Patients don’t stick with long-term treatments. So says a new WHO report entitled “Adherence To Long-Term Therapies: Evidence For Action”. Unlike many WHO reports, this one seems pretty free of political influences, probably because it’s a fairly uncontroversial subject. Everyone would be better off if people took their meds consistently.
On July 2, President Bush named Randall Tobias, former chairman of a major pharmaceutical company, as the coordinator for international HIV/AIDS assistance at the Department of State. I strongly believe that all organizations can benefit from better business practices, including public health work. I do not necessarily believe that running a pharmaceutical company prepares you for spearheading an important global health initiative. And we’re not even going to get into the generic drug issue. Some articles about it: