Pharmaceutical giant Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and generic manufacturer Serum Institute of India (SII) charged the South African government more than the European Union for COVID-19 vaccines – and South Africa assumed all the risk in ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ contracts with Pfizer, J&J and SII. This is according to an analysis of the contracts led by Health […] Continue reading ->
Three years after the launch of its COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) initiative, the World Health Organization (WHO) has secured its first COVID-19 vaccine license from a private pharmaceutical company, the UN health body announced on Tuesday. The agreement with Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp., a private vaccine manufacturer based in Taiwan, is a welcome but underwhelming […] Continue reading ->
Cannabis should be avoided during adolescence and early adulthood; in pregnancy, by people prone to mental health disorders and while driving, according to experts in a study published in The BMJ on Thursday. Cannabis contains over 100 cannabinoids, of which tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the most clinically relevant. THC can induce a psychoactive […] Continue reading ->
The best way to pandemic-proof the world is through ‘last-mile innovation’ based on strong regional and subregional research and development (R&D) hubs that can tackle disease outbreaks before they become pandemics. These hubs should be led by local scientists and have the capacity to adapt established technologies without intellectual property restrictions to produce vaccines, treatments […] Continue reading ->
After a two-week hiatus in negotiations, United Nations (UN) member states this week received a third draft of the Political Declaration being developed for the High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response on 20 September. The declaration was supposed to have been finalised by early August and put under silence procedure but member states […] Continue reading ->
Botswana’s approach to health is an example to the African continent, with strong leadership, investment in research and development and universal health services available for a nominal charge, said Dr Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Kaseya was speaking on Monday at the opening of the World […] Continue reading ->