UN Health Update #58
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UN Health Update #58 Multilateral Consulting, LLC November 1, 2017 UN HEALTH UPDATE #58 NOVEMBER 1, 2017 Table of Contents WHO Breaks Precedent with New Leadership Team ............................................... 1 Female majority, inclusion of conservatives in line-up WIPO Showcases Agency’s Work, Highlights IFPMA Project .................................. 5 At Assemblies: committees report, "Pat-INFORMED" presented “Montevideo Roadmap” Issued by Leaders at WHO NCD Confab .......................... 8 High-level attendance at October Uruguay meeting WHO Establishes High-Level NCD Commission ..................................................... 9 Headed by Sania Nishtar, will include Peruvian president WHO Issues GCM/NCD Progress Report ............................................................... 9 Aims to achieve Global Monitoring Framework's 9 targets WHO EURO, LSE Scholars: Hurdles are Prices, IP ............................................... 10 Slams failure to implement HLP recommencations, including "punishment' Comments Submitted on WHO GPW 2019-2023 ................................................... 10 Lays out D-G's vision and priorities; NGOs make suggestions PAHO Elects Carissa Etienne to 2nd Term .............................................................. 12 Directing Council takes up usual list of topics Regional Director Presides Over First/Last EMRO Meeting .................................. 12 Ministers debate range of pressing challenges WPRO Takes Up Broad Range of Issues ................................................................ 13 Health Promotion a major discussion topic The Union World Conference Highlights TB ......................................................... 14 Guadalajara confab highlights access issues, new products UN Agencies Launch “HIV Prevention 2020 Road Map” ....................................... 15 Global HIV Prevention Coalition to cut new HIV infections by 75% by 2020 EDCTP, WHO AFRO, TDR Fund Implementation Research .................................. 15 New partnership to strengthen research capacity in Africa New Research, Projects Launched for World Sight Day ........................................ 16 "Lancet" study, two new financing mechanisms A Legal Innovation to Address Firms’ Access Challenges? .................................... 16 Special contribution from Michele Forzley, JD, MPh UNHRC Convenes Annual Social Forum ............................................................... 17 New this year: heads of UN agencies present Meetings & Events Held ........................................................................................ 19 Forthcoming Meetings & Events ........................................................................... 21 People ................................................................................................................... 22 Briefs ................................................................................................................... 24 Multilateral Consulting LLC NOT FOR CIRCULATION OUTSIDE COMPANY i UN HEALTH UPDATE #58 NOVEMBER 1, 2017 WHO Breaks Precedent with New Leadership Team On October 3, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the appointment of 14 senior officials to fill posts at the agency’s Geneva HQ. The group represents 14 countries, including all WHO regions. Nine of the appointees are women, the first time ever women have outnumbered men in senior posts at a UN agency, leading several observers to suggest that global health perspectives are bound to change. “The Lancet” on October 14 said the announcement “has brought additional and valuable momentum to the renewal of WHO.” In a departure from the agency’s usual practice, two of the appointees are conservatives. With one exception, the appointees replace Chan administration officials who held approximations of those positions. Included in the new top management team are two posts of particular interest to the industry: • Dr. Mariângela Batista Galvão Simão (Brazil), Assistant Director-General for Drug Access, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals (DAP)—the same acronym used for the program’s first iteration: Drug Action Program. It appears that the remit of this new group is focused more precisely on the pharma industry matters than that of her predecessor, Marie-Paule Kieny, who was ADG for Health Systems and Innovation. Several of Kieny’s very broad responsibilities have been assigned to other ADGs in the new lineup. Most recently, Batista Galvão was Director of Community Support, Social Justice and Inclusion at UNAIDS. Between 2006 and 2010, she served as Director of the National STD/AIDS (NAP) and Viral Hepatitis Department in the Brazilian Ministry of Health, where she led price negotiations with pharmaceutical companies to lower the price of HIV medication. During this time, she also represented the Brazilian Ministry of Health in the 2006 negotiations that led to the constitution of UNITAID, where she served as a board member until 2008. She told the “NEJM”, in May 2006, that Brazil may issue compulsory licenses for some imported drugs, as “It’s possible and it’s legal.” In her work she has always emphasized the role of human rights and the importance of working with civil society. She was trained as a pediatrician in Brazil and holds an MSc degree in public health from University of London (now University College), UK. From her background in advocating for lower prices and in questioning IP protections, it seems likely that the new DAP ADG will present significant challenges for innovative pharma companies. • Dr. Svetlana Akselrod (Russia), Assistant Director-General for Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, succeeding Oleg Chestnov. She brings more than 15 years of experience in public health coordination and global health diplomacy. Prior to this role, Dr. Akselrod was Coordinator at the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, where she oversaw WHO’s regional work to prevent and control NCDs in eastern Europe and the central Asian countries. In addition, she served as Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Public Affairs within the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation between 2012 and 2016, and represented Russia at the WHO Executive Board and the WHA. In July, Axelrod, then-Coordinator of Integrated Country Support Programs at the WHO Europe NCD Office in Moscow, received an award for achievements in international health policy from Vladimir Putin. Akselrod was named in time to lead WHO participation in the October 18-20 Global Conference on NCDs in Montevideo, Uruguay, and the agency’s preparations and role in the UN High-level Meeting on NCDs next year. She recently tweeted, “Health is not a lottery for those who can afford it—it’s a human right.” The new ADG is trained as a pediatrician and holds a doctorate degree in public health, as well as a diploma in international law. In a departure from custom, the D-G appointed two Deputies Director-General to free up the DG’s time to play political leadership and build coalitions: • Dr. Soumya Swaminathan (India), Deputy Director-General for Programs (DDP). A pediatrician and a globally-recognized researcher on tuberculosis and HIV, she brings 30 years of experience in Multilateral Consulting LLC NOT FOR CIRCULATION OUTSIDE COMPANY 1 UN HEALTH UPDATE #58 NOVEMBER 1, 2017 clinical care and research and has worked throughout her career to translate research into impactful programs. The Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) touted her remarks on World IP Day 217, at which she spoke about how innovation can give a boost to public health in the country. In an interview with an Indian publication following her WHO appointment, she stated, “India will be at the back of my mind while addressing public health issues.” Swaminathan holds a MBBS from Armed Forces Medical College (India) and MD from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, along with a Diplomate of National Board from National Board of Examinations. She subsequently held a Post-Doctoral Medical Fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonology at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. • Jane Ellison (UK), Deputy Director-General for Corporate Operations (DDC). A Conservative Party politician, she has more than 30 years of experience in politics, commerce and change management in both the public and private sectors, including as Treasury Minister, an MP and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health from 2013-2016. Prior to her career in government, she worked in the private sector (John Lewis Partnership, LLP), where she was involved in several change management programs. Ms. Ellison has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University. The other appointments are: • Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer (Germany), Chef de Cabinet and Assistant Director-General. Since 2013, he has served as WHO’s representative in China. Before the position at WHO-China, Schwartländer held the positions of: Director for Evidence, Policy and Innovation at UNAIDS in Geneva; UN Country Coordinator on AIDS in Beijing; Director for Performance Evaluation and Policy at the Global Fund and Director of the WHO HIV Department, and Director of Evaluation and Strategic Information at UNAIDS. In 2000, Schwartländer undertook a special assignment at the World Bank to perform economic analyses on the cost and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Schwartländer is