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Government-Controlled Research and Development - A recipe for disaster -
Richard Tren & Roger Bate
The proposed research and development (R&D;) treaty being discussed at the World Health Assembly during the week of May 22 could end up harming those it aims to assist. Public-private partnerships, which are already delivering drugs and treatments and showing promise in vaccine development, offer a far better model to address diseases. Greater state and bureaucratic control of R&D; will not deliver results, especially given the need to deploy unique private-sector testing and development facilities. A range of market-friendly proposals to encourage research is likely to deliver practical solutions.
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Brazil's AIDS Program - A Costly Success -
Richard Tren & Roger Bate
Richard Tren & Roger Bate comment on Brazil's AIDS Treatment program which has achieved some notable successes, but potentially reduces research into new AIDS medicines and could result in large long term costs down the line. |
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AFM testimony to the US Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works -
Roger Bate & Richard Tren
Download the testimony given by AFM's Roger Bate and Richard Tren to the US Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works. The hearing, chaired by Sen. Inhofe (R, OK) was set up to look at the role of science and environmental policy - what better case study than DDT? |
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State in Fear - Zimbabwe's Tragedy is Africa's Shame -
Archbishop Pius Ncube, Dr Roger Bate & Richard Tren
Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube, Dr Roger Bate and Richard Tren report on the horrific abuses of human rights by Mugabe's police and military. The authors call on the G8 leaders to exert pressure on African leaders, such as President Mbeki, to condemn Mugabe's regime and support the return of peace and democracy in Zimbabwe. |
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AFM's Comment on the WHA Malaria Resolution -
AFM
The World Health Assembly recently passed a resolution on malaria control. The WHO and UNICEF also recently published their World Malaria Report. AFM comments here on some aspects of the resolution and report. |
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Senate Hearings on USAID -
The Senate Hearings on USAID's involvement in malaria control led to significant challenges to the agency's activities. Download the testimonies from USAID, Senator Sam Brownback, Professor Amir Attaran and AFM's Dr Roger Bate here. |
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Taxed to Death -
Roger Bate, Richard Tren and Jasson Urbach
AFM publishes a working paper on the degree to which import tariffs, taxes and bureaucratic procedures block access to essential medicines in poor countries. See the latest version of this ongoing study here. |
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Despotism & Disease -
Richard Tren & Roger Bate
Africa Fighting Malaria report on the destruction of the Zimbabwean healthcare sector and the probable impacts on the entire region. Download the pdf version of this report here. |
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Ugandan Study Highlights Best Drug Combinations for Treating Malaria in Africa -
The Lancet
Results of a randomised trial from Uganda in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that the drug combination of amodiaquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine might offer the optimal treatment for malaria in terms of efficacy and cost-effectiveness in this region. The study also shows that the drug combination of chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine—the recommended first-line treatment in Uganda—is far less effective than other drug combinations. |
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Climate Change and Malaria -
Indur Goklany - with response from Sir David King
Indur Goklany offers some fascinating insights into climate change, malaria, poverty and development. Sir David King, the UK Government's chief scientific adviser gives a predicable response. |
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The Real Obstacles to Sound Treatment of AIDS in Poor Countries -
Roger Bate & Richard Tren
Writing for the American Enterprise Institute's Health Policy Outlook, Bate and Tren explore some of the reasons for low drug access in poor countries. Despite promises of cheap or free antiretroviral drugs, Bate and Tren argue that access to treatment in poor countries is abysmally low because of a lack of infrastructure, political indifference, excessive bureaucracy and taxes and tariffs. |
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South Africa's War Against Malaria - Lessons for the Developing World -
Richard Tren & Roger Bate
The Cato Institute published Richard Tren and Roger Bate's analysis of South Africa's recent history with malaria control. They argue that its policy on DDT use and Artemesinin based combination therapy provide excellent examples for other malarial countries. |
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SA's Leading Malaria Researchers Support DDT Use -
South Africa’s leading malaria control experts, researchers and doctors support and endorse the use of the insecticide DDT to control malaria. Their statement is released in light of recent claims that DDT is harmful to human health and should be removed from South Africa’s malaria control programme. |
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South African Malaria Data -
SA Dept of Health
November 2003 - the malaria statistics show that malaria is still well under control in South Africa. A recent epidemic in the Limpopo Province was primarily caused by late spraying and poor case management. |
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South Africa Malaria Data -
SA Dept of Health
The latest data on malaria cases and deaths from South Africa show that the country's policy of indoor residual spraying with DDT (among other insecticides) and the use of artemesinin based combination therapy is working. KwaZulu Natal, traditionally the province with the worst malaria and the centre of the recent epidemic has only recorded 1 malaria death this year! |
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South Africa Malaria Statistics -
Dept of Health
The 11th Dept of Health Malaria Update shows the latest number of confirmed cases and deaths from malaria in the three malarial provinces of South Africa. |
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Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow -
Dr. Roger Bate
This paper analyses trends in drug development using data from the drug industry association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Worryingly, the findings suggest that far fewer AIDS drugs are in development compared to several years ago, and at a time when drug development for other communicable diseases is increasing. There are several probable explanations for this phenomenon, but the least benign is the likelihood that continual pressure group and media attacks on the industry over pricing of drugs in Africa has reduced incentives for development of new AIDS medicines |
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American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Health Policy Outlook July - August 2004
The Real Obstacles to Sound Treatment of AIDS in Poor Countries.
Roger Bate & Richard Tren
Over 42 million people are suffering from HIV/AIDS. According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), of the 27 million Africans who are sick, fewer than 150,000 are receiving treatment. The causes of this are myriad, but the lack of political will, infrastructure, trained staff, and more generally lack of wealth are the prime causes of lack of treatment.
At the UNAIDS conference in Bangkok beginning July 12, aid and health agencies must continue to promote methods of prevention of HIV/AIDS and focus attention on how treatment can be improved, particularly for the poorest victims. Over two years have been lost in wasted political effort trying to weaken drug patents despite the fact that patents rarely hinder access to drugs. Unless UNAIDS changes its focus to the real causes of lack of treatment, millions more preventable deaths will occur in the coming decade.
Download the PDF document here.
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