The World Health Summit (WHS) has been there for a while, but the edition of 2024 was my first one: I joined the more than 3,500 participants from 140 countries, squeezed in the JV Marriott in Berlin, and tried my best to navigate the different sessions. Sometimes I got stranded in front of an already-full room or an “invitation-only” event...

Sanctions are political and economic measures that are part of the political and diplomatic response against states or organizations that threaten international law. They are meant to restore international law, promote peace and security, discourage human rights violations, and put an end to extremist behavior. Sanctions can be imposed by state...

Opioid analgesics are essential medicines, needed for treating acute and chronic pain. Morphine, methadone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, codeine and fentanyl are all listed in the WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines. However, being “attractive” for illicit use and abuse, they are also listed as “controlled substances” under the Single C...

In 1994, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade  (GATT), a provisional organization that had been providing the rules for world trade since 1948, was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Marrakesh Agreement  formally established the WTO. Under normal circumstances, only specialists would be familiar with this document. Howeve...

Early May, a review paper on Ebola published in the New England Journal of Medicine triggered some controversy, being authored by researchers from high-income countries only. Among  other things, the review reminded us that safe burial practices that respect cultural values are needed to prevent Ebola transmission during traditional funerals. T...

Attending the 4th Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Information (PPRI) Conference in Vienna last month (23-24 October), allowed the first author of this blog to revisit issues surrounding the unequal access to medicines, from the perspective of a health economist. Further discussion with the second author, a pharmacist highly concerned by...

Twenty years ago, the world was facing a morally unbearable situation. On the bright side: there was – at last – an effective treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Patients in high-income countries could benefit from the antiretroviral tri-therapy, and their life-expectancy was restored. On the negative side: this therapy was, d...