Ten Stories That Mattered in Access to Medicines in 2010

Access to Essential Medicines | 06 January 2011

Through its Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been closely following the developments in the world of access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics.

Among the positive stories of the past year: new tools were developed for Meningitis A and for tuberculosis, promising research was published on severe malaria, an innovative mechanism was created to make lifesaving HIV medicines more affordable, and the quality of food aid is progressively improving.

But it wasn’t all good news in 2010: donors are turning their back on AIDS, and pursuing a number of policies that threaten access to generic medicines (here and here). At the same time, measles is making a comeback, and neglected tropical diseases continue to take a heavy toll.

Continue reading below for the full selection of the ten stories that mattered in access to medicines in 2010.

1. Breakthrough Meningitis Vaccine Developed for Africa at Affordable Price
2. Promising New TB Test is Important Step, But Simpler One Still Needed
3. Medicines Patent Pool Gets First Patent, But Companies Need to Follow Suit
4. Starved for Attention: A Move to End the Double Standard in Childhood Malnutrition
5. HIV/AIDS: Progress Under Siege
6. Europe Threatens to Shut Down India’s Role as ‘Pharmacy of the Developing World’
7. Fatal Confusion: The Fight Against Fake Medicines Veers Off-course
8. Improved Treatment for Severe Malaria Saves More Lives
9. Measles Makes an Unnecessary Comeback
10. The Neglect of Tropical Diseases like Kala Azar Continues