Announcements
December 5, 2019 –
FDA launches app for health care professionals to report novel uses of existing medicines for patients with difficult-to-treat infectious diseases
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the global launch of CURE ID, an internet-based repository that will allow the clinical community to report their experiences treating difficult-to-treat infectious diseases with novel uses of existing FDA-approved drugs through a website, a smartphone or other mobile device. The platform enables the crowdsourcing of medical information from health care providers to guide potentially life-saving interventions and facilitate the development of new drugs for neglected diseases. The repository is a collaboration between the FDA and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)…

Fondation Merieux [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
20 – 22 Jan 2020
Mérieux Foundation co-organized event
Dengue pre-vaccination screening strategies workshop
Les Pensières Center for Global Health, Veyrier-du-Lac (France)

Gavi [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.gavi.org/
5 December 2019
Gavi Board approves new Ebola vaccine programme
[See Ebola above for detail]

5 December 2019
Gavi Board appoints Sarah Goulding as Vice Chair
New Delhi, 5 December 2019 – Sarah Goulding, Assistant Secretary, Education, Social Protection and Human Development Finance at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), was appointed by the Gavi Board as its new Vice Chair effective as of 1st January 2020.
“It is an honour to be appointed Vice Chair of the Gavi Board, at a time when Gavi is embarking on its new strategy for 2021-2025”, said Sarah Goulding. “I look forward to supporting the Board Chair at this critical time for the Vaccine Alliance, focusing on leaving no one without immunisation. Gavi’s mission to protect millions against life-threatening diseases is critically important for the most vulnerable children in the world’s poorest countries. This year, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases including measles in places as diverse as DRC, Pakistan and Samoa shows the ongoing importance of vaccination globally.”
Sarah Goulding is currently the Gavi Board member for the United States, Australia, Japan and Republic of Korea constituency…

GHIT Fund [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.ghitfund.org/newsroom/press
GHIT was set up in 2012 with the aim of developing new tools to tackle infectious diseases that No new digest content identified.

Global Fund [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
Sourcing & Management of Health Products
Withdrawal of the Quality Assurance Information Notice 2018-02 Regarding Dolutegravir
06 December 2019

Updates
42nd Board Meeting Documents
05 December 2019

Updates
Data Service: Performance Framework Data
03 December 2019
Performance framework data from Global Fund grants are now available for download from the Global Fund Data Service.
The new data set lists indicator targets and results for grant implementation periods from the 2017-2019 allocation period and going forward. A number of grants from the previous allocation period are also included…

Hilleman Laboratories [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
No new digest content identified.

International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities [ICMRA]
http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/news
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Research
No new digest content identified.

International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
05 December 2019
IGBA applauds long-awaited scientific harmonization process of bioequivalence studies
The International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) welcomes the adoption by the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) of a new topic proposal on Bioequivalence for ImmediateRelease Solid Oral Dosage Forms (M13)i . The ICH Assembly approved the Concept Paper Outline in their November Singapore meeting with the establishment without delay of a new Working Group to initiate work on finalizing the concept paper and business plan for this new topic…bioequivalence studies establish the efficacy and safety of most generic medicines and are an essential part of their development. Scientific harmonization of the study design of bioequivalence studies will allow the streamlining of some important aspects of the conduct of these trials and optimize product development…

IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/library/news/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.

IFRC [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
No new digest content identified.

IVAC [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
No new digest content identified.

JEE Alliance [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Democratic Republic of Congo
As security situation deteriorates, MSF withdraws staff from Biakato
Statement 6 Dec 2019
On 4 December 2019, Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) took the painful decision to temporarily withdraw our staff from the Biakato region of Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo. After months of working extremely closely with the community to address the health needs in the region, MSF is saddened to have made this decision….

DRC Ebola outbreaks
Crisis update – December 2019
Crisis Update 6 Dec 2019

Access to medicines
Pharma giants shouldn’t receive multi-million dollar pneumonia vaccine subsidy
Press Release 3 Dec 2019
:: MSF is urging Gavi to stop paying pharma giants Pfizer and GSK subsidies for their pneumonia vaccines.
:: The vaccines protect against pneumonia, which kills nearly 1 million children each year.
:: The pharma giants earn billions off their vaccines and have been receiving subsidies as an ‘incentive’ to introduce them in developing countries.
:: The vaccines nevertheless remain too expensive for many countries to introduce, thanks to high prices – leaving young lives unprotected against the disease.
:: MSF urges Gavi to instead support the introduction of a more affordable pneumonia vaccine, coming to market soon.

Malawi
New model of care aims to reduce deaths among advanced HIV patients
Project Update 1 Dec 2019

HIV/AIDS
AIDS death toll stagnating due to lack of testing at community l…
Press Release 1 Dec 2019

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
NVAC 2020 Meetings
February 13-14, 2020 NVAC Meeting
June 9-10, 2020 NVAC Meeting
September 23-24, 2020 Meeting (Virtual)

NIH [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
No new digest content identified.

PATH [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Selected Announcements
PATH statement on the World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report, 2019
Focusing care on pregnant women and children will help accelerate progress toward malaria elimination; A statement from PATH’s Director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, Center for Malaria Control and Elimination, Kammerle Schneider
December 4, 2019

PATH names Mr. Nikolaj Gilbert as President and CEO
The team of innovators, headquartered in Seattle, welcomes global development expert to lead ambitious efforts to improve health outcomes for more than 1.4 billion people by 2030
December 4, 2019

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
5 December 2019
Desert AIDS Project delegation visits health-care centre on the sidelines of ICASA

Communities hailed during South Africa’s World AIDS Day commemoration

Commemorating World AIDS Day in Belgium

4 December 2019
Ending stigma and discrimination is critical to expanding HIV services in Jamaica

3 December 2019
Remembering the leadership of Charlot Jeudy

UNAIDS staff member breaks gruelling world record

ICASA conference opens in Rwanda with an emphasis on African leadership

2 December 2019
Ending AIDS is everyone’s business

HIV treatment numbers continue to rise

UN Cares: putting people first in Jamaica’s HIV response

1 December 2019
World AIDS Day 2019: Speech by UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima

UNICEF [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Reports
Press release
Measles outbreaks continue unabated : Five countries accounted for nearly half of all measles cases in 2018
Children in Samoa are latest victims of 2019 outbreaks
05/12/2019

Press release
More than 140,000 die from measles as cases surge worldwide
Infants and young children most at risk of fatal complications, health agencies warn
05/12/2019

Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://vaccineacceptance.org/news.html#header1-2r
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
No new digest content identified.

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
News | 3 December 2019
Mosaic to close after five years of award-winning long-form journalism

The Wistar Institute [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2019/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
No new digest content identified.

BIO [to 7 Dec 2019]
https://www.bio.org/press-releases
Press Release
More than 135 Emerging Biotech Leaders Urge Congress to Reject H.R. 3 
“Our continued success depends on maintaining an environment that supports investment in tomorrow’s discoveries.”
December 5, 2019

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
News
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
No new digest content identified.

PhRMA [to 7 Dec 2019]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
Press Release
PhRMA Names Anne Esposito Senior Vice President of Federal Advocacy
Esposito to Lead Association’s Federal Advocacy Team
Washington, D.C. (December 5, 2019) — Today, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) named Anne Esposito as senior vice president of federal advocacy, effective January 2020. Esposito will oversee the association’s federal government affairs and succeeds Scott Olsen, who is retiring.
“Anne’s extensive experience provides her with the strategic leadership needed to build upon our successful advocacy to advance public policy reforms that address patient affordability challenges and foster innovation,” said PhRMA president and CEO Stephen J. Ubl. “Her ability to work on a bipartisan basis with stakeholders across the health care system is a vital addition to the association.”…

Journal Watch
Vaccines and Global Health: The Week in Review continues its weekly scanning of key peer-reviewed journals to identify and cite articles, commentary and editorials, books reviews and other content supporting our focu-s on vaccine ethics and policy. Journal Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues the Center is actively tracking. We selectively provide full text of some editorial and comment articles that are specifically relevant to our work. Successful access to some of the links provided may require subscription or other access arrangement unique to the publisher.
If you would like to suggest other journal titles to include in this service, please contact David Curry at: david.r.curry@centerforvaccineethicsandpolicy.org

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
December 2019 Volume 57, Issue 6, p733-874
http://www.ajpmonline.org/current

Current Issues
U.S. Immigration Law Enforcement Practices and Health Inequities
Immigration policies and law enforcement practices in the U.S. have the power to create a climate of fear for undocumented individuals, their families, and their communities, which can impact health outcomes.1–3 This paper examines how these policies and practices (henceforth referred to as “immigration enforcement”) affect health.
Paul J. Fleming, Nicole L. Novak, William D. Lopez
p858–861
Published in issue: December 2019

American Journal of Public Health
January 2020 110(1)
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph/current

THE PLAN
The Time Is Now to End the HIV Epidemic
HIV/AIDS
Brett P. Giroir
110(1), pp. 22–24

American Journal of Public Health
January 2020 110(1)
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph/current

AJPH EDITORIALS
ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC
Ending the HIV Epidemic: Getting to Zero AND Staying at Zero
HIV/AIDS, Prevention, Epidemiology, Health Policy
Farzana Kapadia and Stewart Landers
110(1), pp. 15–16

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume 101, Issue 6, 2019
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/14761645/101/6

Perspective Piece
Simplification of Rabies Postexposure Prophylaxis: A New 2-Visit Intradermal Vaccine Regimen
Mary J. Warrell
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.19-0252
THE CURRENT SITUATION
Rabies encephalitis following a rabid dog bite is always fatal in unvaccinated patients, yet correct preventive vaccination has proved 100% effective. Rabies vaccine is frequently unavailable or unaffordable in rural areas of Asia and Africa, where up to 90% of rabies deaths occur.¹ Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, recently approved support for human rabies vaccine for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP), beginning in 2021. The success of this endeavor will depend on whether the expensive vaccines can be provided economically. Using small doses of vaccine intradermally (ID) is highly immunogenic and economical.²
The WHO has recently recommended the new IPC (Institut Pasteur du Cambodge) postexposure vaccine regimen consisting of 0.1 mL ID injection at 2 sites on days 0, 3, and 7.³ This is the same as the method recommended for 20 years, the Thai Red Cross (TRC) 2-site ID regimen, but without the day 28 dose (Table 1). The WHO decision to accept this regimen was based on preliminary serological data from some of the patients in a clinical trial.⁴ (The study used vaccine containing 0.5 mL/vial.) The full data remain unavailable a year later.² Rabies vaccines do not contain preservatives and their use ID is off-label but is sanctioned by the WHO, provided that an opened vial is used within 8 hours. Attempts to use the TRC regimen in rural clinics where only a few dog bite patients are treated each month have failed, mainly because of vaccine wastage. This regimen has proved economical only in urban clinics seeing several patients a week. It seems unlikely that the new 1-week IPC method will solve that problem. Rabies immunoglobulin, officially recommended for all but the most trivial bites,³ is not expected to be available.

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 7 Dec 2019)

Research article
Determinants of high residual post-PCV13 pneumococcal vaccine-type carriage in Blantyre, Malawi: a modelling study
In November 2011, Malawi introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) into the routine infant schedule. Four to 7 years after introduction (2015–2018), rolling prospective nasopharyngeal car…
Authors: J. Lourenço, U. Obolski, T. D. Swarthout, A. Gori, N. Bar-Zeev, D. Everett, A. W. Kamng’ona, T. S. Mwalukomo, A. A. Mataya, C. Mwansambo, M. Banda, S. Gupta, N. French and R. S. Heyderman
Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:219
Published on: 5 December 2019

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 97, Number 12, December 2019, 789-856
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/12/en/

PERSPECTIVES
Ensuring access to affordable, timely vaccines in emergencies
— Kate Elder, Barbara Saitta, Tanja Ducomble, Miriam Alia, Ryan Close, Suzanne Scheele, Elise Erickson, Rosalind Scourse, Patricia Kahn & Greg Elder
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.18.228585
[See Milestones above for detail]

Emerging Infectious Diseases
Volume 25, Number 12—December 2019
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/

Research
Cost-effectiveness of Prophylactic Zika Virus Vaccine in the Americas [PDF – 1.03 MB – 6 pages]
A. Shoukat et al.

The European Journal of Public Health
Volume 29, Issue 6, December 2019
https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/issue/29/6

Editorials
The social responsibility of public health: Italy’s lesson on vaccine hesitancy
C Signorelli, A Odone, W Ricciardi, B Lorenzin
Eur J Public Health, Volume 29, Issue 6, December 2019, Pages 1003–1004, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckz135

JAMA Pediatrics
December 2019, Vol 173, No. 12, Pages 1119-1216
http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

Viewpoint
Adolescent Consent to Vaccination in the Age of Vaccine-Hesitant Parents
Y. Tony Yang, ScD, LLM, MPH; Robert S. Olick, JD, PhD; Jana Shaw, MD, MPH
JAMA Pediatr. 2019;173(12):1123-1124. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3330
Abstract
As children of vaccine-hesitant parents become adolescents, they develop their individual perspectives on vaccination. One of these adolescents, Ethan Lindenberger, researched vaccines, discussed them with trusted adults, and ultimately got vaccinated.¹ His testimony to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions made national headlines.¹ Many other adolescents are similarly seeking advice on how to get vaccinated. While vaccination against measles and other conditions occurs in early childhood, vaccine-hesitant parents have also refused human papillomavirus vaccination, routinely provided for adolescents beginning at age 11 or 12 years. And they have refused to let their children catch up on any missed early childhood vaccinations. Prior research has shown that adolescents feel generally marginalized in the decision-making process, yet they desire to participate in decisions.² Their main obstacle to vaccination is that most states require an individual to be 18 years or older to consent to medical procedures.³ We argue for expansion of the rights of adolescents to make their own decisions to be vaccinated against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases without requiring parental consent and involvement.

Journal of Adolescent Health
December 2019 Volume 65, Issue 6, p709-824
https://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(18)X0014-7

Editorials
Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Expected to Reduce Human Papillomavirus–Associated Cancers and May Lessen Racial/Ethnic Disparities of Cancer Incidence
Joan R. Cates
p709–710
Published in issue: December 2019

Journal of Adolescent Health
December 2019 Volume 65, Issue 6, p709-824
https://www.jahonline.org/issue/S1054-139X(18)X0014-7

Original Articles
Declines in Vaccine-Type Human Papillomavirus Prevalence in Females Across Racial/Ethnic Groups: Data From a National Survey
Nancy M. McClung, Rayleen M. Lewis, Julia W. Gargano, Troy Querec, Elizabeth R. Unger, Lauri E. Markowitz
p715–722
Published online: September 9, 2019

Journal of Public Health Policy
Volume 40, Issue 4, December 2019
https://link.springer.com/journal/41271/40/4

Original Article
Nigerian rural mothers’ knowledge of routine childhood immunizations and attitudes about use of reminder text messages for promoting timely completion
Oladimeji Oladepo, Isaac Oluwafemi Dipeolu…`

The Lancet
Dec 07, 2019 Volume 394 Number 10214 p2039-2124, e39-e42
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Lecture
Corruption in global health: the open secret
Patricia J García
Summary
Corruption is embedded in health systems. Throughout my life—as a researcher, public health worker, and a Minister of Health—I have been able to see entrenched dishonesty and fraud. But despite being one of the most important barriers to implementing universal health coverage around the world, corruption is rarely openly discussed. In this Lecture, I outline the magnitude of the problem of corruption, how it started, and what is happening now. I also outline people’s fears around the topic, what is needed to address corruption, and the responsibilities of the academic and research communities in all countries, irrespective of their level of economic development. Policy makers, researchers, and funders need to think about corruption as an important area of research in the same way we think about diseases. If we are really aiming to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure healthy lives for all, corruption in global health must no longer be an open secret.

Lancet Global Health
Dec 2019 Volume 7 Number 12 e1584-e1735
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Comment
Integrated vaccine economics for countries transitioning from Gavi support
Maarten van Wijhe,Lone Simonsen

Lancet Global Health
Dec 2019 Volume 7 Number 12 e1584-e1735
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Global access to quality-assured medical products: the Oxford Statement and call to action
Paul N Newton,Katherine C Bond on behalf of the Oxford Statement signatories
…In September, 2018, the first international Medicine Quality and Public Health Conference was held at Oxford University, UK, to discuss opportunities and solutions to ensure that all people have access to affordable and quality-assured medical products. Delegates developed the short Oxford Statement, calling for investment, policy change, and action to eliminate substandard and falsified medical products. The statement was born out of discussion between governments, national and international agencies, non-governmental organisations, professional associations, and academic institutions who together examined the latest evidence on the epidemiology and public health implications of substandard and falsified medical products. Here, we expand this statement with a call to action (panel) and research agenda (appendix 2)…

Lancet Global Health
Dec 2019 Volume 7 Number 12 e1584-e1735
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Articles
Potential effect of age of BCG vaccination on global paediatric tuberculosis mortality: a modelling study
Partho Roy, Johan Vekemans, Andrew Clark, Colin Sanderson, Rebecca C Harris, Richard G White

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Dec 2019 Volume 19 Number 12 p1265-1380, e404-e451
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Editorial
Infectious disease crisis in the Philippines
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
[See Milestones above for detail]

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Dec 2019 Volume 19 Number 12 p1265-1380, e404-e451
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Articles
Long-term immunity against yellow fever in children vaccinated during infancy: a longitudinal cohort study
A single dose of vaccine against yellow fever is routinely administered to infants aged 9–12 months under the Expanded Programme on Immunization, but the long-term outcome of vaccination in this age group is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the long-term persistence of neutralising antibodies to yellow fever virus following routine vaccination in infancy.
Cristina Domingo, Juliane Fraissinet, Patrick O Ansah, Corey Kelly, Niranjan Bhat, Samba O Sow,
José E Mejía

Nature
Volume 576 Issue 7785, 5 December 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Genomes from Asia
To date, human genetic studies have focused largely on Europeans, which has limited the diversity of individuals represented in the genetic data sets. With a plan to sequence and analyse the genomes of 100,000 Asian individuals, the GenomeAsia 100K project aims to play a major part in plugging that gap. In this week’s issue, the consortium presents the data from the pilot phase of the project: a whole-genome reference data set from 1,739 individuals of 219 population groups and 64 countries across Asia. The researchers use the data to catalogue genetic variation, population structure and disease associations. They also find that Asia has sizeable founder populations, where groups have broken away from the original population to form a new one, and suggest further study of these could help identify genes associated with rare diseases.

Nature
Volume 576 Issue 7785, 5 December 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Editorial | 04 December 2019
Expensive treatments for genetic disorders are arriving. But who should foot the bill?
The majority of people with sickle-cell disease are live in the world’s poorest communities and cannot afford the eye-watering costs of treatments.

Nature
Volume 576 Issue 7785, 5 December 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

News Feature | 04 December 2019
Gene therapy is facing its biggest challenge yet
After finally gaining traction as a potential treatment for certain genetic disorders, gene therapy tackles the challenge of sickle-cell disease.
Heidi Ledford

Nature
Volume 576 Issue 7785, 5 December 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Comment | 03 December 2019
Crack down on genomic surveillance
Corporations selling DNA-profiling technology are aiding human-rights abuses. Governments, legislators, researchers, reviewers and publishers must act.
Yves Moreau

Nature
Volume 576 Issue 7785, 5 December 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Article | 04 December 2019 | Open Access
The GenomeAsia 100K Project enables genetic discoveries across Asia
Using whole-genome sequencing data from 1,739 individuals, the GenomeAsia 100K Project catalogues genetic variation, population structure and disease associations to facilitate genetic studies in Asian populations and increase representation in genetics studies worldwide.
Jeffrey D. Wall
, Eric W. Stawiski[…] & Andrew S. Peterson

Nature Biotechnology
Volume 37 Issue 12, December 2019
https://www.nature.com/nbt/volumes/37/issues/12

Patents | 03 December 2019
Access and openness in biotechnology research collaborations between universities and industry
An empirical study of publicly funded collaborative research projects in biotechnology identifies contractual provisions that govern the extent of access to and openness of research results.
Knut Jørgen Egelie, Haakon Thue Lie[…] & Roger Sørheim

Nature Biotechnology
Volume 37 Issue 12, December 2019
https://www.nature.com/nbt/volumes/37/issues/12

Review Article | 03 June 2019
Gene editing for immune cell therapies
Bailey and Maus discuss cutting-edge developments in engineering immune cells towards expanding the reach and efficacy of adoptive cell therapies in cancer and beyond.
Stefanie R. Bailey  & Marcela V. Maus

Nature Genetics
Volume 51 Issue 12, December 2019
https://www.nature.com/ng/volumes/51/issues/12

Mapping the regulatory wiring of the genome
The human genome encodes millions of enhancers (tangled balls) that quantitatively tune the expression of 21,000 genes (arrows). The regulatory wiring connecting enhancers to their target genes has remained elusive. In this issue, Fulco, Nasser and colleagues develop new experimental and computational approaches to map this complex wiring, and demonstrate their utility in interpreting the functions of genetic variants associated with human diseases.

Nature Genetics
Volume 51 Issue 12, December 2019
https://www.nature.com/ng/volumes/51/issues/12

Editorial | 29 November 2019
A year in genetics
As the year comes to a close and we start to look ahead to 2020, we thought that we would highlight some of our favorite Nature Genetics papers from 2019. This snapshot also captures some of the topics and themes in genetics that we are most excited to see develop in the near future.

Nature Medicine
Volume 25 Issue 12, December 2019
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/25/issues/12

Turning Points | 05 December 2019
Finding a cure for sickle cell disease
Julie Makani is an associate professor in the Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam, where she helped Tanzania establish one of the world’s largest single-center study cohorts for sickle cell disease. She received the 2011 Royal Society Africa Award on the translation of genomics to health benefits.
Julie Makani

Nature Medicine
Volume 25 Issue 12, December 2019
https://www.nature.com/nm/volumes/25/issues/12

Comment | 25 November 2019
Benefit Corporation: a path to affordable gene therapies?
With the growing number of efficient gene therapies on the market, now is the time to take actions to ensure reasonable pricing of gene therapy products. Among these, we propose to incentivize gene therapy companies to adopt a status that translates their corporate social responsibility into concrete commitments.
Alain Fischer, Mathias Dewatripont  & Michel Goldman

New England Journal of Medicine
December 5, 2019 Vol. 381 No. 23
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Perspective
Preparing for the Next Pandemic — The WHO’s Global Influenza Strategy
Mark Eccleston-Turner, Ph.D., Alexandra Phelan, S.J.D., and Rebecca Katz, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Given the ongoing threat posed by influenza, the WHO earlier this year released its Global Influenza Strategy 2019–2030. Although the strategy is a welcome step, additional challenges will test its effectiveness unless efforts are made to ensure that they are addressed.

New England Journal of Medicine
December 5, 2019 Vol. 381 No. 23
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Original Articles
Phase 3 Efficacy Analysis of a Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine Trial in Nepal
Mila Shakya, M.P.H., and others for the TyVAC Nepal Study Team*
Salmonella Typhi is a major cause of fever in children in low- and middle-income countries. A typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) that was recently prequalified by the World Health Organization was shown to be efficacious in a human challenge model, but data from efficacy trials in areas where typhoid is endemic are lacking.

New England Journal of Medicine
December 5, 2019 Vol. 381 No. 23
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Editorials
Parting the Clouds over Typhoid with a New Conjugate Vaccine
Florian Marks, Ph.D., and Jerome H. Kim, M.D.
Typhoid fever is caused by fecal–oral transmission of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi). It has been a deadly companion to mankind for centuries, affecting 10.9 million persons and resulting in an estimated 116,800 deaths per year.1 Although vaccines against typhoid have been available for more than a century and have been shown to be protective,2,3 the approved vaccines (injectable Vi polysaccharide and oral, live-attenuated Ty21a typhoid vaccines) have not been useful in populations with a high typhoid burden, particularly in young children.4 To address this shortfall, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as other donors, has supported . . .

PharmacoEconomics
Volume 37, Issue 12, December 2019
https://link.springer.com/journal/40273/37/12

Systematic Review
The Use of Risk-Sharing Contracts in Healthcare: Theoretical and Empirical Assessments
Over 20 studies proposed different taxonomies of risk-sharing contracts, which can be summarised as financial and paying-for-performance agreements. Theoretical studies modelling the incentives to implement risk-sharing agreements are scarce; they addressed different types of contracts and regulatory contexts, characterizing the drug prices and the optimal strategies of the involved agents. Empirical studies describing specific agreements are abundant and referred to different geographical contexts; however, few articles showed the economic results and assessed the value of such contracts. Stakeholders’ perceptions of risk-sharing contracting were favourable, but little is known about the economic and clinical advantages of specific agreements. Whether risk-sharing contracts have yielded the desired results for healthcare systems remains uncertain.. Risk-sharing contracts are increasingly used, although the lack of transparency and aggregated registries makes it difficult to learn from these experiences and assess their impact on healthcare systems.
Fernando Antonanzas, Carmelo Juárez-Castelló, Reyes Lorente…

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 7 Dec 2019]

Research Article
Factors that enable effective One Health collaborations – A scoping review of the literature
Kaylee Myhre Errecaborde, Katelyn Wuebbolt Macy, Amy Pekol, Sol Perez, Mary Katherine O’Brien, Ian Allen, Francesca Contadini, Julia Yeri Lee, Elizabeth Mumford, Jeff B. Bender, Katharine Pelican
Research Article | published 04 Dec 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224660

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 7 Dec 2019]

Visual inspection of vaccine storage conditions in general practices: A study of 75 vaccine refrigerators
Anika Thielmann, Marie-Therese Puth, Birgitta Weltermann
Research Article | published 03 Dec 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225764

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 7 Dec 2019]

Withdrawn medicines included in the essential medicines lists of 136 countries
Onella Charles, Igho Onakpoya, Simran Benipal, Hannah Woods, Anjli Bali, Jeffrey K. Aronson, Carl Heneghan, Nav Persaud
Research Article | published 02 Dec 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225429
Abstract
Background
Essential medicines lists and related policies are intended to meet the priority health needs of populations and their implementation is associated with more appropriate use of medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries carefully select the medicines to be included in their national essential medicines lists. Lists that are used to prioritize access to important treatments should not include medicines that have been withdrawn elsewhere because of an unfavourable benefit-to-harm balance; however, countries still list and use medicines that have been withdrawn worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine whether the national essential medicines lists of 137 countries include medicines that have been withdrawn in other countries.
Methods and findings
We performed an audit of national essential medicines lists for medicines that had been withdrawn. Medicines withdrawn from worldwide markets between 1953 and 2014 were identified using a systematic review of published literature and regulatory documents. The reviewers used sources including the WHO’s database of drugs, PubMed, and the websites of regulatory agencies to obtain information regarding adverse effects associated with the medicines, the year of first withdrawal, markets of withdrawal, and the level of evidence supporting each withdrawal. We recorded the number of countries with a withdrawn medicine included in their national medicines list, the number of withdrawn medicines included in each nation’s list, and the number of national essential medicines including each withdrawn medicine. 97 medicines were withdrawn in at least one country but still included in one more national essential medicines list. Of 137 countries with a national essential medicines list, 136 lists included at least one withdrawn medicine, with 54% of the lists containing 5 or fewer withdrawn medicines, and 27% including 10 or more withdrawn medicines. 11 medicines were withdrawn worldwide but still included on at least one national essential medicines list. Countries with longer essential medicines lists had more withdrawn medicines included in their lists.
Conclusions
This study found that withdrawn medicines are included in all but one national essential medicines list, representing a need for more stringent processes for selecting and removing medicines on these lists. Countries may wish to apply special scrutiny to medicines withdrawn in other nations when selecting medicines to include on their lists

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 7 Dec 2019]

Trust, and distrust, of Ebola Treatment Centers: A case-study from Sierra Leone
Paul Richards, Esther Mokuwa, Pleun Welmers, Harro Maat, Ulrike Beisel
Research Article | published 02 Dec 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224511

Public Health
Volume 177 Pages A1-A4, 1-144 (December 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/public-health/vol/177/suppl/C

Research article Abstract only
What the public think about participation in medical research during an influenza pandemic: an international cross-sectional survey
N. Gobat, C.C. Butler, J. Mollison, N.A. Francis, … A. Nichol
Pages 80-94

Public Health
Volume 177 Pages A1-A4, 1-144 (December 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/public-health/vol/177/suppl/C

Research article Abstract only
A systematic approach to map the adolescent human papillomavirus vaccine decision and identify intervention strategies to address vaccine hesitancy
S. Marshall, L.J. Sahm, A.C. Moore, A. Fleming
Pages 71-79

Science
06 December 2019 Vol 366, Issue 6470
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Research Articles
A generalized HIV vaccine design strategy for priming of broadly neutralizing antibody responses
By Jon M. Steichen, Ying-Cing Lin, Colin Havenar-Daughton, Simone Pecetta, Gabriel Ozorowski, Jordan R. Willis, Laura Toy, Devin Sok, Alessia Liguori, Sven Kratochvil, Jonathan L. Torres, Oleksandr Kalyuzhniy, Eleonora Melzi, Daniel W. Kulp, Sebastian Raemisch, Xiaozhen Hu, Steffen M. Bernard, Erik Georgeson, Nicole Phelps, Yumiko Adachi, Michael Kubitz, Elise Landais, Jeffrey Umotoy, Amanda Robinson, Bryan Briney, Ian A. Wilson, Dennis R. Burton, Andrew B. Ward, Shane Crotty, Facundo D. Batista, William R. Schief
Science06 Dec 2019 Restricted Access
A repertoire-guided germline-targeting approach for development of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies is explored.

Tropical Medicine & International Health
Volume 24, Issue 12 Pages: i-iv, 1341-1475 December 2019
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13653156/current

Reviews
Experimental infections in humans—historical and ethical reflections
W. G. Metzger, H.‐J. Ehni, P. G. Kremsner, B. G. Mordmüller,
Pages: 1384-1390
First Published: 26 October 2019
Abstract
Vaccine efficacy and prophylactic treatment of infections are tested best when the vaccinated or treated individual is challenged through deliberate infection with the respective pathogen. However, this trial design calls for particular ethical caution. Awareness of the history of challenge trials is indispensable, including trials that were problematic or even connected to abuse. We briefly introduce historical aspects of experimental infections in humans and the ethical debate around them and give estimates of the numbers of volunteers participating in human experimental infection models. Challenge models can offer a great chance and benefit for the development of medical interventions to fight infectious diseases, but only when they are appropriately controlled and regulated.

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 1 Pages 1-100 (3 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/1

Selected Content
Research article Full text access
Perceived trust in the health system among mothers and nurses and its relationship to the issue of vaccinations among the Arab population of Israel: A qualitative research study
Nour Abed Elhadi Shahbari, Anat Gesser-Edelsburg, Gustavo S. Mesch
Pages 29-38

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 1 Pages 1-100 (3 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/1

Research article Full text access
Factors associated with the willingness of primary caregivers to avail of a dengue vaccine for their 9 to 14-year-olds in an urban community in the Philippines
Ma. Sophia Graciela L. Reyes, Karen Mae G. Lee, Adrianna Michelle L. Pedron, Jennel Mae T. Pimentel, Paul Adrian V. Pinlac
Pages 54-62

Vaccine
Volume 38, Issue 1 Pages 1-100 (3 January 2020)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/38/issue/1

Research article Full text access
Differential determinants and reasons for the non- and partial vaccination of children among Nigerian caregivers
Ryoko Sato
Pages 63-69

Value in Health
December 2019 Volume 22, Issue 12, p1345-1470
https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/issue/S1098-3015(19)X0012-1

ECONOMIC EVALUATION
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Influenza Vaccination Coverage and Timing in Tropical and Subtropical Climate Settings: A Modeling Study
Mu Yue, Borame L. Dickens, Joanne Su-yin Yoong, Mark I-Cheng Chen, Yot Teerawattananon, Alex R. Cook
p1345–1354
Published online: August 19, 2019

Value in Health
December 2019 Volume 22, Issue 12, p1345-1470
https://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/issue/S1098-3015(19)X0012-1

ECONOMIC EVALUATION
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Influenza Vaccination Coverage and Timing in Tropical and Subtropical Climate Settings: A Modeling Study
Mu Yue, Borame L. Dickens, Joanne Su-yin Yoong, Mark I-Cheng Chen, Yot Teerawattananon, Alex R. Cook
p1345–1354
Published online: August 19, 2019

From Google Scholar & other sources: Selected Journal Articles, Newsletters, Dissertations, Theses, Commentary

Frontiers in Microbiology
Accepted: 29 Nov 2019.
Review Article
Recent progress in vaccine development against chikungunya virus
L Zhang, S Gao, S Song -, 2019
Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) is an acute infectious disease which is mediated by mosquito-transmitted chikungunya virus (CHIKV). People who infected with CHIKV could cause high fever, severe joint pain, skin rash and headache. In recent years, this disease has become one of the global public health problems. However, there is no licensed vaccine available to prevent CHIKV. Accumulating research data have provided novel approaches and new directions for the development of CHIKV vaccines. Our review focuses on the recent progress of CHIKV vaccines studies. The potential vaccine candidates are classified into seven types: inactivated vaccine, subunit vaccine, live-attenuated vaccine, recombinant virus-vectored vaccine, virus-like particle vaccine, chimeric vaccine and nucleic acid vaccine. These studies will shed important insights into future development of CHIKV vaccines.

Media/Policy Watch
This watch section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media and selected think tanks and similar organizations on vaccines, immunization, global public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.
We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.

The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content; new website has no search function]

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 7 Dec 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]