Category: News Feeds

Olkkonen noted that the recommendations of the Motlanthe Commission into the post-election shootings in Harare and the recommendations by various election commissions had been ignored.

He observed that if there had been a functioning, viable agricultural sector Zimbabwe would not need outside support. ‘Likewise in the economic sector what we are seeing is a result of years and years of mismanagement and it requires a head-on tackling of issues such as corruption’.

The ambassador repeated the need for political stakeholders to come together to talk about how to go forward as a nation. But, despite the deepening economic crisis, this seems to be as far away as ever. MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has just returned from a visit to South Africa where he had talks with senior government officials and former President Mbekei.

Chamisa said he had told them that the situation in Zimbabwe was threatening to degenerate into complete chaos unless there was immediate intervention. He reported Mbeki as saying that there was a shared anxiety in the region and on the continent and that he would be coming back to Zimbabwe soon to resume the talks he’d begun there last month.

The Zimbabwean Foreign Ministry is meanwhile briefing emissaries from the controversial Political Actors’ Dialogue (POLAD) made up of leaders of fringe opposition parties, who are being sent on visits to several countries. Chamisa has refused to take part in POLAD, claiming it is unrepresentative and a government stooge (see: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2020/01/eu-bemoans-slow-pace-of-reforms/).

Two influential US senators have called on their government to update sanctions against Zimbabwe. They said: ‘While the United States has been the top provider of humanitarian and development aid to meet the needs of Zimbabwe’s people, the government of Zimbabwe has implemented a misinformation campaign blaming the country’s woes on targeted sanctions . . . given the developments in Zimbabwe over the last two years, we urge you to consider enhancing the tools at your disposal, including the use of targeted sanctions, to incentivize changes in behaviour by the government of Zimbabwe.’ (See: https://iharare.com/us-calls-for-more-sanctions-on-zim/).

Other points

• Given the high unemployment rate, it seems odd that – as reported by the Masvingo Mirror – there is a critical shortage of maids, posing a problem for working mothers in particular. There is a similar shortage of farm labourers caused by mass emigration. Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions’ President Peter Mutasa said the local currency had lost so much value that maids found it pointless to work for RTGS $100, which is now only worth US$5. For an insight into how Zanu PF has exploited the currency crisis to enrich itself see the article by Thandekile Moyo: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-01-28-zimbabwes-economy-is-run-by-master-criminals-who-are-fleecing-the-poor/.
• Thanks to those who came early to help set up the front table and put up the banners: Happy Chazuza, Jonathan Kariwo, Godfrey Katerere, Rosemary Maponga, Washington Mugari, Esther Munyira, Tapiwa Muskwe, Mary Muteyerwa, Ephraim Tapa, Kevin Wheeldon and Nattalie Zvoma. Thanks to Rosemary Maponga and Farai Mutumburi for looking after the front table, to Kevin, Nattalie, Esther and Elleriah Saili for handing out flyers, to Mary, Delice Gavazah and Ephraim for drumming and to Jonathan for photos. Thanks also to Rosemary for bringing tea, coffee and cakes.
• For latest Vigil pictures check: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimb88abwevigil/. Please note: Vigil photos can only be downloaded from our Flickr website

FOR THE RECORD: 18­­­ signed the register.

EVENTS AND NOTICES:

• ROHR Valentine’s fundraising dinner dance. Saturday 15^th February from 6 pm till late. Venue: 38 Marcon Place, London E8 1LP. The event is in aid of women living with HIV/AIDS in rural Zimbabwe. Tickets £30. Contact: Esther Munyira 07492058107, Molly Ngavaimbe 07415443973, Patricia Masamba 07708116625 and Margaret Munenge 07384300283.
• The Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s partner organization based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil to have an organization on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in Zimbabwe. Please note that the official website of ROHR Zimbabwe is http://www.rohrzimbabwe.org/. Any other website claiming to be the official website of ROHR in no way represents us.
• The Vigil’s book ‘Zimbabwe Emergency’ is based on our weekly diaries. It records how events in Zimbabwe have unfolded as seen by the diaspora in the UK. It chronicles the economic disintegration, violence, growing oppression and political manoeuvring – and the tragic human cost involved. It is available at the Vigil. All proceeds go to the Vigil and our sister organisation the Restoration of Human Rights in Zimbabwe’s work in Zimbabwe. The book is also available from Amazon.
• Facebook pages:
  

The Vigil, outside the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00 to 17.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe. http://www.zimvigil.co.uk.

Post published in: Featured

In 2019, Zimbabwe endured up to 18 hours of load shedding per day. At its peak, state power utility Zesa holdings escalated power cuts to 24 hours in December after losing regional power imports.

Erratic power supply was listed as one of the reasons why gold production in the southern African country slumped 20% to 27.6 tonnes in 2019 – down from 33.2 tonnes in 2018 – and short of a target of 40 tonnes.

Zimbabwe is experiencing crippling power shortages after its hydroelectricity source Kariba dam significantly reduced power generation due to receding water levels, which recently hit a 23-year low.

The other major energy source, Hwange thermal power station, is no longer reliable as its plants continuously break down due to old age and lack of adequate maintenance.

The two power stations are therefore not expected to produce at full capacity soon, with Kariba dam depending on water flows into the Zambezi River, while new units at Hwange are only expected to come on board in 2022.

Zimbabwe needs about 1 800MW at peak periods of demand but production falls far short of this level.

This has forced miners to consider own power generation, with one of the country’s biggest gold producers RioZim, last week applying to the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) for licences to build four solar power plants for each of its four mining operations, with a combined output of 214MW.

RioZim, formerly owned by Rio Tinto, has already signed a US$200 million agreement with Chinese firm, China Gezhouba Group International Engineering Corporation (CGGC), for the construction of three solar power plants at its mines.

Industrial and Commercial Bank (ICBC) of China has already signed up to provide 85% of the funding while Standard Bank will also make 15% contribution.

Meanwhile Toronto Stock Exchange-listed Caledonia Mining Corporation announced it wants to build a 20MW power plant at its Blanket mine near Gwanda.

Last week Caledonia’s CE Steve Curtis, in an interview with Proactive, expressed interest to develop a power hybrid system that will incorporate solar, grid and diesel power to improve performance at the mine, while achieving sustainability at the same time.

“During the day (it will be a) photo-voltaic generating plant. We will then use technology to create a hybrid system and we will save on diesel and on the US dollars we spend on our grid power,” Curtis said.

Post published in: Business

By some accounts, 2020 represents something of a lull in terms of drugs expected to lose patent protection.

A 2017 report by Evaluate Pharma estimated that this year, $17 billion in worldwide sales are at risk due to patent expirations. By contrast, last year, $41 billion in sales were at risk, and companies were anticipated to lose $19 billion.

Nevertheless, the year will see its fair share of U.S. patents on drugs and biologics expiring, and some of those drugs will see generic or biosimilar versions launched this year and next.

The list of 12 pharmaceutical drugs going off patent in 2020 came from National Pharmaceutical Services. These were cross-referenced with the Food and Drug Administration’s Orange Book, which lists approved pharmaceutical drugs’ patents, patent expiration dates and in many cases summarizes what those patents cover. The agency’s Drugs@FDA site was then searched for information such as when the drugs were approved and whether any generic versions had received approval. If they hadn’t, OptumRx’s latest quarterly RxOutlook report was examined to find whether a possible near-term generic launch was anticipated. Company earnings reports were used to find the latest annual sales figures.

But there are a few caveats to bear in mind. For one, the expiration of a patent this year does not mean there are not additional patents that may be protecting a branded drug, let alone that a generic will become available in 2020. Another confusing factor is that under the provisions of the Hatch-Waxman Act, the 1984 law that created an abbreviated approval pathway for generics, it’s common for generic companies to launch ahead of patent expiration under deals with brand-name drugs’ manufacturers. Sales figures for some drugs were also unavailable because they are made by private companies or are not included in financial filings because they don’t generate enough revenue.

For biologics, finding patent data is much less straightforward than with pharmaceutical drugs. The NPS’ list doesn’t list any biologics facing patent expiration in 2020, but a 2019 article in the Generics and Biosimilars Initiative Journal lists six. However, because the FDA Orange Book does not include information for biologics, it is much more difficult to cross-reference its entries, some of which appear to be inaccurate – notably the entry for Novartis’ autoimmune disease drug Cosentyx. In addition, the list states that they are losing patent protection or exclusivity, but does not specify which is the case for each individual drug. The entries in GaBI’s list were checked against multiple sources like company reports and DrugPatentWatch.com, although the latter requires a subscription.

Only one of the biologics listed, Roche and Royalty Pharma’s Mircera, is anticipated to face biosimilar competition, according to OptumRx’s report, and not until late next year. However, other information, like sales numbers, was readily available.

Pharmaceuticals

(Source: NPS)

Atrovent HFA (ipratropium hfa)
Company: Boehringer Ingelheim
Approved: 2004
Indication(s): chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Sales: N/A
Generic(s) approved? No
Patent expiration date in 2020: May 26

Bydureon (exenatide)
Company: AstraZeneca
Approved: 2012
Indication(s): Type 2 diabetes
Sales: $584 million (2018)
Generic(s) approved? No
Patent expiration dates in 2020: Jan. 14; May 25; Oct. 4 (treatment of Type 2 diabetes, treatment in combination with exenatide)
Note: OptumRx’s report does not include Bydureon, but does state a generic version of Byetta – a formulation of exenatide with more frequent dosing – may be launched this year.

Chantix (varenicline)
Company: Pfizer
Approved: 2006
Indication(s): smoking cessation
Sales: $282 million (2019)
Generic(s) approved? No
Patent expiration dates in 2020: May 10 (aid to smoking cessation); Nov. 10
Possible generic launch date: December 2021

Dexilant (dexlansoprazole)
Company: Takeda
Approved: 2009
Indication(s): gastroesophageal reflux disease
Sales: $688 million (FY2017)
Generic(s) approved? Yes (1)
Patent expiration dates in 2020: June 15 (healing of esophagitis, treatment of GERD); Dec. 15 (pediatric use)
Possible generic launch date: June 2020

Inlyta (axitinib)
Company: Pfizer
Approved: 2012
Indication(s): kidney cancer
Sales: $161 million (2019)
Generic(s) approved? No
Patent expiration date in 2020: June 30 (treatment of renal cell carcinoma)

Namenda (memantine)
Company: Allergan
Approved: 2003
Indication(s): Alzheimer’s-type dementia
Sales: $71 million (2018)
Generic(s) approved? Yes (19)
U.S. patent expiration date: N/A
An oral solution is also available, but without generic equivalents

Safyral (drospirenone, ethinyl estradiol, levomefolate)
Company: Bayer
Approved: 2010
Indication(s): Birth control
Sales: N/A
Generic(s) approved? Yes (2)
Patent expiration date in 2020: April 17, 2020
Note: Patent covering prevention of pregnancy expires March 3, 2022.

Saphris (asenapine)
Company: Allergan
Approved: 2009
Indication(s): schizophrenia, bipolar disorder
Sales: $139.7 million (2018)
Generic(s) approved? No
Patent expiration dates in 2020: June 9 (treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder); Dec. 9 (pediatric use)
Possible generic launch date: 1H 2020

Silenor (doxepin)
Company: Currax
Approved: 2010
Indication(s): insomnia
Sales: N/A
Generic(s) approved? Yes (1)
Patent expiration date in 2020: Feb. 17 (treatment of insomnia)
Possible generic launch date: January 2020
Note: Additional patents covering treatment of insomnia expire throughout the decade and into 2030.

Sprycel (dasatinib)
Company: Bristol-Myers Squibb
Approved: 2006
Indication(s): Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Sales: $2 billion (2018)
Generic(s) approved? No
Patent expiration dates in 2020: April 13 (treatment of CML); June 28 (treatment of protein tyrosine kinase-associated disorder and cancer); Oct. 13 (pediatric use); Dec. 28 (pediatric use)

Tykerb (lapatinib)
Company: Novartis
Approved: 2007
Indication(s): HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer
Sales: N/A
Generic(s) approved? No
Patent expiration date in 2020: Sept. 29 (treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer)
Possible generic launch date: September 2020

Vigamox (moxifloxacin)
Company: Novartis
Approved: 2003
Indication(s): bacterial conjunctivitis
Sales: N/A
Generic(s) approved? Yes (6)
Patent expiration date in 2020: March 29 (pediatric use)

Biologics

(Source: GaBI Journal)

Simulect (basiliximab)
Company: Novartis
Approved: 1998
Indication(s): organ transplant
Sales: N/A
Biosimilar approved? No
Estimated patent/exclusivity expiration date: 2020 (Source: Novartis)

Cosentyx (secukinumab)
Company: Novartis
Approved: 2015
Indication(s): plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
Sales: $3.6 billion (2019)
Biosimilar approved? No
Estimated patent/exclusivity expiration: 2028 (Source: Novartis)
Note: Given that Cosentyx was approved only five years ago, and no information could be found corroborating its inclusion among biologics losing patent protection in 2020, it may have been included in the GaBI Journal list in error.

Lucentis (ranibizumab)
Companies: Roche, Novartis
Approved: 2006
Indication(s): age-related macular degeneration, macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, diabetic macular edema, diabetic retinopathy, myopic choroidal neovascularization
Sales: $4 billion (2019)
Biosimilar approved? No
Estimated patent/exclusivity expiration: Unclear for U.S. (Japan, E.U. patents to expire 2020-2022) (Source: Novartis)

Vectibix (panitumumab)
Company: Amgen
Approved: 2006
Indication(s): wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer
Sales: $744 million (2019)
Biosimilar approved? No
Estimated patent/exclusivity expiration date: April 8, 2020 (Source: Amgen)

Kineret (anakinra)
Company: Sobi
Approved: 2001
Indication(s): rheumatoid arthritis, cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes
Sales: $118.6 million (2017)
Biosimilar approved? No
Estimated patent/exclusivity expiration date: July 29, 2020 (Source: DrugPatentWatch.com)

Mircera (methoxy polyethylete glycol, epoetin alfa)
Company: Roche, Royalty Pharma
Approved: 2007
Indication(s): anemia associated with chronic kidney disease
Sales: $610 million (2019)
Biosimilar approved? No
Estimated patent/exclusivity expiration date: Unclear
Possible biosimilar launch date: November 2021

Photo: gerenme, Getty Images

In West Virginia State Board of Ed. v. Barnette, the Court ruled in favor of Jehovah’s Witness students who declined to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, noting in the opinion that the Parent and Teachers Association, the Boy and Girl Scouts, the Red Cross, and the Federation of Women’s Clubs had all objected to the Pledge statute as well, and that their concerns were heeded while the Jehovah’s Witnesses were ignored. What were all those groups complaining about?

Hint: Given the timing of the suit, this was a pretty big deal.

See the answer on the next page.

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Olga V. Mack is the CEO of Parley Pro, a next-generation contract management company that has pioneered online negotiation technology. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to participate on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. Olga also co-founded SunLaw, an organization dedicated to preparing women in-house attorneys to become general counsels and legal leaders, and WISE to help female law firm partners become rainmakers. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat and Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security. You can email Olga at olga@olgamack.com or follow her on Twitter @olgavmack. 

Over the past decade, Lateral Link has become the prominent player in the legal recruiting industry. As we continue to grow our global footprint, we are looking to add recruiters to our San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York offices.

Our Success

Lateral Link has made thousands of placements with almost every Am Law 200 law firm in the nation. Not only do we have personal relationships with decision-makers at the biggest and best firms in the nation, but our exclusives with — and insider information about — some of the most desirable law firms separates us from ALL of our competitors in the field.  We are a market mover, not a follower.

Moreover, we only hire the best and almost all of our recruiters are law school graduates with extensive Biglaw experience. Here are a few of the law schools we represent.

Highest Compensation in Our Industry

We understand that hiring and retaining the best legal recruiters requires spreading the wealth.  Not only do you deserve it, but you should demand it.  Lateral Link’s recruiters earn 50-85 percent ABOVE the market.  Also, our Principals partake in real profit sharing. Our compensation formula also favors hard workers and high earners, and the more you make, the more you keep. Here’s a preview below of our compensation structure, not including bonuses and profit sharing.

Teamwork & Culture

If you have to define the legal recruiting industry, you would probably say it is a “dog eat dog world.” At Lateral Link, our recruiters find working together and collaborating on searches gives us an edge over our regional or national competition.  If you don’t have access to decision-makers and your brand isn’t opening the door in a meaningful way, why are you bringing more to a platform than what you are giving?  We encourage you to look at the contributions you make.  Is your platform really helping you?

Many Perks

We know the business aspect is important, but we also like to have a bit of fun at Lateral Link. We believe it is important to bring all of our colleagues together, from across the nation, annually at our company retreats.

If you are interested in working for us please email hiring@laterallink.com or click here to apply.

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Lateral Link is one of the top-rated international legal recruiting firms. With over 14 offices world-wide, Lateral Link specializes in placing attorneys at the most prestigious law firms and companies in the world. Managed by former practicing attorneys from top law schools, Lateral Link has a tradition of hiring lawyers to execute the lateral leaps of practicing attorneys. Click ::here:: to find out more about us.

Catalyst Capital Advisors told its investors that it had a dedicated risk manager. It told them that this dedicated risk manager monitored its risk metrics daily. It said that it had safeguards to prevent losses in excess of 8%. So when it lost 20% over the course of three months, it was either because that risk manager and those safeguards weren’t very good, or because they didn’t exist. Care to guess which one?

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC (CCA) and its President and Chief Executive Officer, Jerry Szilagyi, agreed to pay a combined $10.5 million to settle the charges. The SEC also filed a complaint in federal district court in Madison, Wisconsin, against Senior Portfolio Manager, Edward Walczak, for fraudulently misrepresenting how he would manage risk for the fund.