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Health: Access to medicine

Opinions

Here is a list of the latest articles

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Priority review vouchers might not be the way forward

FDA priority review vouchers will not necessarily encourage research into tropical diseases, argues Aaron Kesselheim.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine

18 November 2008 | EN | 中文

breast cancer

Africa ill-equipped for fight against cancer

African governments are ill-prepared to address the continent's growing cancer burden, warn Hany Besadaand and Vadim Ermakov.

Source: Business Daily Africa

11 September 2008 | EN

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Mental health in the developing world: time for innovative thinking

Developing nations must stop aping the North's mental health services and use strategies tailored to their own needs, says Vikram Patel.

23 July 2008 | EN | ES | FR | 中文

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Surgery is cheap and effective, but donors neglect it

Doruk Ozgediz and Robert Riviello make the case for devoting more resources to easily treated surgical conditions in Africa.

Source: PLoS Medicine

10 June 2008 | EN

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Stable funding system needed for neglected diseases

Peter J. Hotez believes the establishment of a new financing mechanism is vital for the control and eradication of neglected diseases.

Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases

31 March 2008 | EN | 中文

blue pills

Drug development: litigate less, innovate more

Drug companies seeking to promote research and development in poor nations should focus on innovation, not legislation, argues Angela Saini.

Source: New Scientist

13 April 2007 | EN | 中文

HIV virus

Vaccine research needs to cover all bases

To address the urgency of the HIV crisis, says Mauro Schechter, vaccine researchers must pursue clinical trials as well as basic science, testing vaccines for both prevention and therapy.

20 July 2005 | EN

Preparing HIV drugs

Generic drugs 'should prove their worth'

Kevin Robert Frost says it is time that generic HIV/AIDS drugs are better regulated so that people living with AIDS in developing countries can access the most effective and economical therapies.

Source: The Lancet

12 April 2005 | EN

Lightbulbs

The US and Europe are 'intellectual property fundamentalists'

Graham Dutfield argues that the double standards countries such as the US and those in the EU hold in enforcing intellectual property rights are preventing developing countries from learning how to innovate.

11 March 2005 | EN | 中文

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Rethinking science aid

Donors should take an 'innovation' rather than a 'research' approach to designing scientific and technological aid programmes.

10 January 2005 | EN

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Drug patents can stifle innovation in poor nations

Developing countries should design patent laws that promote access to medicines and prevent strategic patenting by pharmaceutical companies, writes Carlos María Correa.

Source: Bulletin of the World Health Organisation

12 October 2004 | EN | 中文

HIV drug hurdles in the global south

N. Kumarasamy summarises the obstacles to the effective implementation of antiretroviral HIV therapy in developing countries.

Source: The Lancet

2 July 2004 | EN

Patents withhold genomics gains from poor nations

Richard Smith and colleagues argue that developing countries are being left behind because of restrictions on sharing genomic knowledge.

Source: Bulletin of the World Health Organisation

14 May 2004 | EN

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Patents and health: a raw deal in Cancún?

The forthcoming WTO meeting is likely to agree a text on intellectual property and public health. But Aileen Kwa warns that this could just present developing countries with yet more bureaucracy.

Source: South Bulletin

29 August 2003 | EN