The 70th annual World Health Assembly (WHA), now underway in Geneva, is shaping up to be one of the most consequential in memory. With a record-setting nine-day, 76-item agenda, plus dozens of official and unofficial side events, delegates and WHO followers alike will be hard-pressed to keep up. But yesterday’s introductory briefing, hosted by the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute, provided an overview of the proceedings and a few pointers on where to look first. Four items, in particular, stand out. Continue reading ->
It appears not just unfair, but absurdly so. The US government paid for research that produced a patented drug, the patents were licensed exclusively to a Japanese firm, and that firm is now committing price discrimination against the US. Astellas Pharma is selling its anti-prostate cancer drug, Xtandi, for over $129,000 per year per patient in the United States – triple the price of the drug in Japan. Alas, this situation is not unusual. Many drugs that were financed by US taxpayers are sold in the US at exorbitant prices, but are much cheaper in other high-income industrialized nations. This differential price problem could be solved easily. However, the US government has consistently refused to exercise its march-in rights in order to lower drug prices. Continue reading ->
In a few days, the 70th World Health Assembly will open its doors in Geneva with a marathon agenda, and over 4,000 registered delegates. The election of a new director general, the approval of the budget for the next biennium (2018/2019) are set to capture the attention of member states. However, many other subjects require their consideration, such as a resolution on cancer treatment costs, research and development for epidemic diseases, for new antibiotics, for medicines affecting primarily poor populations, access to medicines, and the influenza pandemic preparedness framework. Continue reading ->