CAPE TOWN – South African-born US biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong launched a vaccine manufacturing plant in the country of his birth on Wednesday, aimed at producing “second generation” vaccines to address COVID-19 and other diseases. Soon-Shiong, who has made his fortune from developing successful cancer treatments, has committed an initial $195 million to NantSA – […] Continue reading ->
International financial institutions need to extend widespread debt relief to developing countries, and private sector companies need to mend “social contracts” with societies, and in order to “beat climate, beat COVID” fight hunger – and global financial instability, said UN Secretary General António Guterres. He was speaking on the opening day of the World Economic […] Continue reading ->
“Including the experiences and skills of people living with disabilities in the design and delivery of health systems is fundamental to achieving #HealthForAll,” wrote World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Twitter last week. Including the experiences & skills of people living with disabilities in the design & delivery of health systems […] Continue reading ->
The first generic version of Paxlovid, the Pfizer pill that has proven highly effective in treating COVID-19, is already available in Bangladesh. However, Indian generic company Dr Reddy’s, which has started to produce the Merck antiviral, molnupiravir, might be in trouble after the country’s National Task Force for COVID-19 resolved on Monday that there were […] Continue reading ->
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, putting communities and countries at the centre in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases, which affect some 1.5 billion people globally, is more important than ever before. New digital health tools can help us increase transparent reporting on progress and setbacks in achieving the NTD-related Sustainable Development Goals. […] Continue reading ->
China wants to delete language supporting rapid World Health Organization (WHO) access to outbreak sites in future pandemics from a critical document that maps out a way forward in future pandemics, a diplomatic source has told Health Policy Watch. This emerged at Monday’s start of a three-day meeting in Geneva of the global body’s Working […] Continue reading ->
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to order the arrest of Filipinos who refuse to receive COVID-19 vaccinations – in one of the most extreme vaccine mandate edicts to be made by any government worldwide.   “Because it is a national emergency, it is my position that we can restrain [unvaccinated people],” said Duterte in a […] Continue reading ->