Access campaign

COVID-19: Diagnostic company Cepheid charging four times more than it should for COVID-19 tests

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GENEVA – Given the urgent global need for rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests to deal with the continuous spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls on US diagnostics firm Cepheid to allocate its COVID-19 tests (Xpert Xpress SARS-COV2) equitably and affordably across all countries. MSF called on Cepheid to refrain from profiteering … Read more

Access to medicines: Governments must scale up better TB treatment as J&J drops crucial drug price

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NEW YORK/GENEVA – The pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has announced a reduced price of US$1.50 [1] per day for the tuberculosis (TB) drug bedaquiline, which is an important step that should allow more people with drug-resistant forms of TB (DR-TB) to access this lifesaving drug. But the price should come down further and be … Read more

COVID-19 vaccine: 6 recommendations for equitable access

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We’re in a time of unprecedented mobilisation to tackle COVID-19. We’re in a time of unprecedented mobilisation to tackle COVID-19. Governments and philanthropies have contributed billions to the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines, while Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has recently launched a new fund – the COVAX Facility – to make advance purchases of COVID-19 vaccines. … Read more

MSF: Any future COVID-19 vaccines must be sold at cost and accessible to all

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Governments must attach strings as they pledge billions to pay for vaccines in developing countries Geneva — Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urged leaders to demand pharmaceutical corporations commit to selling any potential future COVID-19 vaccines at cost, as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, prepares to launch a global mechanism to negotiate with corporations on … Read more

COVID-19: MSF calls for no patents or profiteering on COVID-19 drugs, tests, and vaccines

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GENEVA/NEW YORK — Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for no patents or profiteering on drugs, tests, or vaccines used for the COVID-19 pandemic, and for governments to prepare to suspend and override patents and take other measures, such as price controls, to ensure availability, reduce prices and save more lives. Already, Canada, … Read more

5 barriers from Big Pharma preventing people getting lifesaving TB drugs

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Tuberculosis (TB) is not a disease of the past. Every year, 1.5 million people die of it – that’s more than 4,000 people every day. But pharma companies are not providing the SOLUTION as you might expect.  Here we list 5 BARRIERS which pharma corporation Johnson and Johnson (J&J) and other Big Pharma are creating that … Read more

Access to medicines: MSF demands review of USTR Special 301 report on trade barriers

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In a letter to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on 6th February 2020, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/Doctors Without Borders submitted comments to the review process of USTR’s 2020 Special 301 Report and raised concerns of the public health impact of this practice. USTR had called for comments from stakeholders for their 2020 Special 301 Report. … Read more

MSF: Global vaccines community must urgently support roll out of new more affordable pneumonia vaccine

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Global vaccines community must do everything it can to help introduce the new, more affordable pneumonia vaccine in all countries, especially middle-income countries Barcelona – As governments and the global vaccines community gather this week at the first ever Global Forum on Childhood Pneumonia in Barcelona, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urges Gavi, the … Read more

Access to medicines: As J&J release earnings, MSF protests price of lifesaving TB drug

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As J&J release earnings, MSF protests price of lifesaving TB drug in front of New York Stock Exchange New York, 22 January 2020—Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) protested in front of the New York Stock Exchange in New York today, demanding the pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson (J&J) make the tuberculosis (TB) drug bedaquiline available for … Read more

Access to medicines: Gavi must ensure more children get new, more affordable pneumonia vaccine

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Geneva, 21 January 2020 — As Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, starts to commemorate its 20th year and launches a new fundraising appeal, the international medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stressed that more must be done to make sure the 55 million children who do not have access to the pneumonia vaccine … Read more