Global

Conceived at the start of the pandemic, COVAX had lofty goals, promising fair and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for every country worldwide, and giving them for free to the poorest.

Less than a week after Merck and Ridgeback released extraordinary data on the effectiveness of experimental COVID-19 drug molnupiravir, the rush is on to lock up supplies.

High prices and low availability still a major barrier for patients’ access to new and old medicines.

The suggestion was made in the latest report about treatments to be added to the WHO list of essential medicines.

Large pharmaceutical companies are nowhere near as important to real drug innovation as they purport to be.

The drug, named molnupiravir, reduces the risk of hospitalization or death by 50% in Covid-19 patients with mild and moderate symptoms compared with placebo, Merck said.

The evolving landscape for biosimilars.

The pharma industry has struggled for years with a poor reputation due to high drug prices and unethical business practices.

Amnesty international has warned covid-19 developers not to put profits before lives.

Overall, men had more than a year shaved off in 15 countries, compared to women in 11 countries.

As part of their message, the agencies also urged Regeneron to transfer technology used to make its monoclonal antibody to other manufacturers so that lower-cost biosimilar versions could be made more quickly for low and middle-income nations.

In the United States, some health experts have worried that promoting the therapy, which the government covers at a cost of $2,100 per dose, was taking away time and money from the effort to get more Americans vaccinated against Covid.

The health agency urged Regeneron, which holds the patent, to lower the drug’s price and work on equitable distribution worldwide.

New report shows leading Covid-19 vaccine pharma companies fuelling unprecedented human rights crisis.

The treatment has been granted U.S. emergency use authorisation, having gained attention when used to treat former President Donald Trump's COVID-19 illness last year.