Climate activists have high hopes that at this week’s Leaders Summit on Climate, hosted by US President Joe Biden with forty other heads of state, climate change will be framed as a health issue that is exacerbating the risk of future pandemics, as well as causing seven million deaths a year right now as a […] Continue reading ->
There is a “possible link” between the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine and very rare cases of blood clots, but the benefits of the single-dose vaccine outweigh the risks, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has announced. In a statement released on Tuesday, the EMA safety committee said that the rare, but serious blood clot disorders, […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) and member states have an obligation to listen to stakeholders in a “sympathetic and respectful manner” as non-state actors (NSAs) play critical roles in supporting global health work generally – and more immediately addressing COVID-19 and its impacts on communities. That call was made by Mara Burr, director of multilateral […] Continue reading ->
After months of stalemate, WHO looks set to update its guidance on managing COVID-19 infections in the context of international travel – but proof of vaccination should not be required as a condition of entry to any country, emphasized WHO’s International Health Emergency Committee. This was among the wide-ranging recommendations issued on Monday by the […] Continue reading ->
Global funding to develop new drugs for some of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, such as HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, was US $3.876 billion, with the drop of US $185 million from 2018 reflecting COVID-related difficulties in data collection, according to the G-Finder Report, which tracks annual global investments. However, once participation is accounted […] Continue reading ->
Despite growing awareness of the urgent threat of antibiotic resistance, the world is still failing to develop needed antibacterial treats, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO). Of the 43 antibiotics and 27 non-traditional antibacterial agents in the current clinical antibacterial pipeline, none is sufficient to tackle the challenge of increasing […] Continue reading ->
Growing Consensus Emerging At WTO – Strengthen Supply Chain & Tech Transfer To Expand Vaccine Access
A growing consensus seems to be emerging out of this week’s high-level WTO meeting that glaring inequities in access to vaccines can be remedied by strengthening supply chains, avoiding export bans across borders, and ensuring that big pharma voluntarily transfers its vaccine technologies to poorer countries so they can produce their own vaccines. “The significant […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) Europe region sidestepped criticism of Denmark’s decision to permanently stop administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, saying the country’s low population numbers and low COVID-19 positivity rate of under 1% allowed for a lot of room to manoeuvre. Denmark’s low rate of infections gives the country manoeuvring room in terms of their […] Continue reading ->
A new partnership between Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations(CEPI), Africa CDC and the African Union Commission to enhance vaccine research, development and manufacturing in Africa has been hailed as “critical” to enable countries to take ownership of their national health security. Following a two day African Vaccine Manufacturing Virtual Conference held earlier this week, the […] Continue reading ->
Gates Foundation: Technology Transfer, Not Patents Is Main Roadblock To Expanding Vaccine Production
Patents are not the main roadblock to producing enough coronavirus vaccines for the world – rather the challenge is technology transfer with manufacturers, said a top official at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) on Wednesday. His comments joined those of pharma voices in what seems to be a growing counter-trend to that of […] Continue reading ->