This week’s announcement of BioNTech factory closures in Germany marks an end to the country’s pandemic-era COVID-19 vaccine production boom. The Mainz-based pioneer announced that it will manufacture its final batches of the vaccine domestically later this year, transferring all future production to its American partner, Pfizer. This strategic retreat from Germany – which includes […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization has ‘pre-qualified’ Coartem® Baby, the first-ever malaria treatment for young infants of 4.5 kilograms or less. The combination treatment, now being rolled out in Ghana, aims to fill a longstanding gap in treatments available for children under the age of 5, who constitute three quarters of the estimated 610,000 malaria deaths […] Continue reading ->
In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading ->
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr offered contradictory responses that the country’s new leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be able to make decisions independent of political interference, especially around vaccines. The White House announced late last week its fourth pick in a year for CDC director, […] Continue reading ->
Brazilian children from the Yanomami indigenous community will be the first in the world to get a single-dose paediatric treatment for relapsing malaria. The introduction of paediatric tafenoquine, developed by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and pharmaceutical  company GSK, marks a “major step” towards closing the treatment gap for children at risk of relapsing Plasmodium […] Continue reading ->
Scientists working on new malaria drugs now have access to an open-access artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform  aimed at accelerating drug discovery, thanks to a partnership between  Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and deepmirror. Drug Design for Global Health (dd4gh) uses “both predictive and generative AI to give researchers, especially those in the most resource-limited settings, […] Continue reading ->
The Human papillomavirus (HPV35), globally associated with only 2% of invasive cervical cancers (ICC), has a disproportionately higher prevalence in sub‐Saharan Africa, reaching rates of 22-30% in some countries among women with ICC lesions, according to a new study. Recently, a high-level panel called for redoubled efforts in HPV vaccination, screening and treatment to meet […] Continue reading ->
Countries with a high incidence of typhoid or antimicrobial resistance to its leading pathogen, Salmonella Typhi, should introduce typhoid vaccinations, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization. In new guidance issued Wednesday, SAGE also recommended routine COVID-19 vaccination for groups at highest risk of severe COVID-19 disease […] Continue reading ->