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Patent case in India highlights tensions between public health, protecting innovation
A recent case in India highlights some of the intersections between drug affordability, the need for patent protection on innovation, and differences between national patent law.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- innovation
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India’s big move into solar is already paying off
The price of solar power has plummeted in recent months to levels rivaling that of coal, positioning the renewable source as a viable mainstream option in a country where 300 million people live without electricity. Solar prices are now within 15% of coal, according to KPMG. If current trends hold, the consultancy predicts electricity from solar will actually be 10% cheaper than domestic coal by 2020.
- Categories
- Energy
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- solar
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AMBER Health Sets Out to Be the Uber of India’s Medical Emergency Response System
India’s emergency medical response system has long been criticized for being slow and unresponsive. While the public sector has not openly supported change within the system, the private sector is now yielding new technologies, such as AMBER Health – which has set out to change how Indians deal with emergency medical situation in an Uber-like fashion.
- Categories
- Transportation
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- transportation
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Smartphones Sales to See 60 Percent Growth in India: Assocham
Sales of affordable smartphones with in-built camera and internet-enabled features are set to shoot up to 160 million in 2016-17 from 100 million in 2015-16, an Assocham study said on Wednesday.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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China’s Contribution to Global Health Security Through Pharma Partnerships
One of the major challenges in developing new medical countermeasures against threats to global health security—be it a new flu pandemic or rapid spread of a neglected disease—is the lack of an underlying commercial market to support the financial investment needed for expeditious drug development and scale-up. This challenge was demonstrated at the outset of the 2014 Ebola outbreak: even though the lethal virus was known for nearly 40 years, there was no cure or vaccine on the market. Paradoxically, while political attention to global health issues has revved up since the Ebola outbreak, funding is as short as ever when it comes to research and development (R&D) to address novel or neglected diseases. The funding shortage could be exacerbated by competing global challenges such as the need to raise money for funding the initiatives of the COP21 and implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Momo, a Mobile Payment Firm in Vietnam, Lands $28M Led by Standard Chartered Bank
Vietnam is emerging as a technology market of note in Asia. Weeks after U.S. VC firm 500 Startups announced a fund for the country, Vietnam-based fintech company Momo has landed a $28 million investment round from banking giants Standard Chartered (SCB) and Goldman Sachs.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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Social Impact Investment in India Set to Double By 2020
Combining profits with philanthropy is no easy task but a growing number of social venture capital funds and impact investors are doing just that.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- impact investing
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Why e-Tailers Are Rushing to Tap India’s Payments Goldmine
As Indian e-commerce majors ramp up their presence in the payments space, Digbijay Mishra and Samidha Sharma find out why online retailers are taking a leaf out of the China playbook and throwing their weight behind this new line of business.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- digital payments, fintech
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