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 ->
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 ->
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 ->
WHO said that it will launch a public online consultation involving governments, industry and civil society to try to come up with a broad consensus on what actually constitutes a “fair price” for essential medicines. This critical next step was announced Saturday in a WHO press release following the close of the 2nd Fair Pricing […] Continue reading ->
A preliminary analysis of the World Health Organization’s “ring vaccination” strategy against Ebola shows that vaccinating people who came into contact with Ebola patients is proving to be effective at preventing new cases and limiting the spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Image Credits: WHO. Continue reading ->
A diverse group of civil society, industry and government representatives convened today at the WHO-led 2nd Fair Pricing Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the quest for new solutions that can unlock people’s access to desperately needed drugs at more affordable prices. Image Credits: Allison Colbert, Yannis Natsis. Continue reading ->
In a landmark meeting with leading donors, WHO has sought to strengthen partnerships and rally support for more “flexible” funding to fuel the Organization’s US$ 14.1 billion five-year plan of work aiming to improve the health of some 3 billion people worldwide. Image Credits: PAHO/WHO/S. Mey-Schmidt, WHO. Continue reading ->
From healthier diets to medicines access, an unusually broad array of issues were wrapped into this year’s World Health Day theme of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), directly or indirectly – reflecting the complexity of attaining a goal that has become the health sector’s singular call to action this year. Image Credits: WHO. Continue reading ->
Drummers, dancers, and speakers blasting Lady Gaga for a crowd of five hundred people linking hands and doing the wave is not the image typically conjured up when one hears of a World Health Organization event. A crowd gathered beneath a small stage decorated with slogans championing universal health coverage. Despite the morning’s chill lingering […] Continue reading ->
The global health organisation Vital Strategies has become a leading actor in the worldwide battle against obesity, which affects 2 billion people globally. Building on its tradition of working to cut tobacco consumption and traffic injuries, the organisation tackled sugary drink consumption as a flagship issue for policy change. While the famous 2013 “soda ban” […] Continue reading ->