DocuBase Article: Trading Away Access to Medicines – Revisited

DocuBase Article: Trading Away Access to Medicines – Revisited.

From the abstract

Tuesday, 13th January 2015
Trading Away Access to Medicines – Revisited
Source: Oxfam International

From Summary:

The failure of the current pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) system is revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) alert about the lack of effective medicines to address antimicrobial resistance, and the absence of a treatment for the deadly Ebola virus that is ravaging communities in West Africa at the time of writing.

While low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have being suffering from a lack of access to medicines for years, European public health systems have become unable to bear the burden of expensive new medicines. The rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is affecting all people, but is more acutely hitting developing countries that are still struggling with the unfinished business of communicable diseases. Meanwhile, European health systems, badly hit by austerity measures, are under pressure to deliver more with less money, against a backdrop of rising medicine prices.

The European Union (EU) could play a leading role in improving pharmaceutical innovation and access to medicines around the world. However, the European Commission (EC) has implemented a trade agenda that favours the commercial interests of the multinational pharmaceutical industry over the health of people in LMICs. Such trade policies have triggered an outcry from European citizens, experts and organizations, who are asking for the public interest to be prioritized in trade discussions.

Opening statement

Bacteria Present In Abundance In Public Restrooms

 

Figure 4. Results of SourceTracker analysis showing the average contributions of different sources to the surface-associated bacterial communities in twelve public restrooms.

The “unknown” source is not shown but would bring the total of each sample up to 100%.

From the 27 November 2011 Medical News Today article

Everyone wonders what bugs might be lurking in public bathrooms. Now researchers are using novel genetic sequencing methods to answer this question, revealing a plethora of bacteria all around, from the doors and the floors to the faucet handles and toilet seats, with potential public health implications, as reported in the online journal PLoS ONE.

Led by Gilberto Flores and Noah Fierer of the University of Colorado, Boulder, the researchers investigated 12 public restrooms, 6 male and 6 female, in Colorado. Using a high-throughput genetic sequencing technique, they identified various bacteria on all the surfaces they tested. The floor had the most diverse bacterial community, and human skin was the primary source of bacteria on all surfaces. Interestingly, there were a few differences between the bacteria found in the male versus female bathrooms.

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