The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported drug resistance to the world’s gold-standard antiretroviral medicine, dolutegravir “exceeding levels observed in clinical trials” – with resistance ranging from 3.9% to 19.6%. This was potentially very bad news as dolutegravir has been the recommended first- and second-line HIV treatment for all population groups since 2018 – but […] Continue reading ->
As many as one in 20 patients experience avoidable side effects from medication that they use, with this figure rising to 7% in developing countries. The causes range from taking the medication at the wrong time, which could result in minor side effects, to taking an inappropriate drug, which might result in unpredicted harm as […] Continue reading ->
The negotiating text of the pandemic agreement (see below) landed in the inboxes of World Health Organization (WHO) member states last Friday afternoon – 10 days before the penultimate negotiation on 18 March and on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the WHO’s declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic. The 31-page draft was also […] Continue reading ->
A new declaration by health ministers from African countries that have the highest malaria burden has reaffirmed the “unwavering commitment to the accelerated reduction of malaria mortality”. The declaration, issued Wednesday by ministers convening in Yaoundé, Cameroon at an African-wide WHO conference on malaria, aims to revitalise the campaign to drive deaths from malaria further […] Continue reading ->
Eliminating cervical cancer is within reach, thanks to new commitments by governments, donors and other partners, including pledges of almost $600 million, made at the first-ever global forum on cervical cancer in Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. Every two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer, although vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause […] Continue reading ->
The European Parliament has been challenged to amend a proposed law to enable countries outside the European Union (EU) to benefit from medical products produced under compulsory licences during crises. The proposed regulation aims to ensure that, “during specific crises or emergencies”, the EU can issue a compulsory licence to enable the production of certain […] Continue reading ->
Over 400 million people with hearing loss could benefit from hearing devices. However, less than 20% of those people actually get hearing aids. That’s one of the findings cited in new World Health Organisation guidelines on improving access to hearing care, published Friday, just ahead of World Hearing Day. “Unaddressed hearing loss is a global […] Continue reading ->
“In a digital age, health workers should not have to carry a separate device for each disease or be required to fill out both paper and electronic records,” said WHO Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday. He was speaking at WHO’s launch of the Global Initiative on Digital Health – where officials cut a […] Continue reading ->
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) needs at least five million cholera vaccines to address the worst outbreak of the disease on the African continent – but it has received none so far. Meanwhile, Zambia has received half the cholera vaccines it needs and less than a third of Zimbabwe’s vaccine needs have been met, […] Continue reading ->
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has announced the creation of a pooled African medicines procurement mechanism at the 37th African Union Summit, which ended yesterday. The mechanism aims to spearhead “a new era of predictable demand for African manufacturers, empowering them to plan for the long-term and establish a robust […] Continue reading ->