TED Talks: James Nachtwey raises public awareness of XDR TB

Photodocumentator James Nachtwey shares powerful images taken by his camera as he travels to Thailand, Siberia, India and other places around the world. He reminds us of the tragedy of tuberculosis and the threat of the extensively drug resistant variety.

TED Talks: James Nachtwey fights XDRTB

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Philippine tech transfer act signed into law

The Office of the Philippine President has officially enacted RA 10055 (An Act Providing the Framework and Support System for the Ownership, Management, Use, and Commercialization of Intellectual Property Generated from Research and Development Funded by Government and for Other Purposes), or simply the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009. It was signed by President Arroyo last March 23,2010 at the Malacanang Palace.

The law stipulates the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, and all related agencies to come up with implementing rules and regulations (IRR) to establish the system for technology transfer in the Philippines.

Said act will enable government-funded researches by local public and private R&D institutions to have government-aided commercialization prospects through the creation of a Technology Licensing Office. The law also encourages all R&D institutions to set up their own tech transfer units.

read its entire length: Republic Act 10055 (pdf)

Increased Availability Accelerates Drug Resistance

Noble efforts to increase accessibility of drugs for TB, malaria, and HIV to the developing world has yielded a dreaded side effect: increasing drug resistance.

In the newly published report, "The Race Against Drug Resistance" by the Center for Global Development, a non-governmental organization based in Washington, data reveals that millions of children die in developing countries each year from drug resistant diseases, and the death toll and dollar costs will continue to rise.

Rachel Nugent, chair of the expert working group of this report, quips, "Drug resistance develops naturally, but careless practices in drug supply and use are hastening it unnecessarily".

read full article: Combating Drug Resistance

download CGD report: CGD. 2010. against drug resistance

ASEAN harmonizes pharmaceutical standards, to benefit consumers

Member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to harmonize existing pharmaceutical regulations in the region, with the aim to help free trade in the region. Delegates from all over ASEAN convened at the 16th ASEAN consultative committee for standards and quality-pharmaceutical product working group (ACCSQ-PPWG) meeting in Manila last May 25-29, 2009. This is in alignment with the objective of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).

Scare study raises measles, mumps incidence in UK

The Economist writes how a single published case series in Lancet in 1998 was ballooned by media hype and stirred doubt among Britons on MMR vaccine effectivity. In the following years, cases of measles and mumps spiked in England. After a decade, the link between MMR vaccination and behavioral disorder has not been proven, and Dr. Wakefield was struck off the UK medical register in May 2010.

read full Lancet report: Wakefield, et al. 1998. Lancet; 351: 637–41.

read full Economist article: A nasty rash: The epidemiology of health scares

Involving the Corporate Sector in Disease Control

The Economist writes that the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC) believes in the increasing importance of public-private partnerships (PPPs). No government or NGO in the developing world will succeed in fighting HIV, malaria, or TB on its own. One successful PPP model was initiated with Pfizer's network of sales reps and Washington DC's health department. Indeed, to quote, "at the end of the day, it is everybody’s business”.

read full article: Altogether now: Enlisting business to fight HIV

TED Talks: Whitesides invents lab on a chip

Traditional lab tests for disease diagnosis can be too expensive and cumbersome for the regions most in need. George Whitesides' ingenious answer, at TEDxBoston, is a foolproof tool that can be manufactured at virtually zero cost.

George Whitesides: A lab the size of a postage stamp





Material reposted from TED.com under the Creative Commons license.