Cardiovascular disease 🫀 is the world’s biggest killer, representing 32% of all global deaths.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. 🧵 1/11
#Hypertension is a “silent killer” as most people with hypertension are not aware of their diagnosis. 2/11
Treatment for hypertension involves multiple steps and medicines which make it difficult for patients to follow through and manage their treatment.
The price of medicines is also a major challenge in some places. 3/11
Combination medicines which would make treatment simpler for patients and healthcare providers alike exist and are recommended by @WHO.
So why are they not widely used?
4/11
In @MSF projects, more than three-quarters of patients need two or more #hypertension medicines.
The introduction of single-pill combinations into these projects, however, has been a challenge. 5/11
The🆕report "Under Pressure", explains why this is the case and identifies what @WHO, donors, member states, civil society, and pharmaceutical industry can do to help improve access to single-pill combinations. msfaccess.org/hypertension-r…
6/11 @ResolveTSL@CHAI_health@worldheartfed
The report has the following major findings:
⚡️Generic hypertension medicine prices vary substantially across the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) studied. 7/11
⚡️Despite being recommended by WHO, single-pill combination medicines are often unavailable or unaffordable to patients, even though estimates have shown that combination pills can cost less to produce. 8/11
⚡️ At current prices, many LMIC governments do not offer affordable and safe essential medical treatment to people living with hypertension. 9/11
“With less than 10% of people living with hypertension having their blood pressure controlled in low- and middle-income countries, we need to simplify how we deliver hypertension treatment.” 10/11
What needs to be done?
Governments need to prioritise single-pill combinations and promote transparency around the pricing of anti-hypertensive drugs.
How?
For more details, read the report “Under Pressure”
Focusing on diversifying mRNA vaccine production is important, because moving low- and middle-income countries toward self-sufficient vaccine production would make countries and regions better prepared for future pandemics and increase global vaccine supply, if needed.
mRNA technology – a gamechanger in the COVID pandemic response – is relatively easy to modify and faster to manufacture than traditional vaccines.
It’s also a promising option for future vaccines for other diseases and could be key for pandemic preparedness.
🧵THREAD: @CepheidNews has said it will reduce the price of its #COVID19 test from US$19.80 to only $14.90 for low- and middle-income countries. MSF demands Cepheid release the test's cost of production to justify this still-too-high price.
Here’s why⬇️
1⃣ There have been multiple alarms from countries that the unaffordable price of Cepheid’s test is hindering their COVID-19 response, and $14.90 is still too high for many countries in which MSF operates.
2⃣ @MSF research has shown GeneXpert testing cartridges can be produced and sold at a profit for <$5. So, at $14.90, Cepheid is selling the #COVID19 test for 3 times more than what it costs to manufacture it.
THREAD: MSF has experienced first-hand positive and negative impacts of voluntary licenses on access to the medicines we provide to people in our care and beyond.
Here are some things you should know about voluntary licenses & access to medicines 👇
Did you know that pharma companies often restrict to where and to whom a generic drug can be sold?
This happens via private contracts, meaning that people are denied #AccessToMedicines due to geographic limitations decided in secret agreements.😤
Did you know that during public health emergencies, governments have legal ways to override patents and produce or import any generic drug without the consent of the pharma company that owns the patent?
THREAD: During this pandemic, treatment providers and governments have faced shortages of #COVID19 drugs, test reagents, masks, and ventilator valves caused by corporations controlling supply using patents, trade secrets or other IP.
We compiled examples of such shortages⬇️
Example 1- Impact of intellectual property barriers on #COVID19 drugs.