Insights

The ‘Infuuts’ © Prinses Máxima Centrum voor Kinderoncologie Health economists often estimate the costs and outcomes of medical interventions, such as new treatments or vaccines. A key part of such evaluations is quantifiability - costs and outcomes must be measurable to assess their value. Although this may seem simple on paper, the process is quite a challenge in practice. Many medical interventions that reduce morbidity and mortality involve complex mechanisms, long-term ef

The landscape of international development has undergone a fundamental transformation in recent years, shifting from traditional donor-recipient relationships to sophisticated investment partnerships driven by measurable returns. This evolution reflects a growing recognition that sustainable development requires more than aid flows; it demands strategic investments that generate both social impact and financial returns. Modern development assistance increasingly employs comme

Alongside payers becoming increasingly aware of maximising value for money, innovators in the healthcare landscape face increasing demands on the evidence needed for commercial success.  For you the early-stage innovator, having a clear understanding and documentation of your innovation's value is not just beneficial—it's essential. The Global Value Dossier (GVD) is your friend in this context: A comprehensive document that could make the difference between commercial success

The relationship between air pollution and human health has long been the subject of research, but recent studies have made this connection more explicit, quantifiable, and concerning. The presence of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in the air we breathe is now recognised as  a significant factor in a wide range of health conditions , including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, eye diseases, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and poor cognitive development. Th

All my life, I have used my bike. I used it as a kid to go to school, and later to go to work and do the groceries. It is my favourite mode of transportation. No problem with parking, and often faster than a car, especially if you take into account traffic jams. Going by bike is healthier and daily exercise prevents obesity and many other diseases. Unfortunately, traffic can also be dangerous.  In the Netherlands, we registered 684 traffic deaths in 2023. 39% of those were pe

Despite my often distaste for Marvel films, I personally like Doctor Strange as a character - partially because of my obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch as an actor. Let’s suppose that, for a second, we all live in the Marvel universe where Earth is, for some obscure reason, constantly under attack. As someone who fends off thousands of multiverse invaders on a daily basis before they even reach Earth, it is easy to argue that Doctor Strange saves more lives than any other M

Reflecting on rare diseases and the importance of the ongoing work to improve access to specialist medicines, it is worth spotlighting  a case study  published by NICE showcasing how the ILAP can speed up patient access to new medicines. NICE published draft guidance on a new treatment option for late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) ahead of it gaining marketing authorisation by the MHRA. This marks the first time in NICE’s history that such an event has happened.  Pompe disease i

It has been more than five years since the first CAR-T therapies, Kymriah® and Yescarta®, received market authorisation from the FDA and the EMA as next-generation cancer treatments. How are they doing now? Despite the hefty price tags (close to half a million dollars!), their arrival still stirred up considerable global hype. That is hardly a surprise given the tremendous unmet need – reflected by the  20 million new diagnoses and 9.7 deaths cancer-attributable deaths in 202

In October 2023, I planned a trip to Thailand and Vietnam and, as any good traveller would do, I checked the vaccination requirements and health risks on the NaTHNaC website before going. While I had read a brief section on dengue fever, it seemed rare that I would get a severe case if at all and as there was no vaccine to take, I did not feel the need to be concerned. With the knowledge that I was up to date with all my (available) travel vaccinations and as I was travelling

Health is highly influenced by the quality of the air we breathe. Exposure to pollution is a major cause of non-communicable disease (NCD) morbidity and mortality, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A UNDP report published in 2022 highlighted the dramatic effects of air pollution especially in Asia. NCDs, including stroke, heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer, and pulmonary disease, are a key development challenge. There are two main sources that impact

In April 2023, the European Commission released its proposed reforms for the general pharmaceutical legislation. We address these changes across a two-part series. In part one, we explored the emphasis of the reforms on the importance of transparency and cooperation for improving affordability and supply of medicines. In this article, we address the impact of the reforms on competition and incentives. Since being published, the proposed changes to the period of regulatory pr

In April 2023, the European Commission published the proposed reforms of the general pharmaceutical legislation. Their overarching aim is to make access to medicines more resilient, fair, and competitive, and are structured according to five key objectives: affordability of medicines, supply of medicines, competition and incentives, environmental sustainability and fighting AMR. Each in turn raises concerns and interest for different stakeholders. We discuss the proposed cha

Friday of last week marked the launch of the long-anticipated UK National Health Service (NHS) Workforce Plan . This plan highlighted the healthcare worker vacancy rate of 112,000 full-time staff. This staffing shortfall has impacted the public through cancelled appointments, difficulties seeing the GP and family members being treated in hospital corridors. It has made the working week a struggle for healthcare workers too. The plan states only 26.4% of NHS personnel think th

In the 1840s, a physician named Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that women were more likely to develop an infection and die after giving birth when their babies were delivered by doctors and medical students, compared to midwives. Given that doctors and medical students also performed autopsies, Semmelweis hypothesised that a certain “particle” from the deceased bodies might be responsible for the high death rate of women who had given birth. He tested this hypothesis by requesting

Ending Malaria will save lives and improve the health of millions of people. But in the last 60 years, progress has faltered. Malaria affects the most vulnerable populations, with 77% of global malaria deaths occurring in children under the age of five years old . Before 2015, significant progress was made towards reducing malaria cases and deaths. The Global Malaria Eradication Programme (GMEP) was one of the first global projects—implemented by the WHO and active from 1955

I lived for over 16 years in Bolivia where Chagas was, and currently still is, a serious life-threatening disease. It is one of the first things people warn you about when you go camping in the countryside. I was checked several times for the disease and met people who were suffering from its side effects. Chagas is primarily found in Central and South America. Globally, it is estimated that about 6 to 7 million people are infected with the disease . It is a parasitic disease

March 24th marks a significant day in the history of global health; it is the day that tubercle bacillus was discovered, the bacterium that causes an infectious disease that has caused significant morbidity and mortality throughout human history – tuberculosis (TB). It is a day that has become to be known as World TB Day; an opportunity to shed light on the disparities and challenges that people worldwide continue to face today with TB. Over the past decade, the global commun

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are fundamental human rights and essential components to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation . However, globally, 2.2 billion people still do not have safely managed drinking water services, 4.2 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation services, and 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities . The significant lack of WASH

Some mental health risk factors disproportionately affect people who are defined as female at birth. These include pressures created by women’s multiple roles, socially constructed differences related to status and power, gender discrimination, associated factors related to the pay gap, domestic violence and sexual abuse . In research terms, more is known about the differences between those assigned male or female at birth in some conditions (schizophrenia and depression) tha

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat to public health. Waning effectiveness of anti-infective agents threaten to undermine advances in modern medicine , and reinstate infectious diseases as major causes of death in industrialised countries. Drivers of AMR are diverse and include agri- and aquaculture, environmental contamination , and of course irrational and over-use in human medicine . Like climate change, therefore, AMR is an issue requiring action across mult