A New Initiative on Chagas / Nova iniciativa sobre Doença de Chagas
Saturday, July 11th, 2009From Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi):
Forgotten and with few treatment options, Chagas debilitates and kills
100 years since Chagas disease was discovered, DNDi launches an international campaign “Wake Up. Time to Treat Chagas Disease!” with a call for better medicines and treatment of patients.
One hundred years after the discovery of Chagas disease, 100 million people [...]
Linking the Pharmacopeias of Argentina and Brazil
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Brazil’s National Sanitary Vigilance Agency (Anvisa) today issued a regulation (Resolution RDC 37) permitting reference chemical substances certified by either the Argentine Pharmacopeia or the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Pharmacopeia to be used for evaluating the quality of pharmaceutical raw materials (active ingredients and excipients) and medicines produced in Brazil.
Anvisa already allowed that, where [...]
An Andean Medicines Policy
Sunday, March 29th, 2009Last Friday the 30th Meeting of the Health Ministers of the Andean Area (RMSAA) agreed on other important health measures — a coordinated epidemiological surveillance system, joint plans to combat HIV/AIDS, protect health in border areas and to combat child malnutrition — but the one that caught my eye was the new Andean Medicines Policy.
Not [...]
A Call for Scaled-Up R&D for Neglected Diseases / Una llamada para más I+D para las enfermedades olvidadas / Uma chamada para aumento de P&D sobre as doenças negligenciadas
Monday, February 23rd, 2009From the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi):
MSF and DNDi Call for Scale-Up of R&D for Neglected Diseases
Greater Governmental Leadership is needed to Foster Medical Innovation for Millions Suffering from Neglected Diseases
The international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) called today for more sustainable funding [...]
DR & Central America Agree on Common Health, Pharma Policies/Programs
Saturday, January 31st, 2009It doesn’t get much attention outside this corner of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), but the annual Meeting of the Health Sector of Central America and the Dominican Republic (Reunión del Sector Salud de Centro América y República Dominicana – RESSCAD) is quietly doing important work to change health policy among its seven member [...]
Cuba to Help Argentina Produce Cancer, Antiretroviral Drugs
Thursday, January 29th, 2009Argentina’s Health Minister Graciela Ocaña has just signed an agreement with Cuba where the latter will aid the former in researching and producing antiretroviral medicines (ARVs), cancer drugs, vaccines and other treatments for diseases prevalent in Argentina.
Last year, shortly after assuming her post, Ocaña established the Program for the Public Production of Medicines, Vaccines and [...]
Fiocruz Gets Green Light to Produce AIDS Medicine Under Compulsory License
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009Brazil’s National Sanitary Vigilance Agency (ANVISA) has authorized the Pharmaceutical Technology Institute (“Farmanguinhos“) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (“Fiocruz“) to begin producing the antiretriviral drug Efavirenz. About 80,000 Brazilian HIV-positive patients currently receive the drug through the National Program on Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and AIDS.
To refresh memories, Efavirenz is the AIDS drug for which Brazil [...]
Gates Foundation Funds WHO/UNICEF Research on Children’s Medicines
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009From the World Health Organization (WHO):
WHO receives funds for children’s medicines research with UNICEF
US$ 9.7 million grant from Gates Foundation to help crucial research on children’s medicines
WHO has received US$ 9.7 million in grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to work with UNICEF to conduct crucial research in children’s medicines, with the aim [...]
MERCOSUR Adopts Guidelines on Promotion, Advertising & Marketing of Pharmaceuticals
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008I’ve said here many times that Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) nations tend to take seriously the recommendations, guidelines and other soft norms of the World Health Organization (WHO) on any issue involving public health and/or the environment, and I’ve tried to provide a few examples where WHO work has translated into national laws and [...]
New Brazilian Rules on Pharmaceutical Marketing
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008Brazil’s Health Minister, José Gomes Temporão, and the head of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), Dirceu Raposo, recently announced new rules on pharmaceutical marketing in that country to replace less ambitious ones adopted in 2000. The new rules aim at substantially changing how medicines are promoted in Latin America’s largest pharma market, and may [...]
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