The CEO of Pfizer, one of the frontrunners in the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, has lambasted US President Donald Trump’s politicization of the vaccine approval timeline, declaring in an open letter that the company is “moving at the speed of science” and will not “succumb to political pressure” to prematurely rush its product […] Continue reading ->
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus joined the chorus of world leaders wishing United States President Donald Trump and his wife a speedy recovery from COVID-19 – while the US presidential campaign entered uncharted waters, with the cancellation of campaign rallies and fears that other White House Staff and political allies who had accompanied […] Continue reading ->
For the second year in a row, Geneva’s International Chamber of Commerce has hosted a dialogue bringing local tobacco industry leaders together with a major Geneva-based UN Agency – in this case to discuss the ‘role of multinationals in economic recovery following the coronavirus’. The ICC’s 6th Business Dialogue, involving Teresa Moreira, Head Competition and […] Continue reading ->
Moderna intends to seek US Food and Drug Administration emergency authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate for frontline medical workers by November 25th at the earliest, and only in late January for use in the general population. That means that the vaccine, if approved on schedule, would only be available for widespread distribution to the […] Continue reading ->
Over fifty women in the Democratic Republic of Congo have accused aid workers from the World Health Organization and leading international NGOs of sexual abuse and exploitation, concluded a year-long investigation led by the New Humanitarian and the Thomson Reuter Foundation on Tuesday. The report highlights how “common” sexual exploitation and abuse are in humanitarian […] Continue reading ->
As fresh data reveals that tobacco products kill over 2 million people a year through coronary heart disease, tobacco control advocates are more determined than ever to protect the world against a product that kills half its users, not only from heart attacks but stroke, lung cancer and other diseases as well. Comprehensive, but simple […] Continue reading ->
Billions of dollars in vaccine investments are needed to beat back Covid-19. But on the bright side, Europe is playing a more active global health leadership role. Geneva’s ‘dean’ of global health speaks to Geneva Solutions ahead of Wednesday’s opening of the European Health Forum (Gastein), which brings together key policymakers and experts from across […] Continue reading ->
The ‘infodemic’ is one of the “most concerning” governance challenges of our time, undermining trust in science in the midst of the pandemic, and threatening people’s physical and mental health, warned United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steimer. While the overabundance of misinformation – or ‘infodemic – is not new, it has blown out […] Continue reading ->
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only disrupted access to basic healthcare services, but has also exposed the vulnerabilities the people working in the health care industry. “About 14% of all infections reported to us are in healthcare workers, I think that’s… put the spotlight on the need for reforming [the healthcare system] and supporting health […] Continue reading ->
While the COVAX Facility, a global initiative to pool procurement of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, has been gaining momentum, another global initiative to pool intellectual property rights for tools to combat the pandemic has been moving at a much slower pace. Only three more countries have signed on to support the COVID-19 Technology […] Continue reading ->