A new source of the key component in malaria drugs

This month, PATH and our partner Sanofi formally launched large-scale production of semisynthetic artemisinin, a key ingredient for the gold-standard malaria treatment. Using cutting-edge technology, our innovative approach complements the existing—and volatile—botanical supply of artemisinin and promotes a steady and affordable flow of effective drugs to those most in need.

The launch culminates a nine-year project led by our Drug Development program (formerly OneWorld Health) that by 2014 will produce enough artemisinin for 80 to 150 million treatments per year. PATH President and CEO Steve Davis writes for Impatient Optimists about the launch, while program leader Dr. Ponni Subbiah describes the significance of semisynthetic artemisinin in a blog post.

Can we stop tuberculosis (TB)? Defeating TB is a tough task but not impossible, explains PATH’s TB technical director in a recent post on our blog. New resources on our website describe our approach to tackling the disease and provide a guide to help TB programs monitor and evaluate advocacy, communication, and social mobilization activities. PATH also has helped launch a new online forum to connect TB practitioners and enhance their work.

Global plan outlines joint approach to combat top childhood killers. PATH helped convene leading organizations around the world to support the first-ever strategy to tackle pneumonia and diarrhea simultaneously. Our president and CEO writes about the plan—developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF—and how PATH already integrates this work in several countries. A new video shows the success of similar joint efforts in Zambia.

Watch these films: 12 finalists in our Female Condoms Are __ contest. We’ve narrowed the pool to 12 compelling, short movies about what female condoms mean to women, men, and their communities. Watch the films on our website, then check back after May 28 to find out who won.

Childhood health initiative expands to Mozambique. The PATH-led Window of Opportunity project will focus on improving health and early childhood development in Mozambique’s Maputo Province. The effort is part of a larger project in conjunction with BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities that began in neighboring South Africa in 2011.

Project will increase equity in vaccine coverage. The PATH-hosted Vaccine Implementation Technical Assistance Consortium and the GAVI Alliance are developing a new framework for addressing disparities in immunization services in the world's poorest countries. The GAVI Equity Framework will consider ways to reduce geographical, gender, and wealth inequities to more quickly reach more children with crucial vaccines. Read more about our vaccine work on our website.

Interactive game explains complexities of vaccine cost. How do the number of doses per vial, packaging, and other factors play into the price of immunization? A new game developed by Project Optimize, a collaboration between PATH and WHO, helps decision-makers understand the hidden costs of vaccines. It’s part of a traveling exhibit to show the many facets of safely and affordably reaching people in developing countries with lifesaving vaccines.

Vaccine supplement highlights opportunities, challenges for global vaccination. Articles by PATH contributors and others explore the Global Vaccine Action Plan and what it will take to close immunization gaps for underserved populations in developing countries.

A policy report highlights the essential role of public-private partnerships to advance global health solutions.

A comprehensive curriculum and facilitator’s guide provide tools and exercises for conducting a three-day global health advocacy strategy development workshop.

A two-minute video shows how students can be powerful teachers on the importance of safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene.

A report concludes that giving smaller doses of yellow fever vaccine could help increase vaccine supply and availability in countries most affected by the disease.

A three-minute video highlights the importance of strengthening vaccine supply and logistics systems to increase the impact of vaccination.

A set of reports describes the results of projects in Albania, Senegal, and Vietnam to demonstrate vaccine supply chain innovations.

A fact sheet describes how PATH, WHO, and the Vietnamese government introduced a digital immunization registry to better track children’s vaccines.

A fact sheet explains how PATH supports the government of Vietnam in controlling TB.

Report calls for US action to reduce deaths, extend lives, and secure healthier futures. The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), housed at PATH, released its fourth annual policy report to encourage lawmakers to continue funding research and development of new global health tools.

PATH, GHTC, others ask Congress to protect US funding for global health. Senior PATH and GHTC staff testified before a US House subcommittee last month to fully fund key programs in the government’s foreign affairs budget. Their testimonies and those of other international development advocates underscored the benefits of US investments in reaching poor countries with crucial health solutions.

Kevin Osborne, an expert in HIV and sexual and reproductive health, has joined PATH as the new leader of our South Africa program.

Philippe Guinot, a health leader in both the public and private sectors, is the new head of our Senegal office.