💉 The AVMA begins to make some moves; The AMA welcomes one more endorsement; $50 million to fight AMR
#552 | A new weapon against malaria; Africa's battle against cholera; Exercise, not genes, is what affects ageing
Hello, and welcome back to The Kable for your favourite weekly round-up of everything that's shaking in the life sciences. Although quaking and creaking might be more apt descriptors of the state of our world right now.
But first, some good news. Zambia this week became the 29th African Union member state to endorse the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty. A welcome step forward in operationalising the AMA, and one that can't come a day too soon for Africa.
In further good news from Africa, Uganda, which recently reported its eighth Ebola outbreak, has discharged all patients and declared the outbreak over. Only one person is known to have died in this latest outbreak. Uganda also announced plans to include malaria vaccinations in the country's routine immunisation program from April onwards.
The WHO's Africa office also released an update on Sierra Leone's response to an ongoing mpox outbreak, with plans afoot to source vaccines "in the coming weeks."
The WHO, with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, also launched the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines, which intends to medicines to at least 5,000 young cancer patients. At launch, the program plans an initial deployment of meds to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, with follow-up plans including shipments to Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal, and Zambia.
Elsewhere, the WHO has announced that it intends to continue the mass polio vaccination campaign it had begun in Gaza last year, emboldened no doubt by how diligently Israel is sticking to the terms of the "ceasefire" it agreed upon.
In Malaysia, the media is reporting a "leprosy outbreak" in two villages in Negeri Sembilan. The story, however, doesn't make it sound like leprosy. And what is a leprosy outbreak even?
Let's cast an eye over bird flu, shall we? In the US, yet another human has tested positive for bird flu. Officials in the US have also given a conditional nod to vaccinating poultry. In Canada, they've ordered 500,000 doses of a bird flu vaccine for humans from GSK with the intent to start vaccinating at-risk humans. Good plan in theory. However, this particular vaccine was manufactured using an inactivated version of the H5N1 virus grown in fertilised chicken eggs. There are at least two other variants in circulation affecting humans. And the scale at which bird flu has decimated livestock, especially poultry, in the past two-and-some years means that we don't really have enough eggs to produce this vaccine at scale. In case there's a pandemic, you know. How bad is the egg situation, you ask? Well, in the US, they're importing 15,000 tonnes of eggs from Turkey. Over in India too, the nation's apex lab is asking private companies to collaborate on a vaccine for humans, citing bird flu's "pandemic potential."
Speaking of India, two Indian drugmakers have issued recalls in the US while two others have received warning letters and import alerts from the US FDA. Ah, the comfort of routine.
Elsewhere, the Gates Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Wellcome just launched a $50 million initiative called Gr-ADI to tackle antibiotic resistance caused by dangerous bacteria, bringing together researchers and companies to develop new drugs. This is part of a bigger $300 million effort to address global health issues, especially in poorer countries, focusing on things like infectious diseases, climate, and nutrition.
In the US, apparently, words like woman and disabled are banned in healthcare contexts.
And finally, 7 trillion tonnes. That is how much ice glaciers around the world have lost to accelerating climate change in this millennium. Yay.
Stories Of The Week
Make in Africa is happening. Gavi just announced new deals to boost vaccine manufacturing across the continent, marking a huge step toward self-reliance in healthcare. These partnerships aim to strengthen local production, create jobs, and ensure faster, more equitable access to life-saving vaccines. These announcements are the first to emerge from The African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), launched in June last year with a massive $1.2 billion in funding.
Egypt's EVA Pharma is teaming up with European partners - DNA Script, Quantoom Biosciences, and Unizima to create Africa's first end-to-end mRNA vaccine platform, aiming to produce up to 100 million doses annually. This collab seeks to enable rapid response to infectious disease outbreaks and support routine immunisations. The other deal announced by Gavi is a partnership between Egypt's Biogeneric Pharma and South Africa's Afrigen which will see the companies expand their existing mRNA partnership.
(Gavi)
We've seen this movie before. Africa’s battle against cholera is facing a major setback, with outbreaks resurging due to chronic underfunding and fragile water and sanitation systems. The continent had set an ambitious goal to eliminate the disease by 2030, but with over 240,000 cases and 4,000 deaths reported in 2023 alone, that target seems increasingly out of reach. Countries like Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique have been particularly hard-hit, grappling with limited access to clean water and overwhelmed healthcare facilities. Cholera, a disease that thrives in poor sanitation conditions, continues to disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, and while emergency interventions—such as vaccine rollouts—offer short-term relief, they are not a sustainable solution. The crux of the issue is long-term investment: funding for improved water and sanitation infrastructure remains woefully inadequate, leaving millions at risk. Experts warn that without substantial and sustained financial commitments, Africa’s dream of eliminating cholera will remain just that—a dream. A reminder, if one were needed, that global health crises don’t just fade away; they require relentless effort, resources, and political will to solve.
(SciDev)
What's up? Not oxygen, for sure. A new report by The Lancet Global Health Commissiohighlights the urgent need to address the global medical oxygen gap, which affects over half the world’s population, including 374 million people annually who require oxygen for acute and chronic conditions. The report calls for national roadmaps, affordable pulse oximeters, and stronger health systems to ensure equitable access, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where less than one in three people receive the oxygen they need. The report also calls upon governments worldwide to develop National Oxygen Plans (hehe) by 2030, collaborate with industry (hehehe), and integrate oxygen access into broader health strategies (hehehehe), ensuring no one is left behind in this critical healthcare effort.
(The Lancet Global Health)
Cheers. Now put that glass away. Recently, the US Surgeon General had called for cancer risk warnings on alcohol labels. Now, the WHO has raised concerns about the widespread lack of awareness regarding the link between alcohol consumption and cancer in Europe, a region where alcohol causes approximately 800,000 deaths annually. A recent WHO survey revealed that only 15% of participants recognized alcohol as a risk factor for breast cancer, and just 39% associated it with colon cancer. In response, the WHO is advocating for clear, tobacco-style warning labels on alcoholic beverages to inform consumers about these risks. The alternative is relying on industry self-regulation and we all know that the alcohol industry, in particular, is over-burdened with a conscience. Only the tobacco lobby might have a stronger conscience, in fact.
(WHO)
Pharmacy of the world. A new study has raised serious concerns about the safety of generic drugs manufactured in India, finding that they are linked to 54% more severe adverse events—including hospitalisations, disabilities, and deaths—compared to those made in the US. The research, published in Production and Operations Management, highlights key differences in drug quality assurance practices between emerging economies like India and advanced economies like the US, particularly for mature generic drugs that have been on the market for a long time. Researchers analysed data from 2,443 generic drugs and found that 93% of those from emerging economies were produced in India. The study is unique in directly linking adverse drug events to the manufacturing facility, offering a rare, large-scale analysis of pharmaceutical quality. Experts suggest that as older drugs become cheaper, intense competition to reduce costs may lead to supply chain and operational compromises that impact drug safety.
(The Economic Times)
Breakthroughs
Bye-bye malaria? Malaria remains a devastating global health threat, with over 247 million infections and more than 600,000 deaths in 2022 alone, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. With the parasite Plasmodium falciparum constantly evolving and developing resistance to existing treatments, researchers are racing to find new ways to combat it. Now, new research by a multinational team has uncovered a promising new antimalarial strategy—targeting the parasite’s gene regulation through epigenetic inhibition. Their study, published in Nature, identifies PfSnf2L, a key chromatin remodeler that controls gene expression across different stages of the parasite’s life cycle. By inhibiting this regulator, the team discovered a highly specific compound that kills P. falciparum without affecting human cells. This breakthrough not only introduces a new class of antimalarial drugs but also offers hope for tackling drug resistance, potentially enhancing existing treatments and preventing the parasite from adapting. Given malaria’s relentless ability to evolve, targeting its fundamental gene regulation mechanisms could be a game-changer in long-term disease control.
(Nature)
Bottom line
Burn, baby, burn. A new study says that in many urban slums across the Global South, impoverished households are resorting to burning plastic waste as a fuel source for cooking and heating. This practice stems from the scarcity of affordable and accessible energy options, compelling families to use readily available plastic materials despite the severe health and environmental hazards involved. Risk to health? Well, not much apart from to respiratory issues, neurological disorders, and an increased risk of cancer. Risk to the environment? Air and soil contamination, adversely affecting local ecosystems. With global plastic consumption projected to triple by 2060, and with rapid, unmanaged urbanisation in developing countries, this crisis is not going away anywhere soon. Not unless governments actually intervene.
(Nature)
Stop blaming your genes. A groundbreaking study has revealed that environmental factors—such as lifestyle choices, socioeconomic status, and living conditions—have a significantly greater impact on health, ageing, and premature death than genetics. The study found that environmental exposures accounted for 17% of the variation in mortality risk, compared to less than 2% explained by genetic predisposition. Among the most influential factors, smoking was linked to 21 diseases, socioeconomic conditions to 19, and physical activity to 17. Notably, 23 of these key factors are modifiable, meaning interventions could substantially reduce health risks. The research also highlights how early-life exposures—such as childhood body weight and maternal smoking—can influence ageing and disease risk decades later.
(Nature Medicine)
Long reads
Tunnel 12. We have been big fans of Devex over at The Kable and love their reporting and coverage of the development world. But even we weren't prepared for this fascinating dive into the origin of Rwanda's Marburg outbreak last year.
(Devex)
On a wing and a prayer. Uganda's response to its latest Ebola outbreak was quite stunning. Even more stunning was how it managed to launch a vaccine trial in the middle of an outbreak. A new interview showcases exactly how global collaborators pulled this off.
(Global Health NOW)
Of coffee pods and more. Where CEPI details all the various sources of inspiration in its quest for a 100-day vaccine to respond to pandemics.
(CEPI)
Pharmacy of the world indeed. A stunning exposé by BBC Eye about an Indian pharma firm that is driving an opioid addiction crisis across West Africa.
(BBC)
Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.