Gavi [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.gavialliance.org/library/news/press-releases/

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News
Gavi and Global Fund Statement on Malaria Vaccine Recommendations
23 October 2015
GENEVA – Today’s recommendations by two advisory bodies to the World Health Organization, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), for use of the RTS,S malaria vaccine are a step toward making the vaccine available in countries with a heavy malaria burden as well as an opportunity to assess its likely real world impact.

They have called for pilot implementations of the vaccine in three to five settings in sub-Saharan Africa. This follows an earlier four-year trial of the vaccine that found it safe and effective, providing 39 percent efficacy at preventing clinical cases of malaria.

Replicating that success rate in a non-clinical setting poses challenges. The RTS,S vaccine requires four doses and the last dose is critical for sustaining the protective effect of the vaccine. The first three doses of the vaccine will be administered to children between 5 and 9 months of age and the fourth dose is given around the second birthday. This is partially outside the existing immunization schedule in which most vaccines are administered to infants 6 to 14 weeks after birth, potentially posing logistical challenges to health systems in low-income countries. Further assessing the feasibility of providing these vaccinations and the resulting impact is therefore a prudent approach…

Global Fund [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/

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News
Gavi and Global Fund Statement on Malaria Vaccine Recommendations
23 October 2015
GENEVA – Today’s recommendations by two advisory bodies to the World Health Organization, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), for use of the RTS,S malaria vaccine are a step toward making the vaccine available in countries with a heavy malaria burden as well as an opportunity to assess its likely real world impact.

They have called for pilot implementations of the vaccine in three to five settings in sub-Saharan Africa. This follows an earlier four-year trial of the vaccine that found it safe and effective, providing 39 percent efficacy at preventing clinical cases of malaria.

Replicating that success rate in a non-clinical setting poses challenges. The RTS,S vaccine requires four doses and the last dose is critical for sustaining the protective effect of the vaccine. The first three doses of the vaccine will be administered to children between 5 and 9 months of age and the fourth dose is given around the second birthday. This is partially outside the existing immunization schedule in which most vaccines are administered to infants 6 to 14 weeks after birth, potentially posing logistical challenges to health systems in low-income countries. Further assessing the feasibility of providing these vaccinations and the resulting impact is therefore a prudent approach…

News
Malawi and Global Fund Deepen Partnership
22 October 2015
LILONGWE, Malawi – Malawi and the Global Fund are strengthening their partnership by signing grants worth more than US$332 million, to expand treatment and prevention for HIV, TB and malaria and build resilient and sustainable systems for health. This brings the total Global Fund commitment to Malawi to US$616 million from 2014-2017.
The financial resources provided through the Global Fund come from many sources and partners, represented at the signing ceremony today by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Ireland and Norway, as well as technical partners such as UNAIDS and WHO…

News
Global Fund Statement on Cambodia’s Programs against Malaria
20 October 2015
Cambodia has made impressive progress against malaria, with a 70 percent decline in the number of cases from 2009 to 2014, and a sharp reduction in deaths in the same period.
However, the situation remains critical, and preliminary data on an increase in malaria cases in parts of Cambodia since mid-2014, as well as resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies, carries serious implications for the broader Mekong region.

The Global Fund is working with key partners, including the Government of Cambodia and the United Nations Office of Project Services and others, to take all possible measures to reverse the recent increase.

The Global Fund implements a framework of accountability that requires transparent reporting on investments in health, so that a maximum of available resources go toward serving people affected by malaria and other diseases.

The Global Fund has a zero tolerance policy for fraud and corruption, and requires a high degree of transparency and accountability from all partners, even in challenging operating environments where governance and accountability systems do not meet international standards.

In Cambodia, the Global Fund is working with the Ministry of Health to address implementation challenges and to support efforts that maximize results and impact and that further strengthen systems for health to serve the people of Cambodia.

InterAction [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.interaction.org/media-center/press-releases

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NGO Alliance InterAction Announces 14th Annual Effective Assistance Photography Contest
Oct 21, 2015
WASHINGTON – InterAction, the largest alliance of international NGOs and partners in the United States focused on the world’s poor and most vulnerable, has opened submissions for its 14th annual Effective Assistance Photography Contest.

Start Network [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.start-network.org/news-blog/#.U9U_O7FR98E
[Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies]

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Mindfulness and stress management for aid workers
October 22, 2015
Posted by Helen James in Blog.
Hitendra Solanki, Mindfulness & Wellbeing Adviser for ACF-UK & The Start Network on the importance of being aware of mental health issues in humanitarian response.

Vacancy for Start Fund Officer
October 20, 2015
Posted by Helen James in News.
The Start Network is seeking a Start Fund Officer to ensure our grant processes and information management systems are being run as efficiently as possible, so that aid reaches crisis-affected populations as quickly as possible

CHS International Alliance [to 24 October 2015]
http://chsalliance.org/news-events/news

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23/10/2015
CHS Alliance appoints Verity Stiff as Head of People Capacity and Development
Verity is a human resources (HR) professional with extensive experience in organisational management and development, both as head of the HR function and as a consultant working with UK- and US-based non-profit and international development organisations.

20/10/2015
Key findings from the CHS Alliance mission to improve the Ukraine humanitarian response
The CHS Alliance’s deployments team undertook a mission to Ukraine from 12-25 July 2015, to identify gaps and best practices in the response and assist in setting up Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) systems.
The full mission report presents findings on how effectively the response is applying each of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS)’s nine commitments as well as suggested ways forward. The mission took place following a request from the Kiev-based NGO forum and was hosted by Save the Children. The Alliance met over 30 representatives of national and international NGOs, and UN agencies, as well as individuals from affected communities including both internally displaced persons (IDPs) and locals…

EHLRA/R2HC [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.elrha.org/resource-hub/news/

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Innovating GBV interventions
23.10.2015
Supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), HIF’s GBV new thematic work will aim to create and stimulate innovation approaches to tackling GBV, using targeted resources and partnership…

HIF Consultancy Opportunity
22.10.2015
The HIF has an exciting opportunity for a specialist with expertise in business model design to support humanitarian innovators.

The 2015 Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: a year for policy coherence
21.10.2015
Professor Virginia Murray, Consultant in Global Disaster Risk Reduction for Public Health releases new blog on Evidence Aid. 2015 is a crucial year with the Sendai Framework, SDGs and Climate Agreements…

HIF Call for Proposals
19.10.2015
Do you have a creative solution to humanitarian needs – an innovation that could help people in crises? The Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF), managed by ELRHA, supports organisations and individuals to…

Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.globalhumanitarianassistance.org/

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Humanitarian Assistance to East and Central Africa
Report Synopsis
Crises in the Middle East (Syria and Iraq), disasters caused by natural hazards in Asia, and Ebola in West Africa have recently dominated the international headlines. This paper looks at the numbers behind what has happened with often less reported humanitarian needs and funding in East and Central Africa.
This paper is a supplement to the Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) Report 2015 and was produced as background for a presentation at the Humanitarian Partnership Conference in Nairobi on 15–17 September 2015. It draws on the key questions in the GHA report, providing key facts and figures with a focus on East and Central Africa to inform discussions at the Conference and in other forums.

ODI [to 24 October 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

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Leaving no one behind: the impact of pro-poor growth
Research reports and studies | October 2015 | Chris Hoy
To address the Sustainable Development Goals’ intention to leave no one behind, countries must move away from a focus on relative inequality to absolute inequality.

A migration crisis? Facts, challenges and possible solutions
Briefing papers | October 2015 | Victoria Metcalfe-Hough
A policy brief examining the current surge in irregular migration to Europe, which outlines concrete actions governments can take to more effectively respond to the crisis.

Financing Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs): enabling implementation
Working and discussion papers | October 2015 | Merylyn Hedger and Smita Nakhooda
This paper reflects on the role for finance in INDCs and how it can shape success or failure in meeting national commitments.

Clinton Foundation [to 24 October 2015]
https://www.clintonfoundation.org/press-releases-and-statements

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Press Release
Too Small to Fail, Coin Laundry Association & Partners Launch First National Effort to Provide Early Learning Resources in Laundromats for Low Income Families
October 22, 2015
“Wash Time is Talk Time” will deploy resources to 5,000 laundromats in underserved communities to help families use laundry time as meaningful opportunities to talk, read, and sing with their young children.

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation [to 24 October2015]
http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/news

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Press Release
Our New Approach to Funding Hospitality Workforce Development
Hospitality October 19, 2015 By Elizabeth Cheung, Justin McAuliffe
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation has a long history of grantmaking in support of education for the hospitality industry. Acknowledging that the hospitality industry has changed, we recently revised our funding guidelines for our Hospitality Program. Learn how our new guidelines align with our overarching mission of improving the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people around the world.

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Chronicle of Philanthropy
October 19, 2015
Opinion
Hilton Prize Offers Important Lessons for Foundations
By Tom Watson
Like past Hilton prizewinners, Landesa — which fights for land-ownership rights — has a very specific mission to fix an often overlooked problem, a track record of accomplishment, committed leaders, and a need for unrestricted money.

IKEA Foundation [to 24 October2015]
http://www.ikeafoundation.org/news/

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IKEA Foundation commits EUR 16 million for programme to improve the lives of one million underprivileged women and girls in India
October 12, 2015
To celebrate the Day of the Girl Child, IKEA Foundation announced a new partnership that aims to provide employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to one million underprivileged women across India. The unique three-year programme will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Xyntéo and the India Development Foundation (IDF). The programme is approved by India’s Ministry of Finance.

Even as India has witnessed a decline in women’s participation in the workforce by 10 percentage points between 2005 and 2010, recent estimates from the International Monetary Fund suggest that India’s GDP could expand by 27 percent if the number of female workers increases to the same level as that of men.

Recognizing the importance of improving women’s workforce participation, this programme has three objectives:
:: create a positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of women through training, employment and entrepreneurial skills development,
:: test and establish an innovative model of a public-private partnership that responds to the aspirations and needs of women, and identified needs of the private sector,
:: establish a continuum that connects education, to skills, jobs and growth…

MacArthur Foundation [to 24 October2015]
http://www.macfound.org/

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Publication
New Nations Participating in Cyberespionage
Published October 21, 2015
Smaller, poorer nations are now using spy software, suggesting that recent data leaks and lawsuits have not deterred governments from investing in cyberespionage products, according to a report from Citizen Lab, a recipient of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The report found a record high 32 “likely government users” of FinFisher, one of the world’s best-known sources of spyware sold exclusively to governments. FinFisher’s products work by infecting target computers and phones, copying messages, recording conversations, and activating webcams.

BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
(Accessed 24 October2015)

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Research article
Key factors in children’s competence to consent to clinical research
Irma Hein, Pieter Troost, Robert Lindeboom, Marc Benninga, C. Zwaan, Johannes van Goudoever, Ramón Lindauer
BMC Medical Ethics 2015, 16:74 (24 October 2015)
Abstract
Background
Although law is established on a strong presumption that persons younger than a certain age are not competent to consent, statutory age limits for asking children’s consent to clinical research differ widely internationally. From a clinical perspective, competence is assumed to involve many factors including the developmental stage, the influence of parents and peers, and life experience. We examined potential determining factors for children’s competence to consent to clinical research and to what extent they explain the variation in competence judgments.
Methods
From January 1, 2012 through January 1, 2014, pediatric patients aged 6 to 18 years, eligible for clinical research studies were enrolled prospectively at various in- and outpatient pediatric departments. Children’s competence to consent was assessed by MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research. Potential determining child variables included age, gender, intelligence, disease experience, ethnicity and socio-economic status (SES). We used logistic regression analysis and change in explained variance in competence judgments to quantify the contribution of a child variable to the total explained variance. Contextual factors included risk and complexity of the decision to participate, parental competence judgment and the child’s or parents decision to participate.
Results
Out of 209 eligible patients, 161 were included (mean age, 10.6 years, 47.2 % male). Age, SES, intelligence, ethnicity, complexity, parental competence judgment and trial participation were univariately associated with competence (P < 0.05). Total explained variance in competence judgments was 71.5 %. Only age and intelligence significantly and independently explained the variance in competence judgments, explaining 56.6 % and 12.7 % of the total variance respectively. SES, male gender, disease experience and ethnicity each explained less than 1 % of the variance in competence judgments. Contextual factors together explained an extra 2.8 % (P > 0.05).
Conclusions
Age is the factor that explaines most of to the variance in children’s competence to consent, followed by intelligence. Experience with disease did not affect competence in this study, nor did other variables.

BMC Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/content
(Accessed 24 October2015)

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Correspondence
Role of healthcare workers in early epidemic spread of Ebola: policy implications of prophylactic compared to reactive vaccination policy in outbreak prevention and control
Cordelia Coltart, Anne Johnson, Christopher Whitty BMC Medicine 2015, 13:271 (19 October 2015)
Abstract
Ebola causes severe illness in humans and has epidemic potential. How to deploy vaccines most effectively is a central policy question since different strategies have implications for ideal vaccine profile. More than one vaccine may be needed. A vaccine optimised for prophylactic vaccination in high-risk areas but when the virus is not actively circulating should be safe, well tolerated, and provide long-lasting protection; a two- or three-dose strategy would be realistic. Conversely, a reactive vaccine deployed in an outbreak context for ring-vaccination strategies should have rapid onset of protection with one dose, but longevity of protection is less important.

In initial cases, before an outbreak is recognised, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at particular risk of acquiring and transmitting infection, thus potentially augmenting early epidemics. We hypothesise that many early outbreak cases could be averted, or epidemics aborted, by prophylactic vaccination of HCWs. This paper explores the potential impact of prophylactic versus reactive vaccination strategies of HCWs in preventing early epidemic transmissions. To do this, we use the limited data available from Ebola epidemics (current and historic) to reconstruct transmission trees and illustrate the theoretical impact of these vaccination strategies. Our data suggest a substantial potential benefit of prophylactic versus reactive vaccination of HCWs in preventing early transmissions. We estimate that prophylactic vaccination with a coverage >99 % and theoretical 100 % efficacy could avert nearly two-thirds of cases studied; 75 % coverage would still confer clear benefit (40 % cases averted), but reactive vaccination would be of less value in the early epidemic.

A prophylactic vaccination campaign for front-line HCWs is not a trivial undertaking; whether to prioritise long-lasting vaccines and provide prophylaxis to HCWs is a live policy question. Prophylactic vaccination is likely to have a greater impact on the mitigation of future epidemics than reactive strategies and, in some cases, might prevent them. However, in a confirmed outbreak, reactive vaccination would be an essential humanitarian priority.

The value of HCW Ebola vaccination is often only seen in terms of personal protection of the HCW workforce. A prophylactic vaccination strategy is likely to bring substantial additional benefit by preventing early transmission and might abort some epidemics. This has implications both for policy and for the optimum product profile for vaccines currently in development.

BMC Public Health
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content
(Accessed 24 October2015)

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Research article
Development and promotion of a national website to improve dissemination of information related to the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) in Tanzania
Gudila Stephan, Mary Hoyt, Deborah Storm, Sylvia Shirima, Charles Matiko, Emmanuel Matechi BMC Public Health 2015, 15:1077 (22 October 2015)

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Research article
A gloomy picture: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reveals disappointing effectiveness of programs aiming at preventing child maltreatment
Saskia Euser, Lenneke Alink, Marije Stoltenborgh, Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marinus van IJzendoorn
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:1068 (18 October 2015)
Abstract
Background
Consistent findings about the effectiveness of parent programs to prevent or reduce child maltreatment are lacking.
Methods
In the present meta-analysis we synthesized findings from 27 independent samples from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of 20 different intervention programs aimed at (i) preventing the occurrence of child maltreatment in the general population or with at-risk but non-maltreating families, or (ii) reducing the incidence of child maltreatment in maltreating families.
Results
A significant combined effect on maltreatment (d = 0.13; N = 4883) disappeared after the trim-and-fill approach that takes into account publication bias against smaller studies without significant outcomes. However, moderator analyses showed that larger effect sizes were found for more recent studies, studies with smaller samples, programs that provide parent training instead of only support, programs that target maltreating instead of at-risk families, and programs with a moderate length (6–12 months) or a moderate number of sessions (16–30).
Conclusions
More RCTs are needed to further unravel which factors are associated with program effectiveness. Because currently existing programs appeared to only reduce and not prevent child maltreatment, efforts in the field of preventive intervention should also focus on the development and testing of preventive programs for families at risk for child maltreatment.

Health Research Policy and Systems
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content
[Accessed 24 October2015]

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Research
SDH-NET: a South–North-South collaboration to build sustainable research capacities on social determinants of health in low- and middle-income countries
Lucinda Cash-Gibson, German Guerra, V Salgado-de-Snyder Health Research Policy and Systems 2015, 13:45 (22 October 2015)
Abstract
Background
It is desirable that health researchers have the ability to conduct research on health equity and contribute to the development of their national health system and policymaking processes. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), there is a limited capacity to conduct this type of research due to reasons mostly associated with the status of national (health) research systems. Building sustainable research capacity in LMICs through the triangulation of South–North-South (S-N-S) collaborative networks seems to be an effective way to maximize limited national resources to strengthen these capacities. This article describes how a collaborative project (SDH-Net), funded by the European Commission, has successfully designed a study protocol and a S-N-S collaborative network to effectively support research capacity building in LMICs, specifically in the area of social determinants of health (SDH); this project seeks to elaborate on the vital role of global collaborative networks in strengthening this practice.
Methods
The implementation of SDH-Net comprised diverse activities developed in three phases. Phase 1: national level mapping exercises were conducted to assess the needs for SDH capacity building or strengthening in local research systems. Four strategic areas were defined, namely research implementation and system performance, social appropriation of knowledge, institutional and national research infrastructure, and research skills and training/networks. Phase 2: development of tools to address the identified capacity building needs, as well as knowledge management and network strengthening activities. Phase 3: identifying lessons learned in terms of research ethics, and how policies can support the capacity building process in SDH research.
Results
The implementation of the protocol has led the network to design innovative tools for strengthening SDH research capacities, under a successful S-N-S collaboration that included national mapping reports, a global open-access learning platform with tools and resources, ethical guidelines for research, policy recommendations, and academic contributions to the global SDH discourse.
Conclusions
The effective triangulation of S-N-S partnerships can be of high value in building sustainable research capacity in LMICs. If designed appropriately, these multicultural, multi-institutional, and multidisciplinary collaborations can enable southern and northern academics to contextualize global research according to their national realities.

JAMA
October 20, 2015, Vol 314, No. 15
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/issue.aspx

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement and Implications for Access to Essential Medicines
Jing Luo, MD; Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH
[Initial text]
This Viewpoint discusses the importance of patent protection and its role in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.

After a difficult legislative battle, President Obama signed into law Trade Promotion Authority on June 29, 2015. The legislation allows for an up-or-down vote with no amendments in Congress for international trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. The TPP Agreement includes 12 Asia-Pacific countries (United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, and New Zealand) with a collective trading power amounting to 40% of the global gross domestic product. The TPP Agreement is still being negotiated; recently, in a meeting of trade ministers in Maui, Hawaii, negotiators failed to finalize the text of the Agreement due in large part to disagreement regarding intellectual property protections for pharmaceutical products.1

Journal of Public Health Policy
Volume 36, Issue 4 (November 2015)
http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jphp/journal/v36/n4/index.html

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Climate change: Assessing effects on health and wealth of populations
Anthony Robbins
Excerpt
Can the health consequences of climate change be at the center of discussions at this year’s climate summit in Paris? Very possibly. Pope Francis’ encyclical letter and The Lancet’s excellent report on the topic give us hope.1, 2 Now the World Federation of Public Health Associations (whose Federation’s Pages we publish in JPHP) is preparing to participate in the twenty-first Conference of the Parties, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Federation and its Environmental Health Working Group have developed a strategy to put population health front and center in the Paris discussions. We commend them…

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Viewpoint: Counterfeit medicines and substandard medicines: Different problems requiring different solutions
Ellen ‘t Hoen and Fernando Pascual
J Public Health Pol 36: 384-389; advance online publication, July 16, 2015; doi:10.1057/jphp.2015.22
Ensuring that all effective and necessary medicines are affordable, available, and of assured quality will combat falsified and substandard medicines. The authors explain how and why this will protect consumers.

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Global prevention and control of NCDs: Limitations of the standard approach
Neil Pearce, Shah Ebrahim, Martin McKee, Peter Lamptey, Mauricio L Barreto, Don Matheson, Helen Walls, Sunia Foliaki, J Jaime Miranda, Oyun Chimeddamba, Luis Garcia-Marcos, Andy Haines, and Paolo Vineis
J Public Health Pol 36: 408-425; advance online publication, September 17, 2015; doi:10.1057/jphp.2015.29
The standard approach to prevention and control of non-communicable disease, called ‘25×25’ has the benefit of simplicity, but also has major weaknesses described herein.

The Lancet
Oct 24, 2015 Volume 386 Number 10004 p1599-1706
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

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Editorial
Ebola: forgotten but not gone?
The Lancet
On Oct 16, two new Ebola cases were reported in Guinea, indicating the continuing danger of Ebola virus even after progress in bringing the west African Ebola outbreak under control. The outbreak in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone caught the world badly unprepared during 2013–14, resulting in more than 11 000 deaths. WHO responded slowly to this major challenge in countries with sparse health provision, and disease control measures worked imperfectly. During 2015, lost ground has been made up by provision of care for those infected and at risk of infection, yet recent developments illustrate the continuing health risks for those who have been infected.
Despite previous outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, limited understanding of the physiological effects of Ebola virus has compromised preventive and therapeutic efforts. However, a recent study on 100 Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone has shown the importance of continuing research by indicating that viral RNA can be detected in semen up to 9 months after overt recovery from infection. A study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on 49 survivors of a 2007 Ebola outbreak in Uganda reported ocular deficits and hearing loss, among other health problems, which persisted for 2 years. On Oct 6, Pauline Cafferkey, a Scottish nurse who contracted Ebola early in 2015 and was thought to have made a full recovery after treatment, was rehospitalised with severe health problems. At the time of writing, Ms Cafferkey’s condition was reported to be serious but stable, with disease transmission unlikely. Post-Ebola discharge criteria are discussed by Nazaria Bevilacqua and colleagues in The Lancet Global Health.
Salutary lessons are still being learned from the west African Ebola outbreak—opportunities for and benefits of research will be greatest in the communities most affected. WHO’s Director-General Margaret Chan believes the world is “dangerously ill-prepared” for further infectious disease outbreaks spread through the air or contagious during an incubation period. Strengthening of and investment in health systems in countries most at risk of infectious disease outbreaks are key to prevention, and in the worst case scenarios control, of health emergencies.

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Comment
Essential medicines are still essential
Andy L Gray, Veronika J Wirtz, Ellen F M ‘t Hoen, Michael R Reich, Hans V Hogerzeil
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00514-0
On Oct 21, WHO published the full report of the 20th Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines,1 with its new WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML).2 The new list includes recently developed medicines for drug-resistant tuberculosis (bedaquiline and delamanid), a number of new cancer treatments (such as imatinib, rituximab, and trastuzumab), and, perhaps most controversially, new direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAA) for the treatment of hepatitis C (sofosbuvir, simeprevir, daclatasvir, ledipasvir, and ombitasvir).

New England Journal of Medicine
October 22, 2015 Vol. 373 No. 17
http://www.nejm.org/toc/nejm/medical-journal

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Perspective
Caring for the Wave of Refugees in Munich
Thomas Nicolai, M.D., Oliver Fuchs, M.D., and Erika von Mutius, M.D.
N Engl J Med 2015; 373:1593-1595 October 22, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1512139
[No abstract]

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Editorial
Declining Malaria Transmission and Pregnancy Outcomes in Southern Mozambique
Nicholas J. White, F.R.S.
N Engl J Med 2015; 373:1670-1671 October 22, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMe1511278
Free Full Text

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Changing Trends in P. falciparum Burden, Immunity, and Disease in Pregnancy
Mayor and Others
N Engl J Med 2015; 373:1607-1617 October 22, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1406459
Free Full Text