In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the WHO NCD/WIN created a Technical Working Group (TWG) on COVID-19 and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). The TWG objectives are: 1) To support countries in their efforts to strengthen the design and implementation of policies, including for resilient health systems and health services and infrastructure, to treat people living with NCDs and prevent and control their risk factors during the COVID-19 outbreak, with a particular focus on countries most vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19; 2) To limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on avoidable mortality and avoidable disability for people living with or affected by NCDs (PLWANCDs) and their risk factors.
East African Diabetes Study Group Congress
In partnership with the Ministry of Health, Uganda, the East African Diabetes Study Group held their 5th Congress from 24-26 February, 2020 in Entebbe, Uganda. During this Congress the attendees discussed critical questions such how to translate policy into action; how to incorporate the voice of the marginalized, civil society business, the impact of unifying the public and private healthcare systems into one, critical issues on health care delivery and who will fix it; and why the future is African.
Third Global NCD Alliance Forum
Sharjah: Third Global NCD Alliance Forum took place from 9-11 February 2020, in Sharjah, UAE. It provided the NCD civil society to unite and monitor governments’ progress and advocate for action to implement global pledges five years ahead of the next UN HLM and the 2025 date for globally agreed NCD targets.
Categories: Global, Innovation FundWHO prequalifies first biosimilar medicine
18 Dec 2019 – WHO prequalifies first biosimilar medicine to increase worldwide access to life-saving breast cancer treatment. “WHO prequalification of biosimilar trastuzumab is good news for women everywhere,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Women in many cultures suffer from gender disparity when it comes to accessing health services. In poor countries, there is the added burden of a lack of access to treatment for many, and the high cost of medicines. Effective, affordable breast cancer treatment should be a right for all women, not the privilege of a few.”
WHO Global Meeting to Accelerate Progress on SDG target 3.4 on NCDs and Mental Health
Oman: The overarching goal of the Global Meeting was to accelerate the implementation of national responses to address NCDs and mental health conditions with a view to reduce premature mortality and scale up interventions to reach SDG target 3.4 by 2030. The Meeting focused on sharing success stories and challenges in countries.
WHO launches first-ever insulin prequalification program.
21 Nov 2019 – WHO launches first-ever insulin prequalification program. “WHO’s prequalification is expected to raise access to insulin by facilitating the entry of quality-assured products in the global market, thereby helping expand choice and reduce prices. Only three manufacturers control the bulk of the worldwide market for insulin. Data from 24 countries collected by WHO from 2016–19 found that human insulin was available in just 61% of health facilities and analogue insulins in 13%. Mariângela Simão, MD, MSc, WHO’s Assistant Director General for Medicines and Health products, explained: “Prequalifying products from additional companies will hopefully help to level the playing field and ensure a steadier supply of quality insulin in all countries.”