As the first vaccination campaign for COVID-19 could begin as early as next week, following the UK’s approval Pfizer and BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine, the World Health Organisation (WHO) technical advisory group (TAG) has published a series of guidelines and behavioural insights to improve vaccine acceptance and uptake across all populations. The report, published on Friday, […] Continue reading ->
The economic benefits to the economies of ten high income countries being asked to support the equitable, worldwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and tests would be 12 times the costs, a new report has found. The study, undertaken by the global political risk research firm Eurasia Group, on behalf of the Bill and Melinda […] Continue reading ->
The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs voted on Wednesday to remove cannabis and cannabis-derived substances from its “Schedule IV” list of the world’s most dangerous narcotics. The move comes nearly two years after the WHO recommended to the UN Secretary General that cannabis and cannabis resin be removed from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention […] Continue reading ->
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, a cutting edge mRNA technology produced jointly with the German firm BioNTech, was authorized for use on Wednesday by the United Kingdom – making it the vaccine the first to be rolled out for commercial public use as early as next week.  The vaccine was authorised Wednesday morning for emergency use by […] Continue reading ->
Two groundbreaking agreements with pharma companies that should greatly expand access to WHO-recommended HIV drugs for children and adults in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have been announced by the Geneva-based Unitaid and Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). The announcements, coinciding with World AIDS Day, celebrated on Tuesday 1 December, both involve cheaper versions or new […] Continue reading ->
Moderna on Monday announced that it would immediately request emergency authorization today for its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA)  and the European Medicines Agency – as well as asking the World Health Organization for an emergency use listing.  The announcement came in a week that will […] Continue reading ->
Africa’s COVID-19 rollout is anticipated for Spring 2021, despite the continent’s low vaccine preparedness, multiple health leaders in Africa have said, as policy advisory groups flag the importance that other successful immunization campaigns will have on COVID recovery. At a press briefing on Thursday, Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of Africa CDC, said: “Africa may have […] Continue reading ->
Nairobi.  Africa’s limited cold-chain capacity will constrain the continent’s ability to take up the more cutting-edge Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that are likely to win approval first from regulatory authorities, said WHO’s African Regional Director Dr Matshidiso Moeti on Thursday. Those same constraints make the AstraZeneca (AZD1222) vaccine the most attractive option, despite its lower […] Continue reading ->
South Africa is campaigning for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waiver intellectual property rights on all products related to COVID-19 for the duration of the pandemic. Mustaqeem De Gama, Counsellor at the South African Permanent Mission in Geneva, is leading the campaign. Kerry Cullinan and Elaine Fletcher spoke to him about the reasons why […] Continue reading ->