Galenica AG, headquartered in Bern, is an internationally active Swiss pharmaceutical and logistics company group, named after the ancient physician Galenus. It dates back to the 1927 Collaboration Pharmaceutique SA, a purchasing center for pharmaceutical products founded by 16 pharmacists in Clarens. This was renamed to Galenica AG in 1932 and moved from Vaud's Le Châtelard to Bern. The Galenica shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and are a component of the SMI MID index.
The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 and its increasing threat to human health worldwide have necessitated the development of new technological tools to combat the virus. Particular emphasis is given to the development of diagnostic methods that monitor the spread of the virus rapidly and effectively. In this study, we report the development and testing of an antibody-free biosensor, based on the immobilization of ACE2 protein on the surface of gold interdigitated electrode. When the sensor was used in laboratory conditions for targeting the virus’ structural spike protein, it showed a limit of detection [LOD] of 750 pg/μL/mm2. Thereafter, the response of the sensor to swab and saliva samples from hospitalized patients was examined. The virus presence in the samples was confirmed by electrical effective capacitance measurements executed on the biosensor, and correlated with real-time PCR results. We verified that the biosensor can distinguish samples that are positive for the virus from those that are negative in a total of 7 positive and 16 negative samples. In addition, the biosensor can be used for semi-quantitative measurement, since its measurements are divided into 3 areas, the negative samples, the weakly positive and the positive samples. Reproducibility of the experiments was demonstrated with at least 3 replicates and stability was tested by keeping the sensor standby for 7 days at 4 °C before repeating the experiment. This work presents a biosensor that can be used as a fast-screening test at point of care detection of SARS-CoV-2 since it needs less than 2 min to provide results and is of simple operation.
The CNIC polypill - containing 100mg acetylsalicylic acid, 40mg atorvastatin and 5mg ramipril – has been specifically designed for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The burden of CVD in Greece, traditionally amongst worldwide lowest, has increased steadily for the last 50 years. Considering the current climate of constraint, it becomes essential to consider effectiveness in conjunction with long-term costs to determine the best possible care in CV prevention. Consequently, our aim was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the CNIC polypill in secondary CVD prevention from the payer perspective in Greece. A probabilistic patient-level simulation Markov model was adapted to the Greek setting. The model estimated life-time costs and outcomes of the CV polypill compared with the separate monocomponents in secondary prevention patients. From the initial state, patients could suffer subsequent fatal or non-fatal CV events as well as non-CV related death. The risk of suffering a CV event was reduced by medication, to which patients could be adherent or non-adherent. Utility values were obtained from Greek published literature and were assigned to each health state to estimate the quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Acute and chronic direct management costs – obtained from Greek diagnosis related groups, literature or a panel of experts where literature was not available – were also considered for each state. The total discounted lifetime costs per patient were €9,005 in the polypill arm compared to €9,396 in the monocomponents arm. The incremental LYs gained with polypill compared to monocomponents was found to be 0.201 per patient whereas the total incremental QALY gained was found to be 0.134. The corresponding ICER of polypill versus monocomponents was -€2,926 per QALY gained. The results suggest CNIC polypill - a fixed dose combination of ASA, atorvastatin and ramipril - is dominant compared to monocomponents for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in Greece.
The percentage of elderly people in Europe is rapidly increasing [1]. As a result, also the prevalence of age-related diseases will significantly increase. The major aim of the MediHealth project is to introduce a novel approach for the discovery of novel bioactive natural products of food plants from the Mediterranean diet and other global sources to promote healthy ageing. To achieve this aim, a series of plants from the Mediterranean diet and food plants from Africa, Asia, and South America has been carefully selected and subjected to in silico, in vitro (advanced cell-based assays), in vivo (flies and mice models) and metabolism analysis. Advanced analytical techniques complement the pharmacological evaluation process for the efficient isolation and identification of bioactive plant constituents. Furthermore, pharmacological profiling of bioactive natural products as well as identification and synthesis of their metabolites are carried out. Finally, process optimization studies are performed to proceed to the development of innovative nutraceuticals, dietary supplements or herbal medicinal products [2].
The aim of this study was to demonstrate that penetration of quercetin, hydrogen peroxide and ascorbic acid through skin membranes can be monitored amperometrically. Skin membrane was fixed on the top of chemically modified electrodes and penetration of the appropriate compound was registered as electrode current. The methodology allows the study of penetration from solution as well as from pharmaceutical creams. From real-time measurements of electrode current, fluxes and diffusion coefficients of mentioned compounds in skin membranes have been estimated.
