Asia

An overview of pharmacy practice in developing countries

‘Pharmacy practice in developing countries’, edited by Ahmed Ibrahim Fathelrahman, Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim and Albert I Wertheimer.…

Diabetes has quadrupled across the globe, WHO says

The number of adults living with diabetes across the world has increased four-fold since 1980, but access to insulin is a big problem in poor nations, says the World Health Organization (WHO).…

A novel way of harnessing solar power to purify water

New research from China shows promise in water purification by harnessing natural processes.…

Malaria resistant to both artemisinin and piperaquine identified in Cambodia

Malaria that is resistant to both drugs contained in the combination dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine has been identified in patients in Cambodia for the first time, study reports.…

Gene discovered in China that is making bacteria resistant to ‘last resort’ antibiotics

A gene found in pathogenic bacteria that controls resistance against an essential group of antibiotics called polymyxins has been found in hospital patients, pigs and chickens, researchers have reported. …

World’s poorest countries don’t need to protect drug patents until 2033, agrees WTO

The world’s poorest countries have been given an extension of 17 years to a waiver exempting them from implementing rules protecting drug patents and undisclosed clinical test data, the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on 6 November 2015.…

Heart drugs are not reaching patients in low income nations

Medicines used to prevent cardiovascular disease are unavailable and unaffordable for the majority of patients living in low income countries, according to research published in The Lancet.…

Janssen provides free courses of anti-TB drug bedaquiline

Georgia has become the first country to receive free courses of the anti-tuberculosis drug bedaquiline (Sirturo) through an innovative drug donation partnership between USAID and Janssen Therapeutics.…

DPP-4 inhibitors show benefits over sulfonylureas as add-on diabetes therapy

Patients with diabetes who add dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors to their metformin therapy have a lower risk of stroke and hypoglycaemia, study shows.…

Trade deal gives minimum of five years of data protection for biologic drugs

The countries negotiating the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement reached a conclusion on 5 October 2015, spelling out the data protection terms for biologic medicines.…