Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Handheld device for detecting counterfeit and substandard medicines tested by PQM

Handheld device for detecting counterfeit and substandard medicines tested by PQM [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Feb-2013
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Contact: Claudia Costabile
cac@usp.org
301-816-8314
US Pharmacopeia

Rockville, Md., February 13, 2013 With substandard and counterfeit medicines a dangerous and growing problem in the developing world and elsewhere, identifying new technologies to detect such drugs is an urgent matter. In a new study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, scientists from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) evaluated a handheld Raman device's potential to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines. The device, called TruScan, is currently used to test Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and finished pharmaceutical products, and it was evaluated for its ability to differentiate among drug products with different APIs, different brands of the same API, and drug products having the same API but of different strengths, with focus on the specificity and precision of the testing. While TruScan could be used successfully in the initial screening for authentication of the identity of certain targeted medicines, it may not be reliable enough to establish whether the medicines are substandard or not. The print version of the study appears in the journal's February issue.

"Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) test methods, such as Minilab, which PQM uses on a regular basis to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines, have been in the market for several years. They are quite reliable, but require specific training and the use of chemicals," said Mustapha Hajjou, Ph.D., lead author of the study, and a program manager for USP's Promoting the Quality of Medicines program (PQM), which is funded by USAID. "There is an increased interest in other, 'non-invasive' spectroscopic methods to detect counterfeit medicines, including near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy, like the device we tested, and those would undoubtedly be simpler to use. We just have to make sure they produce reliable results for various types of medicines including substandard medicines, and that is what we tried to evaluate with the TruScan device," he explained. USP is a scientific, nonprofit public health organization that sets standards for the quality of medicines, food ingredients and dietary supplements. USP standards are used in more than 140 countries.

Antimalarial medicines artesunate and combination sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) were used in the evaluation because of their common use and the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard products in markets where malaria is endemic, and because of previous unfavorable reports of testing these products with a Raman device. Ibuprofen and acetyl salicylic acid tablets were also used, due to their wide range of products with different strengthsallowing the scientists to study the device's ability to discriminate between these products. A reference spectrum or signature, reference standard or a formulation (whole tablet) was created first to be compared to the spectra of other samples. Samples testing yielded either a match or fail result.

Results for the evaluation of antimalarials showed that the device's precision depend on the nature and strength of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). All medicines tested obtained acceptable precision results although, for some products, the results were well below 100 percent. The low matching results were attributed to high fluorescence masking the Raman signal, which could generate false negative results in authenticating medicines.

In the specificity evaluation, the Raman device successfully differentiated APIs, which would be useful in testing counterfeit finished products containing the wrong API. However, in the comparison with different lots of the same product and the comparison with similar products from different manufacturers, some samples did not match themselves, and the SP samples from four different manufacturers matched the comparator, showing the device is not sufficient to discriminate among these samples.

The device was also evaluated for its ability to detect different strengths of the same API. Acetyl salicylic acid and acetaminophen tablets all matched the comparator product, regardless of the sample strength, showing the device's limitation in possibly detecting substandard medicines from these classes of drugs.

"We concluded that TruScan will likely detect counterfeit medicines that lack API or have the wrong API, but we cannot rely on it to detect substandard medicines. This is especially true in the case of fixed-dose combinations, where one API may have a strong Raman scatter, masking the signal for other APIs. Because most of the effective medicines treating malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis are fixed-dose combinations, we need to be very cautious in using this device for assessment of substandard medicines, says Patrick Lukulay, Ph.D., vice president of USP's Global Health Impact Programs and program director for PQM.

###

Funding for the study was provided by USAID. The contents of this study are the responsibility of the PQM program, implemented by USP, and do not reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. TruScan is a registered mark of Thermo Scientific.

Media inquiries may be directed to: mediarelations@usp.org.

USP Advancing Public Health Since 1820

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific, nonprofit, standards-setting organization that advances public health through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods. USP's standards are relied upon and used worldwide. For more information about USP visit http://www.usp.org.


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Handheld device for detecting counterfeit and substandard medicines tested by PQM [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 20-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Claudia Costabile
cac@usp.org
301-816-8314
US Pharmacopeia

Rockville, Md., February 13, 2013 With substandard and counterfeit medicines a dangerous and growing problem in the developing world and elsewhere, identifying new technologies to detect such drugs is an urgent matter. In a new study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, scientists from the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) evaluated a handheld Raman device's potential to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines. The device, called TruScan, is currently used to test Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and finished pharmaceutical products, and it was evaluated for its ability to differentiate among drug products with different APIs, different brands of the same API, and drug products having the same API but of different strengths, with focus on the specificity and precision of the testing. While TruScan could be used successfully in the initial screening for authentication of the identity of certain targeted medicines, it may not be reliable enough to establish whether the medicines are substandard or not. The print version of the study appears in the journal's February issue.

"Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) test methods, such as Minilab, which PQM uses on a regular basis to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines, have been in the market for several years. They are quite reliable, but require specific training and the use of chemicals," said Mustapha Hajjou, Ph.D., lead author of the study, and a program manager for USP's Promoting the Quality of Medicines program (PQM), which is funded by USAID. "There is an increased interest in other, 'non-invasive' spectroscopic methods to detect counterfeit medicines, including near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy, like the device we tested, and those would undoubtedly be simpler to use. We just have to make sure they produce reliable results for various types of medicines including substandard medicines, and that is what we tried to evaluate with the TruScan device," he explained. USP is a scientific, nonprofit public health organization that sets standards for the quality of medicines, food ingredients and dietary supplements. USP standards are used in more than 140 countries.

Antimalarial medicines artesunate and combination sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) were used in the evaluation because of their common use and the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard products in markets where malaria is endemic, and because of previous unfavorable reports of testing these products with a Raman device. Ibuprofen and acetyl salicylic acid tablets were also used, due to their wide range of products with different strengthsallowing the scientists to study the device's ability to discriminate between these products. A reference spectrum or signature, reference standard or a formulation (whole tablet) was created first to be compared to the spectra of other samples. Samples testing yielded either a match or fail result.

Results for the evaluation of antimalarials showed that the device's precision depend on the nature and strength of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). All medicines tested obtained acceptable precision results although, for some products, the results were well below 100 percent. The low matching results were attributed to high fluorescence masking the Raman signal, which could generate false negative results in authenticating medicines.

In the specificity evaluation, the Raman device successfully differentiated APIs, which would be useful in testing counterfeit finished products containing the wrong API. However, in the comparison with different lots of the same product and the comparison with similar products from different manufacturers, some samples did not match themselves, and the SP samples from four different manufacturers matched the comparator, showing the device is not sufficient to discriminate among these samples.

The device was also evaluated for its ability to detect different strengths of the same API. Acetyl salicylic acid and acetaminophen tablets all matched the comparator product, regardless of the sample strength, showing the device's limitation in possibly detecting substandard medicines from these classes of drugs.

"We concluded that TruScan will likely detect counterfeit medicines that lack API or have the wrong API, but we cannot rely on it to detect substandard medicines. This is especially true in the case of fixed-dose combinations, where one API may have a strong Raman scatter, masking the signal for other APIs. Because most of the effective medicines treating malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis are fixed-dose combinations, we need to be very cautious in using this device for assessment of substandard medicines, says Patrick Lukulay, Ph.D., vice president of USP's Global Health Impact Programs and program director for PQM.

###

Funding for the study was provided by USAID. The contents of this study are the responsibility of the PQM program, implemented by USP, and do not reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. TruScan is a registered mark of Thermo Scientific.

Media inquiries may be directed to: mediarelations@usp.org.

USP Advancing Public Health Since 1820

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific, nonprofit, standards-setting organization that advances public health through public standards and related programs that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods. USP's standards are relied upon and used worldwide. For more information about USP visit http://www.usp.org.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/up-hdf022013.php

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Who'll Win an Academy Award? Read Our Predictions!

From Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook to Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, check out which stars we think will walk away with an Academy Award on Feb. 24

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/oscar-predictions-2013/1-b-520899?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Aoscar-predictions-2013-520899

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U.S. government won't fall apart on "sequester" day of reckoning

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just as computers worldwide did not crash on January 1, 2000, in the "Y2K" scare and Earth itself did not shatter on December 21, 2012, as some interpreters of the Mayan calendar predicted, March 1, 2013, will not be remembered as the day the U.S. government disintegrated.

The Obama administration and even some Republicans are warning of mass government layoffs and services collapsing when "sequestration" begins in 10 days, unless a gridlocked U.S. Congress finds a way to circumvent the start of the $85 billion in federal budget cuts.

But what actually happens on March 1?

"Nothing. Nothing happens," said a senior congressional aide who is keeping a close eye on the looming budget cuts.

While that might be somewhat of an exaggeration, the immediate impact is seen as minimal due to several safeguards, official and unofficial, that will keep the spending cuts from hitting Americans like a meat cleaver on March 1.

Senior administration officials on Tuesday had no concrete examples of what would immediately befall the country when the cuts begin. Ultimately, however, they would pare everything from military programs to space exploration between March 1 and the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Food inspections, air traffic control, law enforcement and education programs also would be among those hit.

"This moves forward on a rolling basis," White House budget office controller Danny Werfel acknowledged last week after testifying to Congress, explaining that the full force of the $85 billion in cuts would not be felt immediately. But, he cautioned: "It's very harmful as you go forward. On a seven-month time frame you're going to see the effects relatively quickly."

Senior administration officials said Republicans would be blamed for cuts that did come into force.

If allowed to run their course, the austerity measures could cost 750,000 jobs and keep weak economic growth stunted for the rest of 2013, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office warns.

These spending cuts, decided in 2011 amid a fever in Congress for deficit reduction, were meant to be so painful that they would goad Republicans and Democrats into reaching an alternative agreement on where to cut back. The cuts "will visit hardship on a whole lot of people," President Barack Obama warned on Tuesday.

And they are only the first installment in a decade's worth of required cuts totaling $1.2 trillion.

While some furlough notices will be issued to government workers, there will be few outward signs on March 1 that the cuts have been launched.

Under the law, retirees are shielded and so their Social Security checks will arrive on schedule at the beginning of March and every month thereafter. Similarly, the elderly and the disabled will not see their federally backed Medicare healthcare curtailed at all over the seven months.

Every U.S. soldier will get paid and the Defense Department will be allowed to shift funds to ensure that combat operations and "critical military readiness capabilities" are not degraded, according to the Obama administration.

Unofficially, many members of Congress are betting that a few weeks into the automatic spending cuts, Democratic and Republican leaders will get serious about negotiating a replacement to the sequestration and the $85 billion in spending cuts will not have had time to really bite.

LAYOFF NOTICES

And so on March 1 and in the days immediately after, while no dramatic shakeup is anticipated, there will be some early tremors.

* Government agencies are likely to issue 30-day warnings of impending furloughs of government workers. They could be told that starting on April 1 they will have to stay home for a maximum of 22 days between March 1 and September 30.

* New government contracts could slow in anticipation of no deal being reached to replace the sequestration. This would hit defense contractors and road and bridge builders alike.

* Members of Congress, who are not exempt from the spending cuts, will be advised to begin preparing their staffs for either salary cuts or layoffs if they have to shave funds from their approximately $4 billion in annual appropriations.

* Medical research labs at universities that rely heavily on federal funds will begin deciding which projects to abandon or curtail, if they haven't already.

* Every federal agency will have to finalize their plans on how to execute the across-the-board spending cuts.

At this stage, most planned furloughs are being held to 22 days per federal employee. Anything longer is considered a formal layoff and requires more complex legal hurdles, some involving seniority, to be met.

In some cases, furlough notices won't go out until terms are negotiated with employee unions after March 1. Not all union-government contracts cover such actions, said Carl Goldman, executive director of AFSCME Council 26, which represents 8,500 federal workers from building engineers to librarians.

"The biggest thing we can do is to negotiate over the scheduling of furloughs, how much choice employees will have in selecting days furloughed," Goldman said.

Over the seven-month period, a 22-day furlough would roughly equal about one day per week, reducing workers' income by about one-fifth.

LAID-BACK CONGRESS

Congress, showing little sense of urgency, is now on a week-long "Presidents Day" recess.

When members of the Senate and House of Representatives return next week, they will begin feeling each other out for a remedy by March 27, when another budget deadline hits: the need to replenish federal funds for all government agencies.

That is a separate fight in Congress but it might become mixed in with the sequestration battle as fiscal issues come to a head.

Last week, Senate Democrats unveiled their plan to replace the sequestration with a combination of agriculture subsidy cuts and higher taxes on the richest Americans.

Senate Republicans, warning that they will reject any new tax increases, have not yet settled on a plan. But several are circulating, including replacing the sequestration with different spending cuts, giving federal agencies more flexibility in how they would carry out the existing $85 billion in cuts, or reducing the federal workforce by 10 percent through attrition.

Before going forward with any plan, Republicans might have to quell an uprising within their party that has some conservatives hoping that the meat-ax approach stays, thus ensuring some serious deficit reduction this year.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Lawder; Editing by Alistair Bell and Eric Beech)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/u-government-wont-fall-apart-sequester-day-reckoning-005947591--business.html

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Timeline of Nevin Shapiro?s alleged wrongdoings with Miami Hurricanes players and NCAA actions

?? 2001: Miami Beach resident Nevin Shapiro pays $12,000 to become a University of Miami booster. He also becomes a ?living scholar? for then seldom-used running back Willis McGahee.

?? December 2001: Shapiro meets Vince Wilfork and Andrew Williams at the football team?s awards banquet. Following that season ? which culminated in a national championship ? Shapiro allegedly gives Williams gifts, including Miami Heat tickets and a big-screen television. That begins an eight-year period in which Shapiro claims he gave improper benefits to 114 players.

?? 2002: Shapiro pays Michael Huyghue $1.5?million for a 30 percent stake in Axcess Sports, and the firm begins to recruit UM players over the next several years. In the meantime, Shapiro cultivates relationships with dozens of UM players, claiming he buys them dinners, prostitutes, jewelry and invites them aboard his yacht to party.

?? 2005: Sean Allen, who would later become a UM assistant equipment manager, joins Axcess as a player recruiter. Allen and Huyghue allegedly take UM quarterback Kyle Wright to Detroit for a concert and to the Bahamas for junkets to lure him into their sports agency.

2007: At halftime of UM?s final game at the Orange Bowl (a blowout loss to Virginia), an inebriated Shapiro confronts Dave Reed, UM?s then-head of compliance, cursing him and trying to draw him into a fight. Shapiro blamed Reed, among several others, for UM?s decline.

?? 2008: Shapiro donates $50,000 to the basketball program during an event at Lucky Strikes bowling alley on Miami Beach. A widely-distributed photo is snapped of Shapiro with coach Frank Haith and UM president Donna Shalala, who are both smiling.

?? Early 2009: Then-UM equipment manager Bobby Revilla, at the behest of an unnamed athletic department administrator, asks Allen to write a letter to Shapiro to smooth things overall with him after a falling out in their relationship. Revilla doesn?t say exactly why.

?? November 2009: Shapiro?s investors in his $900?million Ponzi scheme file a lawsuit forcing his company, Capitol Investments, into bankruptcy. They are seeking upward of $83?million in losses.

?? May 2009: The bankruptcy trustee targets UM for hundreds of thousands of dollars that Shapiro donated to the school.

?? July/August 2009: UM settles with the trustee, paying back the money that Shapiro donated for a student-athlete lounge and to the basketball team. The settlement does not mention Shapiro?s direct cash payments and other gifts to the football and basketball players.

?? April 2010: Shapiro is charged in federal court in New Jersey with running a $900?million Ponzi scheme. He is held in federal custody without bond.

?? August 2010: Shapiro, from prison, tells The Miami Herald that he intends to write a book alleging he gave cash and other gifts to some Canes? football players.

August 2010: UM, after reading The Herald article, contacts Shapiro, but he is unwilling to share information.

?? September 2010: Shapiro pleads guilty to securities fraud and money laundering in connection with his Ponzi scheme.

?? December 2010: Shapiro decides against writing a book and begins working jointly with Yahoo Sports.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/19/3243150/timeline-of-nevin-shapiros-alleged.html

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Never-Before-Seen Video Shows Fire Raining On the Sun

"On July 19, 2012, the Sun produced a medium-size solar flare," NASA says on this new video, "what occurred with the flare was amazing." It's true. It's amazing. Fire started to fall down like rain—a hell waterfall many times the size of planet Earth. You have to watch this uncanny document for yourself. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/W5Q6dIJ1OxM/never+before+seen-video-shows-fire-raining-on-the-sun

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Gay man stands up to anti-gay preacher on NYC subway, train full of people applauds (video) (Americablog)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/285766133?client_source=feed&format=rss

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10 South African Stocks Poised to Beat the ... - Investing In Africa

It?s time to stick my neck out.

I?ve talked a lot about the past performance of various African stocks, and I?ve asked a number of local experts for their favorite listings. But I haven?t often gone out on a limb and made picks of my own, and many of you have noticed.

So, it?s only fair that I go on record with my best bets.

Here are my top South African stock picks. I expect that, on average, they will outperform the Johannesburg Stock Exchange All Share Index over the next 12 months.

ARB Holdings (ARH: SJ) ? Price: R4.80,?P/E Ratio: 13.0, DivYield: 2.9%

ARB wholesales electrical products ranging from overhead cable to light fixtures. It?s not a market devoid of competition, and ARB has the narrowing margins to prove it. But consider this. The South African government has committed to spending R210 billion over the next 10 years to improve the nation?s transmission grid. What?s more? ARB is the largest independent wholesaler in the industry, so it is perfectly placed compete for much of that spend. Factor in an experienced, heavily invested management team and a balance sheet free of long-term debt, and I conclude that this one is a winner.

Bowler Metcalf (BCF:SJ) ? Price: R7.86, P/E Ratio: 10.9, DivYield: 4.6%

This 40-year-old family-run plastics and soft drink business reported a drop in earnings during its 2012 fiscal year due to a two-month labor strike and a shortage of CO2. The market didn?t much like this, so the company?s share price has dropped nearly 9% over the past year. But management doesn?t seem too worried, boosting the dividend in spite of the fall in earnings. The reason behind their confidence may stem from a new high-speed bottling plant and expansion into the Johannesburg market. The impact of both these moves is yet to trickle down to the bottom line. But I expect that we will see earnings rebound nicely in 2013.

Calgro M3 (CGR:SJ) ? Price: R5.20, P/E Ratio: 7.9 DivYield: N/A

Calgro M3 develops and builds low-income housing in a country with an enormous need for it. Moreover, with low interest rates prevailing, this sector of the population is increasingly able to afford homeownership. Management appears to be capitalizing on the opportunity. Operating profit more than doubled during the first half of its 2013 fiscal year, up 147%. Yet the company trades at less than eight times its trailing earnings. That?s an earnings yield of nearly 13%. And the future looks bright. The company has built an order book nearly twice as large as its total 2012 sales.

Cashbuild (CSB:SJ) ? Price: R135.00, P/E Ratio: 10.7, DivYield: 4.2%

Much as its name implies, Cashbuild is a retailer of basic building supplies to low-income, but primarily cash-paying customers. It operates nearly 200 stores throughout Southern Africa. Cashbuild?s share price got hammered last month when it reported slowing same store sales growth, dropping 7.9% in a single day. In my view, this presents a nice buying opportunity at a trailing earnings multiple of less than 10. If the company continues its northward push into the continent and scales up its credit sales, we could see some towering results out of this stock.

Photo by Dave Dugdale

Photo by Dave Dugdale

Ellies (ELI:SJ) ? Price: R8.70, P/E Ratio: 11.5, DivYield: 1.2%

Ellies sells television reception equipment and electricity generators, both hot items in a nation with a constrained power supply and virtually non-existent cable television network. It stands to benefit immensely when South African television converts from an analog to a digital signal because thousands of households will need to purchase a set-top converter box to watch their favorite programs. The company is also blessed with a solid management team that has kept the balance sheet essentially free of debt. With earnings growing 102% over the past twelve months and bright prospects, this stock is bargain-priced.

Holdsport (HSP:SJ) ? Price: R44.49, P/E Ratio: 12.5, DivYield: 3.2%

Holdsport runs two chains of sporting goods stores. One focuses on athletic equipment and clothing, and the other sells hiking and camping gear. When I first looked at this company last year, I had questions about its long-term prospects given its failure to establish much of a presence beyond South Africa?s borders. But the company is still small with less than 60 outlets currently in operation. This fact combined with strong sales growth and a significantly less demanding valuation than other South African retailers prompted me to reconsider my position.

Howden Africa (HWN:SJ) ? Price: R27.00, P/E Ratio: 10.4, DivYield: 2.0%

An affiliate of the global industrial group, Colfax (CFX:US), Howden Africa manufactures fans, pumps, and air cleaning equipment for a wide range of industries. This focus has paid substantial dividends over the past few years, as Southern Africa invests increasing amounts of resources into power production, construction, and manufacturing. Earnings nearly doubled during the first half of 2012 and the business continued to spin off gobs of cash. Couple this with annualized sales growth of 14.1% over the past five years and a pristine balance sheet, and I think we?re looking at a winner.

Hudaco Industries (HDC:SJ) ? Price: R95.00, P/E Ratio: 8.9, DivYield: 4.9%

Now marking its 75th year as a listed company on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Hudaco imports and distributes car parts and power tools. Selling things like belts and ball bearings certainly isn?t the sexiest of businesses, but it?s hard to complain about a business that has grown earnings at a 12.5% clip since 2008. Because their product line, in large part, keeps vehicles on the road, Hudaco is shielded from economic dips more than an auto maker would be. Management is also making a push north into other African countries. Export earnings have risen 85% over the past two years.

Trustco (TTO:SJ) ? Price: R1.10, P/E Ratio: 3.1, DivYield: 1.8%

This Namibian group is one of the strangest companies I?ve come across in Africa, but strange in a good way. It operates in the education, micro-insurance, and micro-finance sectors. The company sells life insurance to low income communities; often by packaging it with mobile phone airtime or as a perk awarded to frequent shoppers at stores like Shoprite. It also provides financing for distance education courses through its own educational institution. Finally, it owns high value real estate in and around the Namibian capital, Windhoek. And did I mention the IFC wants to buy a chunk of shares? This one looks very cheap.

Value Group (VLE:SJ) ? Price: R5.68, P/E Ratio: 8.6, DivYield: 3.9%

How could an investor not like a stock with a name like ?Value Group?? This logistics company runs warehouses, rents out trucks, and repairs forklifts, and its spent a lot of money over the past few years to upgrade its fleet and infrastructure. Now that this capital spend is complete, management plans to pay down debt and explore opportunities in the rest of the Sub-Sahara. Given the tough business environment in South Africa, I don?t anticipate significant earnings growth over the near term, but at this valuation and yield, I can afford to be patient.

What Do You Think?

Does this group of stocks have what it takes to beat the market? What stocks would you include on this list?

[Disclosure: I have a beneficial interest in shares of Ellies through my work at Africa Capital Group.]

Source: http://investinginafrica.net/2013/02/south-african-stock-picks-2013/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=south-african-stock-picks-2013

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