Lots of my friends and family ask me what I do and when I tell them they often look at me glassily. I try to communicate but I don’t even think my mom knows what I do for 12-18 hours/day, seven days-a-week. That said, I have been trying to brainstorm some of our lesser-know services. Abraham Harrison is globally known for being able to engage thousands of bloggers in 5 Continents, 12 Countries and 11 Languages. That said, we also offer Social Network management services and social media solutions and all of that -- here’s a list of some of them along with my interpretation of what each of them offers. Please let me know if I have done a clear job with the copy -- I think it still may be too dense.
http://ping.fm/x3acWOnline Business IntelligenceComments [0]
The Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority has advised Emergent BioSolutions that while BARDA's Request for Proposal has been canceled, Emergent is encouraged to submit a proposal for the office's Broad Agency Announcement.
http://ping.fm/GUoUuBARDA canceled the RFP for the procurement for rPA vaccines after a technical evaluation panel determined that no proposals submitted by vaccine developers could meet the ProjectBioShield statutory requirement of having the product ready for licensure within eight years.An amendment issued by BARDA to BAA 09-34 at the same time, however, enable companies to submit proposals to obtain development funding for rPA vaccine candidates, which Emergent has been strongly encouraged to do by BARDA.Emergent plans to submit its proposal to the BAA by the end of this year, in front of the due date of February 1, 2010 for the proposals.This announcement also does not impact Emergent's $400 million procurement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to manufacture and deliver 14.5 million doses of BioThrax for the Strategic National Stockpile.“With this action, BioThrax remains a critical and long-term countermeasure for the US government,” Fuad El-Hibri, chairman and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions, said. “In addition, based upon encouragement by the USG, we believe our rPA vaccine is well-positioned to obtain a development contract under this BAA. Our anthrax franchise solidifies Emergent as a leader in the development and supply of anthrax medical countermeasures.”BioThrax is currently being delivered under this contract with an expected completion of deliveries by September 2011. BioThrax is the only FDA licensed vaccine for the prevention of anthrax diseases.“We believe that BioThrax will remain a premier product based on its recent enhancements, such as four-year dating, a reduced vaccination schedule and intramuscular route of administration, together with the potential for a further reduction in the vaccination schedule to a 3-dose primary series with a 3-year boost," Daniel J.Abdun-Nabi, president and chief operating officer of Emergent BioSolutions, said. "BioThrax continues to be the product of choice for the USG and other customers seeking to address the anthrax threat.”BARDA and Emergent are also in separate talks for a contract that would see BARDAA fund scale-up and related activities to obtain FDA licensure for large-scale production of BioThrax at Emergent's new 50,000-square-foot Lansing, Mich., manufacturing facility."I am proud that Lansing remains home to America's first line of defense against what experts say is the single biggest bioterror threat, anthrax," U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, MI-08, said. "The good news about the cancellation of this particular proposal is HHS recommitted itself to the Lansing-made anthrax vaccine and has opened a new proposal for a next-generation anthrax vaccine for which Emergent has indicated it will compete."Rest assured, I will continue working to strengthen our nation's existing bioterror preparedness measures and protect national security jobs in Lansing."http://ping.fm/oqT7eComments [0]
Upon Urging of HHS, Emergent Plans to Submit Response to BAA by the End of This Year
BioThrax® Remains Sole Anthrax Vaccine Available for USG Procurement for at Least the Next 8 Years http://ping.fm/k6yHlROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced today that it has been advised by the Office of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) that the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the procurement of rPA vaccines has been cancelled in favor of a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for rPA vaccine development. According to BARDA officials, BARDA took this action after a technical evaluation panel determined that none of the vaccine developers submitting proposals could meet the Project BioShield statutory requirement of having a product ready for licensure within 8 years.Simultaneously, BARDA issued an amendment to BAA 09-34 to enable companies to submit proposals to obtain development funding for rPA vaccine candidates. The due date for all proposals is February 1, 2010. During a meeting with company officials today, BARDA strongly encouraged Emergent to submit a proposal to this BAA. Emergent intends to submit its proposal by the end of this year.This decision by BARDA has no impact on the company’s $400 million procurement contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the manufacture and delivery of 14.5 million doses of BioThrax® into the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The company is currently delivering BioThrax under this contract and expects to complete deliveries by September 2011. BioThrax is the only vaccine licensed by the FDA for the prevention of anthrax disease.“With this action, BioThrax remains a critical and long-term countermeasure for the US government,” said Fuad El-Hibri, chairman and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “In addition, based upon encouragement by the USG, we believe our rPA vaccine is well-positioned to obtain a development contract under this BAA. Our anthrax franchise solidifies Emergent as a leader in the development and supply of anthrax medical countermeasures.”Emergent has recently resumed BioThrax scale-up activities within its new 50,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lansing. In addition, BARDA and Emergent are in discussions for a separate contract under which BARDA would fund scale-up and related activities to obtain FDA licensure for large-scale production of BioThrax in this new facility. This new facility is designed as a campaignable, multi-product facility capable of producing up to 30 million doses of BioThrax per annum. With the addition of a second train, the capacity of the facility could be doubled to up to 60 million doses per annum.“This is an exciting development because it positions BioThrax as the sole anthrax vaccine for USG procurement for at least the next eight years,” said Daniel J. Abdun-Nabi, president and chief operating officer, Emergent BioSolutions. “We believe that BioThrax will remain a premier product based on its recent enhancements, such as four-year dating, a reduced vaccination schedule and intramuscular route of administration, together with the potential for a further reduction in the vaccination schedule to a 3-dose primary series with a 3-year boost. BioThrax continues to be the product of choice for the USG and other customers seeking to address the anthrax threat.”About Emergent BioSolutions Inc.Emergent BioSolutions Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of vaccines and therapeutics that assist the body’s immune system to prevent or treat disease. Emergent’s marketed product, BioThrax® (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed), is the only vaccine licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of anthrax disease. Emergent’s development pipeline includes programs focused on anthrax, botulism, tuberculosis, typhoid, hepatitis B and chlamydia. Additional information may be found at www.emergentbiosolutions.com and www.biothrax.com.Safe Harbor StatementThis press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including any potential future securities offering, our expected revenue growth and net earnings for 2009, and any other statements containing the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “estimates” and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including appropriations for BioThrax® procurement; our ability to obtain new BioThrax® sales contracts; our plans to pursue label expansions and improvements for BioThrax®; our plans to expand our manufacturing facilities and capabilities; the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our products; the success of our ongoing and planned development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials; our ability to identify and acquire or in license products and product candidates that satisfy our selection criteria; the potential benefits of our existing collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into selective additional collaboration arrangements; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our other product candidates; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; and other factors identified in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release.Comments [0]
Globally, upstarts led by OLX move to edge Craigslist out of fast-growing local classified advertising markets and to crack its dominance in the U.S. By Douglas MacMillan
http://www.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/dec2009/tc2009126_680884.htmFabrice Grinda is bullish on Brazil and betting big on Internet classified ads in South America's largest country. This year, Grinda's New York-based company OLX opened an office in São Paulo, hired locals to translate the OLX site into Portuguese, asked top real estate brokers and auto dealers to offer low-priced listings, and recruited an executive from eBay (EBAY) in Latin America.That approach has worked well for OLX in Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Russia, and a handful of other countries. And in September, OLX became the leading classifieds site in Brazil, surpassing local rival QueBerato in visitors, according to researcher comScore (SCOR). Craigslist, which has come to dominate the U.S. and other markets by charging no fees for most ads, is a distant No. 42 in Brazil, according to comScore. "I would like to think we have a chance to become the Craigslist of the rest of the world," Grinda says.Craigslist is a worthy target. Founded in 1995, the popular site for free online listings has almost singlehandedly replaced the classifieds business of print newspapers and now dominates the U.S. online market. Yet critics say Craigslist has done little to innovate, ignoring opportunities to expand through search, social networking, and wireless communication. It's also been slow to penetrate some developing overseas markets. Internationally.Craigslist is "asleep at the wheel," says Grinda.New players are raring to overhaul online classifieds. "Classifieds have gone through two chapters," says Craig Donato, co-founder and CEO of classifieds startup Oodle. First came newspapers, then Craigslist, he says. "We are focused on the third chapter." Craigslist declined to make an executive available to comment for this story.Most of the innovation in classifieds has happened in specific areas such as job postings on Monster (MWW) and real estate listings on Trulia. "Those sites all have a lot of traffic and they co-exist with Craigslist," says Greg Sterling, founding principal of researcher Sterling Market Intelligence. Jobs are one of the few areas where Craigslist charges a fee for postings. It also charges for New York real estate listings.Comments [0]
Four German mini-books for my travels to Berlin during the month of December.
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I used to be a Dungeon Master when I was in Intermediate and High School in Hawaii. Good to see there are still loads of D&D stuff to play with.
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