Conference attendees express concern over growing burden of NCDs

Inter Press Service reports on "a conference organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) on World Cancer Day [February 4] in Geneva," during which experts warned about the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) -- "cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, among others" -- especially in low- and middle-income countries. The news service describes the formation and actions of the NCD Alliance and includes comments from Jeffrey Sturchio, senior partner at the consulting firm Rabin Martin; Cary Adams, CEO of the Union for International Cancer Control and chair of the NCD Alliance; and Margaret Kruk of Columbia University's school of public health. While the work of the NCD Alliance has "result[ed] in a plan of action that stretches to 2025, with clear targets such as reducing NCD-related deaths by 25 percent in that time frame, ... financial resources are stretched thin, and it is unlikely that the funds needed to launch a massive global campaign will be readily available," IPS writes (Agazzi, 2/5).