Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-10-09

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Positive meetings on Greek debt in Washington

[02] Apremilast, a new medicine for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis to be launched in the Greek market

[01] Positive meetings on Greek debt in Washington

IMF chief Christine Lagarde said to Tsakalotos that the fund's rules do not change and the two conditions for IMF's return to the Greek programme are 'a strong programme' and the debt's sustainability. The same official noted that there is no agreement between Lagarde and German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on the Greek debt underlining that the German minister has a legalism approach regarding the 25 May agreement. Schaeuble supports that IMF's sustainability report (DSA) on the debt is the basis for IMF's participation and not the prerequisite, a view that the Greek side also rejects.

According to the Finance Ministry official the Greek delegation's general feeling after the completion of the meetings in Washington is that now there are more players in the game that seek the rapid completion of the second review and the solution for the Greek debt than those who avoid it.

The Greek government has requested the return of the IMF to the Greek programme. He said that there will be a huge problem if the measures on the mid-term and long-term part of the debt are not set and are postponed to next summer. In this case uncertainty will prevail and the investments will be harmed and Greece will not be included in ECB's QE programme. He also noted that there are countries (Finland, Austria, Netherlands) that want IMF's participation in the programme and this is something positive because it engages institutions as the eurogroup.

The issue of the reacquisition and reprofiling of the old debt by ESM was not discussed in the meetings in order afterwards the IMF to participate in the programme with smaller amounts.

The labour issue that is included in the second review was not discussed in Tsakalotos-Lagarde meeting

The Greek side seeks the reduction of the primary surpluses after 2018 to be included in the negotiation for the debt issue in order a fiscal space to be created, the tax rates to be reduced and the expenses to increase. Government's effort is to prove that the lower primary surpluses are compatible with a measured interpretation of the mid-term restructuring package of measures provided in 25 May eurogroup's decision.

The approval for the disbursement of the 2.8 billion euros tranche to Greece is expected in Monday's eurogroup as the institutions' representatives report says that all prior actions of the first review have been met and there are no pending issues.

The representatives of the institutions will return to Athens in October 18 to start negotiations on the second review.

The government believes that the second review should be completed on time in order excuses or delays in the discussion for the debt to be avoided. "Our aim is the second review to be completed until the end of November" said the same official.

[02] Apremilast, a new medicine for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis to be launched in the Greek market

Tablets that contain apremilast are the first to receive approval for psoriatic arthritis in the last 20 years. It has recently been approved by the European Medicines Committee and the National Organisation for Medicines. It will be launched in the Greek market in March.

Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at the University of Athens, Director of Hospital "Andreas Syngros", Christina Antoniou explained that the pharmaceutical treatment of the disease has changed. "First of all we have the traditional medicines that are often accompanied with serious side effects, the new ones that are injectable, and the newer ones that are small molecules, such as apremilast, in the form of a tablet and constitute the latest weapon in our medical tool kit. Apremilast is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis, which is the most common form of the disease, while studies are being made in order to get the approval for other auto-inflammatory diseases like the Crohn's disease. Clinical studies showed results in 16 weeks, and even greater improvement in 24 weeks," Antoniou stressed.

Asked by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency on the benefits of the new drug in relation to the existing ones, Antoniou said that the new drug is friendly to the patient, because it is not in the form of an injection, it is neither nephrotoxic, nor hepatotoxic, there is no need for often liver exams as other similar drugs and does not lose its effectiveness in long term use. She also stated that it does not interact with normal concomitant medications for psoriasis.

Psoriasis is not related to mange and it is not contagious. In its 2016 report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) stressed that psoriasis is not a simple skin condition, but a chronic, non-contagious, painful, distorting disease that causes disability and for which there is no definitive cure.

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