Nagaenthran’s funeral held at Buntong Hindu Crematorium Buntong this evening

IPOH, April 29 (Bernama) — The funeral of Malaysian Nagaenthran Dharmalingam, who was executed at Changi Prison, Singapore last Wednesday took place at the Buntong Hindu Crematorium here today.

His remains were laid to rest in accordance to the customs and traditions of the Indian community after they were brought back to his home at Tanjung Rambutan at 3 pm and arrived at the crematorium at 4 pm.

A sombre atmosphere enveloped the crematorium when over 100 family members and friends of the deceased showed up to pay their final respects to Nagaenthran before his remains were cremated at around 5 pm.

The Singapore Appeals Court on Tuesday (April 26) rejected the final appeal filed by the deceased’s mother, S. Panchalai, 60, to set aside the conviction and death sentence on her son.

Nagaenthran was sentenced to death in 2010 for trafficking 42.72 grams of heroin into Singapore in 2009, a country reputed to have the toughest drug laws in the world.

He was supposed to be executed by hanging on Nov 10, 2021, but obtained a temporary stay on Nov 9 when the court was informed he was COVID-19 positive while attending his final appeal against his death sentence.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Woman abandoned by Indonesian mother receives Malaysian citizenship

PUTRAJAYA, April 29 (Bernama) — Rohana Abdullah, the 22-year-old woman who was left by her Indonesian birth mother to be cared for by a Malaysian Chinese woman, shed tears of joy while accepting the letter granting her the Malaysian citizenship status from the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin today.

After receiving the letter, she returned to her seat and gave her adoptive mother Chee Hoi Lan, 83, a tight embrace before both mother and daughter left the ceremony.

According to Hamzah, while on stage to receive the letter, Rohana said she was touched by the gesture.

“On stage, she (Rohana) cried as she said she had been waiting for a long time on the decision regarding her citizenship application.

“She expressed her thanks to the government and I informed her that we grant citizenship to eligible individuals,” Hamzah said about Rohana’s reaction after receiving the letter.

Rohana was one of 34 recipients aged between five and 24 who received Malaysian citizenship at the ceremony held at the Home Ministry.

Article 15A of the Federal Constitution provides a special power for the federal government to register a person under the age of 21 as a citizen.

Rohana’s citizenship issue attracted the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who had contacted her to assist with her documentation.

Rohana was reportedly abandoned when she was two-month-old by her biological mother, an Indonesian citizen, and was cared for by Chee, who was a teacher at a kindergarten where she worked as a cleaner.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Premise owners urged to check visitors’ COVID risk status

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) — Premise owners, especially in high-risk areas like restaurants, are urged to check the COVID-19 risk status of visitors using the MySejahtera app, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

He said that would ensure that high-risk individuals, including COVID-19 positive patients those under home surveillance orders (HSO), were not allowed into the premises, adding that enforcement action under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) would be taken for failing to comply with set regulations.

“In shopping malls with many entrances, you don’t need to (check the status of every visitor) but we urge premise owners or enforcement teams to conduct random checks.

“I urge the public to cooperate with premise owners should they approach you to check your profile. This is for everybody’s safety, we are in the transition process,” he said at the media conference after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) today.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Health deputy director-general (Research and Technical Support) Datuk Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim and DNDi South East Asia Office directorJean-Michael Piedagnel were also present at the signing.

On the MoU, Khairy said his ministry intended to continue efforts to step up readiness against dengue and to eradicate the endemic disease by 2030.

“I hope more effort and support can be given to neglected diseases, especially tropical diseases like dengue as such diseases do not receive adequate attention as they do not occur in rich countries, but in places in South East Asia, Africa and other regions.

“The Health Ministry is keen to continue our existing partnership with DNDi that have led exemplary work in having established safe, affordable and effective treatment of Hepatitis C, garnered through collaborative efforts between developing nations, including Malaysia,” he added.

Meanwhile, at another event, Khairy also witnessed the presentation and distribution of iftar packs from Pharmaniaga Berhad (Pharmaniaga) group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope to Kuala Lumpur Hospital director Datin Paduka Dr Rohana Johan at the hospital. Staff of the hospital’s Emergency and Trauma department were also on hand to receive the packs.

The packs were a sign of Pharmaniaga’s appreciation to staff of public hospitals and district police in the Klang Valley under the Ramadan Hero programme.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Informa Pharma Intelligence and The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Launches Gene, Cell & RNA Therapy Landscape Q1 2022 Quarterly Data Report

New Report Highlights Key Industry Trends in Pharmaceutical R&D

NEW YORK, April 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Informa Pharma Intelligence, the global business intelligence provider for the biopharma industry, and The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT), today announced the launch of the Gene, Cell & RNA Therapy Landscape Q1 2022 Quarterly Data Report. The Q1 2022 report assesses industry trends by examining approved gene, cell and RNA therapies, the pharmaceutical pipeline by company, most targeted therapeutic areas, and an overview of recent dealmaking and start-up funding.

Notable findings from the first quarterly report of the year include:

  • FDA Approvals – Since Q4 2021, one new genetically modified cell therapy has been approved and one new gene therapy has filed for approval. Carvykti, a CAR-T cell therapy developed by Legend Biotech and Johnson & Johnson, was approved for multiple myeloma in the U.S. and EtranaDez (etranacogene dezaparvovec), an AAV5 gene therapy developed by uniQure, was filed for approval in the EU and UK for hemophilia B.
  • Gene Therapy Pipeline Growth  Since Q1 2021, the gene therapy pipeline has increased by 16% with 3,579 therapies in development, ranging from preclinical through preregistration. A total of 1,986 gene therapies (including genetically modified cell therapies such as CAR T-cell therapies) are in development, accounting for 55% of gene, cell and RNA therapies; and 816 non-genetically modified cell therapies are in development, accounting for 22% of gene, cell and RNA therapies.
  • Most Targeted Therapeutic Areas  Oncology and rare diseases continue to be the top areas of gene therapy development in both the overall pipeline (preclinical to preregistration) and in the clinic (Phase I to preregistration). Development for rare diseases most commonly occurs in the oncology space, representing a majority of 52% compared to non-oncology rare disease gene therapy pipeline development.
  • Deal Making – A total of 123 deals were signed, a 15% decrease in volume from Q4 2021. Q1 2022 was the lowest quarter total within the last year, and acquisition and alliance volume quarter by quarter remained flat, while financings continue to trend down. Acquisitions were the only type of deal to increase in Q1 2022.
  • Start-up Financing – Start-up financing by gene, cell and RNA therapeutic companies remained steady in Q1 2022. A total of 15 companies raised seed or Series A financing, totaling an aggregate $507.8M. The overall deal-making total across alliance, acquisitions and financings saw a 15% decline. In the largest start-up financing, Cellino Biotech, a Harvard University spin-out, raised $80M to support its large-scale production of autologous and allogeneic cell therapies.

“Since we started putting these quarterly reports together in Q1 2021, we have seen the gene therapy pipeline steadily increase. Oncology and rare disease remain the most targeted therapeutic areas, and we continue to see a strong pipeline for CAR-T cell therapies for cancer indications,” said Ly Nguyen-Jatkoe, PhD, Executive Director, Americas, Informa Pharma Intelligence. “Rare diseases continue to be a focus for RNA therapies.”

“The continued approvals of gene and cell therapies has turned into one of the brightest spots in releasing this report each quarter,” said David Barrett, JD, CEO, the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT). “With the approval of Carvykti in Q1 2022 and the ever-expanding pipeline, we’re exceptionally optimistic about the future of the field.”

All pipeline and trial insights were compiled using data from Pharma Intelligence’s Pharmaprojects™, and Trialtrove™, part of Citeline, which has been tracking global drug development since 1980. Deal, financing and catalyst data were derived from Biomedtracker™. For more information, or to view the current and past reports, visit Informa Pharma Intelligence or contact pharma@informa.com.

About The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT)
The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) is the primary professional membership organization for scientists, physicians, patient advocates and other professionals with interest in gene and cell therapy.

Our members work in a wide range of settings including universities, hospitals, government agencies, foundations, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. ASGCT advances knowledge, awareness and education leading to the discovery and clinical application of gene and cell therapies to alleviate human disease to benefit patients and society.

About Informa Pharma Intelligence
Informa Pharma Intelligence powers a full suite of analysis products — Datamonitor Healthcare™, Sitetrove™, Trialtrove™, Pharmaprojects™, Biomedtracker™, Scrip™, Pink Sheet™ and In Vivo™ — to deliver the data needed by the pharmaceutical and biomedical industry to make decisions and create real-world opportunities for growth.

With more than 400 analysts keeping their fingers on the pulse of the industry, no key disease, clinical trial, drug approval or R&D project isn’t covered through the breadth and depth of data available to customers. For more information, visit pharmaintelligence.informa.com

Media Contacts:
Diffusion PR for Informa Pharma Intelligence
informapharma@diffusionpr.com

Alex Wendland for The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT)
AWendland@asgct.org