In the News
CQ HealthBeat reports on the G8 Camp David Declaration, noting that in the statement, G8 leaders acknowledge the problem of counterfeit drugs. "'To protect public health and consumer safety, we also commit to exchange information on rogue Internet pharmacy sites in accordance with national law and share best practices on combating counterfeit medical products,' is the language in the declaration the leaders of some of the largest nations in the world agreed to over the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat," the news service writes. According to the Senate Judiciary Committee, "counterfeit drugs cause 100,000 deaths worldwide each year, and are responsible for about $75 billion in annual revenue for criminal operations," CQ HealthBeat notes.
"According to officials at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), this is the first time the top leaders addressed this issue at one of their meetings," the news service writes. In an interview with CQ HealthBeat, Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) "said the fact that the G8 leaders mentioned this in their statement 'is an affirmation of the importance of the issue and a recognition of two important impacts: safety as well as the economic implication of the counterfeit activity.'" Meehan added that the G8 statement "is a tremendous boost to our efforts to increase oversight," the news service reports. CQ HealthBeat notes that "the Senate passed by voice vote a bipartisan bill (S 1886)" that would "increas[e] the penalties for trafficking in counterfeit drugs," and Meehan "has introduced a companion measure (HR 3468) in the House that also has bipartisan support" (Bunis, 5/21).
"Opening the 65th annual World Health Assembly (WHA) [on Monday in Geneva], World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan said she sees a bright future for health development, despite financial crises that many countries are facing, which has shrunk support for many initiatives," CIDRAP News reports. According to the news service, "Chan said the WHO can leverage its leadership role to make the most of small and wise investments" and that "[u]niversal health coverage is the best way to maintain health gains that have been made over the past decade" (Schnirring, 5/21). Focusing on innovations that bring social benefit rather than profit, as well as research and development into new treatments, also are important, Chan noted, Devex reports (Ravelo, 5/22).
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressed a plenary session on Monday, "agreeing with Chan on the importance of access to health care and addressing the growing problem of [non-communicable diseases (NCDs)]," Intellectual Property Watch reports. "But she also said that beyond the importance of providing care to all, promoting policies to prevent NCDs is essential," according to the news service, which adds, "She said that in the U.S., a new national strategy is putting the importance of prevention higher up in policymaking priorities" (New, 5/21).
The U.S. Government, through USAID, is providing $30 million in emergency assistance to people affected by conflict and food insecurity in South Sudan, United Press International reports. The money will be delivered through the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), according to a USAID press release, the news service notes (5/21). The money will help WFP position food supplies across the country before many of the roads become impassable because of the rainy season, according to the press release. "The U.S. Government is the largest supporter of WFP's operation in South Sudan, and including this donation, has contributed more than $110 million in 2012 to WFP's emergency operation in the country," the press release notes (5/21).
"Yemen is not only one of the most dangerous countries in the world, it's also home to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the grim numbers offered today by State Department officials," ABC News reports. "The United States is providing more than $73 million of humanitarian assistance to Yemen, which is being used for food aid, food vouchers, water and sanitation programs, and medical clinics," ABC News writes, noting, "Yemen has not had a proper government for nearly a year, since the fall of President Ali Abdullah Saleh" (Hughes, 5/21).
USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Christa Capozzola said, "Rising food prices, widespread displacement, and unemployment have contributed to significantly higher malnutrition levels throughout the country over the last couple of years. ... Ten million people in Yemen are now food insecure. That means that more than 40 percent of the population does not have reliable access to food. Of those 10 million, one million children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition," a State Department press release states (5/21).
In a report released last week, Members of Parliament (MPs) on the International Development Committee urged the U.K. to increase its donation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, according to a Committee press release (5/22). "Ministers have said they will increase the commitment, but the MPs are concerned that this money" -- pledged by ministers over a year ago -- "has not yet been delivered, nor the amount of the increase confirmed," BBC News writes (Dreaper, 5/22).
"Delaying an increase in the U.K.'s contribution to a troubled disease-fighting fund until next year could cost lives in poor countries, MPs have said," the U.K. Press Association notes. "We urge the U.K. government to listen to the findings of this report and commit to doubling the amount of money they give to the Global Fund," Oxfam's head of development finance, Anna Marriott, said, according to the news service (5/22). "Britain's current pledge is 384 million pounds [approximately $606.6 million] for 2012 to 2015, subject to reform at the organization," the Guardian adds (Tran, 5/22).
"Low-quality and fake anti-malarial drugs flooding into markets in Asia and Africa are driving drug resistance and threatening gains made in the fight against the disease in the past decade, according to a study" conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published Monday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, Reuters reports (Kelland, 5/21). In an analysis of "27 sets of tests of antimalarial drugs purchased in Southeast Asia and Africa between 1999 and 2010," "[a]bout a third of the drug samples from both continents failed," the New York Times writes, noting, "Some were clearly criminal counterfeits, some were expired drugs that had been repackaged and some were poorly made with too little active ingredient" (McNeil, 5/21).
"Fake drugs with no malaria-fighting agents can lead to deaths when patients rely on them, and those containing some active ingredients -- but not enough to fully kill all parasites -- are also problematic because they promote resistance [in the parasite] that can eventually outsmart medicines and render them useless," the Associated Press writes (Mason, 5/22). "The U.S. researchers from the Fogarty International Center at the [NIH] who carried out the work believe the problem may even be much greater than data suggests," BBC News reports, adding, "'Most cases are probably unreported, reported to the wrong agencies, or kept confidential by pharmaceutical companies,' say the researchers" (Roberts, 5/21). "'These findings are a wake-up call demanding a series of interventions to better define and eliminate both criminal production and poor manufacturing of antimalarial drugs,' said Joel Breman" of the NIH, Agence France-Presse writes (5/22).
Editorials & Opinions
"Over a billion people, one in every six people living on this planet, suffer from one or more neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs," a VOA editorial states, noting, "These usually treatable and preventable diseases include schistosomiasis; elephantiasis; trachoma; Chagas disease; river blindness; leprosy; kala-azar, dengue, black fever and other forms of leishmaniasis; and the three most common infections -- the soil-transmitted parasites hookworm, roundworm and whipworm."
"In 2006, the non-profit, Washington-based Sabin Vaccine Institute launched the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases to highlight and mobilize resources for treating and eventually eliminating NTDs," the editorial notes, and briefly details U.S. efforts in the fight against NTDs. The editorial concludes, "In cooperation with our partners, we will continue to work toward mitigating the impact of neglected tropical diseases on vulnerable populations, with the goal of eventually eliminating them as major threats to human health" (5/20).
Christy Turlington Burns, maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, notes in this GlobalPost "Global Pulse" opinion piece that "99 percent of women who die during or after childbirth live in the developing world," and women and girls ages 19 and younger are at a higher risk of maternal mortality and morbidity. But "[w]e know what many of the solutions are," she says, including "access to health care, inexpensive drugs that stop post-partum hemorrhaging, a scale-up of community health workers, and reproductive health so that pregnancies can be spaced," as well as education.
"By not investing in ways to prevent maternal deaths, the economic and social cost of maternal and newborn mortality is $15 billion per year in lost productivity," she writes, adding, "It seems clear to me that we cannot afford to not invest." Turlington Burns concludes, "A number of companies have become a significant force for transformation in this arena. The private sector can and should be a major factor in driving change. Collectively, we can make this a priority once and for all" (5/21).
Recent Releases
The Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports on the findings of a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) survey released on Monday that examines Americans' views on U.S. global health efforts. The survey found that two-thirds of Americans say that the U.S. "is spending too little or about the right amount on global health aid," "with one in five saying the U.S. spends too much," the blog writes. The blog discusses additional survey findings and notes, "This is the fourth survey in a series that KFF has conducted to determine the attitudes of Americans toward U.S. spending on improving the health of those living in low-resource countries" (Mazzotta, 5/21). In addition, PSI's "Healthy Lives" blog reports on the findings of the survey, writing, "Overall, the survey findings are very positive, ... suggest[ing] that a case can be made for increased development spending, and the audience is receptive. The challenge is reaching Americans to build a broad-based level of support" (Murphy, 5/21).
"Public Radio International (PRI) announces that it has received a two-year, $1.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to lead a major initiative to raise awareness, understanding and engagement around critical issues of health and development worldwide," a PRI press release reports. According to the press release, "PRI will use the grant to further extend the reach and impact of coverage around critical issues affecting the world's poorest nations, such as maternal health and infant mortality; water, sanitation and hygiene; vaccines and immunization; infectious and chronic diseases; and food security and nutrition" (5/21).
