Fidson Partners GB Pharma - US Firms on New Product Marketing

 Fidson Healthcare Plc has entered into a partnership with US firms, Immune Therapeutics, GBPharma and American Hospitals & Resort (AHAR) for the marketing and distribution of a new product, Lodonal^TM,a patent-protected product that is indicated for the management of patients with immune-compromising diseases.

The partnership will leverage Fidson’s strong and experienced marketing base, robust distribution channels and efficient customer and technical support services to promote Lodonal^TM in Nigeria. The distribution will become effective, upon completion of the ongoing NAFDAC approved 90‐day Bridging trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the product.

Managing Director, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Dr Fidelis Ayebae, expressed that “Fidson is truly excited about this collaboration with Immune Therapeutics and GB Pharma/AHAR. We know that success in this industry going into the future will be dependent on having the right partnerships, and we could not have asked for better partners at this stage of our growth. The international experience of Immune Therapeutics and GB Pharma/AHAR in different markets, and their strong commitment to research will be of immense benefit to Fidson. Likewise, Fidson’s towering presence in the Nigeria Pharma space will open a great door for the group to access one of the biggest and most rewarding markets in Africa”.

This partnership is another strategic approach by the management of Fidson Healthcare Plc, to further strengthen the company’s growth. It also comes on the heels of the recent visit by President MuhammaduBuhari to the United States and President Barack Obama. The significance is monumental as a concrete symbol of US-Nigerian commerce in a non-oil/gas related sector and a show case for the future of local manufacturing of quality pharmaceuticals on the African continent.

President & CEO of GB Pharma, Dr. Gloria B. Herndon, said that “this is the crescendo of a great masterpiece that partnership of GB Pharma, American Hospitals &Resorts, Immune Therapeutics, each with its distinct role. Fidson Healthcare markets and distributes throughout the extensive Nigerian Network. We feel that Nigeria and US bilateral relationship will benefit from this amazing initiative that will enhance the health and wellbeing of people all over the world. This is the spirit of collaboration that President Obama and President Buhari were talking about during the State visit”.

Fidson Healthcare Plc, recently recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the recipient of her ‘2014 Growth Excellence Leadership Award in the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry, recorded sales of N9.7billion in FY2014. The award was in recognition of the company’s consistent performance in the Nigerian pharmaceutical sector, which has seen its revenues rise at a 15% CAGR over the last five years.

The Company has also won other corporate awards including the Financial Standard ‘Pharmaceutical Sector Leader’ Award in 2008 and the ‘Nigerian Pharmaceutical Company of the Year’ at the Nigerian Healthcare Excellence Awards (NHEA) in 2014. Fidson’s definitive growth and consistent performance in the Nigerian stock market also earned her CEO the 2014 BusinessDay Top 25 CEOs Award, which the company has won consecutively for two years.

To offer options in manufacturing and grow its product portflio,Fidson will be commissioning a N7.5 billion manufacturing plant this year. The new facility will double the company’s production capacity and will also for the first time, add intravenous fluids to Fidson’s product portfolio. The facility is built to conform to the World Health Organization (Geneva) current Good Manufacturing Practice (WHO-GMP) standards.

AHAR CEO, Dr. Richard Afonja, stated that “we are well positioned to effect this novel approach to treating HIV/AIDS and other immune compromised diseases in the whole of Africa, starting with Nigeria. Bringing Fidson on board will enhance the facilitation of getting this much needed treatment approach for these conditions”.

To achieve her strategic imperative of consistently improving her products and consolidate her market position, Fidson has continued to invest in research and development across various disease areas.Thishas seen herrecord a number of firsts, key among which was becoming the first company in Sub-Saharan Africa to manufacture antiretroviral drugs in 2005. The company has over 200 products across several therapeutic classes, which cut across anti-infectives, gastrointestinal, antiretroviral, anti-malarial, cardiovascular, analgesic, haematinics and supplements.

Fidson’s partnering company, Immune Therapeutics, Inc [formally TNI Biotech, name change 2014] is a biotechnology company working to combat chronic, life‐threatening diseases through the activation and modulation of the body’s immune system using our patented immunotherapy. The company’s products and immunotherapy technologies are designed to harness the power of the immune system to improve the treatment of cancer, infections such as HIV/AIDS, chronic inflammatory diseases, and autoimmune diseases. Its proprietary technology, therapies and patents include the treatment of a wide range of cancers. The company’s most advanced clinical programs involve immunotherapy with met‐enkephalin (MENK) (sometimes referred to as opioid growth factor) and our Low Dose Naltrexone product (LDN) or Lodonal™, which have been shown to stimulate the immune system even in patients with advanced cancer.

GB Pharma Holdings is a Washington D.C. global Pharmaceutical company with expertise in defining policies, facilitating approvals, distribution and cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) and introducing innovative therapies to Africa. GB Pharma Holdings was established in order to be on the forefront of change and is dedicated to bringing cost effective and quality products to Africa. The company links new technologies, science and education together to be a cause for good. GB Pharma Holdings core focus is twofold; manufacturing cGMP quality pharmaceuticals and helping existing government agencies develop testing and regulations to purge counterfeit and sub-potent products out of their respective countries.

Dr. Richards Afonja, a Hematologist/Oncologist, living and working in New Jersey and Nigeria with over 28 years of experience, is the founder of American Hospitals & Resort [AHAR], a cancer and blood disorder treatment center (americanhospitals.org) that has been delivering high quality healthcare in Nigeria since 2007. AHAR Pharma is the associated pharmaceutical company, which operates in the West and East Africa markets. AHAR specializes in branded medicines and seeks to improve the lives of patients suffering from infectious diseases. Associated organizations include Paterson Medical Services Corp, Colfax Oncology, Inc. and Princeton Health Care, which is an HMO that has been operating in Nigeria since 2000, both entities were founded and are managed by Dr. Richards Afonja.