Speaking at a flagship World Health Summit panel global health officials and pharmaceutical executives urged governments to reframe pandemic preparedness as ‘biodefence’ – a core national security asset and not a discretionary health expenditure. BERLIN – That strategic pivot is becoming urgent as both global health and aid budgets shrink and multilateral diplomacy on pandemic […] Continue reading ->
A polio-free Africa is within reach, but only if we make it a priority. Ending the disease will not only protect our children, but it will also strengthen our health systems and safeguard us against future threats. The Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, with several cases of polio lurking in the shadows, remains an instructive […] Continue reading ->
Who will steer the World Health Organization through its next chapter? Explore Health Policy Watch’s daily series examining the platforms, records, and institutional hurdles facing each contender for WHO Director-General, continuing today with Dr Hans Kluge. Access all candidate profiles on our dedicated election site. Nominated by Belgium, Dr Hans H. Kluge enters the contest […] Continue reading ->
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) by a substantial majority at a plenary meeting in New York on Monday, with 153 countries voting in favor and only three against. The declaration went to a vote after the UN High-Level Meeting on 25 September could not […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Assembly chooses a new chief for the World Health Organization in May 2027. Before judging the candidates, assess the predecessors. Eight people have held the post over 78 years. Their varied track record offers pointers for selecting the future incumbent. Every five years, WHO rediscovers that its Director-Generalship is a political office […] Continue reading ->
ISRAELI-OCCUPIED WEST BANK – The oxygen mask slipped from three-month-old Ahmad Zaid’s face. He was in his father’s arms, in front of a closed Israeli military gate blocking the road between Deir Ammar refugee camp, northwest of Ramallah, where the family lives, and the city of Ramallah, with a hospital the family was desperate to […] Continue reading ->
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has signed sublicense agreements with 11 manufacturers across multiple regions to expand access to generic baloxavir marboxil, a single-dose antiviral treatment for influenza that was originally developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche. The announcement, made the night before last Friday’s UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, reignited […] Continue reading ->
A new modelling study suggests that US Medicare “Most-Favored-Nation” policies on drug prices would cut Medicare spending on brand-name drugs, but potentially incentivize companies to increase prices or delay new drug launches elsewhere. Efforts to control the cost of government spending on drugs culminated in a Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) policy, a Trump administration initiative which ties […] Continue reading ->
“We have better tools now. We can, if we work together and work better, we can conquer AIDS.” For Dr. Magda Robalo, a public health physician and former Minister of Health of Guinea-Bissau, the science behind the HIV response has advanced dramatically, but the social and political environment surrounding the disease may be moving in […] Continue reading ->
After months of speculation, prospective candidates in the race to become the next Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) are now emerging. At the same time, member states have launched a process to review the global health architecture, with the aim of clarifying roles, strengthening coordination, and aligning financing more closely with national, regional, […] Continue reading ->