‘Step Up the Pace’ and end female genital mutilation, UN says

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) refers to all procedures involving the partial or total removal of female external genitalia or other injuries to female genital organs for non-medical reasons, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “More than 230 million girls and women alive today are survivors of this abhorrent practice,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in […]

Continue Reading

Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company Aims to Revolutionize U.S. Medication Pricing

Mark Cuban is challenging the high cost of prescription medications in the United States through his initiative, the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company (MCCPDC). Launched in 2022 as a public-benefit corporation, MCCPDC’s mission is simple: to offer affordable medications by cutting out the “middlemen” that often drive up prices. By working directly with drug […]

Continue Reading

Addressing Unconscious Bias in Diagnosing Addiction and Disability: The Need for an Equitable Approach

Unconscious bias remains a persistent and damaging issue in the diagnosis and treatment of addiction and disability, especially among marginalized communities. This is particularly evident within Black, Hispanic, and other minority groups, where race, socio-economic background, and cultural factors often intersect to hinder access to proper care. Individuals in these groups are frequently subjected to […]

Continue Reading

Toxic air threatens children’s lives across East Asia and the Pacific, UNICEF warns

The analysis underscores the devastating impact of toxic air on young lives, with air pollution now linked to nearly one in four deaths of under fives in the region. Exposure begins in the womb, increasing risks of premature birth and low birth weight, and continues throughout childhood, impairing lung development, reducing cognitive function, and contributing […]

Continue Reading

Explainer: How family planning saves lives

“I will never allow my daughter to go through what happened to me,” she told UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency. What happens when conflict displaces tens of thousands of people in hotspots like Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Ukraine, and women die every day in childbirth or pregnancy? […]

Continue Reading

Eastern DR Congo crisis increasing risk of mpox transmission, WHO chief warns

Fighting escalated sharply in late January, as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized control of parts of North Kivu, including areas near the regional capital Goma, and advanced towards South Kivu. Before the latest violence, mpox cases had been stabilizing, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a speech to the agency’s executive board. Health system overwhelmed […]

Continue Reading

GE Healthcare Announces €132 Million Investment to Expand Cork Facility, Boosting Global Contrast Media Production

GE Healthcare has unveiled plans for a significant €132 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Carrigtwohill, Cork, a move set to address the rising global demand for diagnostic imaging agents. This new state-of-the-art facility will enable the production of an additional 25 million patient doses of contrast media annually by 2027. Contrast media, essential […]

Continue Reading

Global Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence Rises to 1 in 127 People, Study Shows

The World Autism Awareness day takes place on 2 April anually, as a precursor and prelude to that, here are some quick facts about this extraordinary condition. A recent study published in The Lancet Psychiatry reveals a significant rise in the global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In 2021, one in every 127 people […]

Continue Reading

World News in Brief: Deadly virus outbreak in Uganda, $500 million human rights appeal, Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws in spotlight

Health authorities in Kampala confirmed that one patient has died – a nurse who had sought treatment at various other medical facilities after developing fever-like symptoms. In response to the outbreak of the often deadly and infectious haemorrhagic fever which is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids and tissue, WHO is mobilising efforts to support […]

Continue Reading

Penn Medicine Partners with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs to Cut Medication Costs and Enhance Healthcare Delivery

Penn Medicine has entered into a strategic partnership with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs to improve the procurement of generic prescription medications, aiming to reduce costs and increase efficiency in pharmacy operations. This collaboration will focus on providing Penn Medicine with a selection of 100 commonly dispensed medications without the typical price markups that often […]

Continue Reading