Vaccines are a key part of the ambition for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Immunization not only saves lives and improves health, it also unlocks the potential of the community. By combining efforts, national policymakers, the vaccines industry and wider global health and development community can enable national...
Read moreYou’ve seen the alarming headlines from around the world: Asia, Europe, Africa, South America, and North America have seen the highest number of measles outbreaks in decades, and this disease once thought eliminated in many parts of the world is coming back with a vengeance. Why are we seeing such staggering rates of infections — and needless deaths — from a...
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This blog was first published on Pharma Boardroom on 8 March 2019. The jury is still out there regarding the impact of technological advancements on our overall life styles, but it’s hard to deny the positive impact technology has had on women’s social, political, economic and religious status in societies across the globe. Though we...
Read morePharmaceutical business performance is widely perceived to be about robust sales, successful launches, financial results, profit margins, and the like. However, a very crucial measure of success relates to ‘how’ the industry conducts its business and achieves its mission. Ethics and building patients’ trust are at the core of how the R&D-based biopharmaceutical industry regulates...
Read moreThis oped was first published on Pharma Focus Asia on 7 March 2019. Seventy years ago, average life expectancy globally was 47; today it is 72. Seventy years ago, 50 million people worldwide were infected with smallpox; today none. The disease is eradicated. Thanks to initiatives such as Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance), more than 80%...
Read moreLaetitia Bigger, Director, Vaccines Policy at IFPMA, spoke with Jenny Sia, Director of Corporate Responsibility at the Pfizer Foundation, about innovations in mHealth technology that are helping to increase access to vaccines. Jenny leads global health grant making and impact investing for the Pfizer Foundation, a charitable organization aiming to promote access to quality health...
Read moreSince the start of the 21st century, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has transformed lives, preventing more than 10 million potential deaths. In 2002, when AIDS, TB and malaria appeared unstoppable, the Global Fund to fight these three fatal diseases was created and since then has saved millions of lives – 27 million as of 2017....
Read moreDelivered by Vanessa Peberdy, Manager, Global Health Policy, IFPMA IFPMA strongly welcomes the upcoming first-ever United Nations high-level meeting (UNHLM) on Universal Health Coverage (UHC). We also support the WHO’s ambitious goal to ensure a billion more people benefit from UHC – as outlined in GPW 13 – and welcome the recognition that UHC must...
Read moreSubstandard and falsified medical products are two different threats to patient’s health that can result in death, disability, and increased illness for patients. Their broader implications in healthcare however, go far beyond: from adding to the problem of antimicrobial resistance to creating mistrust in health systems and healthcare professionals, these products represent added costs to...
Read morePandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework for the sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits Delivered by Paula Barbosa, Manager, Vaccines Policy Pandemic influenza is a top global health priority for WHO in 2019. Seasonal influenza is also a significant public health concern, and the associated infrastructure required to support seasonal programs also enhances pandemic preparedness. The timely development and production of...
Read moreDelivered by Vanessa Peberdy, Manager, Global Health Policy, IFPMA IFPMA welcomes the Political Declaration of the third High Level Meeting on NCDs, held in September last year. We were encouraged by the high political attention given to the meeting and the adoption of 14 new commitments by Heads of States and Government, as well as...
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