World Health Organization (WHO)

World Health Organization to send 1 million doses of cholera vaccine to Haiti to avert new cases

The World Health Organization will send 1 million doses of oral cholera vaccine to Haiti because of concerns that the hurricane-devastated country will experience a spike in new cholera cases.…

Community pharmacies could provide vaccines across the globe, says FIP

Community pharmacies have the potential to deliver vaccinations to one in eight people globally, finds a report published by the International Pharmaceutical Federation, which represents 3 million pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists worldwide.…

Anaesthesiologists call on UN to resist making ketamine a controlled substance

The World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) has called for support to protect the status of the anaesthetic ketamine as an essential medicine.  The plea comes in response to repeated attempts by China and other south-east Asian countries that have problems with ketamine…

Q&A: Increasing global access to medicines for non-communicable diseases

Nicola Magrini from the World Health Organization discusses improving access to affordable medicines for non-communicable diseases and warns that treatments for cancer lag behind.…

European region most sceptical of vaccine safety, study finds

Results of an international study suggest that lack of confidence, rather than lack of access, is the main barrier to vaccination in some countries.…

US$1 test card can detect poor quality ceftriaxone antibiotic

A paper-based tool that can be used to detect counterfeit or degraded medicines and costs around US$1 is effective in detecting poor quality samples of the injectable antibiotic ceftriaxone.…

WHO delivers medicines to conflict zones in Syria and Iraq

The World Health Organization announced on 17 June 2016 that it has successfully delivered tonnes of medical aid into two besieged areas in Syria…

Lower doses of yellow fever vaccine could be used in emergencies, says WHO

An expert panel of the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised that lowering the dosage of yellow fever vaccine could control an outbreak while avoiding vaccine shortages…

WHO guideline offers advice for when child-friendly medicines are unavailable

The first-ever global guideline governing the prescribing and supply of children’s medicines when no authorised product exists has been developed by the World Health Organization and the International Pharmaceutical Federation.…

Counterfeit medicines are a growing threat to global health, WHO meeting hears

Substandard and counterfeit medicines pose a growing threat to global health and greater global efforts are needed to counter the problem, experts have warned at an international forum.  …