About: medicines

Commission must bring healthcare to the fore

Given that the current European Commission has not prioritised healthcare, it looks as though it is up to the European Parliament to push the agenda, writes Denis Horgan.

By playing doctor, the UN may kill the patient

The United Nations High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines does not address the actual problems of developing countries, such as inadequate infrastructure and shortage of medical staff, writes Dr. Barbara Kolm.

Stop taxing the sick

The world’s sick and vulnerable should have access to affordable medicines in emerging and developing countries, which should lead an international liberalisation effort, argues Rod Hunter.

Antibiotics: Preserving a precious resource

Antibiotics are a precious resource but they are often wasted on treating cold and flu's, with the dangerous effect that bacteria can develop resistance to them, writes Dr. Fidelma Fitzpatrick. However, there are many things policymakers and healthcare professional can do to preserve the efficacy of antibiotics, she says.

Standardisation and healthcare services do not mix

Draft EU legislation seeks to bring services under the European standardisation system, with a view to improving their free movement in the single market. Yet in the case of healthcare, such standardisation threatens patient safety, says Dr Konstanty Radziwill.

ACTA and access to medicines: flawed process, rationale and agreement

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been characterised by a flawed process of negotiations based on a flawed rationale, which has resulted in a flawed agreement, argue Sophie Bloemen and Tessel Mellema from Health Action International Europe. One of the concerns now is that – designed to be a global norm-setting instrument - ACTA could deter generic competition of medicines around the world.

Killing the cures

The effect of biodiversity loss on the possibility to make medicines is being neglected, write Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, lead authors of Sustaining life: How human health depends on biodiversity and Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and the UN Environment Programme's executive director.

Trusting Brands in Society – The Quality and Value of Modern Medicine

One of the arguments this report formulates is that there is a "real and urgent need to rebuild trust between people and the medicines they use" at a time when medicines are "highly safe" and "hugely beneficial" to personal and public healthcare.