Private Sector and Pandemic Preparedness: Beyond the $$

by awpain, posted in APHA IH Section, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Infectious Disease

The global health community knows that the world is unprepared for the next influenza pandemic. While public health practices have come a long way in terms of preparedness since the 1918 Spanish flu, which killed around 50 million people, we are still far from ready for an outbreak of that scale today.

According to PreventEpidemics.org, more than 100 outbreaks occur daily and can be spread worldwide in just 36 hours because of increased global travel. The cry for better pandemic preparedness is loud (Bill Gates, Margaret Chan, former director of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Robert Redfield, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director) but is only being heard in certain circles; and the global health community needs the message to get out more broadly, especially in the private sector. 

The bottom line

Disease outbreaks, even if they only occur within a country or region, affect everyone and negatively impact the global economy. A World Economic Forum/Boston Consulting Group report stated that epidemics have negative impact on the private sector by impacting their employees, customer bases and operations. 

The World Bank projects that a large pandemic will cause an average annual economic loss of 0.7 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) or $570 billion USD. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic resulted in an economic loss of 0.14 percent of GDP, or $1.09 billion USD, and the Ebola epidemic in 2014 resulted in an economic loss of $2.2 billion USD in GDP, threatening macroeconomic stability, food security, human capital development and private sector growth across West Africa. 

The private sector is no stranger to making financial contributions for pandemic preparedness and response. In 2014 the private sector contributed $500 million USD to the Ebola outbreak response, and these days the private sector can financially assist in pandemic preparedness through the World Banks’ Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF). However, while financial contributions are always needed there are other ways the global health community can engage the private sector to improve pandemic preparedness.

More than money

In 2018, the WHO surveyed member states to assess global pandemic preparedness and found levels of preparedness to be “far from optimal” even among high and middle income countries. Based on these survey results the WHO identified several areas for improvement in regards to preparedness, four of which are particularly advantageous for private sector partnerships.  

  1. Conducting simulation exercises to test pandemic plans

The Institute for Disease Modeling (IDM) is one example of a private sector partnership to assist in pandemic preparedness. IDM’s Epidemiological MODeling software simulates the spread of disease to help determine the combination of health policies and intervention strategies that can lead to disease eradication. There are a number of other modeling and simulation tools available for pandemic preparedness, however, some of these tools require financial and/or technical resources not available to a global health organization. Private sector companies that use, or produce modeling software could be favorable partners for testing preparedness plans, since these companies already have the modeling skills to use the software and interpret results. 

      2. Establishing mechanisms to secure access to vaccines during a pandemic

There are two notable private sector partnerships already working to secure access to vaccines, GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) are both working on improving vaccine supply chains and healthcare infrastructure in low-and middle income countries in order to increase access to routine vaccinations, as well as secure access to vaccines during a health emergency.

       3. Preparing mechanisms to conduct risk communications and community engagement during a pandemic

There is also potential for collaboration with the private sector in regards to risk communications and community engagement. Social media companies already have platforms to engage large audiences, as well as lucrative business platforms to sell ideas, information and products. Engaging people in preparing for and acting appropriately during a pandemic will require persuading an audience – something social media companies have already mastered.

      4. Establishing SOPs to conduct systematic influenza risk assessments using surveillance data

Several consulting companies offer pro bono services, such as Deloitte and PwC. Consulting  firms have the business acumen to offer services that could help design effective pandemic SOPs for multilateral organizations, country governments and agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations working on pandemic preparedness. 

Building these private sector relationships needs to happen now, and not in the midst of the next outbreak. Mutually beneficial partnerships will ultimately help the private sector, the global health community as well as the entire population when, not if, the next pandemic occurs.

Global News Round Up

by ihsection, posted in APHA IH Section, News

Politics & Policies

A new study by WHO, published in Lancet Global Health, found that investing $6 billion per year in eliminating hepatitis in 67 low- and middle-income countries would avert 4.5 million premature deaths by 2030, and more than 26 million deaths beyond that target date.

There isn’t a single country in the world with 100 per cent universal health coverage. All global health systems have room to improve. But UHC as it has been held up as a UN goal leaves much to be desired.

A new KFF online resource tracks more than 30 bills introduced in the current Congress that would affect global health policy.

Programs, Grants & Awards

The United States government announced US$45 million in funding to respond to the critical food security situation in the upcoming lean season between October 2019 and March 2020 in Zimbabwe.

There is a great deal of institutional interest among health professions students in joining global health programs, with more than 25% having participated during their training. However, when programs rely on short-term fixes to long-standing infrastructure and resource deficits, some of the world’s most vulnerable, poor patients can be exploited.

European University Alliance for Global Health has been launched with a press conference in Paris. Part of the European Universities alliances receiving funding by the EU Commission to collaborate across borders, the network is composed of five international partners.

Research

Visceral leishmaniasis infects an estimated 300,000 people annually and causes 20,000 deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers antimicrobial resistance to be one of the 10 threats to global health in 2019. 

Malaria, one of the world’s leading killers, could be eradicated as early as 2050, according to a new report published by The Lancet Commission on malaria eradication.

Diseases & Disasters

Measles is proving fatal at an alarming rate, far faster than Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The Bangladeshi government has confirmed another five deaths from dengue fever, bringing the total number of fatalities in the country since January to 23, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) reported Tuesday.

Malaria has killed more than 1,800 people in Burundi this year, the UN’s humanitarian agency says, a death toll rivalling a deadly Ebola outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Obesity is a growing problem in many countries around the world. Obesity is reaching further into Mexico and costing their citizens and healthcare system millions of dollars.

Technology 

It is hard to get much of a reputation if nobody knows you’re around, and that has definitely been the case for mycoplasma genitalium, the tiny bacteria estimated to be more prevalent than the bug that causes gonorrhea but is almost completely off the public’s radar.

Technology designed to intercept online extremism is being deployed to tackle vaccine misinformation.

Environmental Health

Common ingredients in the cleaning sprays for your kitchen and bathroom make mice less fertile, suggesting the compounds could do the same to humans, according to a new study.

Ocean heat waves, which can push out fish, plankton and other aquatic life, are happening far more frequently than previously thought, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The climate crisis represents the biggest threat to the future of global health over the next quarter of a century, according to a survey of top medical professionals.

 

Equity & Disparities

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has published a report, Examining Inequality, on how the world is doing. In short, it’s not great. It’s even worse if you are a girl.

The darkening clouds are ominous for many in this urban neighborhood in Kampala, promising rushing rainwaters stinking of human waste from overflowing septic tanks.

 

Women, Maternal, Neonatal & Children’s Health

UNICEF and the World Food Programme provide food and nutrition aid to North Korean children—but a lack of funds, fueled by political tension and the US-led strategy of pressure and isolation of North Korea, have limited their reach.

New Zealand’s government announced that it plans changes to the country’s abortion laws that would treat the procedure as a health issue rather than a crime.

 

World Suicide Prevention Day 2019

by hanstewart, posted in APHA IH Section

Author’s Note: This article discusses suicide and may be triggering for individuals with lived experience. While resources will be presented later on, this website has a list of country specific resources for those who need them. If you or someone you know is struggling with passive or active suicidal ideation, please reach out for help. 

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline in the USA is 1-800-273-8255.

Every 40 seconds someone, somewhere in the world, takes their own life. That amounts to over 800,000 deaths per year. On September 10th each year, World Suicide Prevention Day, the world comes together to reflect on the lives lost and bring suicide prevention to the forefront of the conversation. 

What Suicide Looks Like Around the World

Like most things in global health, there’s no single causal factor and no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Preventing suicide globally will require an understanding of the way individual, interpersonal, societal, and cultural factors interact to affect suicidality. High income countries, on average, have higher rates of suicide than low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), with the exception of LMICs in South-East Asia where the regional suicide rate is the highest in the world (17.7 deaths per 100,000 people). While rates may be higher elsewhere, suicide isn’t just a problem for high-income countries. The majority of suicides actually occur in LMIC settings, highlighting these countries as important stakeholders in the global conversation around suicide. 

Image Credit: World Health Organization (WHO)

Like the rates themselves, at-risk sociodemographic groups vary from region to region. Suicide is the second leading cause of death, globally, for young adults (18-29 years of age). Middle aged men in high-income countries generally have a higher risk, while adolescents and aging adults in LMICs are more likely to take their lives. 

Globally, males are 2-3 times more likely to complete suicide than women. This has long been blamed on differences in care seeking behaviors and socially acceptable coping mechanisms deemed acceptable for different genders. But it’s important to keep in mind that women are generally more likely to experience suicidal ideation and more likely to attempt suicide. Men, however, have historically used more lethal methods of suicide and more likely to take measures to prevent intervention. 

The means of suicide attempts vary drastically and adapt to environments. Pesticide poisoning accounts for about one-third of global suicides. Almost all of these deaths occur in rural subsistence farming communities. Self-inflicted firearm injuries account for a large proportion of suicides in the Americas. Urban contexts with much stricter firearm regulations, such as Hong Kong and Singapore, experience a higher number of deaths related to jumping from buildings and bridges. 

What We Can Do

Suicide may look differently depending on where we sit on a map, but the truth remains that the pain and suffering that causes and is caused by suicide cuts across every sociodemographic variable and exists in every corner of the world. Despite its inclusion in both the WHO’s Mental Health Action Plan and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (Target 3.4), suicide remains a low-priority agenda item for policy-makers worldwide. Only about 40 countries currently have national strategies or action plans in place to respond to suicide, and even fewer of these are in LMIC settings where the majority of suicides occur. 

While national strategies with government engagement will be crucial to eliminating suicide, suicide prevention requires multisectoral and multilevel approaches that treat suicide as the complex public health problem that is. It is the community and the individuals close to a victim of suicide that will suffer the most in the aftermath and have the most power in targeted prevention efforts delivered to the individual. 

Primary care professionals, especially those serving communities that are underserved by specialists, can and should be more familiar with using depression screeners like the Patient Health Questionnaire or Beck Depression Inventory to assess suicidality in the exam room. Educators can advocate for school-based intervention and encourage (not punish) help-seeking behaviors. And while we can’t all be psychiatrists, suicide crisis line volunteers, or counselors, we can all be kind people to those around us. Use today to raise awareness for the issue. Educate yourself (and others) about suicide prevention resources available in your community. As friends and family members, we can all do a better job of dismantling the stigma around mental health and identifying when those close to us are experiencing acute stress or grief that may serve to trigger or exacerbate existing suicidality. 

Where we live might affect what suicide looks like, who is at risk, and how often it happens. Our professional roles may dictate at what level we help break the cycle. But today is a reminder that we are all responsible, as stewards of humanity, for reducing the number of suicides in our world. In the time it took you to read this article, five people will have taken their own life. Every suicide death is one too many, so now is the perfect time to consider: what will YOU do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

Looking for a starting point? I’ve compiled a wealth of resources that may be helpful, in addition to the links embedded in the text throughout the article. 

Helping Individuals At-Risk:

List of International Suicide Crisis Lines
Learn the Signs Factsheet (Take 5 to Save Lives)

Helping Someone in Crisis (Take 5 to Save Lives)

Find a Mental Health First Aid Course (USA)

Suicide Prevention: A Resource for General Physicians (Available in Multiple Languages)

Get Involved in World Suicide Prevention Day:

Download and post a WSPD banner in your native language

“Light a Candle” for victims and survivors of suicide

Post on social media using the hashtags: #wspd, #suicideprevention

Data:
Look up your country’s suicide rates. 

Suicide Factsheet (WHO)

Suicide Prevention: A Global Imperative (WHO)

World Suicide Prevention Day Fact Sheet (IASP)

National Prevention Strategies:
Does your country have a national action plan for suicide prevention? 

National suicide prevention strategies: progress, examples and indicators (WHO)

Evidence based strategies for safer access to pesticides (WHO)

Realizing the full potential of pharmaceutical industry partnerships

by awpain, posted in APHA IH Section, Pharmaceuticals

Successful partnerships between pharmaceutical companies and global health organizations have been increasing access to medicines and vaccines since the 1970s. From early partnerships in the Expanded Program on Immunization, to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance and Access Accelerated the research-based pharmaceutical industry, which spends over $149 billion on research and development (R&D) every year, has an important role to play in global health.

Over the last 50 years the pharmaceutical industry has learned that global health is about more than just medicines and vaccines, and with the integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals, public-private partnerships are increasingly important. According to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, the industry understands that global health requires building and supporting strong health systems, developing public health education and strengthening standards and regulations. This is why in 2018, 17 out of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies (accounting for 70 percent of global pharmaceutical revenues) developed a business strategy, supported by goals and targets, to address access to medicines in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to an Access to Medicine Foundation report. 

Good, but not good enough

However, much of the increased access to medicines has been made by a small percentage of pharmaceutical companies, and has overwhelmingly been focused on a handful of diseases. Of the 20 companies assessed by the Access to Medicine Foundation report, five companies (GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck KGaA, Novartis and Sanofi) were found to be conducting 63 percent of R&D on products urgently needed by people in LMICS; and nearly all of the R&D from these companies was focused on five diseases: malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. 

While overall, pharmaceutical companies are entering LMIC markets, the industry still puts profits first.  Between 2008 and 2018 more medicines for profitable non-communicable diseases were developed for people in high-income countries, than medicines for diseases of poverty. Additionally, only four out of 20 pharmaceutical companies supported international trade agreements designed to ensure the world’s poor benefit from innovative medicines and vaccines. 

Closing the gaps

Public perception does matter to the pharmaceutical industry. According to the Reputation Institute, between 2017 and 2018 the pharmaceutical industry saw a 3.7 percent decline in its reputation score, and overall the industry had a significant decline in the public’s perception of industry transparency, openness and authenticity. The decline of public trust and confidence in the industry has also led to a decline in the public’s willingness to buy by eight percent between 2017 and 2018. One way to improve company reputation is through global health partnerships, and with recent negative media attention on the industry, between the opioid epidemic and price-fixing drugs, it is no secret that the industry could use a reputation boost.

So how can the global health community capitalize on this? The Access to Medicines Foundation has an effective recipe for engaging pharmaceutical companies in global health: one, setting clear priorities endorsed by global health experts; two, advocating for publicly funded mechanisms to reduce investment risk and shape less profitable markets; and three, finding sustainable funding support from multiple donors, including the government. One example of a mutually beneficial partnership is GAVI, which used pooled procurement mechanisms to encourage pharmaceutical companies to enter fragile markets in LMICs to strengthen the global vaccine market. 

In 2018 the reputation scores for the top 22 pharmaceutical companies were made public, creating an opportunity for global health organizations to engage poorly ranked companies. Global pharmaceutical sales are expected to reach over $1 trillion by 2022, so resources for global health partnerships are abundant, and organizations should consider targeting partnerships with companies impacted by negative public perception; turning a bad reputation into increased affordable access to life-saving medications. 

 

Perspectives on Global Health from Pharmacists Around the World, Part Two

by pragmaticsolidarity, posted in Pharmaceuticals, Policy and Advocacy

As healthcare continues to morph and adapt based on the requirements of kind, compassionate, evidence-based care, pharmacists are playing a vital role in ensuring patients needs are met in countless regions across the earth. In this four-part IH Blog series, the pharmacy role accompanied by profession-related challenges and pharmacist-led global health initiatives will be explored within a profession that is often underappreciated. The following perspectives, shared by practicing pharmacy professionals from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Cambodia, and the United States of America (USA) aim at highlighting various aspects of healthcare that should be properly addressed by governmental bodies, NGOs, and all stakeholders by both sustainable political will and empowering solutions. 

This second installment focuses on medication quality in each of these areas and the thoughts that pharmacists from these respective nation states have been willing to share with IH Connect.

The onset of the biomedical and synthetic medication era brought with it a formerly unknown hope for the betterment of humanity’s health. The introduction of antibiotics like the beta-lactam class, vaccinations to completely eradicate diseases like smallpox, medications with unique mechanisms of action to regulate hypertension and diabetes, and more recently, targeted oncology medications to successfully attack cancer cells have all contributed to vastly improving patient care across the globe. However, with this tremendous advancement, novel complications have arisen that have plagued health care professionals in devastating arenas. For the pharmacy profession, specifically, the quality of medications has emerged as an additional concern in the treatment and dispensing process. Although a majority of nation states have regulatory bodies to monitor the quality of medications, low quality medications frequently find themselves in the hands of patients. This often leads to substandard care, furthers health inequalities, creates distrust in healthcare workers, promotes drug resistance, and damages the solemn promise every health care professional strives to follow – to properly care for those afflicted with various ailments. The perspectives and ideas that are shared in the following text explores medication quality throughout various parts of the world and initiatives that aim at addressing this determintental issue. 

Dr. Moeung Sotheara, Ph.D. 

Clinical Research Assistant & Part Time Lecturer – University of Health Sciences

Phnom Penh, Cambodia 

Access to high-quality medicines in many countries is largely hindered by the rampant circulation of counterfeit and substandard medicines. The use of counterfeit and substandard medicines represents a worldwide public health concern, and its prevalence is particularly high in developing countries. In Cambodia, the Ministry of Health reported in 2001 that 13% of medicines were spurious/falsely labeled/falsified/counterfeit, with 21% being substandard and 50% unregistered.

This crisis affects commonly used lifesaving medicines such as antibiotics, analgesics and anti-parasitics. The impact of poor-quality medicines is enormous ranging from increased adverse effects to increased morbidity and mortality. Poor-quality antimicrobials in particular has led to multi-drug-resistant malaria and bacterial infections which result in a huge burden for the country’s health sector. The high prevalence of poor-quality medicines has possibly contributed to the loss of confidence in health systems and health workers due to repeated treatment failure.

Among the reasons for the high rate of fake drugs in Cambodia are corruption, weak law enforcement, poverty and high sales taxes with self-medicating being often the driving force behind counterfeit drug markets. Counterfeit drugs mostly enter Cambodia through illegal drug outlets. The counterfeiting of drugs in Cambodia usually appears in the form of finished pharmaceuticals imported from neighboring countries, rather than the counterfeiting of bulk drug ingredients. This is due to the country’s lack of manufacturing capacity. Substandard drugs on the other hand are the result of limited implementation of good pharmacy practice regarding the distribution and the storage of pharmaceuticals which results in the deterioration in medicine quality.

Efforts have been made by the Cambodian government to tackle this problem. In 2015, the Cambodia Counter Counterfeit Committee (CCCC) was established and has been in charge of tracking counterfeit and substandard medicines circulating in the country. In 2018, the CCCC confiscated 138 types of illegal goods and substandard medication in 10465 packages from a pharmaceutical company in the capital city, Phnom Penh. The government is also working with its neighbors to decrease the number of fake drugs smuggled across the borders of Southeast Asia. Non-licensed drug outlets have been gradually disappearing, especially in the capital, either due to closure or accreditation, resulting from a strengthening of regulatory efforts. These initiatives are supported by pharmacists in communities by creating a front line against the distribution of counterfeits in the Kingdom through educating the public about the dangers of fake pharmaceuticals. 

Nazgul Bashir, B. Pharm

Registered Pharmacist – Super Care Pharmacy

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Maintaining a healthy environment, reducing the healthcare cost, and using effective treatment options are all linked to medication quality. In any community, city, or region there are countless investments undertaken to improve the quality of healthcare overall. The Institute of Medicine defines health care quality as “ The degree to which healthcare services for individuals and populations increases the likelihood of desired health outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.”

More specifically, medicine quality has two major roles: patient safety and effectiveness of treatment. Consuming a poor quality medicine will not only increase the risk to patient safety, but will hinder the proper treatment of patient. This can cause a patient to suffer more and increase the cost of treatment. Being a pharmacist and dispensing a low quality medication will also result in losing a patient’s trust. Since pharmacists have the role of dispensing medications, it is vital to ensure the medicine is in highest quality.

Quality of pharmaceutical products, mainly medicines, poses a serious challenge to the entire healthcare sector including drug manufacturers, distributors and dispensing pharmacists. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the influx of fake or counterfeit medicine is a major concern in the market over all the globe.

Medicine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is manufactured so that medications go through systematic quality checks which are checked and re-checked several times while maintaining records in order to avoid any health hazard, Quality assurance teams then conduct self inspection or hire a third party to undertake inspections. The health regulations make sure that medicine distributed meet the standards of the listed quality and accepted internationally. On the other hand, imported medicines have similar criteria for safety and quality management. 

In order to further address low quality medications, the UAE Ministry of Health unveiled a new machine to detect imported drugs and inspect fake or counterfeit drugs. This machine is known as the TruScan RM Analyzer. It’s high tech detector is used to identify low quality drugs that pose health threats to the community. The device is helpful for chronic disease medicines such as diabetes, heart problems or even cancer drugs. The TruScan RM Analyzer also helps inspection regulators in the country to make informed and timely decisions for the release of drug shipments which are entering the country. In addition, UAE has been fighting the spread of low quality medicines in the country by taking many measures like high quality control labs and research on medicines and healthcare products.

Dr. Bryce Adams, Pharm D., RPh.

Oncology Medical Science Liaison

Washington D.C., United States of America

In the United States, the quality of medications isn’t commonly considered in the process of treating a patient. This is because of laws and regulations that are in place to ensure the quality of the medication. However, this wasn’t always the case. Up until 1906, there was no law requiring medications to be pure. That changed in 1906 with the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act. This required medications to be labeled correctly and to meet purity standards put forth by the United States Pharmacopeia. 

This act greatly improved the quality of medications produced in the United States as manufacturers were required to list the ingredients that are used in the creation of medicine, and the ingredients and manufacturing process must meet certain standards. However, there is still a market for counterfeit medications as patients search for ways to reduce the cost of medications. It is estimated that 19 million US citizens purchase medicine outside of the current regulated system (e.g. from unlicensed sources such as foreign online pharmacies).  One recent example is with counterfeit Avastin, an anticancer drug, that was found to have no active ingredient. Another example is the recent opioid epidemic. Street drugs are being laced with fentanyl leading to increased overdoses and mortality. 

Recently, there have been discussions to allow for greater importation of medications into the United States. While this could potentially reduce the cost of medications, it could also increase the risk of counterfeit medications. Medications originating from outside of the United States makes it harder for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the quality and purity of medications. 

Patients in the United States can reduce the risk of receiving counterfeit medications by picking up their medications from their local pharmacy and can feel comfortable knowing those medications are of high quality. If cost is an issue, a patient can discuss their options with the pharmacist. There may be a cheaper alternative or an assistance program that can help offset the cost of the medication.