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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Commits Millions to Speed Treatment, Research and Development
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “If we want to make the world safe from outbreaks… particularly for those most vulnerable, then we need to find a way to make research and development move faster. That requires governments, private enterprise, and philanthropic organizations to act quickly to fund R&D,” said Mark Suzman, chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has joined two other companies to commit as much as $125 million in seed funding to speed-up the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Gates Foundation has joined forces with Wellcome and Mastercard in hopes of identifying, assessing, developing, and scaling-up treatments.
The Gates Foundation and Wellcome are each contributing up to $50 million, and the Mastercard Impact Fund has committed up to $25 million to catalyze the initial work of the accelerator.
The Gates Foundation’s funding is part of its up to $100 million commitment to the COVID-19 response announced last month.
The partners are committed to equitable access, including making products available and affordable in low-resource settings, according to a news release from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Currently, there are no broad-spectrum antivirals or immunotherapies available for the fight against emerging pathogens, and none approved for use on COVID-19.
“Viruses like COVID-19 spread rapidly, but the development of vaccines and treatments to stop them moves slowly,” Mark Suzman, chief executive officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, mentioned in the news release.
“If we want to make the world safe from outbreaks like COVID-19, particularly for those most vulnerable, then we need to find a way to make research and development move faster. That requires governments, private enterprise, and philanthropic organizations to act quickly to fund R&D.”
The COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator will work with the World Health Organization, government and private sector funders and organizations, as well as the global regulatory and policy-setting institutions.
Officials at The Gates Foundation noted that the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator will play a catalytic role by accelerating and evaluating new and repurposed drugs and biologics to treat patients with COVID-19 in the immediate term, and other viral pathogens in the longer-term.
As noted in the news release, the Accelerator will have an end-to-end focus, from drug pipeline development through manufacturing and scale-up.
By sharing research, coordinating investments, and pooling resources, these efforts can help to accelerate research. Officials said this kind of collaboration was a key lesson from the 2014 Ebola outbreak.
By providing fast and flexible funding at key stages of the development process, the Accelerator will de-risk the pathway for new drugs and biologics for COVID-19 and future epidemic threats, ensuring access in lower-resource countries.
The COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator will operate jointly as an initiative of the funders, drawing on expertise from inside and outside their organizations.
The Accelerator will pursue several aspects of the development cycle to streamline the pathway from candidate product to clinical assessment, use, and manufacturing.
To identify candidate compounds, the Accelerator will take a three-pronged approach: testing approved drugs for activity against COVID-19; screening libraries of thousands of compounds with confirmed safety data; and considering new investigational compounds and monoclonal antibodies.
Drugs or monoclonal antibodies that pass initial screening would then be developed by an industry partner.
The biotech and pharmaceutical industries will be critical partners, bringing their compound libraries and clinical data to the collaboration and lending commercialization and other expertise that will be required to scale up successful drugs and monoclonal antibodies.
In parallel to the development of the COVID-19 drug pipeline, the Accelerator will work with regulators to align criteria and develop manufacturing capacity with industry.
An accelerated pathway to bringing effective treatments to patients is around one year for products that have current regulatory approval or candidates with existing clinical data.
The timeline would be longer for compounds further upstream in the pipeline that have limited existing clinical data.
“This virus is an unprecedented global threat, and one for which we must propel international partnerships to develop treatments, rapid diagnostics, and vaccines,” Dr. Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome, noted in a statement.
“Science is moving at a phenomenal pace against COVID-19, but to get ahead of this epidemic we need greater investment and to ensure research co-ordination. The Therapeutics Accelerator will allow us to do this for potential treatments with support for research, development, assessment, and manufacturing. COVID-19 is an extremely challenging virus, but we’ve proved that through collaborating across borders we can tackle emerging infectious diseases.
“We must strive to strengthen efforts in the face of COVID-19, and in doing so, continue to make sure advances are accessible and affordable to all. Investing now, at scale, at risk and as a collective global effort is vital if we are to change the course of this epidemic. We welcome others to join us in this effort.”
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How to Use Credit Wisely
(NewsUSA) – As the holiday season approaches, more people are out shopping, searching crowded stores and online promotions for the best discounts, and using their credit cards to pay for it all. But beware the financial dangers of credit use — how you pay for these deals could safeguard your budget or lead to debt. […]
The post How to Use Credit Wisely first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional can help you guard against costly credit mistakes, paving the way for a financially sound festive season and beyond. Learn more about how to use credit in a way that works for you with the insights below.
Choose Your Credit Card Wisely
Whether you’re shopping for holiday gifts or purchasing necessities like groceries, the credit card you use can make a big difference. There are several factors to consider:
- Interest Rates. Rates generally run from 21-33%. The standard bank card charges at the low end of the range, and retailer credit cards (those typically with the store’s name on them) charge as much as 33%.
- Cash Back. Among the best deals are bank cards that offer cash back ranging from 1-4% of your purchase.
- Rewards Points. Some cards have rewards programs where you earn points that you can redeem for products or services. They may seem attractive but are worthwhile only if you’re actually interested in the rewards offered.
- Cash Discounts. While retailer credit cards have the highest rates, some offer big cash discounts at the point of purchase. That may be the only time they’re worth using.
Improving Your Credit Score
Boosting your credit score can help you qualify for the lowest available interest rates on auto loans, personal loans and mortgages. If you can, pay the full balance when your credit card bill arrives. But most importantly, never miss a payment. Paying on time not only avoids late fees, but also is a key factor in improving your credit score. The easy way to ensure timely payment is to set up automatic online payments.
A CFP® professional can help you develop other strategies to save money while improving your credit profile, including the following:
- Identifying which debt to pay down first.
- Switching to balance transfer cards that don’t charge interest for a year or longer.
- Converting high-interest debt with interest payments that are not tax-deductible to lower-interest debt whose interest payments are tax-deductible.
Establishing Credit
Lenders offer credit to people with a long and reliable credit history. Most young adults don’t have one. There are various ways to obtain credit, but steer clear of debit cards that claim they can help you build a credit history. When you consider the costs and requirements, they’re usually no bargain. You have better and cheaper options for establishing credit. Here are three of them:
- Get a secured credit card.
- If you have a student loan, make sure you’re up-to-date with payments.
- If you pay rent, ask your landlord to report your on-time payments to the credit bureaus.
The choices we make in managing credit can have a lasting impact on our financial journey. As you navigate the complex credit landscape, remember that CFP® professionals can offer tailored guidance for your unique circumstances. Whether it’s identifying strategic debt payments, exploring balance transfer options or establishing credit responsibly, a CFP® professional can provide a roadmap for achieving your financial goals. Find a CFP® professional today.
The post How to Use Credit Wisely first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Acura ZDX Type S features
LA Auto Show was the venus for the Acura ZDX Type S details.
The post Acura ZDX Type S features first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

LA Auto Show was the venus for the Acura ZDX Type S details.
The post Acura ZDX Type S features first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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Subaru Forester exhibit LA Auto Show
LA Auto Show was the venue for the Subaru Forester. This was the most interesting display technologically.
The post Subaru Forester exhibit LA Auto Show first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

LA Auto Show was the venue for the Subaru Forester. This was the most interesting display technologically.
The post Subaru Forester exhibit LA Auto Show first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
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