Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance approved on Thursday an investment of US$178 million over the next five years to establish a global stockpile of 500,000 doses of Ebola vaccines that have been “pre-qualified” by the World Health Organization – WHO’s quality seal of approval that also makes vaccines and drugs eligible for preferential terms of purchase […] 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 ->
Lelio Marmora is stepping down as Executive Director of Unitaid in March 2020, sources told Health Policy Watch. Marmora, who has led the organization since 2014, told staff on Monday that he would be leaving to seek “new challenges.” His departure is not likely to bring “unexpected or drastic changes” to Unitaid’s funding priorities over […] Continue reading ->
Efforts to eliminate river blindness, a debilitating parasitic disease that causes vision loss in 1.15 million people, may be threatened by another infection known as African eye worm, according to a modelling study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. While the World Health Organization has set a target to eliminate river blindness in most African countries […] Continue reading ->
Italy’s former Undersecretary of State for Health, Armando Bartolazzi, discusses the implications of recent moves to replace the head of the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), based on political considerations of the a new Health Minister. “Health is a Political Choice” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros in his keynote session at the World Health Summit, […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization and African Union have signed a sweeping Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on improving access to medicines, strengthening epidemic preparedness, and expanding universal health coverage across the African continent. These are the three main pillars of the MOU signed Monday by the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and African Union Chair […] Continue reading ->
The debate around drug price transparency was a highlight of the 4th Forum on Access to Medicines in Europe, hosted by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) Thursday. The forum focused its discussions around cancer therapies, medicines shortages, and transparency around R&D costs. “It is high time to challenge the status quo on medicines policy […] Continue reading ->