In September 2015, the World Health Organization revised its antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment guidelines for people living with HIV, calling for a “test-and-treat” strategy and extending treatment eligibility to all people diagnosed with HIV regardless of CD4 white blood cell count. This recommendation reversed earlier guidelines that limited treatment to patients with lower CD4 counts […]
CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell that protect the body from infections. HIV targets and destroys CD4 cells, and the medical community has long used an HIV-infected person’s CD4 count to determine the severity of their disease and their eligibility to receive antiretroviral therapy (ART). In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) […]
From 2010-2014, Black Americans were nearly three times more likely than white Americans to be killed by police—accounting for more than 40 percent of victims of all police killings nationwide—and five times more likely than white Americans to be killed unarmed. Beyond the immediate consequences for victims and their families, police killings can also affect […]
The rapid scale-up of antiretroviral treatment (ART) for HIV in sub-Saharan Africa starting in the mid-2000s is one of the largest public health achievements in recent history. By suppressing viral replication, ART reduces disease progression and infectiousness in people living with HIV. Initiation of ART at an early disease stage also results in a lower […]
Billions of dollars are invested annually in pharmaceutical research and development to identify medications that are as effective as existing drugs but with fewer side effects. Currently, there are over 30 antiretroviral drugs in development to help treat and prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Most of these drugs seek to improve clinical outcomes by […]
The 1994 Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) removed the option for member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to exclude pharmaceutical patents. It also required members to introduce other limitations on pharmaceutical competition, such as protection for ‘test’ data submitted to support regulatory approval. Concerns have been raised that […]
Ever since the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) set a new global benchmark for intellectual property (IP) rights in the 1990s, civil society groups have raised concerns about the impact of trade agreements on access to medicines. One such trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), was a proposed regional trade agreement […]
International trade agreements negotiated over the last two decades have included many provisions affecting domestic health policy, such as regulations surrounding direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA). Recent trade agreements negotiated by the United States incorporate provisions that may constrain national regulation of DTCA. There is growing concern about the risks posed by DTCA of prescription pharmaceuticals, including […]
Noncommunicable disease (NCD) morbidity and mortality present one of the largest threats to social and economic development in the 21st century. The World Health Organization (WHO) presents a framework on NCD policy that places the responsibility on individuals and their lifestyle choices. While the WHO has advocated for more complex and comprehensive approaches to NCD […]
Japan’s recent role in promoting the expansion of intellectual property rights (IPR) in regional trade agreements signals a shift in the landscape once dominated by the United States (US) and European Union (EU). Japan was a latecomer to the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) but has played a key role in attempting to revive the […]