Announcements

Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/frontiers-group/news-press/
News
No new digest content identified.

BMGF – Gates Foundation [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
No new digest content identified.

Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.gatesmri.org/
The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute is a non-profit biotech organization. Our mission is to develop products to fight malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases—three major causes of mortality, poverty, and inequality in developing countries. The world has unprecedented scientific tools at its disposal; now is the time to use them to save the lives of the world’s poorest people
No new digest content identified.

CARB-X [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://carb-x.org/
CARB-X is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research to tackle the global rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
10.29.2019  |
CARB-X funds BioVersys to support the development of first-in-class anti-virulence small molecule drugs designed to disarm bacteria, opening the door for a paradigm shift in the treatment of drug resistant bacterial infections
BioVersys’ new medicine would be used as a stand-alone to treat uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections (SSSI) or in combination with antibiotics for more severe infections

CEPI – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://cepi.net/
News
Global consortium working with DRC Government to introduce second Ebola vaccine
Trial aims to help tackle outbreak and strengthen future Ebola epidemic preparedness.
News 31 Oct 2019
[See Milestones above for detail]

Themis Bioscience and CEPI Announce Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial with Lassa Fever Vaccine
Vienna, Austria and Oslo, Norway, October 29, 2019 – Themis Bioscience and CEPI – the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations – announced today the first administration to healthy volunteers in a Phase 1 clinical trial with Themis’ vaccine candidate against Lassa fever. The MV-LASV Lassa fever vaccine candidate, is based on Themis’ proprietary measles vector platform and exclusively-licensed discoveries made at Institut Pasteur. The MV-LASV Lassa fever vaccine program is funded through a global partnership with CEPI that will support the candidate vaccine’s development up to the end of Phase 2, which is designed to provide clinical safety and immunological data. The investment, which was the first in CEPI’s portfolio, will also help establish investigational stockpiles of Themis’ vaccine candidate that will be ready for clinical efficacy trial testing during outbreaks….

Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://clintonhealthaccess.org/about/
News & Press Releases
Nigeria launches public-private partnership to ensure affordable access to high-quality chemotherapies at seven teaching hospitals
ABUJA, NIGERIA, Oct. 29, 2019 — Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health today announced an innovative partnership to deliver lifesaving chemotherapies for cancer treatment to seven teaching hospitals throughout the country. As a result of the partnership, Nigerians are expected to save up to 50 percent of their treatment costs, enabling thousands of additional patients to access care.
This new program, known as the Chemotherapy Access Partnership, between the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), Pfizer, Inc., Worldwide Healthcare, and EMGE Resources, Limited, will enable people with cancer in Nigeria to access lower-priced, high-quality treatments at hospital pharmacies. The medications available under the program are of the same quality as those that would be received by patients in the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, and Australia…

EDCTP [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.edctp.org/
The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as well as other poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on phase II and III clinical trials
Latest news
No new digest content identified.

Emory Vaccine Center [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.vaccines.emory.edu/
No new digest content identified.

European Medicines Agency [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/
News & Press Releases
News: Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 28-31 October 2019
PRAC, Last updated: 31/10/2019

European Vaccine Initiative [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.euvaccine.eu/news-events
No new digest content identified.

FDA [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/default.htm
Press Announcements
October 29, 2019 – Digital submission of adverse event reports for investigational new drug applications reflects FDA’s ongoing modernization efforts
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking steps towards requiring electronic submission of certain safety reports for products being evaluated by the FDA under an investigational new drug (IND) application into the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The planned process for submissions is outlined in a new draft guidance, and the FDA is also making available supporting technical specification documents. The changes will allow the FDA to access and review both pre- and post-market safety information in the same system and with the same data standard.

“In September, the FDA rolled out our Technology Modernization Action Plan (TMAP), an ambitious strategy that includes modernizing our technical infrastructure in ways that allow us to receive, analyze, and use data in new ways to advance the FDA’s regulatory mission,” said FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D. “One way we are working to meet this goal is by designing technical interfaces and tools to enable the streamlined submission and review of data. Creating standard, digital IND safety reports is an important step toward more sophisticated data and technology solutions at the FDA to support efficient development of safe and effective medical products.”

The guidance outlines the FDA’s intent to implement a standard digital framework for the electronic submission, review and tracking of certain IND safety reports in FAERS. The publication of the draft guidance and technical documents should assist  sponsors in beginning preparations for when the draft guidance is finalized and effective…

Fondation Merieux [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.fondation-merieux.org/
News, Events
No new digest content identified.

Gavi [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.gavi.org/
Latest news
No new digest content identified.

GHIT Fund [to 2 Nov 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 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/
News & Stories
News
Landmark Deal Secures Significant Discount on Price of Medicine to Prevent TB
31 October 2019
HYDERABAD, India – A landmark agreement announced today by Unitaid, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and global biopharmaceutical company Sanofi will significantly lower the price of rifapentine, a critically important drug used to prevent tuberculosis.
The deal will bolster efforts to treat latent TB infection – currently estimated to affect 1.7 billion people worldwide – by broadening access to better preventive therapy.
The volume-based agreement will discount the price of a three-month treatment course of rifapentine by nearly 70%, from approximately US$45 to US$15 in the public sectors of 100 low- and middle-income countries burdened by TB and TB/HIV coinfection.
“Effective TB prevention will be a game-changer in the global fight to eliminate one of the major killer diseases,” said Unitaid’s Executive Director Lelio Marmora. “This lifesaving drug has, until now, been completely unaffordable in developing countries. This agreement will help transform political commitment to tangible action.”…

Hilleman Laboratories [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.hillemanlabs.org/
No new digest content identified.

Human Vaccines Project [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.humanvaccinesproject.org/media/press-releases/
Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

IAVI [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.iavi.org/newsroom
October 29, 2019
GSK candidate vaccine demonstrates sustained level of protection against active pulmonary tuberculosis
Final analysis of phase IIb study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health.
Final results confirm the innovative TB candidate vaccine’s efficacy level and acceptable safety profile in three-year clinical trial conducted in sub-Saharan African regions.

International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities [ICMRA]
http://www.icmra.info/drupal/en/news
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Research
ICMRA Summit Rome Meeting
October 31, 2019
ICMRA 2019 Summit Statement.pdf
ICMRA holds high-level meeting on evolving global science and regulatory challenges, hosted by AIFA
The International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA), a group of leading medicines regulatory authorities and experts from around the world, convened for a three-day meeting to discuss current and emerging challenges in science and global human medicine regulations. The annual ICMRA summit themed “Evolving science and regulatory challenges” was held in Rome, Italy, from 28 to 30 October 2019 and was hosted by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA)…

…Delegates from 28 different countries, representing more than 35 medicines regulatory authorities globally, as well as experts from the World Health Organization, the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) engaged in productive discussions about medicines advances and regulation. How to build global reliance among regulators was the leitmotiv of this year’s summit. Many sessions were dedicated to sharing knowledge, experiences, lessons learned, and outcomes of actions undertaken to promote global cooperation and networking to better tackle common and global issues such as shortages and medicines availability, risk management, transparency.

“The rapidly changing scientific and technological environment is a challenge and an inspiration for us as regulatory authorities from across the world to shape the future of our strategic collaboration and develop common policies that bridge different national legislative frameworks and help us to use our resources and expertise most wisely.” said Guido Rasi, ICMRA Chair and Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). “Building global reliance is one of the tools we are exploring to increase availability and accessibility of safe, efficient and high-quality medicinal products for patients worldwide.”

There was a general consensus that a robust consolidated global regulatory system is key for a common approach to major transformation in science and medicine. Digitalized healthcare and innovative designs of patient-centered clinical trials were some of the most important topics discussed during the second day of the meeting. In parallel, with presentations on different national experiences, regulators discussed how to collect and analyse big data and real world evidence to identify and seize upon potential opportunities for the use of innovative sources of data, as well as novel digital health devices and wearables.

Patient-centered and personalized medicine has also been widely discussed by the Heads of Agencies in a panel, because regenerative and advanced therapies represent revolutionary new source of highly personalized treatments with implications on health planning as well as legal and ethical aspects.

Varied experiences have been shared on the increased medical use of cannabis and the related regulatory level of evidence needed to secure safe, and appropriate access to cannabis derivatives as medicines.

Looking ahead
The ICMRA members also discussed the future strategic goals that can be achieved through the coalition: shortage prevention, strengthening of pharmacovigilance systems, supply chain integrity, promotion of biosimilars and of the responsible use of antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance were among the priorities debated in the last day of the ICMRA plenary.
As a unique global coalition ICMRA will continue to support international information sharing and crisis response and help to address current and emerging global human medicine regulatory and safety challenges in a transparent and authoritative manner.

International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association [IGBA]
https://www.igbamedicines.org/
No new digest content identified.

IFFIm
http://www.iffim.org/library/news/press-releases/
29 October 2019
The Edge of Innovative Finance
A conversation with Christopher Egerton-Warburton.

IFRC [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://media.ifrc.org/ifrc/news/press-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
No new digest content identified.

IVAC [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/ivac/index.html
Updates
No new digest content identified.

IVI [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.ivi.int/
Selected IVI News & Announcements
IVI Awarded $4.5 Million Grant to Increase Accessibility of Oral Cholera Vaccine
October 28, 2019 – SEOUL, South Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) has received a $4.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to simplify the current oral cholera vaccine (OCV) and further increase its accessibility.

To date, the Gates Foundation has invested $23 million in IVI’s Cholera Vaccine Program to develop the world’s first low-cost OCV, a safe and effective measure to prevent and control cholera worldwide. With this most recent award, IVI will explore modifications to the existing formula and optimize a single manufacturing process to give higher yields of vaccine and thus increase production capacity while lowering costs.

This reformulation of the OCV is the next chapter in IVI’s going on 20-year cholera vaccine story. With new available data on immune responses to antigens and the geographic distribution of certain cholera strains, IVI has taken the initiative to investigate the efficacy of a simplified formula, inactivated by a single method. IVI will continue to partner with EuBiologics, a Korean biopharmaceutical company and the world’s largest supplier of the low-cost OCV, to pursue the development of this next iteration of an accessible vaccine against the poverty-related disease.

“For a vaccine to be truly effective, it has to first be accessible. The current OCV developed by IVI and technology transferred to manufacturing partners made available a high-quality and easy-to-deliver protection against cholera in developing countries for the first time,” said Dr. Julia Lynch, Deputy Director General of Development & Delivery at IVI, and Program Director of IVI’s Cholera Vaccine Program. “With the new grant, now we can work on expanding that protection to more people at risk of the disease.”

IVI first initiated efforts to develop a safe, effective, and affordable cholera vaccine in the early 2000s, when the life-saving vaccine wasn’t readily available to the populations most at risk of epidemic and endemic cholera. Through partnerships and support from Sweden, Vietnam, India, and South Korea, IVI facilitated development and production of two affordable and WHO-prequalified OCVs, Shanchol and Euvichol / Euvichol-Plus. As of November 2018, over 36 million doses have been deployed from the WHO’s stockpile

JEE Alliance [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.jeealliance.org/
Selected News and Events
No new digest content identified.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.msf.org/
Latest [Selected Announcements]
Pakistan
Innovative TB trial starts in Sindh province
Press Release 31 Oct 2019
… The endTB trial is a phase III randomized controlled trial comparing five new treatment regimens against MDR-TB which contain two of the three new tuberculosis (TB) drugs developed in recent years, bedaquiline and delamanid, in combination with other existing oral TB drugs.
A related, parallel trial, called endTB-Q, will evaluate a sixth treatment combination and two different treatment durations, to be used against forms of MDR-TB which are also resistant to fluoroquinolones, a group of antibiotics used as so-called ‘second-line’ drugs in the treatment of TB…

Tuberculosis
Patients tackle arduous and lengthy tuberculosis treatment…
Project Update 30 Oct 2019

Access to medicines
MSF protests at TB conference against drug corporations keeping li…
Press Release 30 Oct 2019
:: Cure rates for deadly forms of drug-resistant TB remain low, as does the rate of people have access to the newest drugs, as prices remain high.
:: MSF demands Johnson&Johnson, Mylan, Otsuka and the TB Alliance to lower the price of their lifesaving medicines, often developed with public funds.
:: MSF also demands the corporations to improve transparency around research costs and licence their drugs to enable the production of generic versions.

National Vaccine Program Office – U.S. HHS [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/about/index.html
No new digest content identified.

NIH [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases
Selected News Releases
No new digest content identified.

PATH [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.path.org/media-center/
Selected Announcements
PATH collaborates with ASCENT to support patient-centered TB care
October 29, 2019 by PATH
PATH is embarking on a collaboration with ASCENT, a partnership led by KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation and funded and supported by Unitaid, to help patients in five countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe adhere to and successfully complete TB treatment using digital technology. PATH’s role is leading the implementation and evaluation of digital adherence technologies in Ukraine beginning in 2020. Our Market Dynamics team is collaborating with partners across the consortium to establish a global market for optimized products, price, and supply chain models…

Sabin Vaccine Institute [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.sabin.org/updates/pressreleases
Statements and Press Releases
No new digest content identified.

UNAIDS [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.unaids.org/en
Selected Press Releases/Reports/Statements
30 October 2019
Promoting gender equality in Brazil step by step

28 October 2019
Many prisoners are lacking basic HIV services

UNICEF [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.unicef.org/media/press-releases
Selected Statements, Press Releases, Reports
[No new digest content identified]

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

Vaccine Confidence Project [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.vaccineconfidence.org/
Confidence Commentary:
A Polio-Free Pakistan: The cure is persistence
Heidi Larson | 26 Oct, 2019
World Polio Day – Op-Ed published in The Daily Tines

Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center
No new digest content identified.

Wellcome Trust [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://wellcome.ac.uk/news
Opinion | 28 October 2019
Talking about the ‘antibiotic apocalypse’ is alarming, not persuasive. This is why
Dan Metcalfe, Head of Campaigns Wellcome
How we talk publicly about an issue influences how likely people are to support or ignore it. With Reframing Resistance, we’re using global research to develop effective ways to communicate about drug-resistant infections to inspire change.

The Wistar Institute [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.wistar.org/news/press-releases
No new digest content identified.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/press-releases/2019/
No new digest content identified.

::::::

ARM [Alliance for Regenerative Medicine] [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://alliancerm.org/press-releases/
October 31, 2019
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Outlines Recommendations for Increasing the Number of European-Based ATMP Clinical Trials
WASHINGTON, DC and BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
:: Europe has become less competitive than other regions in attracting new ATMP [advanced therapy medicinal products] clinical trials.
:: Faster and more streamlined review processes for clinical trials by regulatory authorities are fundamental to increase clinical research and development in Europe.
:: There is considerable country-to-country variability within Europe: the UK has the highest absolute number of new ATMP clinical trials, but relative to their size, Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland outperform other European countries as well as the USA and Canada.

BIO [to 2 Nov 2019]
https://www.bio.org/insights/press-release
No new digest content identified.

DCVMN – Developing Country Vaccine Manufacturers Network [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.dcvmn.org/
No new digest content identified.

IFPMA [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.ifpma.org/resources/news-releases/
Selected Press Releases, Statements, Publications
IFPMA Position paper – Assessment Reports as a Tool for Regulatory Reliance
28 October 2019
… We believe that public assessment reports are valuable as they provide key insights into the rationale of the regulatory decision-making process. Where available, these reports should be the primary source of information to support regulatory reliance….

PhRMA [to 2 Nov 2019]
http://www.phrma.org/
Selected Press Releases, Statements
No new digest content identified.

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 Infection Control
November 2019 Volume 47, Issue 11, p1283-1404
http://www.ajicjournal.org/current

Major Articles
Standing orders program of pneumococcal vaccination for hospitalized elderly patients in Hong Kong: A cost-effectiveness analysis
Nianli Xing, Wing-yin Cheung, Minghuan Jiang, Joyce H.S. You
p1302–1308
Published online: June 29, 2019

American Journal of Infection Control
November 2019 Volume 47, Issue 11, p1283-1404
http://www.ajicjournal.org/current

Twitter message types, health beliefs, and vaccine attitudes during the 2015 measles outbreak in California
Cui Zhang Meadows, Lu Tang, Wenlin Liu
p1314–1318
Published online: June 29, 2019

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Research article
Mass campaigns combining antimalarial drugs and anti-infective vaccines as seasonal interventions for malaria control, elimination and prevention of resurgence: a modelling study
The only licensed malaria vaccine, RTS,S/AS01, has been developed for morbidity-control in young children. The potential impact on transmission of deploying such anti-infective vaccines to wider age ranges, possibly with co-administration of antimalarial treatment, is unknown. Combinations of existing malaria interventions is becoming increasingly important as evidence mounts that progress on reducing malaria incidence is stalling and threatened by resistance.
Authors: Flavia Camponovo, Chris F. Ockenhouse, Cynthia Lee and Melissa A. Penny
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2019 19:920
Published on: 29 October 2019

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Research article
Pertussis hospitalizations among term and preterm infants: clinical course and vaccine effectiveness
Pertussis causes severe disease in young unvaccinated infants, with preterms potentially at highest risk. We studied pertussis in hospitalized infants as related to gestational age (GA) and vaccination history.
Authors: Nicoline A. T. van der Maas, Elisabeth A. M. Sanders, Florens G. A. Versteegh, Albertine Baauw, Anneke Westerhof and Hester E. de Melker
Citation: BMC Infectious Diseases 2019 19:919
Published on: 29 October 2019

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Opinion
Key challenges for delivering clinical impact with artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) research in healthcare is accelerating rapidly, with potential applications being demonstrated across various domains of medicine. However, there are currently limited examples of such techniques being successfully deployed into clinical practice. This article explores the main challenges and limitations of AI in healthcare, and considers the steps required to translate these potentially transformative technologies from research to clinical practice.
Authors: Christopher J. Kelly, Alan Karthikesalingam, Mustafa Suleyman, Greg Corrado and Dominic King
Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:195
Published on: 29 October 2019

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Research article
Assessment of factors affecting vaccine cold chain management practice in public health institutions in east Gojam zone of Amhara region
Maintaining quality of vaccines is one of the main challenges of immunization programs in Ethiopia. The objective of this study is to assess the factor affecting vaccine cold chain management practice in immuniza…
Authors: Hewan Adam Bogale, Abebe Feyissa Amhare and Alemtsehay Adam Bogale
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:1433
Published on: 1 November 2019

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Study protocol
Effect of vaccine reminder and tracker bracelets on routine childhood immunization coverage and timeliness in urban Pakistan: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Inability to track children’s vaccination history coupled with parents’ lack of awareness of vaccination due dates compounds the problem of low immunization coverage and timeliness in developing countries. Tra…
Authors: Danya Arif Siddiqi, Mehr Munir, Mubarak Taighoon Shah, Aamir Javed Khan and Subhash Chandir
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:1421
Published on: 30 October 2019

BMC Public Health
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Research article
Implementation strategy and cost of Mozambique’s HPV vaccine demonstration project
Cost is an important determinant of health program implementation. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the implementation strategy of Mozambique’s school-based HPV vaccine demonstration p…
Authors: Caroline Soi, Joseph B. Babigumira, Baltazar Chilundo, Vasco Muchanga, Luisa Matsinhe, Sarah Gimbel, Orvalho Augusto and Kenneth Sherr
Citation: BMC Public Health 2019 19:1406
Published on: 29 October 2019

BMC Research Notes
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/content
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Research note
Patient advocacy organizations’ information for patients on pre-approval access to investigational treatments
To evaluate the availability of information regarding patient access to investigational treatments through clinical trials and non-trial pre-approval access pathways from a sample of patient advocacy organization (PAO) websites in the United States
Authors: Kelly McBride Folkers, Sarah Leone and Arthur Caplan
Citation: BMC Research Notes 2019 12:706
Published on: 28 October 2019

BMJ Open
November 2019 – Volume 9 – 11
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/current

Measurement of coverage, compliance and determinants of uptake in a publicly funded rotavirus vaccination programme: a retrospective cohort study (2 November, 2019)
Ellen Rafferty, Xiaoyan Guo, Bruce McDonald, Lawrence W Svenson, Shannon Elizabeth MacDonald

BMJ Open
November 2019 – Volume 9 – 11
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/current

Contents
Determinants of vaccine hesitancy in Switzerland: study protocol of a mixed-methods national research programme (2 November, 2019)
Michael J. Deml, Kristen Jafflin, Sonja Merten, Benedikt Huber, Andrea Buhl, Eleonora Frau, Valérie Mettraux, Joanna Sonderegger, Paulina Kliem, Rachele Cattalani, Daniel Krüerke, Constanze Pfeiffer, Claudine Burton-Jeangros, Philip E. Tarr

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 97, Number 11, November 2019, 729-788
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/11/en/

EDITORIALS
Monitoring adverse drug reactions in the community settings
— Ab Fatah Ab Rahman
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.245019

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 97, Number 11, November 2019, 729-788
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/11/en/

EDITORIALS
Monitoring adverse drug reactions in the community settings
— Ab Fatah Ab Rahman
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.19.245019

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 97, Number 11, November 2019, 729-788
https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/97/11/en/

Research
Triangulation of measles vaccination data in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
— Michael Edelstein, Joanne White, Antoaneta Bukasa, Vanessa Saliba & Mary Ramsay
http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.18.229138

Conflict and Health
http://www.conflictandhealth.com/
[Accessed 2 Nov 2019]

Research
29 October 2019
Effect of armed conflict on vaccination: evidence from the Boko haram insurgency in northeastern Nigeria
Armed conflicts can have severe adverse effects on population health, both directly and indirectly, through the destruction of health care systems. This paper evaluates the causal effect of the Boko Haram insurgency in northeastern Nigeria on the vaccination rate.
Authors: Ryoko Sato

The CRISPR Journal
Volume 2, Issue 5 / October 2019
https://www.liebertpub.com/toc/crispr/2/5

Special Issue: The Ethics of Human Genome Editing
Guest Editors: Sarah Chan and Samuel Sternberg

Emerging Infectious Diseases
Volume 25, Number 11—November 2019
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/

Synopses
Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Infection among Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency and Effect of Patient Screening on Disease Outcomes, Iran [PDF – 894 KB – 8 pages]
M. Shaghaghi et al.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
Volume 25, Number 11—November 2019
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/

Dispatches
Clinical REsearch During Outbreaks (CREDO) Training for Low- and Middle-Income Countries [PDF – 576 KB – 4 pages]
N. Kayem et al.
We describe a pilot of the Clinical REsearch During Outbreaks (CREDO) initiative, a training curriculum for researchers in epidemic-prone low- and middle-income countries who may respond to disease outbreaks. Participants reported improved confidence in their ability to conduct such research and overall satisfaction with the course structure, content, and training.

International Journal of Infectious Diseases
November 2019 Volume 88, p1-158
https://www.ijidonline.com/issue/S1201-9712(19)X0017-X

Perspective
HPV vaccination: Are we overlooking additional opportunities to control HPV infection and transmission?
Alex Vorsters, Pierre Van Damme, F. Xavier Bosch
p110–112
Published online: September 12, 2019

Journal of Community Health
Volume 44, Issue 6, December 2019
https://link.springer.com/journal/10900/44/6

Original Paper
Hepatitis B Virus Screening and Vaccination in First-generation African Immigrants: A Pilot Study
Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi, Omar Dibba, Lin Zhu, Adeodat Ilboudo…

The Lancet
Nov 02, 2019 Volume 394Number 10209p1591-1684, e34
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Comment
Achieving health equity: democracy matters
Johanna Hanefeld, Aaron Reeves, Chris Brown, Piroska Östlin
Progress on health equity in the European region in the past two decades has been slower than expected. Indeed, some countries have even seen health inequalities widen.¹ This slow progress is, to some extent, surprising because there is almost unanimous political commitment to addressing health inequities and many countries have made great strides in implementing policies to reduce the health gap.¹, ² Europe, as a region, is on track to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) overall, but countries are not attaining SDG 10 and SDG 3 because ensuring healthy lives for all is impossible without reducing health inequities.

The report of the WHO European Health Equity Status Report Initiative (HESRI), launched on Sept 10, 2019, reviews achievements on the road to health equity to understand how to further accelerate action, and to discuss how to influence decisions related to fiscal policy and industrial strategy in order to deliver healthy, prosperous lives for all.³ The findings of the HESRI report³
show that the evidence on how to best tackle health inequity is clear and overwhelming, even more so in Europe, where we can draw on a wealth of health inequalities research.⁴ We know the size of the gaps in life expectancy, the social gradients in the burden of disease across the European region, and the root causes of these health inequalities, the social determinants of health.

The root causes of health inequities are driven by policies that structure access to the social determinants of health. Five conditions are necessary to reduce health inequity: good-quality and accessible health services; income security and an appropriate, fair level of social protection; decent living conditions; good social and human capital; and decent work and employment conditions.³ Of these, the two most important determinants are precarious housing and living conditions,⁵ and low income and weak social protection.⁶ When people live in unaffordable, cold, and unsafe housing on insecure contracts, their health is worse and they die prematurely.⁷ When people cannot make ends meet and when social protection systems are stigmatising and inadequate, their health suffers.⁸ Inadequate access to health services, conditions of employment, and personal and community capabilities are all important too. Health outcomes improve when people can access the care they think they need; when people work in secure employment with a living wage; and when people have someone to turn to for help and feel they have a voice in decision-making processes.^9,10

The drivers of health inequity are all too prevalent across the region. This situation is not inevitable. These determinants of health inequalities are all modifiable through policies focused on the five areas identified in the report:³ health services, social protection, decent living conditions, social and human capital, and decent employment. Why, then, has progress been so slow?

Emerging evidence indicates that policies to address health inequalities do not emerge out of thin air, rather they are the result of a country’s or region’s wider political economy.¹¹, ¹²
Policies are the product of people in particular socioeconomic contexts interacting with political institutions that shape the political process in a given location—be that a community, city, region, or country. Where these institutions are not accountable, transparent, participatory, or coherent, we will be far less likely to see the policy change necessary to deliver health equity. Governments and other stakeholders must actively work to alter how we incorporate the voices, lived experiences, and passions of the child, the young person, or adult who is not able to thrive and prosper because of health inequities. Democratic institutions, such as free and fair elections, are part of establishing the conditions that empower individuals and communities, ensure participation is meaningful, and establish decision-making processes that are accountable. Furthermore, accountable and transparent decision-making processes generate coherent policies by making participation inclusive. Beyond consulting people, participation can only be inclusive where economic barriers to participation are alleviated and where we alter the governance structures of policy processes to ensure the communities affected by policy decisions have a meaningful voice that influences outcomes in these processes.

There are countervailing forces, however. Vested interests, such as commercial actors or those who oppose health-enhancing policies, will seek to subvert efforts to address health equity.¹³m
Crucially, the influence of these groups depends on how our political systems are organised.¹⁴
Addressing health inequity requires a restructuring of our political systems so that we can deepen democracy through making our decision-making processes more inclusive.¹⁵, ¹⁶

To allow all people in Europe to prosper and flourish in health and in life, we need to recognise both the centrality of equity in health to the sustainable development of Europe and that political institutions are one of the essential conditions that make health equity possible.

Lancet Global Health
Nov 2019 Volume 7Number 11e1467-e1583
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Comment
Improving the performance of oral rotavirus vaccines
Gagandeep Kang

Lancet Global Health
Nov 2019 Volume 7Number 11e1467-e1583
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Articles
Guide posts for investment in primary health care and projected resource needs in 67 low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study
Karin Stenberg, Odd Hanssen, Melanie Bertram, Callum Brindley, Andreia Meshreky, Shannon Barkley, Tessa Tan-Torres Edejer

Lancet Global Health
Nov 2019 Volume 7Number 11e1467-e1583
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Recent levels and trends in HIV incidence rates among adolescent girls and young women in ten high-prevalence African countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Isolde Birdthistle, Clare Tanton, Andrew Tomita, Kristen de Graaf, Susan B Schaffnit, Frank Tanser, Emma Slaymaker

Lancet Global Health
Nov 2019 Volume 7Number 11e1467-e1583
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current

Mortality reduction benefits and intussusception risks of rotavirus vaccination in 135 low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling analysis of current and alternative schedules
Andrew Clark, Jacqueline Tate, Umesh Parashar, Mark Jit, Mateusz Hasso-Agopsowicz, Nicholas Henschke, Benjamin Lopman, Kevin Van Zandvoort, Clint Pecenka, Paul Fine, Colin Sanderson

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Nov 2019 Volume 19Number 11p1149-1264, e370-e403
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Comment
Increased mortality in survivors of Ebola virus disease
Hugues Fausther-Bovendo, Gary Kobinger

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Nov 2019 Volume 19Number 11p1149-1264, e370-e403
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Early vaccination: a provisional measure to prevent measles in infants
Nicola Principi, Susanna Esposito

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Nov 2019 Volume 19Number 11p1149-1264, e370-e403
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Articles
Subsequent mortality in survivors of Ebola virus disease in Guinea: a nationwide retrospective cohort study
Mory Keita, et al

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Nov 2019 Volume 19Number 11p1149-1264, e370-e403
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Immunogenicity, effectiveness, and safety of measles vaccination in infants younger than 9 months: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Laura M Nic Lochlainn, et al

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Nov 2019 Volume 19Number 11p1149-1264, e370-e403
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Effect of measles vaccination in infants younger than 9 months on the immune response to subsequent measles vaccine doses: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Laura M Nic Lochlainn, et al
Open Access

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Nov 2019 Volume 19Number 11p1149-1264, e370-e403
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Review
A governance framework for development and assessment of national action plans on antimicrobial resistance
Michael Anderson, Kai Schulze, Alessandro Cassini, Diamantis Plachouras, Elias Mossialos

Lancet Infectious Diseases
Nov 2019 Volume 19Number 11p1149-1264, e370-e403
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/issue/current

Personal View
Outbreak response as an essential component of vaccine development
Richard Hatchett, Nicole Lurie
Summary
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was created as a result of an emerging global consensus that a coordinated, international, and intergovernmental effort was needed to develop and deploy new vaccines to prevent future epidemics. Although some disease outbreaks can be relatively brief, early outbreak response activities can provide important opportunities to make progress on vaccine development. CEPI has identified six such areas and is prepared to work with other organisations in the global community to combat WHO priority pathogens, including the hypothetical Disease X, by supporting early activities in these areas, even when vaccine candidates are not yet available.

Nature
Volume 574 Issue 7780, 31 October 2019
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html

Comment | 29 October 2019
Ethical research — the long and bumpy road from shirked to shared
From all too scarce, to professionalized, the ethics of research is now everybody’s business, argues Sarah Franklin in the sixth essay in a series on how the past 150 years have shaped science, marking Nature’s anniversary.
Sarah Franklin

Nature Reviews Genetics
Volume 20 Issue 11, November 2019
https://www.nature.com/nrg/volumes/20/issues/11

Roadmap | 27 August 2019
Leveraging European infrastructures to access 1 million human genomes by 2022
Gary Saunders, Michael Baudis[…] & Serena Scollen
Abstract
Human genomics is undergoing a step change from being a predominantly research-driven activity to one driven through health care as many countries in Europe now have nascent precision medicine programmes. To maximize the value of the genomic data generated, these data will need to be shared between institutions and across countries. In recognition of this challenge, 21 European countries recently signed a declaration to transnationally share data on at least 1 million human genomes by 2022. In this Roadmap, we identify the challenges of data sharing across borders and demonstrate that European research infrastructures are well-positioned to support the rapid implementation of widespread genomic data access.

New England Journal of Medicine
October 31, 2019 Vol. 381 No. 18
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

Persepctive
Enabling Healthful Aging for All — The National Academy of Medicine Grand Challenge in Healthy Longevity
Victor J. Dzau, M.D., Sharon K. Inouye, M.D., M.P.H., John W. Rowe, M.D., Elizabeth Finkelman, M.P.P., and Tadataka Yamada, M.D.
Recognizing that aging presents a defining challenge for this century, the National Academy of Medicine is launching a Healthy Longevity Global Grand Challenge, an international effort directed at improving health, productivity, and quality of life for older people.

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Editorial
Health and medical research for all: The challenge remains open
The PLOS Medicine Editors
| published 31 Oct 2019 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002970

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

Early signal detection of adverse events following influenza vaccination using proportional reporting ratio, Victoria, Australia
Hazel J. Clothier, Jock Lawrie, Melissa A. Russell, Heath Kelly, Jim P. Buttery

Research Article | published 01 Nov 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224702

EPLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 2 Nov 2019)

The association between vaccination confidence, vaccination behavior, and willingness to recommend vaccines among Finnish healthcare workers
Linda Cecilia Karlsson, Stephan Lewandowsky, Jan Antfolk, Paula Salo, Mikael Lindfelt, Tuula Oksanen, Mika Kivimäki, Anna Soveri
Research Article | published 31 Oct 2019 PLOS ONE
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224330

Science
01 November 2019 Vol 366, Issue 6465
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

Research Article
Measles virus infection diminishes preexisting antibodies that offer protection from other pathogens
By Michael J. Mina, Tomasz Kula, Yumei Leng, Mamie Li, Rory D. de Vries, Mikael Knip, Heli Siljander, Marian Rewers, David F. Choy, Mark S. Wilson, H. Benjamin Larman, Ashley N. Nelson, Diane E. Griffin, Rik L. de Swart, Stephen J. Elledge
Science01 Nov 2019 : 599-606 Full Access
The toll of measles on the immune system
Many of the deaths attributable to measles virus are caused by secondary infections because the virus infects and functionally impairs immune cells. Whether measles infection causes long-term damage to immune memory has been unclear. This question has become increasingly important given the resurgence in measles epidemics worldwide. Using a blood test called VirScan, Mina et al. comprehensively analyzed the antibody repertoire in children before and after natural infection with measles virus as well as in children before and after measles vaccination. They found that measles infection can greatly diminish previously acquired immune memory, potentially leaving individuals at risk for infection by other pathogens. These adverse effects on the immune system were not seen in vaccinated children.
Abstract
Measles virus is directly responsible for more than 100,000 deaths yearly. Epidemiological studies have associated measles with increased morbidity and mortality for years after infection, but the reasons why are poorly understood. Measles virus infects immune cells, causing acute immune suppression. To identify and quantify long-term effects of measles on the immune system, we used VirScan, an assay that tracks antibodies to thousands of pathogen epitopes in blood. We studied 77 unvaccinated children before and 2 months after natural measles virus infection. Measles caused elimination of 11 to 73% of the antibody repertoire across individuals. Recovery of antibodies was detected after natural reexposure to pathogens. Notably, these immune system effects were not observed in infants vaccinated against MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), but were confirmed in measles-infected macaques. The reduction in humoral immune memory after measles infection generates potential vulnerability to future infections, underscoring the need for widespread vaccination.

Social Science & Medicine
Volume 241 November 2019
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/social-science-and-medicine/vol/241/suppl/C

Review article Abstract only
Values, challenges and future directions of big data analytics in healthcare: A systematic review
P. Galetsi, K. Katsaliaki, S. Kumar
Article 112533

Vaccine
Volume 37, Issue 47, Pages 6931-7122 (8 November 2019)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/vaccine/vol/37/issue/47

Vaccine Technology VII: Promises and achievements of the Decade of Vaccines
Edited by Amine A. Kamen, Linda H.L. Lua, Tarit K. Mukhopadhyay
Editorial Open access
Vaccine Technology VII: Beyond the “decade of vaccines”
Amine A. Kamen, Linda H.L. Lua, Tarit K. Mukhopadhyay
Pages 6931-6932

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

No new digest content identified.

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 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
The Political Battlefield Of Infections And Migrant Children’s Bodies
Deaths from influenza have occurred among migrant children in detention. Yet the US government is denying them flu vaccination, and recently went to court arguing that children are not entitled to basic sanitation, clean clothes, bathing, and toothbrushes.
By Judy Stone Senior Contributor

Foreign Affairs
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Foreign Policy
http://foreignpolicy.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

The Guardian
http://www.guardiannews.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
Release of Vaxxed sequel prompts fears dangerous propaganda will spread again
Anti-vaccination film to premiere in theatres as several states have been battling against localised outbreaks of measles
31 Oct 2019
Anti-vaccination campaigners are preparing to release the sequel to Vaxxed, the highly contentious film that has been used to spread the unfounded claim that vaccines cause autism and other developmental problems.
Vaxxed II: The People’s Truth will be premiered on 6 November in 50 venues across America. Its producers, led by Robert F Kennedy Jr, are keeping locations secret with tickets sold quietly in advance in the hope of foiling efforts to block the movie.
From 7 November, the film will be taken on the road in the same “Vaxxed” bus that was deployed in 2016 to disseminate the original film, traveling more than 50,000 miles from coast to coast of the US. The movie was a powerful propaganda tool for the anti-vaccination movement, which has seen a surge in recent years within certain religious communities and among parents worried about scientifically unproven so-called “vaccine injuries”.’’

New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
Africa
Exclusive: WHO, Congo Eye Tighter Rules for Ebola Care Over Immunity Concerns
The World Health Organization and Congolese authorities are proposing changes to how some Ebola patients are cared for, new guidelines show, after a patient’s death challenged the accepted medical theory that survivors are immune to reinfection.
By Reuters Oct 31

Business
Merck to Ramp Up Gardasil Vaccine Production, Flags ‘Tempered’ Sales Growth in 2020
Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it intends to ramp up production of its top-selling vaccine Gardasil in 2023 and warned of a slowdown in revenue growth next year as demand for the therapy outpaces supply.
By Reuters Oct 29

Global health
New TB Vaccine Could Save Millions of Lives, Study Suggests
There are 10 million new cases each year of tuberculosis, now the leading infectious cause of death worldwide. Even a partly effective vaccine could help turn the tide.
Oct. 29, 2019
… The new vaccine, made by GSK and now known as M72/AS01E, was tested in about 3,300 adults in Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. All of them already had latent tuberculosis — a silent infection that might or might not progress to active tuberculosis.
Of those who got two doses of the GSK vaccine, only 13 developed active tuberculosis during three years of follow-up, according to the new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. By contrast, 26 of those who got a placebo progressed to active tuberculosis…

Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new, unique, relevant content]

Think Tanks et al

Brookings
http://www.brookings.edu/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new relevant content]

Center for Global Development
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new relevant content]

CSIS
https://www.csis.org/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new relevant content]

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/
Accessed 2 Nov 2019
[No new relevant content]

Kaiser Family Foundation
https://www.kff.org/search/?post_type=pre ss-release
November 1, 2019 Fact Sheet
The U.S. Government and Global Polio Efforts
This fact sheet provides a snapshot of global polio eradication efforts and examines the U.S. government’s role in addressing polio worldwide.

October 29, 2019 Issue Brief
Data Note: Donor Funding for the Current Ebola Response in the DRC
This data note provides the first comprehensive summary of donor funding for the Ebola response in the DRC.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Two out of three wild poliovirus strains eradicated
Global eradication of wild poliovirus type 3 declared on World Polio Day
24 October 2019 – In a historic announcement on World Polio Day, an independent commission of experts concluded that wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) has been eradicated worldwide. Following the eradication of smallpox and wild poliovirus type 2, this news represents a historic achievement for humanity.

“The achievement of polio eradication will be a milestone for global health. Commitment from partners and countries, coupled with innovation, means of the three wild polio serotypes, only type one remains,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization and Chair of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Polio Oversight Board “We remain fully committed to ensuring that all necessary resources are made available to eradicate all poliovirus strains. We urge all our other stakeholders and partners to also stay the course until final success is achieved,” he added.

There are three individual and immunologically-distinct wild poliovirus strains: wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), wild poliovirus type 2 (WPV2) and wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3).

Symptomatically, all three strains are identical, in that they cause irreversible paralysis or even death. But there are genetic and virologic differences which make these three strains three separate viruses that must each be eradicated individually.

WPV3 is the second strain of the poliovirus to be wiped out, following the certification of the eradication of WPV2 in 2015. The last case of WPV3 was detected in northern Nigeria in 2012. Since then, the strength and reach of the eradication programme’s global surveillance system has been critical to verify that this strain is truly gone. Investments in skilled workers, innovative tools and a global network of laboratories have helped determine that no WPV3 exists anywhere in the world, apart from specimens locked in secure containment.

At a celebration event at the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, Professor David Salisbury, chair of the independent Global Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication, presented the official certificate of WPV3 eradication to Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Wild poliovirus type 3 is globally eradicated,” said Professor Salisbury [chair of the independent Global Commission for the Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication].  “This this is a significant achievement that should reinvigorate the eradication process and provides motivation for the final step – the eradication of wild poliovirus type 1. This virus remains in circulation in just two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We cannot stop our efforts now: we must eradicate all remaining strains of all polioviruses.  We do have good news from Africa:  no wild poliovirus type 1 has been detected anywhere on the continent since 2016 in the face of ever improving surveillance.  Although the region is affected by circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses, which must urgently be stopped, it does appear as if the continent is free of all wild polioviruses, a tremendous achievement.”

Eradicating WPV3 proves that a polio-free world is achievable. Key to success will be the ongoing commitment of the international development community.  To this effect, as part of a Global Health Week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in November 2019, the Reaching the Last Mile Forum will focus international attention on eradication of the world’s deadliest diseases and provide an opportunity for world leaders and civil society organizations, notably Rotary International which is at the origin of this effort, to contribute to the last mile of polio eradication. The GPEI 2019–2023 Investment Case lays out the impact of investing in polio eradication.  The polio eradication efforts have saved the world more than US$27 billion in health costs since 1988. A sustained polio-free world will generate further US$14 billion in savings by 2050, compared to the cost countries would incur for controlling the virus indefinitely.

The GPEI is a public-private global effort made up of national governments, partners including the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a broad range of long-term supporters.

WHO DG: Thank you to all who made WPV3-free world possible
DG calls for doubling of efforts to now finish all remaining poliovirus strains
25/10/2019

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Press release
UNICEF and partners provide vaccination against polio and measles for nearly 232,000 children in Syria and Iraq, many affected by violence in northeast Syria
AMMAN, 25 October 2019 – UNICEF and partners have provided polio and measles vaccines for approximately 230,000 children under the age of five in Al-Hasakeh governorate, in northeast Syria, including in collective shelters and camps such as Al-Hol and A’reesha.

Since the latest wave of violence in northeast Syria escalated less than two weeks ago, at least 80,000 children have been forced to flee their homes.

Nearly 4,000 children have fled the violence to Iraq, crossing the border into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq via the Sahela and Al-Waleed border crossings and are now in Bardarash camp in Dohuk, north of Iraq. UNICEF-supported teams are at the border, working with partners to vaccinate children against polio and measles. To date, 2,790 children have been vaccinated against polio and 2,595 children have been vaccinated against measles.

“Nearly nine years of war have caused vaccination levels among children in Syria to plummet from 80 per cent pre-conflict to less than 50 per cent,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “Reaching children who are at high risk for diseases including measles and polio is critical”, he added.

In 2013, a polio outbreak paralyzed 36 children in Syria and another two in Iraq the following year. In response, UNICEF and partners launched the largest ever polio vaccination campaign in the history of the region, reaching more than 25 million children in seven countries, multiple times. No new cases of wild poliovirus have been reported in these countries since.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

PAHO Director in Rio de Janeiro highlights achievements and challenges in vaccine production
Rio de Janeiro, 22 October 2019 (PAHO/WHO) – The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa F. Etienne, highlighted the achievements and challenges of vaccine production during the opening of the 20th General Meeting of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN), today, in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

“I see this Network as a global public good, a network of manufacturers and innovators that have assumed the principle of collective action and solidarity, to protect global health. The vaccines you produce protect and promote the health of millions in this Region (Americas), and globally”, she stated.

The PAHO Director also encouraged the network of producers to continue efforts to invest in new vaccines that have high quality and are affordable.

“And more importantly,” she added, “I urge you to ensure and protect the global supply of the more ‘traditional and well established’ vaccines that are becoming less attractive to produce commercially.”

Maurício Zuma, Director of the Instituto de Tecnologia em Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz) and co-chair of the Network, said the meeting aims to share experiences and discuss capacities, financing, supplies, regulatory issues, alliances, partnerships, innovations, among other topics.

“Our vaccines have prevented the spread and export of several diseases and saved millions of lives each year. It makes us proud. But we are aware of our responsibility and we know that innovation is key to our survival in the long term,” he said…

The Minister of Health of Brazil, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, announced during the event that after three years of discontinuation of yellow fever vaccine exports, Brazil will resume its capacity to supply its domestic demand and provide vaccines to other countries. Between 2017 and 2018, the country had yellow fever outbreaks and suspended its vaccine exports, focusing all its production for the Brazilian population. “Another important step we are taking, which is in the final stages of modeling, is the construction of the Health Biotechnology Industrial Complex. It will be a multiple platform that can produce different types of vaccines, quickly responding to domestic needs”, said Mandetta.

The Developing Countries Vaccine Manufactures Network (DCVMN) annual meeting runs until October 24, with the participation of experts from 14 countries. The event addresses topics such as technological advances, equitable access to vaccines around the world, regulatory issues and strategies, current industry challenges with an emphasis on developing countries, and partnership opportunities…

Established in the year 2000, the DCVMN network currently includes 50 vaccine manufacturers in 17 countries and territories, producing and supplying over 40 different types of vaccines in several presentations, totaling around 200 products.