau-Qpng2UotA5xo1tA3Wj84panoFBKHSHw/s320/healthhacks04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;">MAKATI, Philippines - Over the weekend, a number of youthful minds gathered at the Microsoft Offices along Ayala Avenue to explore how to address the various healthcare problems in the Philippines.<br /><br />HealthHacks is the first ever student organized hackathon focused on solving healthcare problems in the Philippines. With a 2-day event filled with inspiring talks, eccentric people, and amazing prizes, participants were challenged to create innovative and feasible solutions overnight.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf792etKP7v4U7D7hXQ7Wvdrs1zC4FoZ5jEvgJsdreBt8WxP4IDFP8Z3dLa4uE0Nk41ED8hFIDZm7Q3HMmuG3fHVDaZMvzKIiTHlY5Xhr2LNF15MkeQ-oxoZxEl_8ASmgxemOMX3fsQN-/s1600/healthhacks02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCf792etKP7v4U7D7hXQ7Wvdrs1zC4FoZ5jEvgJsdreBt8WxP4IDFP8Z3dLa4uE0Nk41ED8hFIDZm7Q3HMmuG3fHVDaZMvzKIiTHlY5Xhr2LNF15MkeQ-oxoZxEl_8ASmgxemOMX3fsQN-/s320/healthhacks02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian Tan with Kickstart's Christian Besler</td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;">Venture capital firm Kickstart Ventures (they invest in early-stage to Series C digital tech startups), and other existing startups in the health and medical field like Medix.ph, Medifi, and mClinica were there to rally their support to the brave, young minds who initiated the event.<br /><br />Among the movers of this hackathon was Brian Tan who Studies BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship at Ateneo de Manila University.  Also in the core of HealthHacks is Pau Joquino, who is also the Co-Founder/CEO at Integrating Science in the Philippines - (ISIP)</span><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIM4JUadFK83bUoc-YrxizQ34grsJJH2deDaaS81TlPFZmDAnPtDZ-4ZIheT2l3oQ1jXKOmCnv7uAkA6FkngmFCLv0SfHqC5XLREyqkZS1orNjavdjzk-f4iKR-y3QJWjCxRKpNCjCF_Y/s1600/healthhacks03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIM4JUadFK83bUoc-YrxizQ34grsJJH2deDaaS81TlPFZmDAnPtDZ-4ZIheT2l3oQ1jXKOmCnv7uAkA6FkngmFCLv0SfHqC5XLREyqkZS1orNjavdjzk-f4iKR-y3QJWjCxRKpNCjCF_Y/s320/healthhacks03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marc Medina of Medix.ph serving as Mentor to the young minds.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWXodqkj70NeAW5vDjvjcLBf-tR_3fYEmSxClwXo9P4UCAJFSs7R8XqDNnPxvpMrwbpJmRLK4U0o7rgGzYzvi6Z1Ao6CtJbViECdY133PmCwOcfx3KhHBMVtP-uDyEVTitze2ERlDZfqH/s1600/TiA_Farouk-Meralli_Marc_Medina-720x437b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWXodqkj70NeAW5vDjvjcLBf-tR_3fYEmSxClwXo9P4UCAJFSs7R8XqDNnPxvpMrwbpJmRLK4U0o7rgGzYzvi6Z1Ao6CtJbViECdY133PmCwOcfx3KhHBMVtP-uDyEVTitze2ERlDZfqH/s320/TiA_Farouk-Meralli_Marc_Medina-720x437b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mClinica's Farouk Meralli serving as one of the Judges on the panel.</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTmNpTgyrqb82GbEr2Z5AMdS5ctKF49RGlnu1jlHpZpbwJp5z_Vip8VGmOtz-vznVQBMyZxr3Gii52s7ONoKA9HU_-VaxfWjSnoJe9lilq9Ezi51ggNgYaqJVHfbwr_1LhN9kcjEYvXiT/s1600/logo02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMTmNpTgyrqb82GbEr2Z5AMdS5ctKF49RGlnu1jlHpZpbwJp5z_Vip8VGmOtz-vznVQBMyZxr3Gii52s7ONoKA9HU_-VaxfWjSnoJe9lilq9Ezi51ggNgYaqJVHfbwr_1LhN9kcjEYvXiT/s320/logo02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br />

Events Hackathon Health IT Healthcare Cost Pharmaceuticals Freshman Students Organize Hackathon Focused On Solving PH Healthcare Problems

MAKATI, Philippines - Over the weekend, a number of youthful minds gathered at the Microsoft Offices along Ayala Avenue to explore how to ...

Read more »

How A Harvard Graduate Is Making A Difference In Philippine Health Care

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSL3MSZc2tGMTsSA-DzCuDmUZo2ixqC7o-_g4PdC29-oNOlqfwZ_U48ysE0Y9E8DXpGVufc5SwjEf7Dv7xxHemZyxiZSF2TKTW3rgIigHUF3Vxt8fSkj-bHe2SaelALjsiUwSvHZ3Sn7yz/s1600/TiA_Farouk-Meralli_Marc_Medina-720x437b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSL3MSZc2tGMTsSA-DzCuDmUZo2ixqC7o-_g4PdC29-oNOlqfwZ_U48ysE0Y9E8DXpGVufc5SwjEf7Dv7xxHemZyxiZSF2TKTW3rgIigHUF3Vxt8fSkj-bHe2SaelALjsiUwSvHZ3Sn7yz/s320/TiA_Farouk-Meralli_Marc_Medina-720x437b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;">One word best describes the pharmaceutical industry in the Philippines: fragmented. On one end of the spectrum are a handful of big pharmacy chains that dominate the market revenue-wise, and on the other are hundreds of mom-and-pop shops spread in rural areas.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">For drug companies, this has been problematic. Many mom-and-pop or independent shops keep track of inventory the old-fashioned way – by hand. They don’t have a system to monitor which products are actually being sold, to whom, and at what volume. Thus, drug companies have no clear picture of the market to base critical business decisions on.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">For consumers, it’s a different problem. Medicine prices are high and growing at a faster rate relative to incomes. The gap is undeniable.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Consumed by this dilemma, 28-year-old Farouk Meralli – who had built a career working for multinational pharmaceutical companies – thought of a way to help both the pharmaceuticals and patients. “I wanted to do something good for the world and good for business. I asked myself, ‘what can I do to marry the two?’”</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">That’s how he got the idea for his company <a href="http://mclinica.com/" target="_blank">mClinica</a>.</span><br /> <h3> <span style="font-size: large;"> The way it works</span></h3> <span style="font-size: large;">mClinica uses mobile technology to connect drug companies, their distributors, pharmacies, and patients. It currently has 1,400 independent pharmacies with access to over 20 million customers on its platform.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">It works this way: patients who visit any one of the pharmacies on the platform can avail of discounts on medicines by simply providing their mobile phone numbers. Pharmacies must send the transaction details to the platform to get reimbursed by the drug companies. The pharmacies also enroll the patients into a program that helps them better understand their health conditions and reminds them to refill when they’re running low on supply.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">In the Philippines, where the poor have limited access to health care and often must choose food over medicine, the discounts are a big help. The discounts also act as incentive for them to adhere to their doctors’ prescriptions.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the supply chain benefits too. The platform allows drug companies to devise programs to improve patients’ health while boosting their sales – to levels high enough to offset the discounts. It gives them access to market insights that have never been available before, and that they can access real time.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">For their part, independent pharmacies, which tend to have lower margins than chain pharmacies, are able to widen their consumer base. Meralli says they’re working to include chain pharmacies in their network as well. After all, their goal is to reach as many patients as possible.</span><br /> <h2> <span style="font-size: large;"> The man behind it</span></h2> <span style="font-size: large;">Meralli’s heart has always been in healthcare. He took up biomedical sciences at McGill in Montreal, Canada, and then went to Harvard to get a masters in health policy.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">After graduating from Harvard, he worked for pharmaceutical heavyweights Roche, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Throughout his career, he says he noticed the same problems. “In emerging markets, these pharmaceutical companies didn’t have access to the same kind of data that they did in mature markets like the US, Western Europe, and Canada where pharmacies are very consolidated and data is easy to access. From a societal perspective, in many of these markets, the price of medicine is incredibly high and health literacy is a challenge.”</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Meralli says a technology like that of mClinica is the most economically viable and sustainable way to solve the problem because it has massive impact.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">All he had back then, however, was an idea. He had no entrepreneurial background and no funding. “When I started this, I literally had 13 slides, there was no technology, no team – just me and the slides.”</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">So he went and pitched his idea to the head for emerging markets of Merck, one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies. By sheer luck and a lot of perseverance, Merck agreed to a pilot, Meralli recalls.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">They introduced the business in the Philippines and India first. It got good traction in the Philippines, but they felt India was more of a long-term play.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">They decided to focus all their resources on the Philippines, put together a research and development team, and grew from there.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">“It was very fortunate but also a bit scary because you’re betting on an idea, on yourself, taking a complete gamble. That’s what startups are.”</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">He says it helped that he was totally okay with moving to an entirely new country. “I kind of, from a very young age, traveled all around the world. I’ve been very fortunate to have traveled to over 80 countries which gave me great cultural perspective.”</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Meralli says it was difficult setting up in the Philippines though. “The process was not exactly straightforward. In the US, if you start a company – set it up, open a bank account, get the licenses and permits – you do it in about two to three days. Here, it took two and a half months to get the full thing done.”</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: large;">Nevertheless, the Philippines presented them with a lot of opportunity. Given that the market is fragmented, the business was immediately commercially viable.</span><br /> <br /> Condensed from : <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/mclinica-pharmaceutical-health-care-startup">https://www.techinasia.com/mclinica-pharmaceutical-health-care-startup</a><br /> by Jum Balea

Cost Rationalizations Global News Health IT Healthcare Cost Innovations Movers and Shakers Pharmaceuticals Technology How A Harvard Graduate Is Making A Difference In Philippine Health Care

One word best describes the pharmaceutical industry in the Philippines: fragmented. On one end of the spectrum are a handful of big phar...

Read more »