A UN Human Rights Council resolution calling for countries to combat childhood, early and forced marriages, and supported by over 60 UN member states, ran into heavy criticism today prior to its final approval. A number of countries in the Middle East, South-East Asia and North Africa publicly disassociated themselves from clauses promoting girls access […] Continue reading ->
Kawaldip Sehmi, CEO of the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO), answers 5 questions on why the Essential Medicines List is important for patients. IAPO is a United Kingdom-based alliance of 276 member organisations from 71 countries representing 50 disease areas, and working in collaboration with civil society, UN agencies and the healthcare industry. Sehmi holds a […] Continue reading ->
WHO has added ten new cancer drugs, including some pricey ones, to its 2019 Essential Medicines List, which provides global guidance to countries and health systems about drugs deemed most essential to patients and public health systems. The addition of major new cancer treatments in five categories, melanoma (skin), lung, blood and prostate cancers, reflects […] Continue reading ->
Only a month after a hotly-contested World Health Assembly resolution touched off a debate around “price transparency” as a way to improve access to medicines, a new controversy over how to stimulate access has emerged in another UN Forum, the Human Rights Council. This time the debate is around ways to “delink” incentives for the […] Continue reading ->
The European Commission and European Union medicines regulatory agencies sent an open letter to all sponsors of EU-based clinical trials to remind them of their obligation to publish the results of the trials – both positive and negative – in a public database. The open letter by the European Commission (EC), the European Medicines Agency […] Continue reading ->
The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) has announced its new “5 BY 25” strategy to mobilise global stakeholders to raise the €500 million needed to develop and deliver five new antibiotic treatments by 2025, to help tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Drug-resistant infections already cause at least 700,000 deaths globally each year, and affect […] Continue reading ->
Heads of state from the world’s largest economies concluded this year’s G20 Summit in Japan with a general declaration committing to advance global health priorities – but the statement still left much to be desired in terms of concrete goals and targets. In the G20 Osaka Leaders’ Declaration, issued on Saturday at the close of […] Continue reading ->
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, just finalised its new strategic plan for 2021-2025, which aims to reach communities missed by previous immunisation efforts, including those most marginalised by poverty, geography and conflict. It also prioritises sustainability of vaccine programmes through co-financing arrangements with countries to build domestic investment in health and reduce reliance on Gavi funding. […] Continue reading ->
[By Reuters] NEW YORK (Reuters) – Merck & Co Chief Executive Ken Frazier said on Thursday a rule to base the price the U.S. government pays for some prescription drugs in it[s] Medicare program on lower prices in other countries would face legal challenges if adopted. U.S. President Donald Trump said last year that one […] Continue reading ->
A United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) draft resolution on access to medicines and vaccines calls for making public health needs more central to the research and development (R&D) of new health products, and for the new products to be priced to ensure access. Image Credits: United Nations. Continue reading ->