AJ Research Pharma, Germany’s Biotest ink deal

AJ Research Pharma Philippines recently signed a sales, marketing and distribution agreement with Biotest, a biologics company based in Germany, to bring to the Philippines a range of products that save lives and give the chronically ill new perspectives.

Among these products are antibody concentrates from blood plasma that are used therapeutically to help cure a range of diseases from septic shock, multi-drug resistance and autoimmune diseases from infants to adults.

This landmark partnership now brings health products that are beneficial to many Filipinos who are suffering from autoimmune conditions. “The Biotest products were first launched in Europe, then North and South America, in other parts of Asia, and now the Philippines,” says Janice Rivera, AJ Research Pharma Ethical Division product manager.

John Hodkinson, Biotest AG head of business operations (Sales Region Intercontinental); Javed Mohammad, AJ Research and Pharma chief executive officer; and Christos Trikkas, director of business development and marketing APAC were the proponents of the marketing distributorship in the Philippines and were in the country recently to seal the distributorship agreement.

For more information about AJ Research Pharma and its products, visit www.ajrph.com

ING urges Tondo kids to be future moguls

On a sunny day in March, the child leaders of Baseco Compound’s ING Learning Center (ILC) in Tondo, Manila, found themselves inside the corporate boardroom of Dutch financial institution ING Bank’s Manila branch.

Paired off and provided with seed capital, the ILC child leaders will work with their teachers and ING employee volunteers to design and execute their products or services.

The pair who generates the highest profits from their venture wins the summer-long activity.

The game—“ING Build a Business”—engages kids in the impoverished coastal Manila community.

It was held to mark ING Bank’s participation in “Global Money Week,” an initiative of Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI), from March 12 to 18.

This annual financial awareness campaign aims to inspire young people around the world to learn about money matters, livelihood and entrepreneurship.

“It’s aligned with our general belief that today’s children and youth should become empowered economic citizens who have a solid grasp of the importance of saving and investing for the future. This creates a positive wave that will carry over to their families and entire communities,” said ING credit officer Reuben Estrada, who leads the project.

Entrepreneurship takes on greater importance in a country like the Philippines where most remain unbanked and lack knowledge in investing.

ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank.