Abbott Introduces Room-Temperature-Stable, Single-Dose Formulation Of Carbetocin For The Prevention Of Postpartum Haemorrhage In India

* The novel, room-temperature-stable (RTS), single-dose formulation will address prevailing challenges with existing protocols that require cold-chain storage and transportation, thus helping in prevention of PPH (postpartum haemorrhage) and facilitating better maternal healthcare in India

* Every year, PPH accounts for close to 20% of all maternal mortality[i] in the country

* The formulation’s efficacy and safety is supported by the results of the largest clinical trial in the prevention of PPH published in the New England Journal of Medicine[ii]

Abbott, the global healthcare company has announced the introduction of a room-temperature-stable, single-dose formulation of carbetocin in India, which is available in convenient vials, to help in the prevention of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Abbott’s product is available in the private sector. PPH refers to excessive blood loss of 500 ml or more after vaginal delivery and 1000 ml or more after a caesarean procedure, within 24 hours of childbirth[iii].  Although preventable, PPH is associated with almost 20% maternal mortality in the country.

PPH, if left untreated can result in complications like anaemia in the postpartum period or aggravate mental health problems including postnatal depression and post-traumatic stress disorder apart from other issues[iv]. Women may require additional treatment for PPH which can extend hospital stay. Additionally, PPH may also impact breastfeeding and nursing for the newborn[v].

The current prevention and treatment protocol for PPH requires cold-chain storage and distribution, as well as continual administration of medicines via intravenous drip infusion. This can impede access to quality healthcare for pregnant women in care settings where these requirements may not be feasible. The room-temperature-stable formulation addresses the challenge of maintaining cold-chain storage or transportation, which helps increase access to preventive treatment for PPH, across geographies.

Abbott has launched this formulation for the private market under its own brand through an in-licensing and co-marketing agreement with Ferring Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. India (Ferring), a subsidiary of the Switzerland-based global biopharmaceuticals company.

Results from the largest PPH trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), which enrolled nearly 30,000 women from 10 countries including India[vi],  indicated that carbetocin was non-inferior to oxytocin, the current standard of care, for the prevention of blood loss of 500 ml or additional uterotonic use (for the prevention of PPH during the active management of third-stage labour). 

Discussing the need for effectively preventing PPH, Dr. Sheela Mane, a renowned senior Obstetrics and Gynaecology consultant at Anugraha Nursing home, Bengaluru, commented, “Postpartum haemorrhage, seen in both caesarian and vaginal deliveries in India, could lead to long-term complications. Due to its heat sensitivity, quality of oxytocin maybe affected in areas with frequent power failures and lack of storage facilities. The new room temperature-stable carbetocin, which has been included in both the WHO guidelines and FIGO’s joint consensus statement for PPH prevention, could overcome these cold-chain transportation and storage challenges and prove to be an effective option for PPH prevention.”

A single-dose formulation of carbetocin is convenient to administer since it is a single-dose and offers an intra-muscular dosing option in addition to intra-venous administration. It therefore reduces the need for at-risk pregnant women to undergo a prolonged stay at the hospital post-delivery. This collaboration with Ferring, a leader in innovative reproductive medicine and maternal health, combined with Abbott’s commitment to women’s health, presents an important milestone in the nation’s efforts to enhance maternal health and ensure improved health outcomes post-delivery.

Commenting on this new formulation in India, Dr. Srirupa Das, Medical Director, Abbott India said, “For over five decades, Abbott has helped improve the lives of women throughout their pregnancy and reproductive health. With the introduction of this room-temperature-stable carbetocin formulation in collaboration with Ferring, we are reiterating our commitment to improve maternal care, enabling both mothers and children to live through better health. This formulation has proven efficacy, a convenient formulation that addresses the needs for heat stability and can help with better health outcomes for mothers who just delivered a baby.”[vii]

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 109,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. In India, Abbott was established in 1910, and is one of the country's oldest and most admired healthcare companies. With more than 12,000 employees in the country, Abbott is helping to meet the healthcare needs of consumers, patients and doctors throughout urban and rural India.

[i] Kumar N (2016) Postpartum Hemorrhage; a Major Killer of Woman: Review of Current Scenario. Obstet Gynecol Int J 4(4): 00116. DOI: 10.15406/ogij.2016.04.00116

[ii] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1805489

[iii] Carlisa B. Comparison of Carbetocin with other uterotonic agents in preventing postpartum hemorrhage, Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2018 Dec;7(12):5207-5213

[iv] Evensen A, Anderson JM, Fontaine P. Postpartum Hemorrhage: Prevention and Treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2017 Apr 1;95(7):442-449. PMID: 28409600

[v] Thompson, J.F., Heal, L.J., Roberts, C.L. et al. Women's breastfeeding experiences following a significant primary postpartum haemorrhage: A multicentre cohort study. Int Breastfeed J 5, 5 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4358-5-5

[vi] Widmer M, Piaggio G, Nguyen TMH, et al; WHO CHAMPION Trial Group. Heat-Stable Carbetocin versus Oxytocin to Prevent Hemorrhage after Vaginal Birth. N Engl J Med. 2018 Aug 23;379(8):743-752. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1805489. Epub 2018 Jun 27. PMID: 29949473.

Fincare Community Banking Brings Modern Banking Services Across The Rural Indian Market

* Fincare Mitra shall give customers access to a wide range of banking solutions at the doorstep.

Fincare Small Finance Bank Limited (“Fincare SFB” or “Fincare Small Finance Bank”) takes the first step in introducing community banking to its core customer segment spread across 38,809 villages. This new initiative will help customers with a seamless banking experience right at their doorstep.

The community banking initiative will champion the bank’s mission to promote financial inclusion, ensure easy access to financial services and strengthen its relationship with existing loan customers, by becoming a provider of comprehensive banking services.

“Fincare Mitra” shall serve as a Customer Service Point (CSP), offering the community a wide range of banking services.

In principle, community banking is about treating rural customers as a cohort having its unique financial cycles thus requiring bespoke solutions such as:

·         Providing a basic bouquet of financial services like savings and loan products, life, health and non-life insurance, old-age pension and need-based investment solutions.

·         Establishing an effective digital banking infrastructure that is simple, safe and secure

·         Developing literacy and livelihood support for entrepreneurial skills, knowledge of basic financial products, basic digital transactions, as well as rights and responsibilities as a customer.

This initiative is designed to minimise the need to travel long distances for availing banking services and replace it with a relationship-led neighbourhood banking ecosystem.

Mr. Rajeev Yadav, MD and CEO of Fincare Small Finance Bank, stated regarding the initiative, "Fincare SFB has always strived to make its customers feel at ease. The Community Banking project is our contribution to this goal. We hope that by doing so, we shall be able to provide most common banking services to our rural communities in a streamlined and hassle-free manner using digital".

Fincare Small Finance Bank, a “digital-first” SFB is focussed on unbanked and under-banked consumers, especially in rural and semi-urban areas. It offers its banking services through banking outlets, ATM, WhatsApp, Mobile and Internet Banking and chatbots. In May 2021, Fincare SFB submitted preliminary paperwork to SEBI for its Initial Public Offering (IPO).

About Fincare Small Finance Bank:

Fincare Small Finance Bank commenced its operations as a small finance bank on July 21, 2017 in terms of Section 22(1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, after receiving the final license from the RBI on May 12, 2017. Fincare SFB has been included in the Second Schedule to the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, by way of its notification, dated March 28, 2019 published in the Gazette of India (Part III – Section

4) dated April 13, 2019

Fincare Small Finance Bank follows a business model focused on financial inclusion and aims to provide individuals and businesses with affordable financial products and services that meet their needs. Fincare SFB’s business objective is to enhance access to savings, credit and other financial products for unbanked and underbanked individuals, MSMEs and unorganized entities, especially in rural areas, by leveraging technology and last-mile distribution.  As of June  30, 2021, Fincare SFB serves over 28.26+ Lakh customers in 19 States/Union Territory, has deposits worth Rs. 5,629 Crore, total assets worth Rs. 8,884  Crore and a workforce of 9,800 +.

Tata Motors Drives In The All New Tigor EV Sedan With Ziptron Technology

* Comes with GNCAP 4-star rating, continuing Tata Motors’ legacy of making safe cars

* With this launch, Tata Motors intends to make EVs mainstream for the personal segment

#EvolveToElectric:

* Comes with an ARAI-certified range of 306 kms (under standard testing conditions)

* Available in 3 trim options – XE, XM, XZ+ (XZ+ Dual Tone option available)

Following the recent grand unveil, Tata Motors is all set to excite the electric vehicle market with the launch of the Tigor EV. Starting today, the Tigor EV deliveries will commence for the personal segment. Following the footstep of its ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) sibling, the Tigor EV has also been lauded by GNCAP with a 4 star rating for adult (12.00 points out of 17.00) and child (37.24 points out of 49.00) occupant protection. Set to scale new heights in the dynamic world of electric mobility, the Tigor EV features Tata Motors’ proprietary high voltage EV architecture, Ziptron, and is built on the three strong pillars of Technology, Comfort, and Safety.

According to Mr. Shailesh Chandra, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors – “EVs are fast gaining popularity on the back of rising comfort of customers, as the barriers to adoption are being overcome and due to growing preference for environmentally friendly solutions. This has been spearheaded by our very own Nexon EV, which today is the most popular EV in the Indian market. The increasing support from the central and the state Government, providing subsidies and a conducive environment for EVs to grow, inspires us to expand our EV offerings to our customers. We are ecstatic to launch the Tigor EV today, powered by the capable Ziptron Technology. The Tigor EV is a perfect option for all aspiring sedan buyers who are looking to own a vehicle that is technologically advanced, comfortable and high on safety standards, while also being an environmental-friendly commute, making it an irresistible choice for the buyers to #EvolveToElectric.”

Leading the current electric vehicle personal segment market with a 70% market share, Tata Motors is assertive that the all-new Tigor EV will democratize the electric mobility offerings in India. Providing an optimal range, the new Tigor EV has an extended ARAI certified range of 306 kms (under standard testing conditions), making it more desirable for personal commute. Armed with stunning design, class leading safety coupled with comfort and thrilling performance, the Tigor EV delivers a peak power output of 55 kW and a peak torque of 170 Nm and is powered by a 26-kWh liquid-cooled, high energy density battery pack and an IP 67 rated battery pack and motor to make it weather and worry-proof.

Tata Motors is offering the new Tigor EV in three variants: XE, XM, XZ+ (XZ+ Dual Tone option available), which come with an 8 year and 160,000 KM battery and motor warranty for the EV owners. Moreover, it also delivers superior driving dynamics and balanced suspension for sharper handling. Other features include electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, smart key with push button start, portable charging cable, etc.

The Impact-Resistant Battery Pack casing of Tigor EV complies with AIS - 048 standard for nail penetration at cell Level. Based on a proven platform with Rear Crash suited structure, the car is compatible with globally acceptable CCS2 charging protocol and can be fast-charged as well as slow-charged from any 15 A plug point. In addition to a silent cabin, spacious interiors with ample headroom and legroom for comfortable seating, the Tigor EV comes packed with technology across its powertrain, infotainment, connectivity & charging, all while promising a comfortable, and smooth drive. With 30+ connected car features including remote commands and remote diagnostics, the Tata Tigor EV is a nimble offering with powerful underpinnings and gives one the benefits of an EV at an accessible price.

To know more about the Tigor EV, customers can visit https://tigorev.tatamotors.com/ or visit their nearest dealership.

SREI Group Elevates Its Security Posture With Trend Micro Vision One

* The threat defense platform provides centralized visibility, faster detection and response across their IT landscape 

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, is now providing a comprehensive suite of cybersecurity solutions to Srei Group of Companies, India’s leading asset finance and leasing institution. The company secured its endpoints and instances in the cloud within a month with the help of Trend Micro’s all-inclusive and robust solutions, which elevated its security posture. 

Being a large and diversified business group, Srei was looking for the right security partner who could offer a unified, comprehensive view of their entire security landscape. The extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities at the core of Trend Micro Vision One have empowered Srei to gain visibility across multiple security layers and also helped resolve skill and resource constraints by correlating security events to help reduce alert fatigue. 

Vijendra Katiyar, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Trend Micro said, “Time is of the essence in cybersecurity. Considering the evolving threat landscape, organizations need to have quick and comprehensive visibility across the enterprise. Trend Micro Vision One enabled SREI to achieve a greater level of threat detection and investigation across their IT infrastructure. This contextual visibility helped them to hunt, detect, contain and respond to threats in a faster and more efficient manner.” 

Speaking on the deployment, Amit Deb, AVP IT Operation, Srei Group of Companies said, “Cybersecurity today is an integral part of ensuring seamless business operations. With Trend Micro providing vendor consolidation and being a single point of support, we have now achieved tight API integration with our SOC, enabling us to take immediate actions wherever required. The XDR capabilities of Trend Micro Vision One provided us with a future-ready solution. It has increased visibility through its 24/7 alert monitoring, correlation, and prioritization, which has accelerated the remediation mechanism. We are now able to take immediate action on events that need further investigation. The single source of managed detection and response has further helped resolve skill and resource constraints.” 

About Trend Micro 

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com. 

About SREI Group 

Srei Group of Companies is one of India’s leading asset finance and leasing institutions with a prominent presence in other sectors including infrastructure, power, hospitality, and healthcare.  

Srei has over 30 years of successful business to its name constantly and consistently delivering innovative solutions. Among its many achievements, Srei is the first Indian infrastructure non-bank financial institute (NBFC) to be listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2005. It is also the first company to lay the ground for passive telecom infrastructure sharing in India. 

Alumni Achievement Of Manipal College Of Health Professions, MAHE - Manipal

Physiotherapy MCHP alumnus Mr Sumansh Sivalanka (BPT, MPT) is one of the Team Physiotherapist of Indian Badminton Team (Badminton Association of India) and he has been part of Team delegation of Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Badminton champion Ms PV Sindhu bagged the Bronze medal in this Olympics and she is the first female Indian athlete to win two medals at the Olympic Games for the consecutive years.

Physiotherapy KMC, MCHP Mangalore, alumnus Mr. Chinmay Shrirang Bhide, (BPT, MPT) is one of the Team Physiotherapist of Indian Badminton Team (Badminton Association of India) and he has been part of Team delegation of Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Badminton champion Ms PV Sindhu bagged the Bronze medal in this Olympics and she is the first female Indian athlete to win two medals at the Olympic Games for the consecutive years.

The delegation was invited for Indian Independence Day Celebrations 2021 and was felicitated with High Tea by Hon'ble President Shri Ramnath Govind, Hon'ble Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu and Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Rastrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi on August 15, 2021.

Photo caption of Sumansh and Chinmay along with Honourable President of India, Vice president of India and Prime Minister of India.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Recognized For Best Water And Hazardous Waste Management Practices By CII

* TKM has won two awards “BEST WATER MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR” and “BEST HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY” by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Southern Region Award

Toyota Kirloskar Motor was awarded by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Southern Region for its outstanding contribution in Water and hazardous Waste management at the recently conducted 1st Edition of Water & Waste Management Competition, held in Chennai (Virtual session).  The award recognizes relentless efforts of TKM in setting-up benchmark practices in becoming “Water Positive Company” and enhancing TKM’s Waste KPI performance through impactful initiatives.

Over the years, TKM has consciously transformed the core of its business spirit from a carmaker into a mobility company by applying the values of sustainable business practice. The company’s commitment towards a sustainable future outlines the brand’s endeavour towards natural resource management and safeguarding the environment.

Keeping with our principle of ‘Respect for the Planet’, Toyota announced the ‘Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 (TEC 2050)’ in October 2015 comprising of six environment challenge. The holistic vision aims to achieve Net ZERO CO2 from product, manufacturing & across life cycle. Further the set challenges aim towards creating a positive impact on the environment by water conservation, establishing a recycle based society and living in harmony with nature.

Water scarcity is one of the most critical issues of the 21st century. Thus, water conservation at TKM has become an utmost priority and multiple efforts were taken to address the environmental challenge of minimizing and optimizing water consumption. Water being a shared and valuable resource in India, we strive to bring down our freshwater consumption by adopting Recycling, Rainwater Harvesting, and promoting Kaizen to reduce specific water consumption. Through these initiatives, we have reduced our freshwater utilization by 90% for manufacturing. During FY 2020 -2021, we could reduce 142,982 m3 of freshwater consumption.

Further, as a part of TEC2050, TKM focuses and promote effective implementation of Reduce, Reuse & Recycle concept in manufacturing process. TKM has established effective Waste Management practices at its operation through source reduction by implementing innovative technologies and we have enhanced the recyclability of waste to 96%. Moving further, the company intends to implement the concept of CRADLE to CRADLE, where the waste material is put back to manufacturing process, thus supports the principle of circular economy.

Our philosophy of Toyota Production System (TPS) involves achieving complete elimination of all waste in pursuit of the most efficient methods under the concept “Just-in-time” in which each process produces only what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount needed for the next process in a continuous flow with improved productivity. This basic principle facilitates producing quality products efficiently through the complete elimination of waste, inconsistencies, and unreasonable requirements on the production line (known respectively, in Japanese, as Muda - Unwanted, Mura - Unevenness, Muri - Over-burden).

Through adopting 6R concept, we are continuously striving towards establishing a recycle based society and aiming at promoting these initiatives across our value chain. Focusing on source reduction, we have taken up various activities such as sealer recycling, Metal dust recycling, Robo-Distance Reduction, and sludge reduction through drying process etc.

Expressing his delight on receiving the award, Mr. Raju B. Ketkale, Deputy Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “Toyota has given utmost importance to environment and all our initiatives are designed in such a way that serves towards lowering our environmental impact and achieving the ultimate goal of ‘Living in Harmony with Nature.’ We are continuously striving to be a role model in the industry with our unique initiatives, aiming towards creating a positive impact on the environment by water conservation and waste management.

It is an honor to achieve this award recognizing TKM’s incalculable efforts and responsible contribution to build a safer ecosystem for society thus bringing an impactful difference in the lives of the people. This achievement is a testament of our efforts and inspires us to continue to improve our processes”

Toyota’s interventions thrive on community awareness, involvement and ownership, the seeds of which are sown in our holistic engagement model. With the support of all its stakeholders and business partners, TKM intends to build a future society in harmony with nature.

Signzy Enters The UAE In Strategic Partnership With The Seed Group

Seed Group, a company of the Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, has entered into a strategic partnership with Signzy, a Bangalore-based banking workflow automation company, for financial services, to give further push to digital transformation of businesses across the UAE. With the support of Seed Group, Signzy aims to triple its growth in the region by the end of fiscal 2022.

The partnership comes at a time when the UAE is expediting tech transformation across government services and industries, as per the goals of the UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025.

Under the partnership, Seed Group will help Signzy expand its operations in the Emirates and the wider Middle East, reach the right audience, access top decision-makers in government as well as private sectors, and market their products effectively in the region. The AI startup, on the other hand, will bring the best products and technologies to the region and help companies automate their back office operations, create security and data protection infrastructure and speed up digitisation of their processes.

Hisham Al Gurg, CEO of Seed Group and The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, said, “The UAE is taking giant strides to meet the objectives of the UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025 and double the size of the digital economy in the next 10 years. Businesses are going through a phenomenal digital transformation and are on a lookout to adopt affordable smart technologies.”

“Having Signzy as our strategic partner will give the country’s digitisation agenda the much-needed push. Signzy has been successfully providing to various institutions cutting-edge digital solutions. We see a huge potential for their services in the UAE and the Middle East,” he added.

Signzy Co-founder and CEO Ankit Ratan said, “Seed Group brings a wealth of experience and regional access to the MENA region which will power us to rapidly grow market share. Businesses, especially banks, financial institutions, and fintechs across UAE and Middle East are doubling efforts to digitize and automate services to build a robust digital financial infrastructure that improves access, transparency, and speed of delivery. We are pleased to partner with Seed Group to fulfil UAE’s vision of digital transformation.”

Signzy, a company that works with over 100 financial institutions, including the four largest banks in India and the top three banks in the US, and various other businesses, seeks to help financial institutions automate their back-office operations, create security and data protection infrastructure, and speed up digitisation for faster customer onboarding and real-time verification and fraud detection. With over 240 fintech API pre-integrated on the platform, Signzy assists banks become digital ready from day one and expedite customers’ digital journey.

Seed Group is a notable force in the technology, healthcare, hospitality, and telecommunications landscape in the Middle East. Over the past 16 years, it has formed successful strategic alliances with leading global companies representing diverse regions to accelerate their sustainable market entry and presence within the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

About Seed Group

Over the past 16 years, Seed Group has formed strategic alliances with leading global companies representing diverse regions and industries. These companies have propelled their business interests and goals in the Middle East and North Africa region through the support and strong base of regional connections of the Seed Group. The Group’s goal is to create mutually beneficial partnerships with multinational organisations and to accelerate their sustainable market entry and presence within the MENA region. Seed Group has been a key point in the success of all its partners in the region, helping them reach their target customers and accelerate their businesses. The Private Office was established by Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum to directly invest in or assist potential business opportunities in the region, which meet The Private Office’s criteria. For more information, visit www.seedgroup.com.

About Signzy

Signzy is a leading provider of AI-based digitalization and automation solutions to the BFSI industry and counts globally leading banks and NBFCs as its clients. As one of the leading bank workflow automation players, Signzy helps more than 200 institutions make their digital regulatory processes simple, secure and compliant. For more information, visit www.signzy.com.