The announcement this week that the UK has approved the so-called ”next generation” Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, which is capable of tackling both the highly transmissible Omicron variant and the original coronavirus strain, shows how quickly the world can move towards finding solutions to a pressing problem when there is an iron-clad will to do so.
The race to deliver effective vaccines to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic may well be remembered as one of the key events of the early 21st century. It was dramatic and ultimately successful, helping the world transition from red lists to green lights in mere months.
An upgrade in vaccines such as this may also signal a downgrade in the ability of the virus to keep complicating lives in communities around the world, although complacency or slow uptake for annual boosters may yet compromise some of that effort.
The UK is the first country to approve the new vaccine after its Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency reviewed clinical trial data that revealed the jab triggered a strong immune response against both variants. Omicron is responsible for a majority of new cases globally, according to World Health Organisation data.
The expectation is that the vaccine will be tweaked and administered annually in the manner of a flu jab. Separately, the Serum Institute of India said this week that it will have developed its own Omicron-specific vaccine and have it ready for delivery within six months. Progressively, the same goal is being reached on multiple fronts.
Quiet crises rarely find quick solutions. That needs to change
Compare this with the troubled journey towards effective treatment for Alzheimer’s, the degenerative brain disease that typically affects older people.
WHO data estimates 55 million people live with dementia globally, with 10 million new cases identified annually. That figure may rise to more than 135 million within 30 years, most of which will require long-term care and treatment.
Perhaps if an Alzheimer’s dashboard was launched in the manner of the Covid-19 map that tracks cases across the world – one which reported daily dementia diagnoses, deaths and, more starkly, a recoveries figure consistently showing zero – then there may be more compulsion find lasting solutions for the degenerative disease.
No wonder David Cameron, former British prime minister and now president of Alzheimer’s Research UK, once termed dementia as the “quiet crisis” that creeps into people’s lives.
The economic consequences related to both funding the cost of care for the person living with dementia and the changes to the lives of caregivers, often close family members, can be dramatic and devastating.
While it is unfair and unscientific to draw a straight line between the race to develop viable vaccines in the pandemic and the crawl towards effective dementia treatment over several decades, it is right to point out that Covid-19 was met with a political will to take on the challenge. Years of rising numbers of dementia cases have, however, largely been greeted with a global shrug and a usually chastening reminder that more pressing needs can and do need to be attended to elsewhere.
Last summer, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of aducanumab or Aduhelm to treat Alzheimer’s. The UAE followed suit last autumn.
The drug’s developer, Biogen, said it would plug a significant unmet need for those living with dementia, although critics pointed out it was both a prohibitively expensive form of treatment – initially it was priced at around $4,000 a month as well as other costs on top – and its benefits in clinical trials were mixed. What the drug provided, in essence, was hope at a price rather than any degree of certainty.
When Aduhelm received its green light last year, I wrote in these pages that the US approval could almost be read as a “moonshot” that may help redouble efforts by other parties to find solutions to a growing crisis. The single most exciting element to its approval was that it may stir others into greater action in a space where more needed to be done.
The potentially game-changing nature of the drug was that it chose a different path: Aduhelm sought to attack and reduce deposits of amyloid plaques on the brain that impair memory once they accumulate. Other previously licensed inhibitor drugs only aim to slow cognitive decline not to turn back the tide altogether.
The gap between vision and reality has proved hard to bridge. Aduhelm has not reached many people in the US who needed it because health insurers were reluctant to underwrite its use when it cost so much to prescribe and the benefits to patients were apparently low. Others could simply not afford to fund their own treatment.
The lack of uptake has had several commercial consequences. Reuters reported in May that Biogen’s chief executive would soon step down. Other outlets have reported redundancies at the company and write downs of its Aduhelm inventory, suggesting the drug is no longer seen as a surefire best seller. The company’s share price, which surged after the FDA approval in 2021 to $395, was trading at $217 on Wednesday, although this year’s broader financial markets shock should be taken into context when reading those figures.
Last year’s apparent step forwards in the dementia crisis has turned into a stumble. While we are not back to square one, it does highlight once more that quiet crises rarely find quick or definitive solutions. In the context of Alzheimer’s, that needs to change.
Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
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Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Spec%20sheet
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
More from Neighbourhood Watch
ENGLAND SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
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MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
