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COVID-19 Series PART III

14 September 2020

COVID-19 Series, PART III: The COVID-19 Vaccine & Other Therapeutic Options

The final part of this section seeks to look into the therapeutic options used to fight COVID-19. In Part I we saw that the current strategy used by doctors on the front line involved the preservation of vital organs from the cytokine storm that raged outside of the lungs. This defensive approach is more passive than the proactive and preventative holistic approaches we recommend for the public. Given that the tentative and crucial aspect of the battle occurs in a secondary care, it serves those in this setting well to know that there exists another strategy they can contribute to other than the wait-and-see approach when managing a patient’s condition on an intensive care ward. Therefore, the creation of a vaccine serves as a viable and proactive solution that can complement the holistic approaches. We shall now look into the vaccine associated with COVID-19. We will not go into detail regarding each proposed vaccine as this is beyond the scope of this series.

What is a vaccine & how does it work? 

A vaccine is a special preparation of antigenic material that can be used to stimulate the development of antibodies and thus, conferring active immunity against specific pathogen 1 . There are three types of vaccines; live, killed and toxoid. 

i) Live: A live vaccine consists of an attenuated (weakened organism) to invoke an immune response with only very mild symptoms. This initial response to this attenuated pathogen would be deemed the primary response. Live vaccines would be administered for Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Smallpox, Polio (oral Sabin), BCG and Yellow Fever. These vaccines are never administered to immunocompromised individuals.

ii) Killed: These vaccines are completely safe, but the immunity conferred by them even when given with an adjuvant (an immune system booster), trigger an immune response that cannot induce disease. These vaccines are inferior to live vaccines. As a result they require booster doses. Killed vaccines would be administered to individuals for; Pertussis, Polio (parenteral Salk), Cholera, Influenza, Rabies, Typhoid. 

iii) Toxoid: Toxoid vaccines are harmless, but trigger the same type of immune response as the normal toxins produced in particular bacterial diseases. Toxoid vaccines are administered to individuals for Diphteria and Tetanus.

Vaccines have been the vehicles of choice in the process of developing effective immunisation policies and programs. The general principle behind a vaccine and immunisation is to provoke an immune response to a particular pathogen’s harmful effects in the future. This is achieved through the creation of antibodies that seek out the specific infections pathogen, binding to them and then marking it for destruction by T-cells of the immune system. The pathogen has initiated a specific immune response and these specific antibodies remain in the system. It is said generally that the individual’s immune system now has a “memory”. Not only are antibodies produced to the primary response, the first encounter with the pathogen, the next time the body encounters the same offending pathogen again, antibodies are produced but at a much higher concentration. The graph below depicts this appropriately. This is same principle is pathway is to be used in the proposed vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 otherwise known as the “Oxford Vaccine” 2 .
Vaccines create a controlled and “safe environment” for the body to become familiar with the disease so it knows how to fight the disease more effectively with reduced risk to the patient. Simply put, the immune system is the student and a vaccine is the mock exam that heightens the preparedness for the real and definitive end of year examination. 

Do we need a vaccine for COVID-19?

This is a matter of contention. The contention and scepticism surrounding the vaccine stems from the accompanying statistics associated with reported COVID-19 cases. These figures along with the opinions of legal, economic and political commentators expressed through all media factors have contributed to attitudes towards the response to the virus and pandemic measures. According to global figures from Google’s COVID-19 data centre, out of the 25,334,339 COVID-19 worldwide cases; 16,669,674 individuals recovered. Therefore, the global recovery rate having contracted the virus is 66% (65.7%) 3 . The death rate from the cases is calculated at 3% (3.34%) with 848,084. When looking at the statistics derived from Worldometer, from active cases of 6,884,865 infected patients, 6,824,240 suffered from a mild condition, meaning 99% of patients had this experience of COVID-19. Out of the active cases, 60,625 patients were deemed serious or critical meaning that serious or critical cases of active cases of COVID-19 constitute 1% of the active cases 4 . From the closed cases totalling 19,143,562 patients, 95% of those cases were a result of the patients recovering and being discharged. Out of the total closed cases 863,516 deaths were recorded making up 5% of cases. If we look closer at the statistics for the United Kingdom, the case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 12% from 337,000 cases from a country with a population of 67.8 million people with 41,504 deaths reported. These findings can erroneously form the basis of the belief that COVID-19, “is just a bit of flu”. However, this misconception on the threat and severity of COVID-19 is highlighted when we consider the latest literature and statistics surrounding seasonal flu.

According to a document published by Public Health England relating to influenza in the UK, when using algorithmic model called, Flu monitoring of excessive mortality or FluMOMO, to estimate the excess number of deaths associated with influenza activity adjusted for temperatures, one can see that the deaths due to flu between the 2015/16 period to 2019/20 are considerably lower than reported number of deaths due to COVID-19 already this year 5 . Looking even closer at the data, the deaths associated with influenza, so far from the 2019/20 season up to week 9 alone, exceeds two other seasons (2015/16 and 2018/19) and is greater than the deaths attributed to one season alone (2016/17). An argument can be made that the reason for the low deaths could be due to the level of vaccination uptake amongst the 65+ years recorded at 73% (72.6%) across all countries in the UK.6 Nevertheless, the one constant remains that the 65+ years are most at risk than any other age demographic in each respective season from 2015/16 to 2019/20.7 

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Furthermore, there exists opposition to the use of the CFR as a tool to assess the severity of COVID-19. It is believed that the CFR is obsolete once it became apparent that people present as asymptomatic and hence should not be counted in confirmed cases 8 . A more comprehensive metric proposed, is the infection-fatality rate (IFR). The IFR is a statistical tool that uses data on known infections including best estimates for undiagnosed and asymptomatic cases; to generate numbers on how likely it is for an infected person to die from the disease 9 . This type of calculation is performed every year to generate the figures for seasonal influenza, similar to the FluMOMO model mentioned above. The IFR can be calculated in two ways; they could estimate the number of infections based on serology results that test individuals for antibodies against the coronavirus. These tests can reveal whether a person has been infected even if they don't show symptoms. Or researchers can use statistical methods to infer the total number of infections based on what is known about the number of confirmed cases and the estimates for asymptomatic infections. When the IFR taken as opposed to the CFR, COVID-19 is 50 to 100 times more lethal than the flu on average. Additional opposition and scepticism expressed towards the COVID-19’s severity resides in the lag with regards to paperwork involving reporting and recording causes of death, on death certificates. This in its self has attracted scrutiny as allegations have been made that deaths during this pandemic have been misappropriated to COVID-19 and is hence responsible for the swell in numbers of reported case deaths from COVID-19 10 11 12 .

Equally, rebuttals could be raised to the points above. It can be said that irrespective of whichever metric taken the fatality rate of COVID-19 is still rather low. The argument regarding the death lag as a result of strained administrative logistics involving paperwork still wouldn't generate a seismic number that would skew the weekly reporting of deaths associated with a confirmed cases of COVID-19 greatly. 

Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals’s position on the subject of the necessity of a COVID-19 vaccine is predicated on the scientific findings and observations of frontline clinical staff that are treating COVID-19 patients. Our position is that any individual who falls within the high risk demographic; being over 65+ years of age, male, of Afro-Caribbean or South Asian descent predominantly, diabetic, clinically obese with a BMI above 30, with cardiovascular issues (i.e. hypertension) and asthmatic, must indeed seriously consider being vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. Aside form the statistics that depicting global and national recovery and death rates, the ferocity of a COVID-19-induced cytokine storm that is not confined to the lungs and can in fact inflict grievous physiological insult on multiple vital organs, is a gamble not worth taking. In the meantime, do all that you can to boost your immune system. We would strongly recommend that you adopt our holistic approaches detailed in (Part II of this series),  in order to achieve this. We would also encourage you to speak with your pharmacist, GP or a trusted healthcare professional, who knows you well, regarding your health about the proposed COVID-19 vaccine. Not taking the vaccine is not a demonstration of strength nor is it an omission of weakness. Neither is taking the vaccine an admission of weakness and omission of strength. The true essence and success story of medicine and healthcare is not in treatment, but in prevention. 

Will the government force us to take a vaccine for COVID-19? 

No. We would even go as far as saying that it is highly unlike and it would be unwise for Her Majesty’s Government to impose mandatory vaccination across the UK now or in the future. This substantiated and explicitly states so in the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, Section 45 (E): Medical Treatment, which states that (1) Regulations under section 45B or 45C may not include provision requiring a person to undergo medical treatment. (2) Medical treatment includes vaccination and other prophylactic treatment.13 This is prohibition is extended to Scotland an Northern Ireland through The Coronavirus Act 2020 under Schedule 19 Section 3 subparagraph (1)(2).14 These laws set important limitations to the scope government powers. 

These limitations are in keeping with the bioethical principles that under pin, medical treatment between healthcare professional (HCP) and patient. The leading bioethical principle is autonomy. Autonomy is a right that subsists with you and gives you the independence and freedom to make your own choices in order to make decisions about your care. Autonomy is closely associated with informed consent. Informed consent is when the patient grants permission and hence initiates any form of medical or therapeutic intervention having been made aware of the full risks and benefits associated with the treatment. No treatment can begin without your explicit consent. You should not make any decision under coercion or without being fully armed with the benefits, but more so, the risks entailed with any treatment. The proposed COVID-19 vaccine is no different and will not infringe upon the law or your rights.

Given the urgency to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, is it safe? 

Any medicinal product intended for human use must be safe before launching on the market. Irrespective of these unusual and unprecedented circumstances surrounding the urgency in the development of a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus, there resides well-founded concerns over the accelerated publishing of pre-printed, non-peer reviewed (checked by two other scientist in the said field who check for any inaccuracies or mistakes) articles surrounding the virus, the regulatory process and hence the safety profile, with regards to long-term side effects, a direct by-product of the two former processes 15 16 . Our industry has a predisposition towards erring on the side of caution. This attitude is not a passive stance but rather one that vociferously demands more information and answers when shining a scrutinous torch on opaque data generated from research findings. At Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, we share this stance too and in doing so subscribe to the common adage used within the garment industry of; “measuring twice and cutting once”. We, along with all other pharmaceutical companies, seek to develop new vaccines with elevated and improved therapeutic and safety profiles. At this stage, it would be premature to denigrate or exaggerate safety concerns when a completed and approve vaccine arrives on the market along with the clinical scientific literature accompanying its availability.  

What is Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals’ position on vaccines?

Our position is simple. We are pro-vaccines, pro-science and pro-safety. It is important we do not conflate the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine with that of other vaccines that make up an individual’s immunisation schedule. It is ironic that due to the greatest medical advancement and global health achievement, parts of globe consisting of a pocket of individuals and groups that forget the atrocities and misery childhood disease wreaked on a global scale. Prior to vaccinations, diseases such as measles (responsible for mental retardation or damage to the central nervous system), rubella (a disease that contributed to children being born with brain damage, autism and other abnormal congenital diseases), diphtheria, whooping cough and polio, were rampant globally and within the UK 17 18 . Putting this into perspective, if small pox had not been eradicated it would cause 5 million deaths worldwide a year. As of August 2020, Africa is declared free of wild polio, a crippling viral disease that has negatively impacted the quality of life of many children on the African continent. 

Unfortunately, a barrier to vaccine uptake are unfounded fears of vaccine leading to autism, a claim that has been greatly discredited, retracted and unethical in terms of its research, or viral videos online created by anti-vaccine groups laden with incorrect, misleading and unsubstantiated claims. These claims are irresponsible and reckless when disseminated to the general public with substantial consequences. As of last year and entering into 2020, there have been reports of a spike in MMR cases in the UK 19 . Vaccines are indeed effective therapeutic agents that have demonstrably reduced new cases of life threatening diseases when administered to the population. 
Vaccines, particularly childhood vaccines, are efficacious in 85% to 95% of children who receive them. Therefore, it is imperative to keep up to date with the full vaccination schedules. 

What other therapeutic options exist to combat and treat COVID-19? 

Aside from the proposed vaccine, there have been touted and existing medications that have proved effective in the treatment of COVID-19. Nevertheless, the main treatment of choice is dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is corticosteroids and their mechanism of action (how they work in the body) is to produce anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant effects by inhibitory release of cytokines. Based on a national clinical trial RECOVERY, preliminary tests found that treatment with dexamethasone given at a dose of 6mg once a day lowered mortality by 8-26% in comparison to 4321 participants (out of 2104) who received standard treatment 20 . This discovery via the RECOVERY trial, offers hope but it would be considerably myopic to wholeheartedly take solace in this medication. The use of dexamethasone indicates that an individual is at a critical stage due to the advancements of the virus to the severe phase. The prognosis of the patient at this stage is clinically precarious and even more so if the individual falls into the demographic most at risk from COVID-19. 

© All rights reserved, Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Limited, 2020.

Signpost & Useful Documents


Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/22 

Reference

1. Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2020. 10th Edition.

2. J Gallagher. Coronavirus: Oxford vaccine triggers immune response. BBC News. <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53469839> accessed 2nd September 2020

3. Google News. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dataset <https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-GB&mid=%2Fm%2F02jx1&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen> accessed 2nd September 2020 

4. Worldometer: COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. <https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/> accessed 2nd September 2020

5. Public Health England. Surveillance of influenza and other respiratory viruses in the UK. Winter 2019 to 2020. 

6. Ibid

7. Ibid

8. C Arnold. How scientists know COVID-19 is way deadlier than the flu. National Geographic. <https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2020/07/how-scientists-know-covid-19-is-way-deadlier-than-the-flu> accessed 2nd September 2020

9.Ibid

10. P Duncan N Davis N McIntyre. Are officials figures overstating England’s COVID-19? The Guardian. <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/21/analysis-why-englands-covid-19-death-toll-is-wrong-but-not-by-much> accessed 3rd September 2020

11. Full Fact. Covid-19 is the underlying cause of death for most people who die with it. <https://fullfact.org/online/deaths-only-from-coronavirus/> accessed 3rd September 2020

12. Derry Journal. COVID-19 put on death certificates of symptomless patients: MLA <https://www.derryjournal.com/health/covid-19-put-death-certificatesof-symptomless-patients-mla-2862354> accessed 3rd September 2020

13. Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/22> accessed 3rd September 2020

14. The Coronavirus Act 2020. <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/7/schedule/19> accessed 3rd September 2020

15. H Thomasy. In the Race to Crack Covid-19, Scientist Bypass Peer Review. Undark. <https://undark.org/2020/04/01/scientific-publishing-covid-19/> accessed 22nd August 2020

16. F Guarascio J Mason. It’s not for me: speed of COVID-19 vaccine race raises safety concerns. Reuters <https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-vaccine-safety/its-not-for-me-speed-of-covid-19-vaccine-race-raises-safety-concerns-idUKKCN252284> accessed 5th September 2020 

17. R Conniff. The world before vaccines is a world we can’t afford to forget. National Geographic. <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/08/cannot-forget-world-before-vaccines/> accessed 3rd September 2020

18. British Society for Immunology. Celebrate Vaccines: How Vaccines Work <https://www.immunology.org/celebrate-vaccines/public-engagement/guide-childhood-vaccinations/how-vaccines-work > accessed 3rd September 2020

19. PA Media. Mumps cases in England rise to highest level in decade. The Guardian. < https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/14/mumps-cases-england-rise-highest-level-decade-mmr> accessed 4th September 2020.

20. RM Johnson JM Vinetz. Dexamethasone in the management of covid-19. BMJ 2020; 370:m2648
6 December 2024
Following on from our “Faith & Medicine” article and in keeping with the theme of spirituality, I’d like to announce that the Archangel Michael stands as the patron of Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Ltd. “St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruins of souls.”  Whilst Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals remains a company that will always stay true to the principles of evidence-based medicine and “Good Science”, we pledge to utilise the scientific skill, talent and ambition that this company possesses to best serve patients & customers be they in the United Kingdom or abroad. Our privilege to serve those in need of our goods & services is a commitment we do not take lightly. We are most humbled and grateful to undertake this responsibility, and thus ask for the guidance & protection of St Michael the Archangel in all our endeavours henceforth. Most Sincerely, Sonny A. Ume Founder & Managing Director
6 December 2024
In the Western world, and specifically to Western medicine (allopathic medicine), faith commonly tends to meet medicine at the intersect of “last resort”. Sporting analogies vividly depict such dire occasions, the “Hail Mary Pass” of American Football, “The bottom of the ninth” of American baseball or “90 minutes plus stoppage time” in football (soccer). Once the game plans and tactics have been tried and exhausted to no avail, the game of the respective sports take on a more urgent, opportunistic and hopeful complexion for the teams involved. This scenario is very much reminiscent of when medicine has been deployed as the opening gambit to tackle ill health only to find it is yielding little to no dividends towards improving to the patient’s health or condition. In this situation desperate times call for desperate measures and in the face of such desperation faith is sought and clung onto. Faith and medicine enjoy a polarising duality; Spirituality versus Science, “The Unseen” versus “The Proven”, subjectivity versus objectivity, belief versus evidence. Even in the face of this presented incompatibility between Faith and Medicine, there resides a common thread that unifies both. Patients. This article will look at the importance of acknowledging faith in medicine and the role faith plays in healthcare, particularly in primary care. The opening sentiment of this article on the relationship between Faith and Medicine may appear somewhat flippant and reductive. For some patients, faith does not follow a sense of hopelessness or vulnerability. Rather faith, in their respective religion, is their North Star. Their compass in navigating their day-to-day life of which, their healthcare needs are no different. Faith is central to the identity of an individual and for the collective community and demographic. An understanding of a patient’s faith in the healthcare sector is necessary in a multicultural country like the UK and more so in her multicultural major cities such as London. According to the latest data from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) 2021 Census, Christianity remains the largest religion in London with 40.66%, with Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism and Buddhism following in sequential order at 14.99%, 5.15%, 1.65%, 1.64% and 0.99% respectively 1. When making an eyeball comparison of the religions distribution chart from the ONS 2011 Census against the ethnic group distribution chart from the 2021 Census, it provides a quantitative and qualitative insight into where specific demographics are situated across London 2. For instance you will find a majority of the Black Afro-Caribbean demographic in South East London an area with a high number of individuals identify as Christians, Asian-Indian in West London, an area where a large majority identify as Hindus and Sikhs, Asian Pakistanis far West & East London where Islam is the dominant religion and individuals who identify as Jewish are predominantly situated in the North and North West London area.  A majority people who identify within an ethnic group demographic will have some connection to a religion, which plays an integral part to shaping their culture as well as their faith. This is of significance as these individuals then to be those as risk of preventative chronic disease of which the health outcome can be a poor prognosis. The data derived from the charts below will form the basis for strategies that are to be deployed in meeting the clinical needs of the multicultural demographic in London.
9 September 2024
Dear Reader, We’d like to apologise for our absence and inconsistency in our posting activities. We had planned for 2023 to be the year to springboard growth for the company. However, by August 2023 our plans were derailed by unapproved amendments to an investment deal, unforeseen operational changes by appointed service partner and the negligent damage to our current stock. Due this catalogues of disruptions, it resulted in the business having to concentrate its efforts on stabilizing and navigating through this thorny period. Sadly the decisive actions we took have impacted our agility and growth for 2023 heading into early 2024. It would be no stretch of the English language to deem 2023 as an annus horribilis for Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals. Despite the hurdles of learning and operational obstacles to surmount, we persevere not out of foolishness or folly but out of a sense of duty and determination to contribute something positive to the country. Something positive for the nation’s economy and the health of the population too. Through Fergie’s Sparkling Water®, we have had the opportunity to connect and listen to people. We have come to gain an insight into people’s relationship with their nutrition, GP and the NHS as a whole. Through these conversations with the public, it is apparent there is still much work to do. Aside from these conversations, I would be remiss not to mention and acknowledge the kind words of support and gradual return business we have accrued in spite of all these difficulties since August 2023. We are grateful to these customers and supporters, we shall repay their faith by continuing to make strides towards securing investment. Our path towards securing investment now adopts a strategy of patience (as much as we can afford). The investment climate in the UK is constricted and conservative to nascent SME science ventures. According to an experienced business advisor, investments in the UK have dropped by 61%. Aside from the slow velocity of investment capital, there seems to be a shortage of courage and patience towards modest & sustainable business model. Investing in STEM ventures is not for the faint-hearted, but it is an investment that pays dividends both financially and socially. In this climate, we have to wait discerningly for the correct investing partner that will pull us out of the vicious cycle of traction against capital. I have full confidence in the company’s potential and mission. I hope this is a sentiment shared by our investors. We shall indeed wait and see. In the meantime, we shall continue with our daily operational activities and ambitions. We have come to accept that investment is very much now a waiting game. Kindest Regards, Sonny Ume Founder & Managing Director
23 December 2022
Dear Reader, This year has been a year of marked progess and incremental growth in comparison to the previous year. Early into Q1, we began officially trading with Fergie’s Sparkling Water ® and have been garnering sales throughout the year. Between late Q2 and mid Q3 , we encountered challenges and hinderances in involving our marketing campaign impeding us from fully capitalising upon the double heatwave that swept through the UK in the Summer. Due to thte unwelcomed impact, we have parted ways from the responsible marketing firm that oversaw our campaign during the periods of the aforementioned quarters. New marketing partners have been identified for 2023. Despites seeing sales and an increase in social media follwers across all platforms, we have had to contend with difficult macroeconomic factors. The leading macroeconomic factor has indeed been the steep rise in inflation, exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict in March of this year leading to soaring commodity prices affecting businesses, families and individuals alike. As a result of this, the UK, amongst other countries in Europe, are enduring a cost of living crisis. In relevance to our sector, for Fergie’s Sparkling Water ® , grocery shopping (food) inflation currently stands at 14.6% (down 0.1%, 6 Dec 2022), significantly higher than this time last year’s recorded at 4.2%. To combat this inflationary environment we have decided on two courses of action. Firstly, we have opted not to engage in cost-push inflatuion from our end, which would see us pass the additional cost onto the consumer. This is clearly demonstrated by us not levying a delivery charge on the customer’s orders. Secondly, we have offered small sample packs and have revised and reduced our prices across our current SKU (flavours/lines) which now includes multiflavour packs. These practices have created new customers, returning customers and prospective customers. Regarding the later, we have seen an increase in orders left at the basket checkout (a common practice observed by e-commerce merchants and retailers). We would prefer to convert these incompleted orders to sales. We shall indeed concentrate attention and focus on this practice and these prospective customers in the coming year. Aside from opening achievements and current challenges, we have achieved milestones on a marketing and parternship front this year. In mid Q2 we were part sponsors of a well known health conference with leading dietician and nutritionist . We will explore the possibility of sponsoring this event again. In addition to this come Q1 of 2023 we will be sponsoring a University Netball Team Club for the second half of their season. We intend for this to be a promising promotional endeavour. Whilst forming sponsorship links we enagegd in our first out-of-home (OOH) marketing campaign in a thriving and bustling area within the city of London. This achievement and opportunity allowed us for to showcase our distinctive golden cans and unique and delicious flavours to passers-by in the capital. Again, we aim to incorporate this form of marketing into future marketing campaigns. Rounding up on positive fronts, the final preparations are being made towards the end of Q4 following the better articulation of our product portfolio and strategy heading into 2023. On behalf of the company I am filled with much confidence and optimism as to what lies ahead for 2023. Overall, 2022 has provided an additional 12 months that have served as an invaluable learning curve. Both in evaluation and identification and better yet, realization. And come the end of this year we realize the necessity and central importance of securing funding in 2023. I believe my confidence and optimism are not misplaced surrounding the current potential and awaiting achievements of this company. For, if we can successfully complete our next round of funding and secure sufficient capital investment, it would serve as both fuel and vehicle to propel our commercial ambitions and endeavours. Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals aspires to make its contribution to the gauntlet and satellite challenges that have arisen following the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent scrutiny of the pharmaceutical industry. Given our stance towards the current perception of the pharmaceutical industry and our intended efforts to a propose remedy to the heightened scrutiny through Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals’ operating model, hence there has not been a more enticing time to be involved in this sector. Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals will strive to be among those enterprises, big and small, who wish to use all their efforts in tackling the challenges and seizing the opportunities that lie ahead in this field. Again, our ambition can only be realized with the necessary capital to fortify and grow based on what we have achieved so far. In closing, and returning to current matters, I would like to take this time to thank you for reading this and subsequent articles we have posted this year. I would like to thank all those who have supported and offered advice to bring us this for. And finally, above all else I would like to thank our customers who have invaluable not just in support through purchase, but in patience too.  I would like to wish you and you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. May 2023 be a year of achivements and delivery for you as I hope it will be for Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals. Kind Regards, Sonny Ume Founder & Managing Director Nnadi’s Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
23 December 2022
Fergie’s Sparkling Water ® is delighted to announce it will be a sponsor for the second half of the University of Strathclyde Female Netball Club (USFNC). Fergie’s Sparkling Water ® can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet, but as a thirst-quenching healthier alternative after physical activity such as sports. Increasing and encourage physical activity, through the medium of sports, is something we wish to do now and in the future. A club officer and player of the USNC, Oriana Smith said; “We have chosen Fergie's Sparkling water as one of our sponsors this year because we really believe in their product of a healthy alternative to sugary soft drinks. As a netball team who take our sport seriously, we can't wait to enjoy Fergie's drinks after our games and around Strathclyde Campus. Thanks so much Fergie's for being one of our sponsors this year!” We will certainly cheering the team on!
14 November 2022
The pharmaceutical industry is a force for good! Our opening remark serves as a reminder and maxim within our company’s mission statement of elevating the patient’s and consumer’s perception of the pharmaceutical industry. Now more so than ever in recent times, this maxim of ours is necessary to recalibrate the perception of our industry. For failure to do so will have far reaching consequences, not just upon the pharmaceutical industry but also on public health. As it stands, Big Pharma and the remaining stakeholders within the pharmaceutical industry must, if not currently are, run through a gauntlet consisting of disenfranchised, incredulous and angry members of the public. This brief will look at the current obstacles and challenges that await Big Pharma and other industry players, whilst proffering solutions that go some way to repairing the strained relationship between pharma and the public. The objective of this reconciliation between both pharma and public seeks to restore the lack of confidence and subsequently the trust that has been broken. The future and integrity of the pharmaceutical industry depends on the mending of this relationship. Beginning with confidence itself, it is its latter crystalised end product of trust, that has been eroded or completely shattered resulting in the pharmaceutical industry being brought into disrepute. The leading contributing factor has been the lack of transparency in commercial activities and the decisions of Pfizer Inc. surrounding their vaccine. The earliest sense of opacity and perceived artifice involved the non-attendance of Albert Bourla pulling out of an initially scheduled European Parliament’s special committee on COVID (COVID committee). Mr. Bourla was not legally bound to attend nor was he subjected to any criminal punishment, as this was not an inquiry. Mr Bourla was intended to speak off the record. Mr. Bourla’s non-attendance proved irksome and did little to quell the committee’s frustration in the pursuit of answer. Another invitation has been extended to Mr Bourla. In Mr. Bourla’s place Janine Small, Pfizer’s Regional President of International Developed Markets stood in. The committee sought to address their concerns surrounding the heavily redacted vaccine purchase contract and the text messages between the Pfizer CEO and EU President Ursula von der Leyen. French MEP and COVI Committee member Veronique Trillet-Lenoir put these questions to Ms. Small. The purpose of Ms. Trillet-Lenoir’s line of questioning was to establish the relevant components about the operations in the manufacturing and delivery of the vaccines. 1 To this, Small answered that the information remains confidential for “competition reasons. This answer in the eyes of the COVI Committee ran contrary to Pfizer’s initial claim of transparency.
7 September 2022
The role of a mother in the development of an infant is invaluable. Whether it be supporting intellectual development or social development at an early age, there remains and even more crucial form of development. Nutritional development. To mark the significance of nutritional development in the early weeks and months of a babies’ life, the first week of August (1st-7th) is considered World Breastfeeding Week by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). WABA is a global network of individuals and organisations dedicated to the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide. However, it would seem that the message and rationale promulgated by WABA faces much challenge whilst heading towards a collision course with the proprietors of instant baby formula milk (IBFM) a form of breast milk substitute (BMS) and their proliferation over the previous decades. This article will explore how and whether the marketing practices deployed to promote BMS affects and hence jeopardises breastfeeding. We shall look at the importance and significance of breastfeeding, the current challenges and barriers to breastfeeding. We’ll review the marketing practices used by brand labels of IBFM and rebuttals they propose to these claims. Finally, we shall conclude on the repercussions of these claims on the marketing practices and their impact on breastfeeding and IBFM, before providing a conclusion.  Breastfeeding is one of the earliest and vital acts a mother engages in to support the physiological and nutritional development of her baby. It is for this reason why the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends solely breastfeeding babies for the first six months of their life. 1 The WHO’s recommendation stems from the constituents of human breast milk, all of which contain basic essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and fats too. Apart from breast milk being tailor made for a mother’s baby, breast milk is rich in million of live cells (white blood cells and stem cells etc.) that are immune-boosting and help organs develop and heal. Breast milk contains enzymes, growth factors, antibodies known as immunoglobulins (key in protecting the baby from illness and infections) by neutralising bacteria and viruses. In addition to this breast milk includes long-chain fatty acids, which play a pivotal part in the development of a babies nervous system, brain and eye development. Finally, breast milk contains 1,400 microRNAs which are thought to regulate gene expression crucial in preventing or halting disease development, whilst supporting the babies immune system and remodeling of the mother’s breast. 2 The development and properties of breast milk occur over three stages; colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk (foremilk & hindmilk).
8 June 2022
Inflation, defined in simple economic terms, is when prices of goods and services generally increase (along with a rise in demand) whilst reducing the purchasing power of money as each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. The 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, once quipped, “Inflation was violent as a mugger, frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man.” And as this perpetrator is very much on the loose and as of the time of writing, poses a clear and present danger to family and households in the West. The global economy, in particularly those of the West, is emerging from the embers and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and whilst still undergoing a jittery and steady recovery, inflation seems to have stalled and in some cases reverse growth in the West. In the United States inflation has hit an annual rate of 8.3% down from 8.5% in March, but still an inflation rate that remains close to a 40-year high.1 Across the pond, Western European nations are grappling, with inflation across the Eurozone reaching 7.5%.2 In addition to this, the raging conflict between Russia and Ukraine has exacerbated the inflationary pressures on the continent. This article will look at how inflation is impacting the UK population and the dangers towards diabetes prevention and what attainable steps or measures can be taken to tackle this.  Despite the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the escalation of geopolitical tension between the US, Russia and Ukraine has now regrettably broken out into military conflict as of Thursday 24th February 2022 and has sent commodity prices soaring. As of 2019, Russia and Ukraine exported more than 25% of the World’s wheat.3 Ukraine is considered the breadbasket of Europe, as 71% of Ukraine land is agricultural. Ukraine is also home to a quarter of the World’s “black soil” or “Chernozem”, which is highly fertile.
27 May 2022
“Be yourself” , “Love who you are” and “Never apologise for being you” are common self affirmations associated with wellbeing but can extend to body positivity. The fashion, beauty and sporting industry are leading the vanguard on the encouragement of body positivity in the name of representation and diversity of body types. This is indeed a good thing and very much welcomed. However, there must be a sense of awareness and caution to the indirect promotion of any health implications, in particularly prediabetes. This article will explore the dichotomy between social norms of body positivity versus clinical (health) concerns surrounding body positivity. This article will cover, to an extent, the relationship and impact of body positivity and body image may have upon mental health, healthy weight management and how best to beat prediabetes and Type-2 diabetes. Finally, we shall cover how a healthy weight is calculated, its significance and metabolic difference between individuals. This article will not cover nor engage in any post-discussion or debate on the topic of body positivity in relation to attraction. From a medical viewpoint, attraction is a subjective, fickle and not germane to this article. Given the sensitivity of the subject it would be appropriate to cover the impact on mental health and psychological well-being. Body positivity is inextricably linked to our self-image, which is key to our sense of identity. Simply put, how we look equates to how we feel. The perpetuation and desirability in the pursuit of the “perfect body” arises primarily from various forms of consumption. Common sources and outlets of this category include; Hollywood, Reality TV, ITV’s mega-successful Love Island franchise and Meta’s Instagram, all offering a window into innocuous entertainment, whilst showcasing the latest beauty trends that go on to become the societal standard. However, this harmless form of entertainment ceases to be so when the perpetuated trends by A-listers, well-known celebrities or recognised public figures (devoid of malice or agenda on their part), are, perceived as unattainable. It is this realisation that is impactful and leaves a detrimental effect on the most vulnerable members of the public on the uses of body image- teens and adolescents. The data to support this is worrying. According to UK survey of 11-16 years olds conducted by Be Real found that 79% said how they look is important to them. Over half (52%) often worried about how they looked. 1 In a survey of young people aged 13-19, 35% said their body images cause them to ‘often’ or ‘always’ worry. Research has shown that girls are more likely to be dissatisfied with their appearance an their weight than boys.2 3 In a survey by Mental Health Foundation, 46% of girls reported that their body image caused them to worry ‘often’ or ‘always’ compared to 25% of boys.4 In addition to this UK survey by Be Real, targeted at UK adolescents, it was revealed that 36% agreed they would do whatever it took to look good with 57% saying they had considered going on a diet and 10% saying they had considered cosmetic surgery.5 Disturbingly among secondary school boys, 10% said they would consider taking steroids to achieve their goals.6 Through these surveys, young people have expressed that body image is a substantial concern. Body satisfaction and a pressure to be thin is linked to depressive symptoms such as anxiety disorders (social anxiety or panic disorder) particularly in those children who do not match societal views of the ideal body.7 8 9 Possessing a poor body image may also prevent young people from engaging in healthy behaviours, as studies have found that children with poor body image are less likely to take part in physical activity. Survey data has shown that 36% of girls and 24% of boys avoided taking part in activities like physical exercise/physical education (P.E.) due to worries about their appearance. Body image is a substantial concern identified by 16-25 year olds and is the third biggest challenge currently causing harm to young people behind a lack of employment opportunities and failure to succeed within the education system being the first two.10
27 May 2022
To mark the Diabetes (Type-2) Prevention Week, we shall provide you with a brief overview of what prediabetes is, why it is significant, who is most at risk and what can be done to tackle it. What is prediabetes? Prediabetes, also known as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, is a serious health condition that sees a person’s blood glucose level reside above the healthy range, but reside just below the range required for the person to be diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes (T2D). An individual is deemed prediabetic if they have an HbA1c reading of between 42mmol/mol (6%) to 47.9mmol/mol (6.4%) or a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of 5.5mmol/l to 6.9 mmol/l. In the UK, statistics suggest that there are 13.6 million people at risk of developing Type-2 diabetes.
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