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Puma Biotechnology's (PBYI) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Stifel Nicolaus The Cerbat Gem Puma Biotechnology Inc logo Stifel Nicolaus reissued their buy rating on shares of Puma Biotechnology Inc (NYSE:PBYI) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a $88.00 target price on the ... Puma Biotechnology Inc (PBYI) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Citigroup IncSports Perspectives Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (NYSE:PBYI) Shares Tick -2.44% For the WeekConcord Register Puma Biotechnology (PBYI) Earning Somewhat Favorable Press Coverage, Study ShowsChaffey Breeze BBNS -Petro Global News 24 -FLBC News -SEC.gov all 14 news articles »

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Puma Biotechnology's (PBYI) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Stifel Nicolaus - The Cerbat Gem

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Stake in iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB) The Cerbat Gem iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index logo JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NASDAQ:IBB) by 45.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned ... iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB) Lifted to Buy at Vetr Inc.Sports Perspectives iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB) Shares Bought by ...Chaffey Breeze Verity Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB)Transcript Daily BBNS all 13 news articles »

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JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Stake in iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (IBB) - The Cerbat Gem

As if the stress of senior year isnt enough of a headache, Michael Vega began his final chapter of high school with a serious concussion.

A soccer injury in May 2016 had mandated three months recovery time, stealing a summer of soccer training from the North Forsyth graduate.

It hit me hard that I couldnt play, coming in with a big concussion, said Vega, a two-time all-conference award recipient. I had to jump right back into it.

Vega, 17, was cleared to play in the final round of the Forsyth Cup last year, helping his team secure a victory in the championship round for the second year in a row, making school history.

Vega, who spent three years on the varsity team, said one of his favorite high school moments was scoring the conference-winning goal against Asheboro High School as a sophomore.

It was a great experience; theres nothing like it, said Vega, who plays goalie and center back. I knew half the guys from growing up, so its hard to say good-bye.

While Vega said he will not play soccer in college, he will continue playing with the Hispanic League.

Graduation is bittersweet, but Vega said he is glad to have AP Biology and AP Chemistry behind him and is applying to Forsyth Tech to study biotechnology.

Ive learned to surround myself with the right people and never give up, Vega said. Im excited for graduation.

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North Forsyth grad plans to study biotechnology - Winston-Salem Journal

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "USA Directory of Biotechnology Companies 2017" directory to their offering.

The new USA Directory of Biotechnology Companies is one of the most comprehensive and accurate Directory of companies and executives in the biotechnology industry that have ever been published. It contains more than 2,000 biotechnology companies and 5,000 executives working in the industry throughout the USA.

This powerful Directory is your connection to key decision-makers in the biotechnology industry throughout the USA.

No other directory keeps you abreast of the thousands of personnel changes taking place due to company mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and staff turnover. This Directory is a must-have for anyone who needs to find contacts in the biotechnology throughout the USA.

This Directory will enable you to:

- Pinpoint key executives

- Profile a market

- Build new business prospects

- Generate new customers

- Discover who your competitors are

- Make vital contacts

- Save the time, money and effort of doing your own research

- Identify alternative suppliers and manufacturers

- Source up-to-date company information

- Keep track of key staff movements

- Access a wealth of quality information on companies and key personnel worldwide.

Company categories in this Directory include:

- Biotechnology

- Genomics

- Biopharmaceuticals

- Gene Mapping

- Bioinformatics

- Gene Sequencing

- Biochips

- Pharmacogenomics & SNP's

- Functional Genomics

- plus many more categories!

This Directory also covers senior personnel in key job function areas such as:

- Managing Directors/CEOs

- Strategy & Planning

- Directors

- Market Research

- Senior Management

- Regulatory & Legal Affairs

- Sales & Marketing

- Personnel

- Research & Development

- and much more!

- Business Development

Key Features of the Directory include:

- 2,000 biotechnology companies listed with description of company activities

- 5,000 senior biotechnology personnel listed with name & job title

- Full contact details including email and website addresses

- Global coverage of companies and key personnel

- Comprehensive Indexing.

For more information about this directory visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3tgbbp/usa_directory_of

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USA Directory of Biotechnology Companies 2017 - Research and Markets - Business Wire (press release)

Puma Biotechnology (NYSE:PBYI) is inching closer to its transformation from a research and development (or R&D) biopharmaceutical company to a full-fledged commercial organization. This company which has in-licensed development and commercialization rights for oral and intravenous formulations of irreversible tyrosine kinase inhibitor or TKI, neratinib, and also another irreversible TKI, PB357, achieved the first major milestone for 2017 on May 24, 2017. On this day, FDA's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee or ODAC recommended approval for Nerlynx (neratinib) as extended adjuvant therapy for patients suffering with early stage, human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 - positive or HER2-positive breast cancer after being previously treated with surgery and adjuvant treatment with Roche Holdings' (OTCQX:RHHBY) Herceptin (trastuzumab).

Besides this indication, Puma Biotechnology expects neratinib to demonstrate efficacy in other cancers such a non small cell lung cancer and tumors related to expression or over-mutation in HER2 such as HER2-positive cancer, HER-2 cancer that has metastasized to brain, HER2-positive neoadjuvant breast cancer.

Hence, there is high probability that Neratinib can prove to be a blockbuster drug for Puma Biotechnology. I believe this is a solid reason for considering the company as a favorable investment opportunity in 2017. In this article, I will explain the key drivers that make Puma Biotechnology a compelling investment opportunity in 2017.

Extended adjuvant setting is a larger underserved market segment

Currently, the target breast cancer market in extended adjuvant setting comprises around 36,000 patients in USA and 34,000 in EU. In 2015, Herceptin's sales in adjuvant indication were around $4.5 billion to $5.0 billion. All these patients form a target market for neratinib in the following year. Currently, letrozole is the only FDA approved therapy in extended adjuvant setting.

Puma Biotechnology expects to launch Neratinib as extended adjuvant breast cancer therapy in 2017

In July 2016, Puma Biotechnology filed new drug application or NDA with FDA, seeking approval for neratinib in extended adjuvant setting for early stage HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer. The regulatory agency accepted the application in September 2016.

Further, the European Medicines Agency or EMA also validated Puma's application for neratinib in extended adjuvant setting in August 2016. On advice of EMA, in March 2017, the company revised its label to only include those early stage HER2+ breast cancer patients who had been previously treated for up to 1 year with adjuvant herceptin. Puma Biotechnology initiated a managed access program for neratinib in this indication in Q4 2016 and an expanded access program in Q1 2017.

While all these have been major milestones for the company in the past, the upcoming milestone will be FDA approval for orally administered neratinib in extended adjuvant setting, anticipated in 3Q 2017.

This approval is expected to be mainly based on results obtained from phase 3 trial, ExteNET, in which neratinib managed to hit its primary endpoints. In the intent-to-treat or ITT population, the 2-year disease free survival or DFS in neratinib arm was seen to be 93.9% while that in the placebo arm was 91.6%, which implies absolute improvement of 2.4%. In ITT population, there has been a 2.5% absolute improvement in 5-year DFS for neratinib arm as compared to placebo arm.

In case of patients confirmed with HER+ breast cancer, neratinib demonstrated 2-year DFS of 94.7%, while it was only 90.6% for the placebo arm. While this is an absolute improvement of 4.1%, the 5-year DFS with neratinib in HER+ patients is slightly higher at 4.4%.

Data from ExteNET trial has also shown 33% reduction in risk of disease recurrence for patients in neratinib arm as compared to those in placebo arm in ITT population. Further, for confirmed HER+ early stage breast cancer patients, the reduction in risk of disease recurrence for those on neratinib therapy in extended adjuvant setting is as high as 49%.

All these statistics are in line with those seen for the already approved extended adjuvant breast cancer drug, letrozole, as well as data obtained from development trials for hormone receptor positive or HR+ adjuvant breast cancer therapies, Pfizer's (NYSE:PFE) Aromasin and AstraZeneca's (NYSE:AZN) Arimidex. This implies that there are high chances for neratinib to secure FDA approval in extended adjuvant setting.

Neratinib has demonstrated higher benefit as adjuvant therapy in HR+ breast cancer patients

For HR+ breast cancer patients in ExteNET trial, the adjuvant therapy of neratinib demonstrated DFS rate of 95.4%, while the placebo arm showed DFS of 91.2%. This implied an absolute benefit of 4.2% after 2 years.

For 5-year period, the DFS with neratinib in HR+ patients was 91.7% while that in placebo arm was 86.9%, implying 4.8% absolute benefit.

Neratinib has demonstrated superior results in HR+ patients mainly on account of dual suppression of the crosstalk between estrogen receptor-positive or ER+ and HER+. Since ER+ breast cancer patients in the ExteNET trial were already on background endocrine therapy, it helped suppress the ER while neratinib suppressed both EGFR and HER2. This dual suppression has been seen only in neratinib and not in trials of other breast cancer drugs such Roche Holdings Herceptin and Novartis' (NYSE:NVS) Tykerb.

In case of HR- patients, however, ExteNET trial demonstrated improvement with neratinib between months 0 to 12 as compared to placebo. This was essentially when the patients were being administered the drug. However, the benefit in DFS in the neratinib arm over placebo arm seemed to become statistically insignificant over 5 year horizon.

Puma Biotechnology has also introduced loperamide prophylaxis therapy to prevent diarrhea resulting from neratinib.

Prior to Puma Biotechnology in-licensing Neratinib, it was being tested on 3,000 patients in various trials. It was seen that these patients suffered from grade 3 or grade 4 diarrhea in the first 28 days after initiating therapy. However, this could be treated with antidiarrheal drug, loperamide.

Puma Biotechnology is instead focusing on preventing this side-effect of neratinib using loperamide prophylaxis. Data from multiple studies has shown that the rate of grade 3 diarrhea reduced from the range of 30% to 53% in case of no loperamide prophylaxis to the range of 0% to 17% with loperamide prophylaxis. The total duration of diarrhea also dropped from 14 days to 2 days with loperamide prophylaxis.

Since ExteNET trial did not involve any anti-diarrheal prophylaxis therapy, Puma Biotechnology separately studied the impact of loperamide prophylaxis alone and in combination with other anti-inflammatory agents in extended adjuvant setting in early stage HER2+ breast cancer patients in another phase 2 trial, CONTROL. Data from this trial showed that while rate of grade 3 diarrhea in ExteNET trial was 39.8%, loperamide prophylaxis reduced the rate to 30.7%, loperamide and budesonide prophylaxis to 23.4%, and loperamide and colestipol to 11.5%.

Further, while the duration of diarrhea in ExteNET trial was 59 days, the various prophylaxis regimens in the CONTROL trial have brought the down to the range of 8 to 12 days. Episodes of diarrhea were also brought down from 8 in ExteNET trial to the range of 2 to 4 in CONTROL trial.

The CONTROL trial has also shown improvement in tolerability for the drug, which was being mainly affected due to diarrhea.

All this shows that the major side-effect of Neratinib, diarrhea, is easily manageable with effective prophylaxis therapy. Further, it is only seen that grade 3 diarrhea was witnessed by patients only in first cycle or first 28 days of neratinib therapy.

The company's cash reserves can sustain its operations through mid-2018

At the end of Q1 2017, Puma Biotechnology had $194 million worth cash reserves on its balance sheet. The company's cash burn rate in Q1 2017 was $36.0 million. This can be considered representative for all the quarters in 2017, as Puma has been highly involved in preparing for regulatory approval and commercial launch of neratinib. Based on these assumptions, the company can sustain its business operations upto the first half of 2018, without depending on external funding.

Further, with a solid oncology drug in the pipeline, Puma Biotechnology will also not find it difficult to raise capital from the public, either as equity or debt. Hence, the company seems to be at a comfortable position.

Investors should not ignore certain company-specific risks

Today, Puma Biotechnology is equivalent to neratinib. In absence of any commercial product or advanced stage research product, Puma Biotechnology is excessively dependent on the successful commercial launch of Neratinib. Since the product has not yet received FDA approval for even a single indication, this may prove to be too risky investment for investors with average risk appetite.

Further, the company also does not have proven marketing and distribution capabilities. In absence of a strong commercial partner, Puma Biotechnology may land up being commercially unsuccessful, despite securing FDA approval for neratinib.

Investors should consider these major risk factors while considering Puma Biotechnology as an opportunity in 2017.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

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Puma Biotechnology's Neratinib Set To Target Extended Adjuvant Opportunity - Seeking Alpha

The global biotechnology services outsourcing market is expected to reach USD 92.9 billion by 2025

Pharmaceutical industry has been adaptive of the function of outsourcing certain clinical and corporate functions as early as 2002. Among the services outsourced, clinical trial management and contract manufacturing were the forerunners. For instance, Johnson & Johnson was the first pharmaceutical company to outsource its applications development and maintenance (ADM).

In 2015, over USD 50.0 billion was spent on pharmaceutical R&D activities majorly on oncology, diabetes, and autoimmune therapy classes, which is expected to propel the biotechnology services outsourcing market growth over the forecast period.

Shrinking profit margins coupled with rising competition in the market space, and augmenting regulatory burden are other vital impact rendering factors. The pharmaceutical services outsourcing market is expected to register growth at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period. On the other hand, pending immigration legislations in the U.S. may hinder business economics and outsourcing risks.

Pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in Europe are significantly investing in R&D in the recent year owing to rising demand for advanced medicines. This may be attributed to increasing aging population, incidence of chronic diseases, and communicable diseases.

Further key findings from the study suggest:

Key Topics Covered:

1 Research Methodology

2 Executive Summary

3 Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology Services Outsourcing Market Variables, Trends, & Scope 3.8 Service pricing analysis

4 Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology Services Outsourcing Market: Service Estimates & Trend Analysis 4.1 Pharmaceutical/biotechnology services outsourcing market: Service movement analysis 4.2 Consulting services 4.2.2 Regulatory compliance 4.2.3 Remediation 4.2.4 Quality management 4.2.5 Other 4.3 Auditing & assessment 4.4 Regulatory affairs services 4.4.2 Clinical trial applications & product registration 4.4.3 Regulatory writing & publishing 4.4.4 Legal representation 4.4.5 Other 4.5 Product maintenance services 4.6 Product design & development 4.7 Product testing & validation 4.8 Training & education 4.9 Other services

5 Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology Services Outsourcing Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis

6 Competitive Landscape

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5b9f3q/biotechnologyphar

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-929-billion-biotechnologypharmaceutical-services-outsourcing-market-analysis-by-service-and-segment-forecasts-2014---2025---research-and-markets-300470992.html

SOURCE Research and Markets

http://www.researchandmarkets.com

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Global $92.9 Billion Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical Services Outsourcing Market Analysis, By Service And Segment ... - PR Newswire (press release)

Puma Biotechnology (NYSE:PBYI) presents at ASCO thepositive results from an ongoing Phase II clinical trial of Puma's investigational drug PB272 for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that has metastasized to the brain.

The multicenter Phase II clinical trial enrolled patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have brain metastases. The trial is being performed by the TBCRC and enrolled three cohorts of patients.

We are very pleased with the activity seen in this trial with the combination of neratinib plus capecitabine, sys Puma CEOAlan Auerbach.

As a small molecule that can cross the blood brain barrier, neratinib potentially offers patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer that has metastasized to the CNS a novel HER2 targeted treatment option. We look forward to working with TBCRC on future trials of neratinib in patients with HER2-positive disease metastatic to the CNS," he adds.

Source: Press Release

#ASCO

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Puma Biotechnology announces positive trial results - Seeking Alpha

June 6, 2017

Never in the history of human existence has the opportunity to genetically modify or protect life been as great and accessible to anyone interested in the topic as it is today.

Cures for human hereditary diseases. Designer babies. Glow-in-the-dark fish. Bioterrorism. Mosquitoes programmed to perish. The opportunities and risks are here now, but lagging are policies, ethical considerations and safety precautions needed to proceed prudently on an international scale.

Arizona State University experts will delve into the issues presented by biotechnology during the annual International Biosafety and Biosecurity Symposium (SIBB) held this year in Morelia, Mexico, and organized by the Asociacin Mexicana de Bioseguridad (AMEXBIO), June 710.

Were enhancing biosafety and biosecurity across international borders, said Irene Mendoza, associate biosafety officer with ASUs Office of Environmental Health and Safety, who will be one of the featured speakers at the symposium. Anything that affects Mexico, like the release of a pathogenic agent, can travel north and affect us.

Although infectious diseases willbe addressed at the symposium, the ASU delegation will lead a technical discussion on gene editing and gene drive technologies, said David Gillum, ASU Environmental Health and Safety associate director and institutional biosafety officer. In simplest terms, its about the ability to modify plants or mammals by manipulating their genome i.e., the chromosomes in each cell of an organism.

These technologies can drive a change in an entire species from just one modification, Gillum said. It can be propagated in all future generations.

David Gillum, ASU Environmental Health and Safety associate director and institutional biosafety officer, said there are many citizen-scientist labs where people are experimenting with gene editing thanks to more accessible technology such as CRISPR Cas9.The risk is that although they may just be trying to do something fun, what they create may have unintended consequences, he said. Photo by Charlie Leight/ASU Now

The gene drive of mosquitoes, for example, can be modified so the specific types that carry malaria and Zika will not reproduce and eventually die off. But once their genome is changed and released into the environment, there is no easy way to predict any unintended consequences.

Thats what is scary about it, Gillum said. Theres no easy undo button.

The leading gene editing method capable of making such changes is called CRISPR Cas9. This technological process takes advantage of the immune systems of bacteria to delete nucleic acids in living cells and replace them with the desired nucleic acid to change the genome.

When youre doing this genome editing, youre looking for very specific nucleic acids to change, Gillum said. Lets consider that you have sickle cell anemia and you have one gene that is wrong, and you just want to target that one gene. But the genome is huge; there are billions of base pairs. So how do you make sure that you target the one that youre looking for and not similar sequences somewhere else in your body?

Unlike past costly and complex genome editing technologies, CRISPR Cas9 is simpler, relatively inexpensive and thus more accessible to people who may not be working in a modern laboratory with established biosafety policies and procedures.

There are a lot of citizen labs all over the place where science enthusiasts getting together in their garages and experimenting, Mendoza said. The risk is that although they may just be trying to do something fun, what they create may have unintended consequences.

Irene Mendoza, associate biosafety officer with ASUs Office of Environmental Health and Safety, will be one of the featured speakers during the annual International Biosafety and Biosecurity Symposium held this week in Morelia, Mexico, and organized by the Asociacin Mexicana de Bioseguridad.

The use of CRISPR Cas9 has increased in Mexico in the past few years, Gillum said. Experts there recognize the challenge, and that drives such events as the SIBB, which includes participation from other Latin American countries.

What we want to achieve in SIBB is to continue the academic efforts of diffusing specific knowledge on biosafety and biosecurity, as well as raise awareness among those involved in manipulating biological agents, said Luis Alberto Ochoa Carrera, AMEXBIO president and founder. The importance of the work of AMEXBIO is based on the need to create a biosafety culture and appropriate communication within institutions to mitigate risks associated with experimenting with biological agents.

ASU contacts AMEXBIO remotely throughout the year, but opportunities exist to engage in person and at a higher level by way of training sessions, site visits, joint research and other symposia to address the wide array of biosafety and biosecurity aspects.

There is a huge opportunity here for ASU and AMEXBIO in Mexico to partner on these projects, Gillum said. Theyre very interested in biodefense. Were looking into philanthropy to help with funding that will allow us to form a more strategic partnership.

With funding, ASU biosafety experts like Gillum and his team can work with AMEXBIO to visit labs in Mexico to observe operations and offer suggestions on improving safety and security.

The interesting aspect of biosafety is that in general its based on best management practices, Gillum said. Except for very highly pathogenic agents and toxins, everything else is done with a best management practices point of view. Theres not always a black-and-white way to do certain things.

Forming strategic links between biosafety and biosecurity experts across the border enables mutual collaboration and training in the region, Ochoa Carrera said.

AMEXBIO recognizes ASUs efforts and transcendence in Mexico and within the international biosafety community, Ochoa Carrera said. The ASU and AMEXBIO alliance enables the dissemination of knowledge in this field, and its also an area of opportunity between Mexico and the United States.

Top photo: DNA sequence, courtesy freeimages.com.

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ASU, Mexico partnership takes on biotechnology challenges - Arizona State University

Analyst Ratings

The Case for and Against Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI) StockNewsJournal Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI) is an interesting player in the Healthcare space, with a focus on Biotechnology. The stock has been active on the tape, currently trading at $83.65, up from yesterday's close by 2.07%. Given the stock's recent action, it ... What Should Investors Make Of The Trading Chart Of Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI)?NY Stock News Puma Biotechnology Gets a Buy Rating from Cowen & Co.Analyst Ratings Puma Biotechnology's (PBYI) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at Stifel NicolausSports Perspectives The Cerbat Gem -StockNewsMagazine -Free Observer -Zacks all 31 news articles »

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The Case for and Against Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (PBYI) - StockNewsJournal

There is an increasing focus on science being linked to providing practical solutions to agricultural problems. There is also increasing awareness of technology, although the channels used for information and creating change in the way information is passed and understood by the receiver are poorly developed.

Biotechnology is no longer a new technology in Africa; some countries in Africa have adopted the technology, while some other countries are currently conducting confined field trial for the technology.

In Nigeria, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) which is a component of biotechnology is currently undergoing confined field trial in various locations. It is expected that in the next three years, the commercialisation of the BT cotton will commence in the country.

Africa as a continent in the recent past have suffered a high level of food insecurity following the actions and inaction of various governments to put sustainable policies to fast track agricultural development.

Some countries in Africa have also experienced food shortage due to some natural disaster which includes flood, pest attack, insect infestation and drought.

In some countries, the uses of manual and outdated method of farming have contributed immensely to the countrys dependence for food supply on some developed countries that have used technology to advance their agricultural sector.

Biotechnology have been adopted by various countries to develop their agricultural sector which have made them self sufficient in food production and earned them foreign exchange through exportation of agricultural products.

Many African countries have been skeptical of adopting biotechnology following some baseless and unscientific criticism from some quarters on the new technology.

This singular act of negligence and gullibility exhibited by these African countries have further subjected them to being importers of food products from countries that have developed there agricultural technology.

In Ghana, the commercialization of GMOs may not be possible until the court injunction issued against its further release in Ghana have been concluded.

However, good news emerged as the Plant Breeders Bill was said to be underway and soon to be signed into law in Ghana to protect the developers of the technology and encourage the investment in science and technology beyond the countrys budget.

Instead of the critics of the technology to say science is not good at all, they should discuss on its deployment which can be useful to our economy.

The Open Forum On Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), Ghana have visited all the regions in Ghana and information materials on biotechnology have been translated into local languages.

It is worthy to note that the Ghanaian government does not fund science, to this end, funding is needed to scale up educational activities on modern biosafety issues in Ghana.

In Nigeria, it is sad to note that the country has one of the lowest usage rates of agriculture inputs and ranks the lowest on agriculture indices of mechanization and irrigation.

Insect and pest problems, climate change issues and increasing population were also attributed as the reasons for poor productivity.

Meanwhile, there are some Genetically Modified crops that can withstand insects and pests attack, while some are drought resistant. These crops if adopted could be used by farmers to upscale the countrys food production without the crops been damaged by pests and insects.

However, Maize, cotton, rice, cassava, Sorghum (ABS) have been said to be the first GM crops to be introduced in Nigeria for commercialisation soon.

It is also worthy of note that the Biosafety law was signed in Nigeria in 2015 which gave rise to the establishment of regulatory agency, National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) same year.

Since its establishment, NBMA has carried out 3 approvals and accredited research institutes and universities for GM research.

OFAB Nigeria in its advocacy drive has carried out advocacy visits, capacity building, Seeing is Believing Tours, workshops and seminars, radio and tv programs, social media campaigns to enlighten the public and policy holders with the right information on the safety of biotechnology and its practices.

In Burkina Faso, Cotton is one of the major driver of the countrys economy, 85 per cent of population of Burkina Faso is active in agriculture and cotton is its number one cash crop contributing 25 per cent of agricultural income.

There is evidence that cotton is locomotive for cereal crops such as maize and sorghum in Burkina Faso.

In Burkina Faso, necessary steps have been taken towards the release of GM cotton- Pre-release trials, BT cotton seed multiplication, Commercial production of GM Bollgard II Cotton and cultivation field, commercial production since 2009.

BT cotton (GM Cotton) have pushed Burkina Faso in the cotton production ranking from 11th in 1990s to 1st position in Africa since 2010.

Genetically Modified Organisms is a technology which African countries cannot afford to neglect, this new technology will help African countries to upscale its food production, guarantee food security and earn foreign exchange for the countries.

The era of dependence on food importation should be over in Africa. The governments in Africa should look for possible ways of adopting biotechnology in food production, this will go along way to addressing food insecurity and guarantee self-sufficiency in food production.

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Solving Africa's food insecurity through biotechnology - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog)