President Clinton to participate in First World Coffee Producers Forum in Colombia

In a panel with President Juan Manuel Santos on ‘Economic Sustainability and Rural Development to promote Global Stability and Democracy’ BOGOTA, Colombia, June 29, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) announced that President Bill Clinton, the Founder of the Clinton Foundation & 42nd President of the United States, will address […]

Zebra Medical Vision Launches the Most Comprehensive Medical Imaging Research Platform Globally

SHEFAYIM, Israel, April 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ —

Completes $8m seed round led by Khosla Ventures to accelerate the creation of imaging insights tools for HMOs and ACOs

Zebra Medical Vision launched a closed beta of its Medical Imaging Research platform and announced funding of $8 million led by Khosla Ventures, with participating parties DeepFork Capital and Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) CEO Marc Benioff. The company’s solution enables researchers to quickly develop imaging algorithms and insights based on large scale datasets and advanced processing power. Zebra’s commercialization pipeline will then expedite clinical application of imaging research products.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150405/196595)

With a billion people joining the middle class by 2020, and an aging global population, the demand for medical imaging is rapidly increasing. Fast, accurate diagnosis is paramount, and is getting increasingly difficult to achieve with existing Radiology resources. Medical Imaging storage has grown tenfold since 2005 according to a Frost&Sullivan report and continues to grow with more advanced modalities. Therefore there is an acute need for accurate automated tools to enable high quality diagnostic insights at scale.

“Advances in machine learning and computer vision have made it possible to create diagnostic quality algorithms based on big data, that surpass current reading accuracy rates. Such algorithms will reduce false positives, identify false negatives, provide earlier diagnosis of cancer or other diseases and unlock incidental findings hidden in the vast amounts of imaging data that resides within archives of health providers,” said Elad Benjamin, Zebra Medical CEO and former General Manager of the Carestream Healthcare Information Solutions group.

“I have frequently commented that technology will reinvent healthcare as we know it,” said Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures. “Zebra is combining the power of machine learning, computer vision and big data to do just that in medical imaging – creating a sandbox through which imaging innovation can occur and be delivered to patients. We are proud to back such a team and an ambitious endeavor and look forward to seeing the outcomes of the platform.”

Zebra’s platform offers a cloud-based, fully hosted research and development environment. This includes access to large datasets of structured, de-identified studies, storage, state-of-the-art GPU computing power and support for a multitude of research tools. The platform also enables research groups to collaborate and create joint tools.

“Zebra is the only platform today that offers such seamless access to both the tools and the needed datasets and research environment – and at such a large scale,” said Professor Gabriel Krestin, Professor of Radiology, Chair of Radiology at Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam and past President of the European Society of Radiology. “This will finally enable providers to bring medical imaging into the fold of large scale clinical analysis and population management.”

The Zebra platform is initially being launched to select research groups. Researchers and machine learning practitioners can apply for an invite here. ACOs and HMOs are welcome to participate and learn how can better imaging insights improve care and reduce costs.

About Zebra Medical Vision Ltd  

Zebra Medical Vision has set out to create the world’s largest medical imaging insights platform. We believe that by providing machine-learning researchers the needed tools and datasets we can accelerate development of advanced decision support tools and diagnosis needed to serve the worlds population. Headquartered in Kibutz Shfayim Israel, the Company was founded in 2014 by Co-Founders Eyal Toledano, Eyal Gura and Elad Benjamin.  

More info at http://www.zebra-med.com

Contact:
Elad Benjamin  
info@zebra-med.com

Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC Makes $15 Million Investment in Vivo Capital Fund

SINGAPORE, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC) today announced a USD $15 million commitment to Vivo Capital Fund VIII (“Vivo VIII”).  Vivo Capital is an investment firm focused on investing in and developing healthcare companies in the U.S. and China.

This investment in Vivo VIII provides late stage venture and early stage growth capital to be invested in the United States and China. This investment helps bridge two of the world’s largest healthcare markets and enables cross-country relationships that will allow for market expansion and access to new products. The fund aims to combine the innovation and expertise with the growth and capital of the different regions using their presence in both regions.

JJDC is the first healthcare venture group to invest in Vivo VIII. With headquarters in Palo Alto, Shanghai, and Beijing, Vivo Capital maintains a long history of partnership with entrepreneurs and industry members in both countries.

“We are excited about our investment in Vivo VIII as part of our strategy to support and advance innovation in the Asia Pacific region,” said Vladimir Makatsaria, Company Group Chairman of Medical Devices, Asia Pacific for Johnson & Johnson. “Vivo Capital’s differentiated strategy and depth of experience in China and the United States provides us a greater window on the emerging science in China, and opportunities to invest in these promising companies.”  

Vivo Capital has managed a total of seven funds in the last 17 years. They have participated in seven IPOs in China, and have coordinated two of the largest medical device exits in Chinese history with China Kanghui and Trauson. In the United States, the fund has managed multiple exits, including Ceptaris, Neomend, Vicept, and Rempex. Given the room for continued industry growth in China, investment opportunities remain abundant, with total healthcare expenditure set to grow to USD $1 trillion by 2020, with an average growth rate of 18% every year since 2012.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. is the venture capital subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that has been investing since 1973 in medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical and consumer health areas.  Our goal is to create opportunities that meet the strategic needs of Johnson & Johnson while providing visibility to innovative emerging technology, businesses and business models.  JJDC measures the success of an investment’s performance not only in financial returns, but also in the viability of providing strategic growth opportunities for the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.  JJDC is interested in opportunities that address significant unmet medical needs, have clear competitive advantages, IP protection, an executable clinical and commercialization plan and are led by experienced management.  JJDC invests in companies across the continuum from early stage seed investments to advanced stages of series venture management.  Our investment teams are based in Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s four regional innovation centers in Boston, California, London and Asia Pacific.  For more information, please visit www.jnjinnovation.com.

(This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. and/or Johnson & Johnson.  Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the potential that the expected benefits and opportunities of this investment may not be realized. Investments in externally sourced innovation are inherently risky, with no guarantee of success. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2014, including in Exhibit 99 thereto, and the company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson.  Neither Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments).

RM Group Enters into the PRC Market

HONG KONG, Feb. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — RM Group Holdings Limited (“RM Group” or the “Company”) (HKEx stock code: 8185) and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) announced that it entered into a distribution agreement with Shanghai Dong Jiao Industrial Company Limited in respect of the distribution and sale of the Group’s products in the PRC.

Shanghai Dong Jiao Industrial Company Limited (“the Distributor”), is a company incorporated in the PRC and has the experience and expertise of promoting, distributing and selling of pre-packaged food in the PRC. It is an independent third party who is not connected with any Director, chief executive or substantial shareholder of the Group.

According to the distribution agreement, the Group appoints the Distributor as the sole distributor apart from Zhuhai UShopin Trading Co., Ltd. to distribute and sell certain of the Group’s products in the PRC. The Distributor shall purchase the Group’s products for sale in the PRC and shall not appoint any third party as its distribution agent unless with prior written approval of the Group. The Distributor is also responsible for advertising and promoting the Group’s products in the PRC, which the fees shall be borne by the Distributor. The Group also agrees to grant to the Distributor the rights to use the Group’s trademarks in the PRC for performing its duties as the Group’s sole distributor under the Distribution Agreement.

About RM Group Holdings Limited

RM Group Holdings Limited is principally engaged in the business of formulation, marketing, sales and distribution of health supplements and beauty supplements and products under its proprietary brand (including “Royal Medic”) and private label brands specifically developed for and owned by a renowned retail chain of health and beauty products in Hong Kong and Macau (the “Distribution Facilitator”). The Group outsources most of its production to its suppliers and subcontracting manufacturers and the Group distributes its products mainly through the Distribution Facilitator. According to the industry report prepared by Ipsos Hong Kong Limited, the Group ranked third as a PCM health supplements provider in Hong Kong in 2012, with a market share of 10.4% in terms of retail sales value. According to the report of the independent global marketing research company, its best-selling product, Royal Medic Cs-4, ranked first in terms of sales value in the Cordyceps market in Hong Kong for six consecutive years ended August 2014.

US Based Non-Profit To Open A Children’s Hospital In Lao PDR

LUANG PRABANG, Lao PDR, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — On Wednesday, February 11th, Friends Without A Border will open a new pediatric hospital during a Grand Opening ceremony in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. Lao Friends Hospital for Children (LFHC) will be the first full-service pediatric hospital outside of the country’s capital and, when it opens, will provide free care to all children. The hospital is a partnership project with the Lao PDR Ministry of Health.

LFHC is supported by Friends Without A Border (Friends), a not-for-profit organization based in New York whose mission is to provide high-quality and compassionate health care to children in Southeast Asia. Friends’ first children’s hospital, Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC), opened in 1999 in Cambodia and has since treated over 1.3 million children, trained hundreds of local doctors and nurses, and provided medical outreach and education to communities all over the country.

Friends’ founder Kenro Izu started the organization after witnessing the tragic death of young girl in a Cambodian health care facility. “The little girl was the same age as my daughter at the time. I just remember being so shocked something like that could happen. There she was, in a hospital with doctors and nurses nearby, and yet she did not receive treatment because the girl’s father couldn’t afford to pay two dollars for her care.”

After opening, word about AHC quickly spread. Today, AHC treats an average of 450 patients a day, is a nationally trusted pediatric teaching hospital, and is a model in the region for sustainable high-quality care.

In Lao PDR, pediatric health care is an urgent concern. Children suffer from treatable illnesses such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria, as well as from injuries sustained by unexploded ordinances, which still blanket some parts of the country today.

The new hospital in Laos will adopt the same model of holistic care used at AHC, with a focus on treatment, education, and prevention. “When we opened our first hospital, we quickly realized the importance of addressing the education and prevention aspects. We wanted to help create a healthy community, not just provide Band-Aids,” Izu said.

LFHC’s Executive Director, Dr. Jonathan Spector, says, “We are building a hospital to where any of us would feel perfectly comfortable bringing our own children. We will deliver safe, high-quality care with respect and empathy for our patients and their families.”

Recently, Izu and Friends were recognized for their work by the World of Children Award. Considered the “Nobel Prize for Child Advocates”, the World of Children Award named Izu the Health Honoree.

U.S. Contact: Jenni Cheers, Development Director, jenni@fwab.org or +1-212-691-0909
Lao PDR Contact: Jenn Brown, Development Director, FVC@fwablaos.org or +856 (0)71 252 096

Innovent Biologics, Inc. Completes $100 Million Series C Financing

– Funds to Advance Novel Biologic Pipeline and Internal Operations

SHANGHAI, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Innovent Biologics, Inc., a privately held Chinese biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and manufacturing of complex, high-end biologics to be marketed in the rapidly growing Chinese market and elsewhere worldwide that meet EMEA and FDA/cGMP standards, has raised $100 million in Series C financing. Legend Capital led the financing. Other new investors included Singapore-based Temasek and two additional well-respected investors. These firms join Fidelity Biosciences, Fidelity Growth Partners Asia, Lilly Asia Ventures and Frontline Bioventures, who were original investors.

Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance Innovent’s pipeline consisting of eight antibody products, which include one approved IND and four additional filed applications, and the company’s operations.

Michael Yu, Ph.D., Co-founder, President and CEO of Innovent, stated, “We’re delighted to have the support of some of the most well-respected investors in the world for this round of financing. We believe we have built a unique organization in that we’re able to not only develop and advance an internal pipeline of high quality biologic therapeutics, but we’re also well positioned to serve as an ideal partner for pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking to further develop and market complex biologic drugs throughout Asia. This financing enables us to continue progressing our internal pipeline of complex biologics while simultaneously furthering our operational capabilities as the premier biologics company in China meeting international development standards.”

Developed with the significant help of bioBAY and Suzhou Industrial Park, Innovent’s state-of-the-art research and development facility and manufacturing plants, which have a huge capacity for developing biologics, are among the very few in China designed specifically to comply with international requirements for cGMP, as defined by the EMA and FDA. Innovent’s campus, which already houses two 1000L bioreactors, will eventually offer an additional 15,000 L bioreactor and pilot plant for production of clinical materials and commercialization products upon completion. The 90,000m2 biopharmaceutical facility will be the largest biologics production facility in China designed to comply with international quality requirements.

Darren Cai, Ph.D., Executive Director of Legend Capital, said, “We believe Innovent is inimitably positioned to both successfully develop its own internal pipeline of biologic compounds and, with its extensive manufacturing capabilities and relationship with the Chinese government, offer partners a cost-efficient option for developing and selling biologic drugs in China and other markets.”

Innovent’s team brings extensive experience in the discovery, development and manufacture of biologics worldwide and were involved in the launch of products such as Bexxar, Conbercept, Humira®, Natrecor, Onocrine, Orencia® and others.

About Innovent Biologics, Inc.

Innovent Biologics, Inc. is a leading biopharmaceutical company in China focused on the development and manufacturing of complex, high-end biologics for both the Asian and global markets that meet EMEA and FDA/cGMP standards. Innovent’s strategy is to advance its internal pipeline of proprietary biologic drugs and establish in/out-licensing agreements with global pharmaceutical/biotech companies. Because of its location and emphasis on quality, Innovent is able to leverage China’s cost-efficient environment without compromising its world-class quality standards.

For more information, please visit www.innoventbio.com.

Contacts:

For partnering inquiries:
Innovent Biologics, Inc.
Linda Pullan, Ph.D.
linda@pullanconsulting.com; (805) 558-0361

For media inquiries:
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.
Andrew Mielach
amielach@tiberend.com; (212) 375-2694

Aptuit to Divest Two Non-Core Sites; Facilitates Reinvestment and Accelerated Growth in Core Area of Integrated Solutions

– AMRI to purchase Glasgow, UK and West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A. sites

GREENWICH, Conn., Jan. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Jonathan Goldman, CEO, Aptuit LLC, announced that Aptuit has divested its aseptic clinical manufacturing site in Glasgow, UK to Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMRI), and has entered into a definitive agreement with AMRI to acquire the West Lafayette, Indiana solid-state chemistry business for a total consideration of $60 million.

Dr. Goldman stated, “The sale of these sites to AMRI is part of our strategy to divest non-core assets and invest in our core competency of integrated early discovery to mid-phase drug development. We will continue to deliver world-class drug discovery and development services from our fully integrated, former large pharma R&D center of excellence in Verona, Italy, and our internationally renowned API facility in Oxford, UK. This transaction, which is part of our strategic initiative to grow our integrated offerings, will facilitate reinvestment in our core competencies and allow us to further differentiate our existing, unique capabilities and pursue strategic acquisitions.”

Dr. Goldman explained that Aptuit’s reinvestment strategy will include targeted acquisitions to expand the company’s service offerings and capital expenditure at the Verona facility.

“Our company has expanded by acquisition and organic growth. Future announcements will describe new additions to our capabilities in discovery and non-clinical development, as well as innovative strategic partnerships,” Dr. Goldman added, making it clear that Aptuit is continuing to lead the industry in high quality solutions that reduce cost, time and attrition from discovery to proof of concept.

Dr. Goldman concluded, “We are focused on helping bring safe and effective medicines to market with a service offering that achieves industry-leading speed and economy while delivering excellent value to our customers.  Aptuit is committed to being the best-in-class provider of fully integrated drug discovery and development services, supported by a culture of scientific excellence and innovation.”

Teneo Capital acted as the exclusive financial adviser to Aptuit LLC and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in this transaction.

For additional information or to arrange an Aptuit interview, please contact Nerina Coppini at +39 0458219248 or nerina.coppini@aptuit.com; or Maria Garvey at 914.747.1400, maria@delfino.com.

Aptuit LLC provides the most complete set of integrated early discovery to mid-phase drug development services in the pharmaceutical industry including Drug Design & Discovery, API Development and Manufacture, Solid State Chemistry, CMC, and Preclinical and IND enabling GLP/GMP programs. Fully integrated drug discovery and development services are available from a single site at The Aptuit Center for Drug Discovery & Development in Verona, Italy. The company maintains resources around the world, with facilities in the US, UK and Italy. Aptuit LLC is partnered with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, one of the world’s leading private equity investors.

For more information about Aptuit, visit www.aptuit.com

NetDragon Online Education Subsidiary Raises US$52.5 million in Series A Funding

HONG KONG, Jan. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — NetDragon Websoft Inc. (“NetDragon”, Stock Code: 777), a leading mobile Internet platform developer and operator in China, today announced the signing of a definitive stock purchase agreement for a US$52.5 million Series A equity funding round for its online education subsidiary with participation from international investors that include IDG Capital Partners, Vertex Venture (wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek Group) and Shenzhen-listed animation producer Alpha Animation. With the proceeds from this round that will value its education subsidiary group at US$477.5 million on a fully-diluted basis, NetDragon plans to accelerate the product development of its online/mobile education ecosystem platform and solidify its first mover advantage in the design of a disruptive education solution that truly addresses the needs of students, teachers and parents.    

NetDragon is building a lifelong education ecosystem by developing K-12, vocational, non-academic credential and lifelong educational products by leveraging mobile internet technologies to disruptively enhance the learning environment, using gamification models to make learning fun, and applying user behavioral analysis to deliver innovative pedagogical approaches. 

Mr. Dejian Liu, Chairman and Executive Director of NetDragon commented, “We believe the education industry is ripe for a major change. There is a strong and ever-growing need for a mobile educational platform that creates true educational value and makes people want to come back to learn more. We at NetDragon are fortunate to be in a very unique position to build such a product with our proven world-class mobile internet and gaming expertise, large-scale technology resources and team infrastructure that we have built out of scaling several successful businesses over the many years since our inception.”

Mr. Liu added, “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with these excellent partners as we continue to intensify our effort to develop the best educational products that truly changes peoples’ lives. Both IDG and Vertex are amongst the most successful global venture capital investors in the mobile internet space, and their investment is a strong vote of confidence in our vision and execution capabilities.  Alpha Animation is one of the leading and most influential animation content production companies in China, and we believe their support as a strategic investor will create valuable synergies in the areas of content and branding that will greatly enhance our educational offerings.

Mr. Dongliang Lin, Partner at IDG Capital Partners commented, “We are very pleased to continue our cooperation with NetDragon to make such a transformational impact in the online education field. We believe NetDragon is at the forefront of this field with its holistic ecosystem approach to address the deeply-rooted fundamental issues in our education system, and we are confident that the era of mass-scale personalized mobile learning will arrive with the efforts of the NetDragon team.”

Mr. Tay Choon Chong, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Vertex Venture added, “We are very excited to participate in NetDragon’s latest online education business venture. Education is crucial to an individual’s development and is pivotal to improving one’s quality of life. However, not much innovation has happened in this sector over the past many years. Mr. Dejian Liu has always had the vision to develop and apply technology ahead of the rest. We believe he will successfully lead NetDragon this time round to disrupt this sector and bring huge value to educating our future generation!”

Mr. Dongqing Cai, Chairman of Alpha Animation added, “We are extremely delighted to partner with NetDragon in this rare opportunity to invest in an unique business model being operated by a team with an unparalleled track record under the visionary leadership of Mr. Dejian Liu who has repeatedly created and scaled several businesses with huge success. Alpha Animation’s vision to provide children with happiness is directly aligned with NetDragon’s vision of a product that makes mobile learning both highly effective and fun.  As China’s leading animation and entertainment company, we are confident that this highly synergistic partnership will bring about significant value to shareholders of both companies.”

About NetDragon

NetDragon Websoft Inc. (HKSE: 0777) is a leading innovator and creative force in China’s mobile internet industry. Established in 1999, NetDragon is a vertically integrated, cutting-edge R&D powerhouse with a highly successful track record which includes the development of flagship MMORPGs such as Eudemons Online and Conquer Online, China’s number one online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China’s most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless, which was sold to Baidu in what was at the time the largest internet M&A transaction in China in 2013. Being a China’s pioneer in overseas expansion, NetDragon directly operates a number of game titles in over 10 languages internationally since 2003. In recent years, NetDragon has also become a major player in China’s online and mobile education industry as it works to leverage its mobile internet technologies expertise and know-how to develop a game-changing education ecosystem product.

For investor enquiries, please contact:

NetDragon Websoft Inc.

Ms. Maggie Zhou
Senior Director of Investor Relations
Tel:     +852 2850 7266 / +86 591 8754 3120
Email:   maggie@nd.com.cn; ndir@nd.com.cn
Website: www.nd.com.cn/ir