Momentum Gathers for Western Kazakhstan Development

ASTANA, Kazakhstan /PRNewswire/ — Western Kazakhstan is about to benefit from a series of development initiatives to be discussed at the forthcoming Western Kazakhstan Investment Forum: Expanding Production and Development. The event takes place from 24 to 26 September 2012 in the regional capital, Aktau.
The Forum has several far-reaching objectives which are focused on maximising commercial and employment opportunities and skills development for the local communities of this active oil and gas region.
The event will debate the implementation of concrete foreign investment projects in a range of industrial sectors. Whilst considerable emphasis will be on the oil and gas industry supply chain, many non-energy sectors will also be featured, including agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, water treatment and civil, industrial and mechanical construction.
The project is the initiative of the country’s national oil company, KazMunayGas. One of the Forum highlights will be the announcement of the best ten commercial opportunities for the supply of goods to the oil and gas industry that have been identified to develop in co-operation with foreign companies.
Speakers include government ministers; Sauat Mynbaev, Aset Isekeshev, Gulshara Abdykalikova and KazMunayGas Chairman, Lyazzat Kiinov. The rank of these and several other speakers illustrates the importance of the development programme. Furthermore, there is no charge for delegates who will be drawn from a range of senior-level business people wishing to take advantage of forthcoming investment opportunities and commercial partnerships in the region.
The Western Kazakhstan Investment Forum will be a platform for forging links across a spectrum of industries at Government level and with large and medium-sized business in the private sector. The event will also include excursions to production facilities in the country’s Mangystau Region.
Speaking about the event, Chairman of the Britain-Kazakhstan Parliamentary Group and as advisor to the Chairman of KazMunaiGas in Local Content Development, Lord Waverley, said. “This is a new and vibrant market with immense economic potential. It is imperative that the development of the region benefits the local community in the immediate and long term. There will be a series of announcements and presentations at the Forum that will highlight the serious intentions of the Kazakhstan Government to stimulate economic growth in the west of the country, as well as the significant opportunities for companies who are seeking to become partners in that growth.
More information about the Forum can be found at http://www.westkazinvest.org
Boris Danilenko, Tel: +7-727-258-3434, e-mail: Boris.Danilenko@iteca.kz
Source: Western Kazakhstan Investment Forum

ChanTest Awarded $1 Million Grant for Predictive Assays using Stem Cell-Derived Human Cardiomyocytes

CLEVELAND /PRNewswire/ — ChanTest, the leading CRO expert in ion channels and nonclinical cardiac safety testing, announces funding of a Phase II SBIR grant. ChanTest will use the grant from the National Heart Lung & Blood Institute to optimize drug safety and discovery assays using stem cell-derived human cardiomyocytes.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120817/CL58977LOGO )
“This grant will allow us to optimize our industry-leading cardiomyocyte assays,” said ChanTest’s Principal Investigator Andrew Bruening-Wright, Ph.D. “With our collaborators at FDA, DSEC, and Leadscope, Inc., we have improved predictivity models based on currently available ChanTest services. Our nonclinical models will only get better as we fully integrate cardiomyocyte-based assays.”
These cardiomyocyte assays are critical for improving the predictivity of nonclinical testing and reducing the use of animals as proposed in the NIH roadmap for drug discovery and the FDA’s critical path initiative. The grant will also fund development of automated instrument-based services to increase throughput and drive down costs to meet the needs of ChanTest customers.
Dr. Arthur “Buzz” Brown, founder and CEO of ChanTest and co-PI on the grant, added “ChanTest has assembled an expert team to ensure success of this grant. We’ll build on this success to improve drug discovery for other diseases in which ion channels play a critical role.”
About ChanTest – The Ion Channel Expert
ChanTest’s mission is to serve the drug discovery and development needs of customers worldwide with high-value solutions for ion channel and GPCR biology. Since its inception in 1998, the company has tested compounds for more than 500 global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and partners with them to speed the drug development process for the release of better, safer drugs. ChanTest offers integrated ion channel and GPCR services (GLP and non-GLP) and reagents; the company’s library of validated ion channel cell lines and pre-clinical cardiac risk assessment service portfolio are the most comprehensive commercially available today. Because of ChanTest’s seminal role in the nonclinical cardiac safety field, along with the company’s uncompromising commitment to quality, ChanTest has been named the “most trusted and most used fee-for-service provider” for ion channel screening in an independent survey for the past three years. ChanTest is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Source: ChanTest

The Executive Centre Ventures Further in Australia with Its First Serviced Office Centre in Perth

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PERTH, Australia, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The Executive Centre, Asia Pacific’s leading premium serviced office provider, is set to open its first serviced office centre at one of the most desirable locations in the heart of Perth’s central business district – 108 St Georges Terrace.

The Executive Centre on 108 St. Georges Terrace
Acclaimed for its premier fit-outs, exceptional client-oriented services, and state-of-the-art infrastructure, The Executive Centre has established a strong presence in Australia over the last decade with four prime serviced office locations in Sydney as well as a newly launched centre in Brisbane, and has served a number of multinationals including Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Macquarie and CISCO. The new centre will provide fertile ground for the local and multinational companies expanding and starting up business in Perth.

Located right in the middle of Perth’s central business district on the corner of St Georges Terrace and William Street, the new centre sits atop Level 24 and 25 of the iconic building, enjoying expansive Swan River views. Well connected to transportation network, leisure facilities and lifestyle amenities, the building provides ultimate commuting convenience. The distinguished status quo wins over an eminent portfolio of tenants including Rio Tinto, UBS, Norton Rose Legal, Sinosteel, and Boston Consulting.

With a modern interior office design, and fully equipped with the latest IT technology, communications system, video conferencing facilities and Herman miller executive modular furniture, The Executive Centre Perth continues to deliver the most flexible and dynamic solutions for leading business to meet their workplace needs.

108 St Georges Terrace is owned and managed by Brookfield. Brookfield’s global portfolio comprises interests in 112 properties totalling 7.5 million square meters, making it the global leader in the ownership and management of office assets.

“It’s great to have The Executive Centre as part of our diversified tenant mix at 108 St Georges Terrace. The property is recognised as a distinctive landmark defining the Perth skyline playing an important role in the city’s rich history,” says Kurt Wilkinson, Chief Operating Officer of Brookfield Office Properties Australia.

Paul Salnikow, Chairman & CEO of The Executive Centre commented, “Western Australia is a buoyant and growing international business centre, currently experiencing an impressive economic growth fueled by exports to emerging economies and mining-related investment by both the private and public sectors. Under the flourishing mining and resources sector, and strong market sentiments underpinned by low unemployment levels and population growth surpassing the national average, demand for prime Perth CBD office space is already booming.

“The new centre in Perth is part of our broader US$18 million expansion throughout Asia Pacific in response to the growing market demand for prestigious serviced office space driven by both the shortage of office space supply and critically low vacancy rate of less than 5% in the core CBD. With our commitment to providing our clients with a network of the very best landmark business locations throughout Asia Pacific, we believe that there is no better building we could have added to our portfolio than 108 St Georges Terrace,” Paul continued.

About The Executive Centre

The Executive Centre is the leading premium serviced office provider in Asia Pacific with 48 offices in 18 cities. Founded in 1994, it operates in Hong Kong, Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Macau, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Jakarta, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. The Executive Centre provides serviced offices, virtual office representation services, meeting and conference facilities, and business concierge services to multinational corporations, small and medium enterprises, and start-ups locally, regionally and internationally. Please visit our Web site at http://www.executivecentre.com

CONTACT:

Gigi Liu
Communications Director
The Executive Centre
T: (852) 22972483
E: gigi_liu@executivecentre.com

SOURCE　The Executive Centre

Alliance Boots to Form a Strategic Alliance with Nanjing Pharmaceutical Company Limited

NANJING, China /PRNewswire/ — Alliance Boots, under the terms of a strategic alliance agreement signed today, announces that it will acquire a 12% stake in Nanjing Pharmaceutical Company Limited, through a private placement, for a total consideration of approximately EUR56 million (RMB560 million). On completion of the transaction, which is subject to various regulatory approvals, Alliance Boots will be the second largest shareholder in Nanjing Pharmaceutical Company Limited with Board and operational management representation.

Stefano Pessina, Executive Chairman of Alliance Boots, and Zhou Yaoping, Chairman of Nanjing Pharmaceutical, at the signing ceremony of Alliance Boots’ RMB 550 million investment

Stefano Pessina, Executive Chairman of Alliance Boots, and Zhou Yaoping, Chairman of Nanjing Pharmaceutical, at the signing ceremony of Alliance Boots’ RMB 550 million investment

Stefano Pessina, Executive Chairman of Alliance Boots, and Zhou Yaoping, Chairman of Nanjing Pharmaceutical, at the signing ceremony of Alliance Boots’ RMB 550 million investment
Nanjing Pharmaceutical Company Limited, which is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, is the fifth largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in China with sales of around EUR2 billion (RMB20 billion) in 2011. It has a strong market position in its home province of Jiangsu operating distribution centres in 12 cities across eight provinces and one autonomous region. Its largest shareholder is Nanjing Pharmaceutical Group Limited.
The strategic alliance agreement was signed by Stefano Pessina, Executive Chairman, Alliance Boots, and Zhou Yaoping, Chairman, Nanjing Pharmaceutical Company Limited, after being greeted by Yang Weize, Secretary of Nanjing Municipal CPC Committee. The official ceremony, which took place in the city of Nanjing, was held in the presence of Ji Jianye, Mayor of the Nanjing Municipal Government.
Alliance Boots first entered the Chinese pharmaceutical distribution market in 2008 through its Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation joint venture, which operates in complementary geographies and continues its successful development.
Stefano Pessina commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with such an established player in the Chinese pharmaceutical market and believe there is huge potential in working together to create a great healthcare distribution network. This agreement builds on the success we have already had in China and further strengthens our commitment to the country as well as our willingness to play an active role in the evolution of the market in partnership with the authorities and key players. We believe that this strategic investment marks an important step in our long term development in Asia. ”
Zhou Yaoping, Chairman of Nanjing Pharmaceutical, said: “The cooperation with Alliance Boots is of great significance in the context of the slowing global economy and China’s medical and healthcare reforms. By introducing Alliance Boots advanced supply chain management technology and experience, Nanjing Pharmaceutical will be able to improve its management practices, achieve greater performance, and help China’s medical industry reach global standards, as well as support the pharmaceutical sector in establishing a vibrant social responsibility.”
Editor’s notes:
Alliance Boots is a leading international, pharmacy-led health and beauty group delivering a range of products and services to customers. Working in close partnership with manufacturers and pharmacists, we are committed to improving health in the local communities we serve and helping our customers and patients to look and feel their best. Our focus is on growing our two core businesses: pharmacy-led health and beauty retailing and pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution.
Alliance Boots has a presence in more than 25* countries and employs over 116,000* people. Alliance Boots has pharmacy-led health and beauty retail businesses in 11* countries and operates more than 3,330* health and beauty retail stores, of which just over 3,200* have a pharmacy. In addition, Alliance Boots has around 625* optical practices, of which around 185* operate on a franchise basis. Our pharmaceutical wholesale businesses supply medicines, other healthcare products and related services to more than 170,000* pharmacies, doctors, health centres and hospitals from over 370* distribution centres in 21* countries. In June 2012, Alliance Boots announced that it had entered into a strategic partnership with Walgreen Co., the largest drug store chain in the US, to create the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise.
* Figures are approximations as at 31 March 2012 and include associates and joint ventures.
For further information, please contact:
Group Communications, Alliance Boots
Yves Romestan / Laura Vergani / Katie Johnson / Julie Longton: Tel: +44 (0) 207 980 8585
RLM Finsbury (UK media contacts)
Katie Lang / Claire Scicluna: Tel: +44 (0) 207 251 3801
Kreab Gavin Anderson (Asia / China media contacts)
Richard Barton (Tel: +852 9301 2056) / Yang Yang (Tel: +135 0127 4482)
Source: Alliance Boots