IBADAN, Nigeria – Nearly two years after the Assembly of the African Union, adopted a milestone treaty establishing an African Medicines Agency (AMA) that could provide a more unified approach to regulatory approval of new medicines and vaccines, the AMA treaty is yet to enter into force – because it has not been ratified by […] Continue reading ->
A sweeping proposal by India and South Africa to suspend the protection of intellectual property (IP) related to COVID-19 health products is set to come before the The World Trade Organization’s TRIPS Council this week. The closed door discussion lays the groundwork for what could prove to be the most significant public debate over […] Continue reading ->
Illustration of the AdVac® adenovirus technology, being tested by Johnson & Johnson, (Credit: J&J) Johnson & Johnson, the only pharma firm currently developing a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine candidate, has “paused” its Phase 3 clinical trial due to an unexplained illness in one of the participants. A press release issued on Monday confirmed reports that a […] Continue reading ->
China has announced that it will join the WHO co-sponsored COVAX vaccine procurement pool, along with the Republic of Korea. WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros described it as a major boost to the global effort to manufacture and distribute 2 billion vaccines worldwide equitably by the end of 2021. “This week, China and the Republic […] Continue reading ->
The United States appears to be walking back on threats to withdraw from the World Health Organization – just as US President Donald Trump is reported to be recovering from a bout with COVID-19 in Washington, DC. Speaking at the first formal meeting of WHO’s Executive Board governing body to be convened since May, US […] 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 ->
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 ->
Some 120 million COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests will be made available to low and middle-income countries through the World Health Organization-hosted ACT Accelerator, an initiative to scale up COVID-19 drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines. The WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement just before the world crossed the 1 million mark for deaths from […] Continue reading ->
A lineup of global health leaders called upon high income countries to join the new global COVID-19 pool, saying that worldwide access to a safe and equitable vaccine is essential to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the virtual UN General Assembly (UNGA) side event on Wednesday, the leaders also said that maintaining essential vaccine […] Continue reading ->
Cape Town, South Africa – Dire predictions of Africa being overwhelmed by a tsunami of COVID-19 infections and deaths have not materialized – yet – and this is confounding many researchers. So whether the reason is the continent’s youthful population, a certain level of “herd immunity” gained from prior exposure to other coronaviruses, or simply […] Continue reading ->