Chinese authorities have been commended for the speed at which they have identified the genetic make up of a novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV as the cause of a new pneumonia-like illness in Wuhan, China. The virus has infected 42 people, and is likely transmitted primarily through animals to humans, said a leading infectious disease specialist on […] Continue reading ->
Novartis has relinquished a patent granted by the European Patent Office for Kymriah, a promising new gene therapy for certain forms of leukemia, claiming the patent was no longer essential to the development and marketing of the treatment. The decision followed the moves by the Swiss-based NGO, Public Eye and the French-based Doctors of the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization issued new guidelines for the treatment of multi drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis on Wednesday, prioritizing for the first time an all-oral treatment regimen. The new treatment recommends replacing the painful injectable drugs that patients had to endure under previous treatment guidelines with a shorter course of oral bedaquiline – one of only […] Continue reading ->
A new plan to dramatically accelerate global efforts to end tuberculosis, one of the world’s deadliest and oldest known infectious diseases, was launched Tuesday by the Stop TB Partnership in Jakarta. The fully-costed plan is based on commitments made at a 2018 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Ending TB (UNHLM) to reduce TB deaths by […] Continue reading ->
Criminal activity surrounding the manufacture, distribution and sale of falsified medicines is “on the rise” as a global health problem in many developing countries and in rich nations – especially online – but efforts to stem the growing health threat will require robust collective action by all stakeholders, a leading Novartis official warned Friday in […] Continue reading ->
The issues around access to medicines at affordable prices has galvanized civil society, the pharmaceutical industry, the research community, and politicians this year in oft-contentious debate that shows no sign of abating. A day-long session hosted by the Global Health Centre of Geneva’s Graduate Institute, and cosponsored by the Swiss Institute of Intellectual Property and […] Continue reading ->
For the second year running, some 37 organizations have launched a week-long mini campaign to raise awareness and promote action against falsified and substandard medicines. This year’s annual Fight the Fakes week aims to mobilize the public and international global health community to speak up more assertively about the growing threat of fake or substandard […] Continue reading ->
[Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative] Geneva, Switzerland (29 November 2019) – The Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla has announced their commitment to price the ground-breaking new product Quadrimune, a “4‑in‑1” treatment for young children with HIV, at below a dollar a day. Quadrimune is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in children […] Continue reading ->
The lower house of the French parliament has approved a milestone requirement that pharmaceutical companies must disclose the amount of public funding that was used in the research and development of new medicines entering the national market, as well as allowing those contributions to be factored into negotiations over final drug pricing. After being initially […] Continue reading ->
Over the last 20 years, MMV has worked with over 400 partner organizations in 55 countries; involving tens of thousands of individuals. At a recent anniversary event held in Geneva, some of those key players told their stories – bringing to life the contributions made by so many more people over the past 20 years. […] Continue reading ->