About: health access

Climate change rivals Ebola at World Health Summit

Climate change is expected to cause 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050, affecting the poorest countries with weak health care systems - a global challenge that rivaled Ebola as one of the top issues at the World Health Summit in Berlin this week. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Medical innovation: Changing an ailing system

The system for medical innovation is broken. The number of people struggling to obtain or afford essential medicines is rising at a dangerous pace. There must be a radical overhaul, said experts at a European Parliament hearing on Thursday (18 November).

Parliament to press for patient ‘health literacy’

New EU rules designed to improve medical information available to patients will fail unless levels of health literacy are improved across Europe, MEPs and health campaigners warn.

EU takes initiative on access to drugs for developing countries

The Commission calls on changes to the WTO patent rules, to ensure that also the poorest countries can have access to generic drugs.

Paving the way for better global public health

At a Forum Europe Conference in Brussels, the pharmaceutical industry discussed with NGOs and EU decision makers what the Union can do to improve access to health care in the developing countries.

EU launches international research programme to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis

At a conference organised by the Spanish Presidency in Barcelona on 19 April 2002, Commissioner Philippe Busquin launched the first phase of the "European-Developing Countries Clinical Trials Programme" (EDCTP). The programme aims to encourage research on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, in order to speed up the development and production of vaccines and drugs.

Commission calls for changes in drugs patent rules for developing countries

The EU has presented a proposal to the WTO concerning access to medicines for developing countries that do not have the capacity to produce them themselves.

Doha: poor countries get better access to medicines

Negotiators at the Doha Summit in Qatar reached a compromise agreement on the issue of poorer countries' access to medicines. This breakthrough seems to be smoothing the way for further constructive talks. Progress was made on other dossiers (agriculture, environment) so that optimism grew over the possibility of reaching, before the end of the Summit on Tuesday 13 November, an overall agreement to start a new global trade round.