This piece by the Associated Press is an update of the unfolding story concerning the influence of pharmaceutical companies on World Health Organisation decisions concerning the swine flu. We are several months away from an expert panel report but in the interim speculation runs high and conspiracy theories abound. Whichever way things turn out in […]
Tag Archives: Vaccines
Nanovaccine helped mice overcome type 1 diabetes
13
Apr
Type 1 diabetes is caused when certain white blood cells, called T cells, go haywire and begin attacking insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. But not all T cells cause harm, said Dr. Pere Santamaria of the University of Calgary in Alberta, whose study appears in the journal Immunity. “Essentially, there is an internal tug-of-war between […]
WHO admits shortcomings in handling flu pandemic
13
Apr
Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s top influenza expert, said the U.N. agency’s six-phase system for declaring a pandemic had sown confusion about the flu bug which was ultimately not as deadly as the widely-feared avian influenza. “The reality is there is a huge amount of uncertainty (in a pandemic). I think we did not convey the […]
Drugmakers agree landmark vaccines deal for poor
18
Mar
Several drug firms have agreed a landmark deal to supply up to 200 million doses a year of cut-price pneumococcal vaccines to developing nations, according to the global immunisation alliance that is overseeing the deal. Leading manufacturers of such vaccines include GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. The agreement is the first under a new scheme called an […]
GAVI enters its second decade with massive funding gap
09
Mar
The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9717, Page 791, 6 March 2010 As governments pull back on aid commitments, the GAVI Alliance is facing a funding shortfall for the next decade that could hamper the roll-out of new vaccines. Ann Danaiya Usher reports. The GAVI Alliance, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in January, plans a huge […]
