A controversial trial to examine various impacts of the hepatitis B vaccine on newborn babies in Guinea-Bissau has been “suspended or cancelled”, the country’s Health Minister, Quinhim Nanthote, told a media briefing convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday. This is despite recent assertions by the US Health […] Continue reading ->
The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest report on acting early on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) signals more than urgency. It signals a shift in what counts. Beneath familiar calls for earlier action sits a quieter move: a re-ordering of NCD priorities themselves. Some diseases now sit firmly at the centre of the agenda. Others, no less […] Continue reading ->
STRASBOURG – The European Parliament backed the EU’s Critical Medicines Act (CMA) on Tuesday in a decisive move to secure Europe’s pharmaceutical supply chains from geopolitical shocks. With an overwhelming majority of 503 votes in favour, 57 against, and 108 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a sweeping industrial policy designed to re-shore the production of active ingredients […] Continue reading ->
The Gates Foundation and OpenAI announced a $50 million “pilot” on Wednesday to “advance AI capabilities for health” in Africa. Horizon 1000 promises “funding, technology, and technical support” to roll out AI solutions to 1,000 African primary healthcare clinics by 2028. “AI is going to be a scientific marvel no matter what, but for it […] Continue reading ->
DELHI – India’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has identified the main sources of Delhi’s severe air pollution and admitted that there are critical gaps in current control measures, in response to a deadline set by the Supreme Court. The report, completed in a fortnight, synthesises findings from multiple research institutions to create the […] Continue reading ->
One year ago today (20 January), the Trump administration exploded the global health sector by immediately “pausing” all aid for 90 days – and dispensing with 83% of US Agency for International Development (USAID) projects six weeks later. Trillionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “chainsawed” at USAID projects and contracts, folding […] Continue reading ->
When I first stepped into a maternity unit in a government hospital in Sierra Leone as a Seed Global Health midwife educator, I was met by a group of student midwives from different training institutions. Mostly women, some held onto their notebooks and avoided eye contact. Many were transitioning from nursing into midwifery, while others […] Continue reading ->
LAGOS – On 6 January, literary icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie lost one of her 21-month-old twin boys at Euracare, an elite private hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. Adichie alleges “criminal negligence”, specifically an overdose of propofol and oxygen deprivation, leading to the death of her son, Nkanu Nnamdi. The hospital maintains it followed “international standards” and […] Continue reading ->
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have jointly established new AI principles in drug development to reduce regulatory divergence between the major markets of the European Union and the United States. Industry associations have applauded the landmark accord, as it strengthens harmonisation across the regions – but emphasise […] Continue reading ->
The $9.4 billion package agreed to by the US Senate and House Appropriations Committees, is more than double the $3.7 billion requested by the Trump Administration, and signals bipartisan support for maintaining significant global health aid – although the package still must be approved by both Senate and House, and could also be vetoed by […] Continue reading ->