Reuters: Drugmakers agree on landmark vaccines deal for poor
Reuters reports that several drug firms have agreed on a landmark deal to supply up to 200 million doses a year of cut-price pneumococcal vaccines to developing nations. The agreement is the first under a new scheme called an Advance Market Commitment (AMC), which provides a guaranteed market for vaccines supplied to poor nations but sets a maximum price that drug makers can expect to receive. According to Reuters, it is likely to pave the way for future deals on recently introduced vaccines against rotavirus and an experimental one against malaria, which combined kill millions in poor countries each year. Said the deputy chief executive officer for the GAVI Alliance (Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunization) “It’s very exciting news because they are going to make long-term commitments.”

Huffington Post: The Other Health Care Debate
Director of Public Policy for the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), Chris Collins, argues that while the domestic healthcare debate continues to make headlines, there is a simultaneous struggle going on for increased funding for global health initiatives. In an effort to refute claims that the global AIDS epidemic has “received too large a share of attention in recent years,” the director emphasizes success stories, which point to the need for increased funding for effective international health programs. Said Collins, Congress “should make a down payment on the President’s plan by significantly increasing funding across global health accounts beyond the President’s budget request, and that includes increased investments in addressing the deadliest infectious diseases, like AIDS, where we have a track record of success and growing international need.”

The Washington Post: In Africa, a step backward on human rights (Op-Ed, Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu argues that the recent violence and proposed legislative action against homosexual men and women in Africa are “terrible backward steps for human rights.” He emphasized that much like “his beloved continent” rose up against Apartheid, they must do the same to ensure that all people are given equal rights, no matter their sexual preferences. According to the Archbishop, many African gay men and women are being forced to live in hiding, which interferes with their access to essential HIV services. Said Tutu, “The wave of hate must stop. Politicians who profit from exploiting this hate, from fanning it, must not be tempted by this easy way to profit from fear and misunderstanding. And my fellow clerics, of all faiths, must stand up for the principles of universal dignity and fellowship. Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.”

Financial Times: Japan groups creep into Africa
The Financial Times reports that Japan is the latest country to make an “entry into the scramble for resources and economic influence in Africa,” with Japanese trading companies and manufacturers making slow moves into Africa as “they cautiously pursue some of the same goals as China, India and Brazil: capturing oil, minerals and new markets.” According to the Times, aid for agriculture and infrastructure projects has long been Japan’s defining presence in Africa. However, the Times highlights that aid is getting less emphasis than before as attention turns to the private sector and Japan is rethinking its strategy to become more competitive, including encouraging investment through loans from its state-controlled banks.