New Study Maps Vaccine Coverage Disparities, Helps Explain Why Targets Are Being Missed

26/04/2019 Maina Waruru

Child vaccination targets of at least 80 percent coverage in low- and middle-income countries, are regularly being missed. To better understand why this is happening, a new study created high resolution maps of vaccine coverage to identify disparities within countries and to inform effective strategies to increase coverage and access. Image Credits: WHO. Continue reading ->

Stepping Up The Fight Against Severe Malaria In Zambia: An Innovative Approach Scales Up

25/04/2019 David Branigan

As leaders from across the globe met in Paris today to renew commitments against malaria on World Malaria Day, a Geneva-based group announced the scale-up of a project in rural Zambia that reduced severe malaria fatality by 96 percent. The innovative project administers life-saving drugs to children with malaria in rural communities, and provides immediate […] Continue reading ->

25/04/2019 William New

Scientists from a range of countries are calling for an update to World Health Organization guidelines on biosimilar products in order to help national authorities better implement policies to make biosimilars less costly. Current guidelines are outdated and are being misused, they say. But a WHO official told Health Policy Watch the guidelines document should not be made “over-prescriptive”, and that a thorough assessment by an expert group last year found a revision unnecessary but will keep considering it. Continue reading ->

WHO Recommends Young Children Play More, Watch Screens Less, Get Plenty Of Sleep

24/04/2019 David Branigan

For children under five years, increasing active play and reducing sedentary screen-time, while getting sufficient sleep, is critical for healthy physical and cognitive development, which impacts life-long health, according to new World Health Organization guidelines. Image Credits: WHO. Continue reading ->

Ghana launches the world’s largest vaccine drone delivery network

24/04/2019 Editorial team

[Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, Press Release] With support from Gavi, The UPS Foundation and other partners, Zipline drones will serve up to 2,000 health facilities and 12 million people in Ghana. Omenako, Ghana, 24 April 2019 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today announced support for the expansion of a medical drone network into Ghana. Zipline, a […] Continue reading ->

Landmark Malaria Vaccine Launched In Malawi – Kenya, Ghana Next

23/04/2019 David Branigan

The World Health Organization today announced that a new vaccine for malaria, which has been in development for 30 years and recently passed clinical trials, is being introduced as part of the routine childhood immunization programmes of Malawi, soon to be followed by Kenya and Ghana. Image Credits: WHO/M. Nieuwenhof. Continue reading ->

PATH and MMV launch 5-year global initiative to support elimination of relapsing malaria

23/04/2019 Editorial team

[Medicines for Malaria Venture Press Release] PATH and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announce a 5-year, jointly-led initiative, VivAccess, to support countries in the elimination of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria. The initiative is part of the larger global effort to support malaria-endemic countries in the adoption and use of new and existing tools, to facilitate well-tolerated and […] Continue reading ->

DNDi: “Bench-To-Bedside” Approach Needed For Drug & Vaccine Response To Global Health Crises

18/04/2019 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Global health policymakers need to adopt a “bench-to-bedside” approach to research and development, to ensure that new drugs and vaccines are not only put into the development pipeline, but are also readily available for responding to global health crises such as Ebola, says Michelle Childs of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). Image Credits: […] Continue reading ->

Generics Industry Questions WIPO-Pharma Medicines Patent Database

18/04/2019 William New

An international group representing the largest producers of generic medicines worldwide has raised concerns about the effect of a medicines patent database developed jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the innovative pharmaceutical industry. But big pharma tells Health Policy Watch it is working to settle the concerns. Continue reading ->

EU Health Ministers Meet To Discuss Access To Medicines And Treatment

18/04/2019 Editorial team

European Union health ministers’ meeting last week in Romania addressed ways to ensure access to medicines and treatment, especially for youth or those with rare diseases. For innovative and expensive medicines, they discussed possibilities “for the time period between the granting of the marketing authorization, the actual placement on the market and the decision to […] Continue reading ->