spark

US, UK Approve Roche’s $4.3bn Purchase Of Spark

Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche said it had received the necessary approval from competition authorities to acquire US gene-therapy group Spark, after the two companies reached a multibillion-dollar deal earlier this year.

Founded in 2013, Spark Therapeutics specialises in a new and growing segment of medicine for genetic diseases such as blindness, haemophilia, and neurodegenerative conditions.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) “unconditionally cleared Roche’s pending acquisition of Spark”, the Swiss company said in a statement on Monday.

“All antitrust approvals required to complete the offer have now been received,” it said, after confirming earlier Monday that Britain’s Competition and Markets …

SPARK programme: FirstBank to empower 500 widows

First Bank of Nigeria Limited says it will scale up its empowerment of widows to 500 before the end of the year.

The bank, which provided funding to the widows to grow their micro-medium scale businesses, has empowered 125 widows as identified by the International Women Society (IWS).

Mrs Bashirat Odunewu, the Group Executive, International Banking Group (ITBG), said this at the 125 widows’ endowment empowerment programme in commemoration of FirstBank 125th Anniversary in Lagos,

She said the bank’s partnership with IWS was designed to further the empowerment of women, especially widows, as part of activities marking 2019 Corporate Responsibility …