As global stocks of remdesivir, one of the few promising therapeutics for COVID-19, run low, the drug’s maker Gilead Sciences says that voluntary licensing to enable more manufacturers to produce the drug will not help expand access, countering advocates’ calls. Rather, the lack of a “coordinated global supply chain” is to blame for worldwide shortages […] Continue reading ->
European legislation on drugs for rare diseases is “far from perfect”, but it is not a ‘failure’ given the amount of private sector investment it has attracted in the past two decades, says Yann Le Cam, CEO of EURORDIS – Rare Diseases Europe, a non-profit alliance of some 930 rare disease patient organisations across 72 […] Continue reading ->
The United Nations Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) is seeking candidates for a “One Health Global Leaders Group” that will be established to fight the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Individuals from civil society and the private sector are invited to submit an application to serve in the Global Leaders Group by 31 August 2020. […] Continue reading ->
About 1.7 billion people, or 22% of the world’s population, has at least one underlying health condition that puts them at increased risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, according to a new modelling study published in Lancet Global Health. Based on the new assessment, about 4% of the world’s population, in total, is at […] Continue reading ->
As the COVID-19 pandemic spawns increased antibiotic use all over the world, more drug-resistant microbes are bound to bite us back , said Dr. Tedros at a WHO press conference on Monday. The repercussions on disease treatment and deaths will be severe, given that the world is running out of effective ways to treat antimicrobial […] Continue reading ->
As the 73rd World Health Assembly approaches, the European Union-sponsored draft resolution on the COVID-19 response is gathering steam and storm as it rolls closer to the planned opening of the Assembly on 18 May – with far less clarity about how it might actually hit the shores of the public debate. The resolution aims […] Continue reading ->
Up to 190 000 Africans could die of COVID-19 within the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail. And up to 44 million Africans, or 26% of the African population, could be infected by the virus, according to a new modelling study by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. A proactive […] Continue reading ->
A 3-month long lockdown could lead to an additional 1.4 million TB deaths and an additional 6.3 million cases over the next five years – if existing tuberculosis services are put on a prolonged hold, reports a new study by the Stop TB Partnership, which estimated the global impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on TB. The […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s Legal Mandate Is Weak In Responding To COVID-19 Emergency; But Changes Are Up To Member States
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there could be “a window of opportunity… that would be suicidal to miss” to revise the International Health Regulations that govern countries’ behaviour during health emergencies, said Gian Luca Burci, former World Health Organization head legal counsel and now professor of international law, at a panel hosted by […] Continue reading ->
New Delhi, India – COVID-19 has posed unique challenges for healthcare providers across the globe, as the world has been grappling with the pandemic with no approved treatments or vaccines for the disease. Researchers are searching everywhere for drugs that may help treat or prevent the spread of the deadly virus. This has led to […] Continue reading ->