Loan to Improve Brazil’s Universal Health Care System / Empréstimo para Melhorar o Sistema Universal de Cuidados de Saúde
Thursday, January 29th, 2009From the World Bank: Brazil: Project to Prevent Over 10,000 Disease-Related Deaths Reduction of hospital admissions due to non-communicable conditions such as cardio-vascular disease, cancer and diabetes could help save up to five percent of GDP over 10 years The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a US$235 million loan to Brazil for the […]
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 […]
The Global Spread of Cholera
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009I’ve mentioned before the quality graphics related to environmental issues offered by the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) GRID-Arendal center in Norway. Here’s another one just released by them that is more on the health side of the environment-health interface which I found quite striking. Click on the image to see a larger version. GRID-Arendal says […]
Brazilian Health Care Efficient Compared to OECD
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009Brazil’s investments in health care are efficient and bring a better return on investment than health care than in many of the 30 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). That’s one of the the main conclusions of a new study* released as a discussion paper by the government’s Institute for […]
Brazil Seeks to Lead in Stem-Cell Research
Monday, January 26th, 2009Brazil’s Health Ministry is sponsoring Brazilian research that has led to the production of the first line of induced pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are able to transform into any cell type. They are similar to embryonic stem cells but do not need to be obtained from embryos. Brazil becomes the fifth (and the […]
Eradicating an Ancient Disease
Monday, January 26th, 2009Leprosy. What images does that word invoke for you? The stories of ostracized lepers from the Bible, Torah or Koran? The scenes involving isolated “leper colonies” from Papillon or Motorcycle Diaries? How much do you know about it? Is it very contagious? (No.) Is it curable? (Yes.) Hasn’t it disappeared except for isolated communities in […]
WHO Approves Work Plan on Climate Change and Health
Sunday, January 25th, 2009The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board (EB) at its session in Geneva last week approved the WHO Secretariat’s proposed work plan on climate change and health. The basic elements of the work plan are: Awareness Raising Develop tools, guidance, information and training packages to support awareness and advocacy campaigns to protect health from climate […]
WHO Takes Aim at Alcohol
Saturday, January 24th, 2009The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board (EB), meeting in Geneva this week, gave the WHO Secretariat the green light to prepare a global strategy on alcohol consumption. The EB is, as the name implies, WHO’s executive arm, giving direction to the Organization between its annual governing body meetings, the World Health Assembly (WHA) held […]
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, […]
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 […]
« Previous Entries Next Entries »