The World Health Organization says it is making contingency preparations for a possible Israeli incursion into the Gazan city of Rafah. The city hugging the Egyptian border remains under the control of the militant Palestinian Hamas government, nearly four months after Israel’s devastating invasion that followed a Hamas assault October 7 on some 22 Israeli […] Continue reading ->
The Tenth Conference of Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) sidestepped a controversial debate on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products – effectively kicking the can on any decisions related to regulation of that swelling market to the next meeting in two years time. However, the parties at the conference, […] Continue reading ->
The working group negotiating amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (WGIHR) has extended its seventh meeting, which was supposed to end last Friday, to include a special session on equity. The resumed WGIHR 7 will be held within the first two weeks of March, finally acceding to member state’s requests – […] Continue reading ->
Approximately 10 million Pakistanis are living with hepatitis C (HCV) with three people dying of HCV- related causes every minute – and this in the case of a disease that is now largely curable with treatment.  Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) also poses major public health burden on the country’s health system with an estimated 4 […] Continue reading ->
 Evergreening patents on medical products – extending the lifespan of patents that are about to expire – is an “abuse of the intellectual property system”, an HIV activist told the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Fair Pricing Forum on Thursday. Meanwhile, an industry representative laid out her company’s value-based, country-specific approach to improving access to medicines, […] Continue reading ->
Over 50 civil society groups have written to the leaders of the world’s biggest medicine procurement programmes urging them to reject “secrecy clauses” in their agreements with pharmaceutical companies.  The letter, which has been shared exclusively with Health Policy Watch, was sent to the heads of UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), vaccine alliance […] Continue reading ->
The high price of medicines in many high- and middle-income countries and ensuring medical supply chains during crises were  some of the issues discussed at the Fair Pricing Forum, which opened on Monday. The three-day forum, hosted by the World Health Organization’s (WHO), brings member states and stakeholders together to  discuss how to ensure “optimal access […] Continue reading ->