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May212025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

FDA Grants Limited Approval to Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine for High-Risk Groups Only

Latest News

GHealth News - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval to Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine, but with limited use: it's only approved for adults 65 and older, or for those 12 to 64 with underlying health conditions that raise their risk from COVID-19. Previously, Novavax’s vaccine had emergency use authorization for all individuals 12 and older. Unlike mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which are fully approved for those 12+ and authorized for children as young as 6 months, Novavax uses a more traditional protein-based approach, making it unique among available options in the U.S. The FDA did not explain the reasoning behind the unusual restrictions, though the decision aligns with skepticism from Trump administration officials, including Health Secretary R...

May192025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO at World Health Assembly: Nations Spend on War, But Not on Health

Latest News

GHealth News - At the opening of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that millions are losing access to essential healthcare due to deep funding cuts affecting over 70 countries. Clinics are closing, health workers are being laid off, and patients are facing rising out-of-pocket costs. The WHO itself is facing a $600 million budget shortfall and expects a 21% funding reduction over the next two years. With the United States scaling back support, China is set to become the organization’s largest financial contributor. Dr. Tedros called on nations to realign their priorities, stressing that defense spending continues to eclipse investment in global health security. "Countries spend vast sums protecting themselves against attac...

May152025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Germany Reaffirms Commitment to Global Health at Parliamentary Breakfast

Latest News

GHealth News - A new legislative period has begun, bringing with it both challenges and opportunities for Germany’s global health leadership. Against this backdrop, Global Health Hub Germany hosted a morning Parliamentary Breakfast on May 15, where parliamentarians and representatives from eight diverse stakeholder groups came together in Berlin. The goal: to discuss how Germany can actively shape and strengthen its role in global health governance. During the discussion, a central theme emerged, the value of sustained investment in global health. Over the past five decades, global health efforts have led to tangible improvements, including increased life expectancy and a decline in maternal and child mortality. One striking example: every dollar spent on vaccination yields an estimated...

May122025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Novartis Ensures Continued Malaria Drug Production Despite Aid Challenges

Latest News

GHealth News - In a powerful commitment to global health, Novartis has announced it will continue producing life-saving malaria and leprosy medicines, even if orders stop due to global aid funding cuts. Speaking to Reuters, Dr. Lutz Hegemann, President of Global Health at Novartis, stressed that the company will not be the bottleneck in access to essential treatments. Despite the unstable future of key funding sources like the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and broader donor pullbacks, Novartis will maintain its annual output of 28 million malaria treatments at not-for-profit pricing. It will also continue donating leprosy drugs through the WHO. Beyond supply, Novartis is ramping up its R&D investment in neglected tropical diseases, doubling its pledge to $490 million by 202...

May102025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Bill Gates Will Close Gates Foundation by 2045, Give Fortune to Global Health

Global Health

by Alice Park - Time Magazine So far, 2025 has been a terrible year for global health. The Trump Administration is slashing funding to a number of international programs; closing down USAID, the government’s major aid development arm; and withdrawing U.S. membership from the World Health Organization. But a glimmer of hope arrived on May 8, when Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, announced that he will be infusing the struggling field with most of his fortune—$200 billion, which he built after creating Microsoft—to be spent by 2045. He also plans to close down the foundation at that time. Since Gates and his former wife, Melinda French Gates, created the foundation 25 years ago, the organization has contributed more than $100 billion to global causes, primar...

May42025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

China Pushes Back on Lab Leak Claims, Suggests Covid-19 Originated in U.S.

COVID19

GHealth News - In response to renewed U.S. allegations that Covid-19 originated from a Chinese lab, China released a white paper asserting the virus may have emerged in the United States. The document, published by Xinhua, criticized the U.S. for politicizing the pandemic's origins and emphasized that a joint WHO-China study found a lab leak to be “extremely unlikely.” China also accused the U.S. of ignoring international concerns and cited claims that Covid-19 may have appeared in the U.S. before the official timeline. Meanwhile, the CIA recently assessed with “low confidence” that a lab origin in China is more likely, though it noted both lab and natural origins remain possible.

May32025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Deadly Link? Abbott, Mead Johnson Baby Formulas Under Fire

NCDs

GHealth News - A U.S. federal judge ruled that expert testimony claiming Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson's cow’s milk-based formula for premature babies can cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a deadly intestinal disease, will be allowed in upcoming trials. This decision affects over 700 lawsuits consolidated in Chicago federal court. However, in a separate ruling, the judge dismissed the first scheduled case, stating the plaintiffs failed to prove that Abbott’s lack of warnings caused the infant’s death or that a safer alternative formula existed. Despite this setback, plaintiffs' attorneys see the expert testimony ruling as a win for continuing litigation. The lawsuits allege the companies failed to warn about NEC risks, which predominantly affects premature infants and has a ...

Apr292025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

FDA Requests New Trial for Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Amid Delayed Approval

COVID19

GHealth News - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Novavax to conduct a new clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine, delaying the company's bid for full approval, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The request comes after intervention by appointees under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sparking uncertainty around the shot’s future. Novavax, which uses a protein-based vaccine platform as an alternative to mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, said its application remains "approvable" and it awaits further FDA feedback. The company is negotiating a smaller, more affordable study and noted its commitment to meeting the agency’s post-marketing requirements. The delay follows missed regulatory deadlines and internal FDA change...

Apr262025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 – New Delhi, India

Global Health

GHealth News - The World Health Summit (WHS) Regional Meeting 2025 is currently taking place in New Delhi, India, from April 25 to 27, marking a historic milestone as India hosts this prestigious gathering for the first time. Organized under the overarching theme "Scaling Access to Ensure Health Equity," the summit aims to foster international dialogue and cooperation to address some of the most pressing challenges in global health today. The WHS Regional Meeting 2025 brings together over 400 leaders from academia, politics, the private sector, and civil society, representing more than 100 countries. With the goal of advancing health as a fundamental human right, the discussions center around creating sustainable health systems, promoting innovation, and ensuring equitable access to hea...

Apr162025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Global Community Reaches Historic Deal on Future Pandemic Response

Global Health

GHealth News - The World Health Organization (WHO) has finalized the text of a legally binding treaty aimed at strengthening global preparedness and coordination for future pandemics. This agreement, years in the making, seeks to prevent the kind of disorganized global response seen during the COVID-19 crisis. Key points of the treaty include: Faster sharing of disease data to help speed up the development of vaccines and treatments. WHO oversight of global PPE supply chains to improve distribution during crises. A requirement for pharmaceutical companies to reserve 20% of pandemic-related products, 10% donated to WHO and 10% sold at affordable rates. Voluntary technology sharing with low-income countries to support local vaccine and drug production. A new system, the Pa...