South America

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.…

Pharmacist numbers increase globally, report finds

The number of pharmacists per head of population has increased in many countries around the world but there remains a shortage in low-income and middle-income nations, according to an analysis. …

WHO recommends earlier use of antiretrovirals in HIV patients

The World Health Organization has published new guidelines recommending that antiretroviral therapy is initiated in everyone living with HIV, regardless of their CD4 cell counts, as soon as possible after diagnosis. …

Free trade agreements play a dangerous game with public health

Public health could be sacrificed in large trade pacts that are discussed in secrecy.…

The pros and cons of rat poison as medicine

Originally developed as a rat poison, warfarin has been used as an anticoagulant for over 60 years. But why is it so popular when alternatives are available?…

New costly treatments for hepatitis C and cancer added to WHO essential drug list

The World Health Organization has added new costly treatments for hepatitis C, cancer and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis to its updated Model List of Essential Medicines, opening the way for potentially improved access at affordable prices by patients worldwide. …

Cost of vaccines becoming unaffordable in developing countries, charity warns

The cost of vaccines recommended by the World Health Organization has gone up 68-fold over the past 13 years, according to international aid charity Médecins sans Frontières.…

Targeting disease in the developing world

A new report by the Access to Medicine Index finds that pharmaceutical companies influence access to medicines in developing countries through the development of innovative and adapted products, operating equitable pricing strategies and building local capacity.…

Uruguay delays plans to sell cannabis in pharmacies

Marijuana will not be sold in pharmacies in Uruguay until March 2015, the National Drugs Board (JND) has announced.…

Ensuring the survival of threatened penguins

You have probably seen John Lewis’s mawkish Christmas advertisement featuring Monty, an Adélie penguin created by computer-generated imagery. But spare a thought for the plight of Monty’s endangered real-life relatives, many of whom depend on the UK for their protection.…