Top executives at Bavarian Nordic, which makes the world’s only monkeypox vaccine, avoided news media in the face of a worldwide shortage of their product. But SIGA, the company behind the antiviral treatment Tecovirimat (TPOXX™), has not been so shy. In an exclusive interview, SIGA’s CEO, Phillip Gomez, says the small, speciality firm is  prepared […] Continue reading ->
Recent reforms to the World Health Organization “prequalification” program that certifies the safety and efficacy of health products procured in bulk by donors for low and middle-income countries have speeded up the process and thus accelerated access to lifesaving medicines and diagnostic tools in low- and middle-income countries. However, long lead times for product approvals, […] Continue reading ->
Desperately ill patients died alone in hospitals, tended in their final hours by burnt-out health workers.  An avalanche of misinformation undermined care, and non-COVID patients and programmes faced cancelled appointments and treatment delays. These are some of the factors that undermined patient safety during COVID-19, according to a rapid review by the World Health Organization […] Continue reading ->
LEIDEN – Pandemic preparedness rests on having a robust surveillance system to identify health threats – something that is still “rudimentary” in many African countries, says Professor Salim Abdool Karim, a South African infectious diseases epidemiologist. Describing monkeypox as a threat to health security in Africa, Karim said that it was important that health services […] Continue reading ->
The United States is considering shifting to intradermal injections of Monkeypox vaccine that could potentially stretch one dose of the approved MVA-BN vaccine, available only in limited quantities, into five doses, said US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf on Thursday. He was speaking at a press briefing minutes after Xavier Becerra, US Secretary […] Continue reading ->