Bis(Aluminyl)Magnesium: A Source of Nucleophilic or Radical Aluminium-Centred Reactivity.

The homoleptic magnesium bis(aluminyl) compound Mg[Al(NON)]2 (NON=4,5-bis(2,6-diisopropylanilido)-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene) can be accessed from K2[Al(NON)]2 and MgI2 and shown to possess a non-linear geometry (∠Al-Mg-Al=164.8(1)°) primarily due to the influence of dispersion interactions. This compound acts a four-electron reservoir in the reductive de-fluorination of SF6, and reacts thermally with polar substrates such as MeI via nucleophilic attack through aluminium, consistent with the QT-AIM charges calculated for the metal centres, and a formal description as a Al(I)-Mg(II)-Al(I) trimetallic. On the other hand, under photolytic activation, the reaction with 1,5-cyclooctadiene leads to the stereo-selective generation of transannular cycloaddition products consistent with radical based chemistry, emphasizing the covalent nature of the Mg-Al bonds and a description as a Al(II)-Mg(0)-Al(II) synthon. Consistently, photolysis of Mg[Al(NON)]2 in hexane in the absence of COD generates [Al(NON)]2 together with magnesium metal.

A global comparison of the cost of patented cancer drugs in relation to global differences in wealth.

INTRODUCTION: There are major differences in cancer drug prices around the world. However, the patterns of affordability of these drugs are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to compare patterns of affordability of cancer drugs in Australia, China, India, Israel, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. RESULTS: Cancer drug prices are highest in the United States. Cancer drugs are the least affordable in India by a large margin. Despite lower prices than in the USA, cancer drugs are less affordable in middle-income countries than in high-income countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained the prices of a basket of cancer drugs in all 7 countries, and converted the prices to US$ using both foreign exchange rates and purchasing power parity. We assessed international differences in wealth by collecting values for gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in addition to average salaries. We compared patterns of affordability of cancer drugs by dividing the drug prices by the markers of wealth. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer drugs are less affordable in middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Differential pricing may be an acceptable policy to ensure global affordability and access to highly active anti-cancer therapies.