Latest news with #Unitaid
Qatar Tribune
20-05-2025
- Health
- Qatar Tribune
Health minister holds a number of high-level meets in Geneva
Tribune News Network Geneva Minister of Public Health His Excellency Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud held separate meetings with Minister of Health of Tunisia Dr Mustapha Al Ferjani and Minister of Social Security at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland Sanni Grahn Laasonen. During both meetings, discussions centred on the bilateral relations between Qatar and both Tunisia and Finland, as well as the ways to strengthen cooperation in the health sector. The talks also addressed key topics being considered at the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva, which is being held under the theme 'One World for Health.' The Minister of Public Health also held separate meetings with Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Peter Sands, and Marisol Touraine, president of Unitaid, an international organisation and partner of the World Health Organization (WHO) that works to promote equitable access to healthcare in low-income countries. The discussions focused on the cooperation between Qatar and both the Global Fund and Unitaid, as well as urgent healthcare priorities in the region and globally.
Zawya
19-05-2025
- Health
- Zawya
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Unitaid partner to strengthen equitable access to health products in Africa
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Unitaid have formed a new strategic partnership to expand the production of essential health products in Africa and improve sustainable access to medicines, diagnostics, and medical oxygen across the continent. Signed on the margins of the 78th World Health Assembly, the Memorandum of Understanding focuses on scaling up regional manufacturing as a central pillar of Africa's health security and autonomy. Africa bears 25% of the global disease burden yet imports more than 95% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients and 70% of the medicines it consumes. The continent has just 600 health product manufacturing sites for a population of 1.1 billion – compared to about 10,000 in India and 5,000 in China. To help address these gaps and bolster Africa's ability to respond to future pandemics, the partnership will support regional manufacturing of essential medical products such as diagnostics, therapeutics, and oxygen, while also building capacity to produce priority health products and scale up innovative technologies – including those developed in Africa. These efforts will target key health priorities such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis, cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections, and other diseases and conditions – particularly those affecting women and children. 'This partnership reflects Africa's goals to develop and produce health products that people across the continent need while building a resilient future,' said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC. 'Together with Unitaid, we are building on African expertise, expanding our regional manufacturing capacity, and strengthening our ability to produce essential health products reliably, affordably, and closer to where they are needed.' Through this agreement, the two institutions will coordinate efforts to overcome regulatory, financing, and market challenges that hold back regional production. The collaboration also aims to improve pandemic preparedness by supporting the development and availability of health tools that are designed, produced, and delivered within Africa. 'Africa CDC and Unitaid share the same goal – to reinforce African capacity so the continent can sustainably respond to endemic diseases and regional health challenges,' said Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. 'By expanding regional production, we can help reduce supply chain risks, and ensure faster, more equitable access to lifesaving products while investing in industry development in the region.' The joint work will be guided by a shared action plan and regular progress reviews to ensure sustained momentum and accountability. Areas of collaboration will include supporting innovation in diagnostics, treatments, and medical technologies; strengthening regulatory and procurement pathways for locally produced health products; expanding access to medical oxygen; enhancing pandemic preparedness and response; and advancing joint advocacy for African-led solutions at both regional and global levels. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Zawya
25-04-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Expanded use of new dual-insecticide nets offers hope for malaria control efforts in Africa
Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) have been a cornerstone of malaria prevention efforts over the past 2 decades, and their widespread use has been instrumental in preventing the disease and saving lives. Since 2000, the global malaria response, including through ITN distribution campaigns, has helped prevent more than 2 billion cases and nearly 13 million deaths. Despite progress, malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in many areas have developed resistance to the insecticides commonly used on ITNs – especially pyrethroids – reducing their impact and undermining gains in malaria prevention. This rising threat has prompted researchers to accelerate the development of new types of nets that offer more durable protection against malaria. In 2017, WHO recommended the first ITN designed to enhance efficacy against pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes. While this marked an important step forward, further innovation was needed to develop dual-insecticide nets, assess their efficacy in managing resistant mosquitoes and their impact on malaria transmission, and to evaluate their cost-effectiveness. This photo story, published ahead of World Malaria Day 2025, highlights the research, development and scale-up of dual-insecticide ITNs – made possible through years of collaboration among countries, communities, manufacturers, funders and a range of global, regional and national partners. Global partnership launches extensive studies to test dual-insecticide nets In 2018, Unitaid and the Global Fund launched the New Nets Project. Led by the Innovative Vector Control Consortium – and working closely with National Malaria Programmes and other partners such as the U.S. Presidents Malaria Initiative, the Gates Foundation and MedAccess – the project supported evidence building and pilots to rapidly accelerate the shift to dual-insecticide nets in sub-Saharan Africa to counter pyrethroid resistance. The nets were first deployed in 2019 in Burkina Faso, and then Benin, Mozambique, Rwanda and the United Republic of Tanzania were added in subsequent years to test how the nets performed in different settings. By the end of 2022, the New Nets Project, together with the Global Fund and U.S. President's Malaria Initiative deployed more than 56 million mosquito nets in 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa where insecticide resistance had been reported. Clinical trials and pilot studies found that dual-insecticide nets improved malaria control by 20–50% compared with standard pyrethroid-only nets. Additionally, clinical trials in the United Republic of Tanzania and Benin demonstrated that the pyrethroid-chlorfenapyr nets significantly reduced malaria infections in children between the ages of 6 months and 10 years. 'The New Nets Project significantly advanced malaria control by accelerating access to dual active ingredient nets, an important tool in the fight against malaria,' said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. 'The success of this initiative is the result of strong partnerships that helped us overcome access barriers and reach communities faster. Together with our partners, we continue working to explore and support innovations that reduce malaria transmission and save lives.' The New Nets Project also included research universities, such as Tulane University and the London School of Hygiene&Tropical Medicine; advocacy organizations such as PATH, Population Services International (PSI) and the Alliance for Malaria Prevention; and funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Gates Foundation. WHO issues recommendations for new generation nets With strong clinical trial and study results, WHO issued recommendations for new generation insecticide-treated nets and updated the WHO guidelines for malaria in 2023. The WHO recommendations covered 2 new classes of dual ingredient ITNs: pyrethroid-chlorfenapyr nets and pyrethroid-pyriproxyfen nets. Pyrethroid-chlorfenapyr nets combine a pyrethroid and a pyrrole insecticide to enhance the killing effect of the net and pyrethroid-pyriproxyfen nets combine a pyrethroid with an insect growth regulator (IGR), which disrupts mosquito growth and reproduction. Wider scale-up of new generation nets poised to lower disease burden Today, malaria-endemic countries and families are recognizing the value of new generation nets in preventing malaria and saving lives. In 2023, nearly 80% of nets delivered in sub-Saharan Africa were these more effective dual-insecticide nets, up from 59% in 2022, according to the latest World malaria report. 'In 2019, we used to have malaria frequently before we got the nets,' says Elizabeth, a tailor and mother of two young children in the United Republic of Tanzania. 'It cost us a lot of money because sometimes we used to go to private hospitals.' Since receiving the new generation nets, Elizabeth's family has stayed free of malaria. 'The difference now is that I don't use the money to treat my child for malaria,' she adds. 'Instead, I use the money to pay for school fees.' To date, dual-insecticide nets are being used and scaled up in 17 countries in Africa. The rapid scale-up of the new nets and other innovative tools, such as malaria vaccines, offer fresh hope for controlling malaria, especially in countries with the highest risk of the disease. 'Dual-insecticide nets represent a breakthrough in malaria prevention,' notes Dr Daniel Ngamije, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. 'Their development and wide deployment are a testament to what can be achieved through science, sustained investment and global collaboration.' Sustained investment in innovations critical to curbing malaria Strengthening surveillance, monitoring and management of biological threats – such as insecticide resistance, invasive species and changing vector behaviour – will be essential to curb and, ultimately, eliminate malaria transmission. At the same time, investment in innovative tools to address these evolving challenges remains equally critical. Scaling up the deployment and monitoring of next-generation nets, vaccines and other innovations will require sustained investment in malaria control and elimination programmes. This includes securing successful replenishments for the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In addition to new nets, researchers are pursuing a range of innovative vector control products, such as spatial repellents, lethal house lures (eaves tubes) and genetic engineering of mosquitoes. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO).
