4Basra

According to my research, there is a generic version of Imatinib manufactured in India which costs a dollar a tablet, as opposed to $16 – 20 a tablet for the Novartis version in the US or Europe.

As there has been no response from Orion Laboratories (of The Orion Group), and although I will call them anyway, I now need to approach an alternative manufacturer based in India.

I only hope their generic version meets the relevant licensing and certification requirements.

Emails arrive from two potential blog designers, who seem enthusiastic, and from the NGO.

I need to register a .org domain. One of the designers can host the blog as well as customise a template with graphics and RSS buttons. I need to try and get this right so it looks professional, so will take my time – but not too long - in choosing a template.

I need to find out more information from Orion Laboratories, so I have emailed them to see if they will help out with supplies of the Leukaemia drug Imanitib. 

We also need to approach Glaxo Smithkline to see if they will supply us with Pentostam, to treat a tropical disease which is prevalent in Iraqi children.

Have placed another ad on the excellent Freelance Ireland website again, to see if I can find a voluntary german-english translator to translate a report from the NGO and some of the content on their website. 

Meanwhile, the operating theatre in one of the Basra hospitals “is in a terrible condition,” and another unit in the building also needs a lot of work. Finding a way to tackle that is going to be difficult. 

Now that a new front has opened up in the Middle East, other hospitals will find themselves in similar conditions, lacking basic supplies and services, and the more vital ones needed to carry out their work. 

The “War on Terror” glorified military dominance and firepower. TV pictures of bombs being dropped and arms being fired looked not unlike a fireworks display when they played across the airwaves.

Somewhere below, in the midst of the dark, unlit and unseen areas on the screen, there were homes, schools and hospitals – the places where a free society quietly goes about its daily life – being destroyed.  

To other matters – John Caudwell, a well-known telecoms entrepreneur in the UK, has made a shedload of money from the sale of The Caudwell Group, £1.24 billion, to be precise.

He plans to sail around the world and then look at other business ventures, as well as continue working with his charity, which helps sick and disadvantaged children.

Mobile Today jokes that ‘the inevitable begging letters’ will soon be dropping through Caudwell’s letterbox.

£1.24 billion could go a long way…

July 13 2006

I reply to the email from the lady running the NGO. She would welcome any assistance in securing supplies of Leukaemia drugs, which are very expensive and beyond the reach of their budget at the moment.

I mention that I have located a manufacturer of the generic Leukaemia drug Imanitib – The Orion Group, who are based in Bangladesh – adding that I am unsure how best to approach them. 

Novartis, are based in Switzerland, and for their part, they run the GIPAP programme, offering the generic version of Glivec. 

Meanwhile, our rental offer on the office in Dublin has been accepted. This is great news and means I can now see if I can find a third guy to share the office, in order to keep the costs to a minimum.