Cadre d'action pour la promotion de l'accès universel à des produits sanguins sûrs dans la Région africaine de l'OMS

Le sang et les produits sanguins jouent un rôle important dans les soins de santé. En l'absence de sang sûr, l'efficacité des services de santé à fournir des soins appropriés aux patients qui ont besoin de sang peut être affectée négativement. La pandémie de COVID-19 a eu un impact négatif sur l'offre et la demande de sang. Il est donc important d'intégrer la fourniture de produits sanguins dans les plans de préparation et de réponse aux situations d'urgence afin de prévenir une morbidité et une mortalité excessives. Une stratégie régionale pour la sécurité du sang a été adoptée en 2001, qui a défini quatre cibles à atteindre par les pays en fin 2012. Les évaluations de la mise en œuvre de cette stratégie ont montré que la plupart des pays ont fait des progrès, mais qu'il reste des défis importants qui contribuent à réduire l'accès à des produits sanguins sûrs dans la région africaine. Pour relever ces défis, AFRO a élaboré un cadre d'action régional. Promouvoir l'accès universel à des produits sanguins sûrs, efficaces et de qualité garantie dans la région africaine de l'OMS. Les activités du cadre d'action sont liées au PGT-13 et contribuent à certains résultats des objectifs 1, 2 et 4. Elles sont classées en deux groupes, les activités aux niveaux régional et national, et seront partagées avec les pays et au niveau du bureau régional afin de les intégrer dans leurs plans de travail respectifs. La mise en œuvre de ce cadre nécessite des ressources humaines et financières adéquates et des mécanismes de coordination appropriés. (French) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Transfusion Clinique et Biologique is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood supply and demand in the WHO African Region.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affected millions of people worldwide and caused disruptions at the global level including in healthcare provision. Countries of the WHO African region have put in place measures for the COVID-19 pandemic containment that may adversely affect blood system activities and subsequently reduce the supply and demand of blood and blood components. This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood supply and demand in the WHO African Region and propose measures to address the challenges faced by countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey questionnaire was sent to all 47 countries in the WHO African Region to collect information on blood supply and demand for the first 5 months of 2019 and 2020, respectively, and on COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma therapy in September 2020. RESULTS: Thirty-seven countries provided responses. The total number of blood donations dropped in 32 countries while it increased in five countries. The proportion of blood drives also decreased in 21 countries and increased in nine countries. The blood requested and issued for transfusion decreased for blood demand and for blood issued for transfusion in 30 countries. Ten countries reported some activities of convalescent plasma. However, very few units of this product collected have been transfused to COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reduction of blood related activities in the region, including the supply and demand. Countries preparedness plans for health emergencies need more emphasis to maintaining blood stock.

The role of intellectual property rights on access to medicines in the WHO African region: 25 years after the TRIPS agreement.

BACKGROUND: It is now 25 years since the adoption of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the same concerns raised during its negotiations such as high prices of medicines, market exclusivity and delayed market entry for generics remain relevant as highlighted recently by the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics. The World Health Organization's (WHO) mandate to work on the interface between intellectual property, innovation and access to medicine has been continually reinforced and extended to include providing support to countries on the implementation of TRIPS flexibilities in collaboration with stakeholders. This study analyses the role of intellectual property on access to medicines in the African Region. METHODS: We analyze patent data from the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) to provide a situational analysis of patenting activity and trends. We also review legislation to assess how TRIPS flexibilities are implemented in countries. RESULTS: Patenting was low for African countries. Only South Africa and Cameroon appeared in the list of top ten originator countries for ARIPO and OAPI respectively. Main diseases covered by African patents were HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and tumors. Majority countries have legislation allowing for compulsory licensing and parallel importation of medicines, while the least legislated flexibilities were explicit exemption of pharmaceutical products from patentable subject matter, new or second use of patented pharmaceutical products, imposition of limits to patent term extension and test data protection. Thirty-nine countries have applied TRIPS flexibilities, with the most common being compulsory licensing and least developed country transition provisions. CONCLUSIONS: Opportunities exist for WHO to work with ARIPO and OAPI to support countries in reviewing their legislation to be more responsive to public health needs.