25/04/2019 William New

Scientists from a range of countries are calling for an update to World Health Organization guidelines on biosimilar products in order to help national authorities better implement policies to make biosimilars less costly. Current guidelines are outdated and are being misused, they say. But a WHO official told Health Policy Watch the guidelines document should not be made “over-prescriptive”, and that a thorough assessment by an expert group last year found a revision unnecessary but will keep considering it. Continue reading ->

WHO Recommends Young Children Play More, Watch Screens Less, Get Plenty Of Sleep

24/04/2019 David Branigan

For children under five years, increasing active play and reducing sedentary screen-time, while getting sufficient sleep, is critical for healthy physical and cognitive development, which impacts life-long health, according to new World Health Organization guidelines. Image Credits: WHO. Continue reading ->

Ghana launches the world’s largest vaccine drone delivery network

24/04/2019 Editorial team

[Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, Press Release] With support from Gavi, The UPS Foundation and other partners, Zipline drones will serve up to 2,000 health facilities and 12 million people in Ghana. Omenako, Ghana, 24 April 2019 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today announced support for the expansion of a medical drone network into Ghana. Zipline, a […] Continue reading ->

Landmark Malaria Vaccine Launched In Malawi – Kenya, Ghana Next

23/04/2019 David Branigan

The World Health Organization today announced that a new vaccine for malaria, which has been in development for 30 years and recently passed clinical trials, is being introduced as part of the routine childhood immunization programmes of Malawi, soon to be followed by Kenya and Ghana. Image Credits: WHO/M. Nieuwenhof. Continue reading ->

PATH and MMV launch 5-year global initiative to support elimination of relapsing malaria

23/04/2019 Editorial team

[Medicines for Malaria Venture Press Release] PATH and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announce a 5-year, jointly-led initiative, VivAccess, to support countries in the elimination of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) malaria. The initiative is part of the larger global effort to support malaria-endemic countries in the adoption and use of new and existing tools, to facilitate well-tolerated and […] Continue reading ->

DNDi: “Bench-To-Bedside” Approach Needed For Drug & Vaccine Response To Global Health Crises

18/04/2019 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Global health policymakers need to adopt a “bench-to-bedside” approach to research and development, to ensure that new drugs and vaccines are not only put into the development pipeline, but are also readily available for responding to global health crises such as Ebola, says Michelle Childs of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). Image Credits: […] Continue reading ->

Generics Industry Questions WIPO-Pharma Medicines Patent Database

18/04/2019 William New

An international group representing the largest producers of generic medicines worldwide has raised concerns about the effect of a medicines patent database developed jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the innovative pharmaceutical industry. But big pharma tells Health Policy Watch it is working to settle the concerns. Continue reading ->

New WHO Digital Health Guidelines Assess “Appropriateness” Of Technology Options

17/04/2019 David Branigan

The World Health Organization’s new guidelines on digital health highlight the value of digital health technologies in helping to close health system gaps, while emphasising that they do not replace investments in health system infrastructure. The guidelines assess the appropriateness of a range of digital health technologies and provide recommendations on making informed investments in […] Continue reading ->

DNDi and Atomwise Collaborate to Advance Drug Development Using AI for Neglected Diseases

17/04/2019 Editorial team

[DNDi Press Release] Geneva, Switzerland and San Francisco, USA – 16 April 2019 Efforts to discover novel compounds against Chagas disease see early successes – part of Atomwise’s Artificial Intelligence Molecular Screen (AIMS) Awards program to fast track drug development Image Credits: Atomwise. Continue reading ->

“Tax The Things That Are Killing Us” To Help Curb NCDs, New Report Recommends

16/04/2019 David Branigan

Raising taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary beverage products by more than 50 percent could prevent more than 50 million premature deaths due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) over the next 50 years, while yielding over US$ 20 trillion in revenue. That is the conclusion of a report by a global task force headed by philanthropist […] Continue reading ->