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Topics in this newsletter's Fortnight in Resources :)
1. New therapeutics for psoriasis
2. AstraZeneca Investment in building capacity for Vaccine Manufacturing for Pandemic Preparedness in the UK
3. Pandemic Agreement updates and links
4. Mental Health effects of Climate Change

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This is Part 2 of our 2 Part interview.
Listen here for Part 1:
- Listen here on Spotify
- Listen here on Apple Podcasts
- Listen here on Audible
Today I interview Ema Prohić and we discuss proper teeth brushing, systemic issues in dental care and continue on the theme of the true cost of oral health. Drawing on her experience in different health systems, we discuss the financing of dental procedures, dentist fear and how to avoid the most common oral health pitfalls. We also discuss a public health project that I lead back in 2020 with the Ministry of Health Qatar and PHCC wherein she focussed on integrating oral health into a primary care program. This is Part 1 of a super conversation this season. And you won't want to miss it.
Ema is a doctor of dental medicine from Croatia, currently undertaking her specialization in orthodontics and facial orthopedics in Barcelona, Spain. She started her professional career as a dentist in the UK after completing her MSc in International Health Management at Imperial College Business School and has continued working in the UK in several dental practices as an NHS and private practitioner.
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Contact me: [email protected]

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This fortnight's Newsletter
We need to talk about Mpox - July 21st 2024 Newsletter
Timstamps:
Overview: 00:00
What happened? 03:47
What does it mean? 05:55
What’s next? 11:09
_______________
tl;dr
On August 14, 2024, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the second such declaration in two years. The Africa CDC had also declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security a day earlier. The current outbreak, driven by the more severe Mpox clade Ib, first identified in South Kivu, DRC, has rapidly spread across Central, East, and Southern Africa, reaching countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Africa, with the first European case detected in Sweden.

WHO’s ACT-A and FIND convened a high-level meeting on August 15 to coordinate global efforts to address the outbreak. Key priorities include enhancing surveillance, developing a strategic research agenda, and coordinating global health responses. The WHO Global Preparedness Monitoring Board emphasized the importance of robust systems and medical countermeasures in the response, drawing on lessons from previous pandemics.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a zoonotic viral disease characterized by fever, rash, pustules, and swollen lymph nodes. The current clade Ib is more virulent and transmissible, though the exact case fatality rate remains uncertain. The 2022 Mpox PHEIC was declared after a global outbreak affecting over 95,000 people in 115 countries, largely through human-to-human transmission.

The PHEIC designation triggers a coordinated global response, including resource mobilization, increased surveillance, and public health measures. The response's success will depend on equitable distribution of medical resources and enhanced surveillance, particularly in underserved regions. WHO and Africa CDC emphasize the need for clear coordination, strategic implementation, and effective communication to manage the outbreak, with a focus on equity and access to diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.
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Other links:
GPMB resources:
August 12th 2024 Statement on Mpox
May 20224 Report on Equity in Pandemic Preparedness
WHO Mpox Outbreak tool
WHO case tracker

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In this week’s episode, we look at Colombia's recent move in issuing its first compulsory license. The country challenged ViiV Healthcare's monopoly on their patented drug, dolutegravir, an HIV therapeutic, in an attempt to open doors for affordable generic versions and thus improve accessibility & affordability.

We explore the nuances of licensing mechanisms - voluntary agreements & compulsory licenses. We discuss their impact on public health and innovation, drawing parallels with past instances. We also delve into the proposed European Union-wide Compulsory Licence and industry perspectives on intellectual property. Hard subject here - and as someone who started out in Pharma I find it hard to put full advocacy behind non-market driven mechanisms. But what does the data say?

1. Sudan - https://www.rescue.org/article/fighting-sudan-what-you-need-know-about-crisis
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2. Colombia issues compulsory license for https://healthpolicy-watch.news/colombia-issues-compulsory-license-to-get-key-generic-hiv-medicine-dolutegravir/#:~:text=The%20government%20of%20Colombia%20has,the%20patent%20owner%2C%20ViiV%20Healthcare.

3. ViiV HEALTHCARE STATEMENT ON COMPULSORY LICENCE FOR DOLUTEGRAVIR IN COLOMBIA https://viivhealthcare.com/hiv-news-and-media/news/company-statements/viiv-healthcare-statement-on-compulsory-licence-for-dolutegravir-in-colombia/
4. MPP agreement https://medicinespatentpool.org/licence-post/dolutegravir-adult-dtg

5. Draft WHO Pandemic Agreement - March 2024 - https://apps.who.int/gb/inb/pdf_files/inb9/A_inb9_3-en.pdf

6. Proposal for article 11b - https://www.southcentre.int/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SV261_240423.pdf

7. Paper - Access to medicines after TRIPS: Is compulsory licensing an effective mechanism to lower drug prices? A review of the existing evidence - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468182/

8. IFPMA non comprehensive list of voluntary licenses and non-assert declarations: https://www.ifpma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/i2023_2010_07_28_IFPMA_Statement_VoluntaryLicensing_NonAssert_28Ju.pdf

9. How The EU Prepares For the Next Global Pandemic Domestically: An Examination of the Union Compulsory Licence https://genevahealthfiles.substack.com/p/how-the-eu-prepares-for-the-next?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=79396&post_id=143395445&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1zo8cv&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
10. GSK position on IP:

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This is the official last episode of Season 1! The Global Health Conversations Newsletter continues throughout the holidays until we're back after the Christmas holidays. Click here to Sign up to the free Global Health Conversations fortnightly newsletter. It is packed with the latest news in global health with themes each fortnight. You will also be notified when the next exciting interview is up!
Today's episode focussed on sustainability in the Pharma and biotech industries - redefining what sustainability means in the field. Our special guest, Elisabetta Marani, or Eli, as I call her is a sustainability expert with almost a decade of experience working gin sustainability, CSR, continuous improvement & supply chain in the Pharma, Biotech and Medical devices industries; including at Biotech, Catalent and Amplifion. She has a wealth of knowledge and a dear friend of mine having completed our MScs together in Drug Discovery & Pharma Management at the UCL School of Pharmacy. She is also the founder of The Young Sustainability Network - providing guidance and solutions for young professionals with an interest in working in sustainability.
We talked about many topics including circular economy, greenwashing, net zero carbon emissions goals and the role of sustainability in Pharma, practical solutions, access to medicines as a key objective of the industry alongside furthering environmental sustainability aims and if you are a young professional interested in this area - be sure to listen to the end as Eli provides her expert advice in this area. If you are not a young professional, be sure to listen to the very end for Eli's advice as to how we can all make a difference in our personal spheres of work.
About Today's Guest:
Elisabetta Marani graduated in Biochemistry at the University of Sheffield, pursued a masters at UCL in drug discovery & pharma management, and later on an Msc in environmental management at the Open University.
She worked in the pharma & biotech industry for 6+ years, first focusing on environmental impact of pharma production sites and progressively moving to corporate roles of ESG reporting, wider corporate social responsibility programs management. She recently moved over to the medical device/hearing care industry and is now in the function of procurement, focusing on building sustainable supply chain and sourcing programs .
She is a Certified Auditor ISO14001, Sustainability Practitioner (IEMA) and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. She is also founder of The Young Sustainability Network (TYSN), an online global community aimed to support and empower young professionals as they embark in sustainability careers.
Disclaimer provided by guest:
Views expressed are personal opinions of the guest speaker and do not represent the views of the companies she has worked or currently works for in any way.
If you are interested in a career in sustainability and would like to get in touch with Eli's initiative, reach out to The Young Sustainability Network (link).

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