Cooperation needed to fight NCDs, U.N. officials note

Speaking Thursday at an informal civil society hearing that is a precursor to the first-ever high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), top U.N. officials "stressed the need for governments, the private sector and civil society to work together and more effectively to address cancers, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, which account for nearly two thirds of global deaths each year," the U.N. News Centre reports (6/16).

At the meeting, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) released a Framework for Action (.pdf) against NCDs, "which, it says, represents 'a paradigm shift for the research-based pharmaceutical industry,'" according to Pharma Times. "IFPMA says its aim is for the Framework to 'provide a sound basis for the research-based pharmaceutical industry to partner with the people on the ground, governments and the WHO to find ways to address prevention, care and treatment for NCDs in the developing world,'" the news source writes (Taylor, 6/17).

In an opinion piece in Business Day, IFPMA Director-General Eduardo Pisani said, "finding solutions to the health and economic threats posed by the rapid increase in NCDs is everyone's business." He added, "While it remains essential for the pharmaceutical industry to stay focused on research and development, we want to build from experience and contribute to addressing global health challenges" (6/17).