Afleveringen
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Read the newsletter here:
Are we living in an age of outbreaks?
This is the last holiday season newsletter podcast episode! If you listened to them, I hope you enjoyed them ! :)
If you enjoyed this, I invite you to subscribe to the fortnightly newsletter here: https://globalhealthconversations.substack.com/ The next edition will be Sunday 4th January 2025.
And if you enjoy the GHC podcast, please leave me a little 5 star rating wherever you listen. :) It means a lot.
Finally, I have been running a survey of listeners and readers preferences so I can better cater to you! I would appreciate if you could fill it out here before January 31st 2025. :) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KMX2JC3
Thank you, Friend. Happy New Year!Support the show
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Read the newsletter here:
Sugar, Spice & this fortnight's IWD Podcast 💕
Topics in this newsletter's Fortnight in Resources :)
1. New therapeutics for psoriasis
2. AstraZeneca Investment in building capacity for Vaccine Manufacturing for Pandemic Preparedness in the UK
3. Pandemic Agreement updates and links
4. Mental Health effects of Climate ChangeSupport the show
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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This Newsletter: The real toll of weight-loss injections: Semaglutides, the economy & you
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Past newsletter - Skinny at all costs? Unravelling the weight loss sensation causing supply chain mayhem for Diabetes Type II patients.
Click here to read: Alzheimer’s in the UK special essay with Loredana
Thanks for listening. :) If you like the podcast, please leave me a 5 star rating wherever you listen. I really appreciate it!Support the show
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Newsletter:
The Interconnectedness of Everything & Two Autumn Tales: Something old & something new - 27 October 2024
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - Personal Letter
05:34 - Pharma & Global Health Headlines
06:46 - Fortnight in Resources
07:05 - Summary: World Health Summit 2024 in Berlin
14:51 - 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference - COP16
17:47 - The Polycrisis in Health - Fortnight Special
26:16 - Behind the Scenes
Thank you for listening :)Support the show
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In January of 2024, Loredana Marta of Vulvarina asked me to collaborate with her on a piece on Intersectional Feminism entitled: xxxiii: up in the mountains. And we happened to record it too.
Having just returned from a lovely weekend together in Vienna, and as the year draws to an end, I thought this might be a fitting time to publish our narrated writing here, as an ode to 2024.
Loredana and I did a previous podcast episode together on Women's Health that was particularly interesting and enlightening. More recently, we also wrote a joint piece on my Global Health Conversations newsletter about Alzheimer's treatment in the uk.I would tell you more about Vulvarina, but you should check her out for yourself, here. Her newsletter is engaging, thoughtful and well researched. So needless to say, it was a fun experience to work with her.
Every now and again I'll do something different as a podcast episode. But this might be the most different, and the most personal. As Loredana and I narrate the piece, you will learn more about me, Christiana. And something that is important to me: Women's rights. Particularly in healthcare.
If you are not yet subscribed to the Global Health Conversations newsletter, I think you might be pleased that you did, here.
And if you enjoy this particular subject matter, check out Loredana's Vulvarina.Support the show
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A Storytime:
The story of Cholera in London in the 1800s and how John Snow’s famous experiments revolutionised epidemiology and public health as we know it in modern, western history has always been a favourite for me.
I was reminded of this story strolling through Soho past the John Snow pub recently and past the famous Broad Street pump. This podcast episode is a public health bedtime story; one of science and pioneering innovation. It’s a story we know, but one that ignited something in me, and I like to listen to things.
I hope you enjoy the story. :)
Read the global health conversations newsletter here - where the magic happens: https://globalhealthconversations.substack.com/Support the show
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A walkthrough. The Pandemic Accord is a proposed global agreement aimed at strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Emerging in the aftermath of COVID-19, the accord aims to address gaps in international coordination, surveillance, and equitable access to medical countermeasures, globally.
This episode takes a high level overview of the Pandemic Accord, it’s purpose and a walkthrough of some of its most pertinent Articles
GHC Newsletter: PANDEMIC ACCORD - Negotiations stall. Failure to reach agreement (focus on PABS) - May 2024
GHC Newsletter: Pandemic Agreement Round-up as INB 11 Concludes - September 2024
Current draft: Pandemic Accord
Timestamps:
Intro: 00:00
Background: 01:15
How it works & the role of WHO: 04:51
Articles 1 - 3: 07:50
Articles 4 & 5 - Prevention & One Health: 08:34
Articles 6 & 7: 11:05
Article 9 - Research & Development: 12:17
Article 10 - Local Manufacturing: 14:28
Article 11 - Tech Transfer & 'know-how': 14:50
Article 12 - Pathogen Access & Benefit Sharing - PABS: 17:36
Articles 13 & 13bis - Supply Chain & Logistics & Procurement & Distribution : 21:00
Alignment with other agreements: 23:18
Article 14 - Regulation & Strengthening: 24:14
End: 24:54Support the show
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This fortnight's Newsletter
We need to talk about Mpox - July 21st 2024 Newsletter
Timstamps:
Overview: 00:00
What happened? 03:47
What does it mean? 05:55
What’s next? 11:09
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tl;dr
On August 14, 2024, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the second such declaration in two years. The Africa CDC had also declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security a day earlier. The current outbreak, driven by the more severe Mpox clade Ib, first identified in South Kivu, DRC, has rapidly spread across Central, East, and Southern Africa, reaching countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and South Africa, with the first European case detected in Sweden.WHO’s ACT-A and FIND convened a high-level meeting on August 15 to coordinate global efforts to address the outbreak. Key priorities include enhancing surveillance, developing a strategic research agenda, and coordinating global health responses. The WHO Global Preparedness Monitoring Board emphasized the importance of robust systems and medical countermeasures in the response, drawing on lessons from previous pandemics.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a zoonotic viral disease characterized by fever, rash, pustules, and swollen lymph nodes. The current clade Ib is more virulent and transmissible, though the exact case fatality rate remains uncertain. The 2022 Mpox PHEIC was declared after a global outbreak affecting over 95,000 people in 115 countries, largely through human-to-human transmission.
The PHEIC designation triggers a coordinated global response, including resource mobilization, increased surveillance, and public health measures. The response's success will depend on equitable distribution of medical resources and enhanced surveillance, particularly in underserved regions. WHO and Africa CDC emphasize the need for clear coordination, strategic implementation, and effective communication to manage the outbreak, with a focus on equity and access to diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.
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Other links:
GPMB resources:
August 12th 2024 Statement on Mpox
May 20224 Report on Equity in Pandemic Preparedness
WHO Mpox Outbreak tool
WHO case trackerSupport the show
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Subscribe here to the Global Health Conversations Newsletter
Read the full Project 2025 document here: Mandate for Leadership the Conservative Promise
In this fortnight's episode, we explore Project 2025's proposed policies, which could dramatically impact health, women’s health and safety. The plan includes lifetime caps on Medicaid, reducing coverage for millions, and increased out-of-pocket costs for Medicare recipients. It threatens reproductive rights and seeks to curtail the CDC's public health role, potentially weakening responses to health crises. Basically, an anti-epidemic preparedness vision and plan. The changes could result in higher healthcare costs and reduced access to essential services for women and vulnerable populations
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro02:00 - Preamble
02:56 - Project 2025 High Level Overview
08:55 - Point 1: Changes to Medicaid, Medicare & Lower income patients
14:20 - Point 2: Impact on Public Health & the new role of the CDC
17:06 - Point 3: Food and Drug regulation proposed changes
22:05 - Point 4: Any comments on Safety, Guns and Ammunition?
24:09 - Point 5: Restrictions around Women’s health, access to birth control & more
Support the show
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In this mini solo episode, we take a high level look at Philippines' health system.
In under twelve minutes, we take an overview of the health system dynamic, payer mechanisms and the fiscal policies the nation has employed to boost health expenditure 6-fold! We delve into the multifaceted nature of the ongoing epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases. Additionally, we explore the impact of the 2024 World Health Assembly on climate-resilient health policies, and the critical issues surrounding health financing and infrastructure improvements. We briefly discuss the diabetes-obesity-hypertension nexus, emphasizing the interconnected nature of these conditions and the need for integrated healthcare approaches to manage and mitigate their impact on public health.
Email me: [email protected] :)
Sign up to the biweekly newsletter: https://globalhealthconversations.substack.com/Support the show
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In this BONUS episode, we delve into the true crime-style medical scandal of Real Water. The company’s negligence led to severe health issues, including acute liver dysfunction in consumers like Megan Fisher’s son, Tommy. Real Water’s aggressive marketing of its unproven E2 technology claimed extraordinary health benefits, but the FDA found a potentially toxic compound in the water, that caused acute hepatitis in some consumers. The ensuing lawsuits and investigations revealed a lack of quality control and corporate greed. This episode underscores the need for stringent regulatory oversight and vigilance in scrutinizing health claims to protect consumers from similar dangers.
In this episode, I use some short clips from this CBS news episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ_Dk_EPGfAw :
Sign up to the newsletter here: https://globalhealthconversations.substack.com/
Check out last summer's True Crime bonus episode: The Case of a Clinical Trial Catastrophe - the TGN1412 ‘Elephant Men’ Clinical trialSupport the show
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In this episode, we explore the economics of thinness and the phenomenal rise of GLP-1 receptor agonists in the weight loss market. Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, has become Europe's most profitable company, surpassing even the luxury giant LVMH. We delve into the social and economic capital associated with thinness, examining how societal attitudes toward body image drive the profitability of weight loss drugs.
We also break down the science behind GLP-1 receptor agonists, including their mechanisms and market dynamics. We'll discuss the first-in-class drugs like Saxenda, and best-in-class competitors such as Trulicity and Mounjaro. Novo Nordisk’s strategic business moves, including their significant investment in R&D and marketing, have cemented their market dominance. Additionally, we highlight the broader implications of these drugs on global health and their potential for continued growth in a competitive landscape.
Skinny at all costs? Unravelling the weight loss sensation causing supply chain mayhem: Q1 Pharma Financials Published Across the sector - Guess who's in the lead?Economist: The economics of thinnessLancet: Semaglutide versus GLP-1 agonists Fortune: Wegovy and Ozempic have ignited a gold rush in pharma as well as an upsurge in fake ‘skinny jabs’, leading to surge in hospitalizations ft BloombergVanity Fair: Why Counterfeit Ozempic Is a Global- Growth IndustryEconomist: The battle over the trillion-dollar weight-loss bonanza Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are making blockbuster drugs. Can they maintain their lead?Life After Food? A diabetes drug has become an off-label appetite suppressantHow Do Diabetes Medicines Work for Weight Loss? (Yottled) Cleaveland Clinic: GLP-1 AgonistsWegovy vs. OzempicGuardian: Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk becomes Europe’s most valuable firmWegovy (semaglutide): a new weight loss drug for chronic weight management - Singh et al. Guardian: firm behind weight loss drug Wegovy raises profit forecast to £15.3bnFirst in class, best in class or a wild cardCompare and Contrast the Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP1RAs) - Feb '24 Ozempic, Trulicity, and More: 10 GLP-1 Agonist Drugs and How to Navigate Your OptionsGuardian: Women advised to pair effective contraception with ‘skinny jabs’ Amid baby boom reports linked to drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic, experts say it would be ‘wise’ to take extra precautionsSciAm: Oze
ResourcesSupport the show
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In this week’s episode, we look at Colombia's recent move in issuing its first compulsory license. The country challenged ViiV Healthcare's monopoly on their patented drug, dolutegravir, an HIV therapeutic, in an attempt to open doors for affordable generic versions and thus improve accessibility & affordability.
We explore the nuances of licensing mechanisms - voluntary agreements & compulsory licenses. We discuss their impact on public health and innovation, drawing parallels with past instances. We also delve into the proposed European Union-wide Compulsory Licence and industry perspectives on intellectual property. Hard subject here - and as someone who started out in Pharma I find it hard to put full advocacy behind non-market driven mechanisms. But what does the data say?
1. Sudan - https://www.rescue.org/article/fighting-sudan-what-you-need-know-about-crisis
Sign up to the Global Health Conversations Newsletter! :)
2. Colombia issues compulsory license for https://healthpolicy-watch.news/colombia-issues-compulsory-license-to-get-key-generic-hiv-medicine-dolutegravir/#:~:text=The%20government%20of%20Colombia%20has,the%20patent%20owner%2C%20ViiV%20Healthcare.3. ViiV HEALTHCARE STATEMENT ON COMPULSORY LICENCE FOR DOLUTEGRAVIR IN COLOMBIA https://viivhealthcare.com/hiv-news-and-media/news/company-statements/viiv-healthcare-statement-on-compulsory-licence-for-dolutegravir-in-colombia/
4. MPP agreement https://medicinespatentpool.org/licence-post/dolutegravir-adult-dtg5. Draft WHO Pandemic Agreement - March 2024 - https://apps.who.int/gb/inb/pdf_files/inb9/A_inb9_3-en.pdf
6. Proposal for article 11b - https://www.southcentre.int/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SV261_240423.pdf
7. Paper - Access to medicines after TRIPS: Is compulsory licensing an effective mechanism to lower drug prices? A review of the existing evidence - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468182/
8. IFPMA non comprehensive list of voluntary licenses and non-assert declarations: https://www.ifpma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/i2023_2010_07_28_IFPMA_Statement_VoluntaryLicensing_NonAssert_28Ju.pdf
9. How The EU Prepares For the Next Global Pandemic Domestically: An Examination of the Union Compulsory Licence https://genevahealthfiles.substack.com/p/how-the-eu-prepares-for-the-next?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=79396&post_id=143395445&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=1zo8cv&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
10. GSK position on IP:Support the show
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This is Part 2 of our 2 Part interview.
Listen here for Part 1:
- Listen here on Spotify
- Listen here on Apple Podcasts
- Listen here on Audible
Today I interview Ema Prohić and we discuss proper teeth brushing, systemic issues in dental care and continue on the theme of the true cost of oral health. Drawing on her experience in different health systems, we discuss the financing of dental procedures, dentist fear and how to avoid the most common oral health pitfalls. We also discuss a public health project that I lead back in 2020 with the Ministry of Health Qatar and PHCC wherein she focussed on integrating oral health into a primary care program. This is Part 1 of a super conversation this season. And you won't want to miss it.
Ema is a doctor of dental medicine from Croatia, currently undertaking her specialization in orthodontics and facial orthopedics in Barcelona, Spain. She started her professional career as a dentist in the UK after completing her MSc in International Health Management at Imperial College Business School and has continued working in the UK in several dental practices as an NHS and private practitioner.
Join The Conversation - Sign up to the Global Health conversations newsletter: Check out the newsletter
Contact me: [email protected]Support the show
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On this episode I interview Ema Prohić and we discuss the true cost of oral health. Drawing on her experience in different health systems, we discuss the financing of dental procedures, dentist fear and how to avoid the most common oral health pitfalls. We also discuss a public health project that I lead back in 2020 with the Ministry of Health Qatar and PHCC wherein she focussed on integrating oral health into a primary care program. This is Part 1 of a super conversation this season. And you won't want to miss it.
1. Fluoride and caries prevention: a scoping review of public health policies2. NHS dental recovery plan: is this the correct use of limited funding?
Ema is a doctor of dental medicine from Croatia, currently undertaking her specialization in orthodontics and facial orthopedics in Barcelona, Spain. She started her professional career as a dentist in the UK after completing her MSc in International Health Management at Imperial College Business School and has continued working in the UK in several dental practices as an NHS and private practitioner.
Resources;Support the show
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In this episode, in recognition of International Women's Day, we talk about cervical cancer and discuss its significance as a symbol of global health disparities and gender inequality. Cervical cancer incidence is exacerbated by socio-economic factors and disproportionately affects women in poverty.
We discuss the importance of HPV vaccination, regular screening, and innovative prevention strategies like diagnostic tools to enable self-sampling. And the incredible toll of the devastating disease.
Resources:
Subscribe to the newsletter - https://globalhealthconversations.substack.com
1. Podcast Episode: Cancer in Africa: The dual burden of disease2. HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening: a systematic review of values and preferences: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34011537/
3. Cancer in sub-Saharan Africa in 2020: a review of current estimates of the national burden, data gaps, and future needs: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S14702045220027044. Podcast Episode: The Role of Storytelling in Women's Health
5. World Bank: New Data Show Massive, Wider-than-Expected Global Gender Gap
6. No equality for working women in any country in the world, study revealsSupport the show
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In this episode we discussed oral health as a public health issue. Discussing system challenges, incentivisation and disincentivasation, dental caries as the most common infectious disease, bacteria and the use of antibiotics.
Ema is a doctor of dental medicine from Croatia, currently undertaking her specialization in orthodontics and facial orthopedics in Barcelona, Spain. She started her professional career as a dentist in the UK after completing her MSc in International Health Management at Imperial College Business School and has continued working in the UK in several dental practices as an NHS and private practitioner.
Watch the cheeky behind the scenes video as I remote recorded this episode with Dr Ema Prohic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYtwPcdP-2w&list=PLuMBJBscY0rlz0UzeigxHVA3bfRMnzz7i&index=2
The Podcast episode will be available on Global Health Conversations wherever you listen on Sunday 31 March.Support the show
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Check out the newsletter
In this week’s solocast we discussed the cost of medical care. Particularly, I attempted to answer the question: Why do Americans pay (so much) more for healthcare? With my health economist hat on - I looked into transparency, drug prices and administrative costs. But are these only reasons that the US has the world’s third highest out of pocket health expenditure? And, moreover, how does this affect patients and patient outcomes?
Resources:
1. Why are American Healthcare costs so high - Vlogbrothers
2. Vox: The true story of America’s sky-high prescription drug prices
Get in touch with me here: [email protected]Support the show
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This is the official last episode of Season 1! The Global Health Conversations Newsletter continues throughout the holidays until we're back after the Christmas holidays. Click here to Sign up to the free Global Health Conversations fortnightly newsletter. It is packed with the latest news in global health with themes each fortnight. You will also be notified when the next exciting interview is up!
Today's episode focussed on sustainability in the Pharma and biotech industries - redefining what sustainability means in the field. Our special guest, Elisabetta Marani, or Eli, as I call her is a sustainability expert with almost a decade of experience working gin sustainability, CSR, continuous improvement & supply chain in the Pharma, Biotech and Medical devices industries; including at Biotech, Catalent and Amplifion. She has a wealth of knowledge and a dear friend of mine having completed our MScs together in Drug Discovery & Pharma Management at the UCL School of Pharmacy. She is also the founder of The Young Sustainability Network - providing guidance and solutions for young professionals with an interest in working in sustainability.
We talked about many topics including circular economy, greenwashing, net zero carbon emissions goals and the role of sustainability in Pharma, practical solutions, access to medicines as a key objective of the industry alongside furthering environmental sustainability aims and if you are a young professional interested in this area - be sure to listen to the end as Eli provides her expert advice in this area. If you are not a young professional, be sure to listen to the very end for Eli's advice as to how we can all make a difference in our personal spheres of work.
About Today's Guest:
Elisabetta Marani graduated in Biochemistry at the University of Sheffield, pursued a masters at UCL in drug discovery & pharma management, and later on an Msc in environmental management at the Open University.
She worked in the pharma & biotech industry for 6+ years, first focusing on environmental impact of pharma production sites and progressively moving to corporate roles of ESG reporting, wider corporate social responsibility programs management. She recently moved over to the medical device/hearing care industry and is now in the function of procurement, focusing on building sustainable supply chain and sourcing programs .
She is a Certified Auditor ISO14001, Sustainability Practitioner (IEMA) and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. She is also founder of The Young Sustainability Network (TYSN), an online global community aimed to support and empower young professionals as they embark in sustainability careers.
Disclaimer provided by guest:
Views expressed are personal opinions of the guest speaker and do not represent the views of the companies she has worked or currently works for in any way.
If you are interested in a career in sustainability and would like to get in touch with Eli's initiative, reach out to The Young Sustainability Network (link).Support the show
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