In the past, it would take at least 15-20 years for new vaccines to become available in poor countries. Advance Market Commitments (AMCs) for vaccine purchase aim to incentivise vaccine manufacturers to provide new vaccines at an affordable price to poor countries. The first AMC aimed to support the development and availability of pneumococcal […]
Archives for August 2012
Rio +20: The Role of Business
In the week following the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held over 20-22 June in Brazil, The Guardian published two stories on the role of big business in sustainable development. In one article, Kirsty Jenkinson and Manish Bapna argue that business needed to be more proactive and committed to the issue of sustainable development. […]
Lesotho Riders for Health
By Paul Dillon This year’s 19th International AIDS Conference concluded in the last week of July—amongst discussions on the exciting developments over the past year in the efficacy of new HIV prevention methods, including male circumcision, pre-exposure prophylaxis and treatment as prevention, there were also much-needed discussions on how policy makers and organisations can implement […]
“Twitter Troll” Brouhaha at the Olympics
The striking thing about Twitter is how it is sometimes a facilitator for not only breaking news but, in many of the cases, for creating it. Well, now we can add yet another Twitter-based debacle to the list for 2012, though this one has the additional nuance of treading into the tricky terrain of free […]
Second Life (James Snodgrass): Let’s Start at the Very Beginning
James Snodgrass, associate at Baird’s CMC, has a special interest in vaccination programmes in underdeveloped parts of the world. In fact, he has a personal link with Sub-Saharan Africa. His parents were diplomats, which meant the family was posted in different countries all over Africa during James’ childhood. “I was born in South Africa, and […]