PAHO calls for strengthened vaccination and surveillance amid the spread of antibiotic-resistant pertussis in the Americas

Cristina Mitchell

26 Aug 2025

Our choice today is salted caramel, which offers a whiff of the Jersey shore. Sounds appetizing, yes? As always, we invite you to join us. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you get started on your journey. We hope that your day is simply smashing and that you conquer the world. And of course, do keep in touch. We appreciate suggestions, criticism, and juicy tips. …

AbbVie agreed to pay up to $1.2 billion to buy Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals’ investigational psychedelic drug to treat major depression, a sign that pharmaceutical companies are warming up to the burgeoning field, STAT writes. The move builds on AbbVie’s growing focus on neuroscience. Last year, it also acquired Cerevel Therapeutics for $9 billion, but after the deal closed, the schizophrenia drug at the center of the acquisition failed to show benefits in key trials. A growing number of biotech companies have emerged to study psychedelics for psychiatric disorders, but the field suffered a major setback last year when regulators rejected a Lykos Therapeutics MDMA candidate for post-traumatic stress disorder. Companies are now hoping the Trump administration will be supportive of psychedelics after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed to end the “aggressive suppression of psychedelics.” 

The European Commission granted marketing authorization for Gilead Sciences’ twice-yearly injection for preventing HIV infection, Reuters notes. The drug, known as lenacapavir, will be sold in Europe under the brand name Yeytuo. It was approved in June by regulators in the U.S., where it is marketed as Yeztugo. The EC approval applies to the European Union’s 27 member states, as well as Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. Before the drug can be made available to patients, Gilead will need to establish pricing and reimbursement terms with health systems in each country. In the U.S., the list price is over $28,000 a year, prompting some insurers to postpone coverage. Meanwhile, Gilead said it also filed for regulatory review with authorities in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and Switzerland and is preparing filings in Argentina, Mexico, and Peru. The company intends to pursue submissions to regulatory authorities in low- and middle-income countries, including priority registrations covering 18 countries that represent 70% of the HIV burden of 120 countries named in voluntary licensing agreements.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

The pharma giant will acquire the treatment, called bretisilocin, for up to $1.2 billion, including an upfront payment and development milestones. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh will spin off a new company called Gilgamesh Pharma Inc. for its staff and other drug programs.

The move builds on AbbVie’s growing focus on neuroscience. The company had already signed a collaboration agreement with Gilgamesh. Last year, it also acquired Cerevel Therapeutics for $9 billion, but following the closing of the deal, the key schizophrenia drug at the center of the acquisition failed to show benefits in key trials.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) has been welcomed into the family of the region’s media fraternity and got the esteemed opportunity to fulfil one of our commitments which we have strived to achieve over the last five (5) years; to host the media’s best for an in-person sensitization on the health landscape of the Caribbean, in partnership with the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU). The HCC welcomed over 130 delegates of the CBUs 56th Annual General Assembly (AGA) and 36th Caribbean Media Awards (CMA) to its home-country Barbados, along with one of its civil society organization members, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados at the Hilton Resort, Barbados. The delegates included Media Managers, Executive Directors, News Editors, Multi-Media Journalists, Media Moguls, Media stalwarts, Anchors and Communication Specialists.

Mrs. Sheena Warner-Edwards

The HCCs Communication Officer Mrs. Sheena Warner-Edwards delivered Remarks from the HCC, followed by the Welcoming Remarks from the CBUs President Mr. Anthony Greene.

The floor opened to a showcase from the youth advocates of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados and the Healthy Caribbean Youth (HCY) marrying public health, health policy and the orange economy. Through the arts, the youth delivered the message – Why Healthy Nutrition Food Policies Mattered! Following, HCCs Policy Advisor and Head of the Law and Research Unit, University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Mrs. Nicole Foster, delivered a riveting presentation which explained the role of Commercial Determinants of Health on policy erosion, implementation and progress in the Caribbean region. A poetic experience unfolded thereafter with the experiences of our 2023 Caribbean Media Awards (2024 Awards Showing) Healthy Nutrition Food Policy Award – Print and Television winners, taking us through the curation of their work and publishing and broadcasting of the final product.

Another highlight of the evening was the video presentation of our industry interference and Conflicts of Interest (COI) communication campaign materials which was introduced by HCCs Communication Consultant Ms. Tamie Marie.

Team HCC showcased and showed-out. A clearer understanding of the work HCC and its partners and member organisations have been doing across the Caribbean, to reduce childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was buttressed. The evening culminated with visits to the booths of media partners and sponsors of the CBU. The HSFB/HCC booth also commanded attention.

Several opportunities arose out of discussions with journalists present and further interviews were scheduled for print, digital, radio and television. The attendees were treated to healthy hors d’ oeuvres and fruit-infused water, at the end of Day 1 of the CBU AGA.

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Sheena Warner-Edwards opening remarks.

Creativity Meets Opportunity

The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) is pleased to once again support the creativity of the media, through the sponsorship of the themed categories in Print and Television through our Healthy Nutrition Food Policy Awards, and to support the travel and accommodation of one of the delegates, an avid journalist; a creator, Ms. Sashana Small, of the RJR Gleaner Communications, to attend this year’s CBU Annual General Assembly and Caribbean Media Awards.

Joining with the CBU on this Partner’s Showcase, strengthens our ability to demonstrate the importance of the whole-of-society approach to tackling NCDs, which is also reflective in this year’s theme Caribbean Media and the Orange Economy.

Our communication and advocacy are strengthened through working with the media as you are able to take what would be considered heavy content and break it up into more digestible, culturally sensitive material for various target audiences.

Whether it is sounding calls for prostate cancer screening, as we try tirelessly to reach our men in society, to bringing the issues to the attention of the population through Editorials, Advertorials, Op-Eds, and Press Releases, you have worked with the HCC and our partners over the years and we thank you.
Every year the number of entries for the Caribbean Media Awards continues to grow; noting the 551 submissions, across 61 categories from 30 media organisations representing 11 countries and territories; a

13% increase from last year’s record-breaking year, which is testament to the worth of the CBU as a leader in our region. We at the HCC are pleased to be a part of the record-breaking years, and to bring a stronger health-focus to the agenda as NCDs remain a major priority on our agenda and has been touted at the highest level and by our Patron Sir George Alleyne, to “represent an existential threat to the economic survival and human capital of the Caribbean countries”.
This year is yet another significant year as on the 25th September 2025, Heads of Government will meet at the UN General Assembly to set a new vision for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing towards 2030 and beyond.

As I speak, the HCC is promoting our UNHLM campaign and has launched the second phase of our For The Children campaign, the latter of which you will hear more about and see shortly. Our civil society member organisations in Barbados, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas and Jamaica rely heavily on the media to get the messages, press releases, activities and campaigns out to the public, as they support governments in providing care and treatment, while raising health literacy, for and about NCDs. Through media advocacy, we in the Caribbean can secure financing through political commitment for national NCD programmes to ensure that NCD prevention policies are in place, NCD services in primary care are

established at high standards and NCD surveillance mechanisms are put in place and are ongoing.

After the commitments are made, we need to drive action. That’s where you the media again come in; to draw attention to the inadequacies of declarations, outcome documents, policy and programme recommendations and what’s interfering with the implementation of evidence-based policies and programmes. Caribbean countries have been accused of implementation inertia.
The Caribbean has had a chance to be again, a leader in the NCD space. Civil society organisations echoed their voices for the implementation of the octagonal warning label as the front of package warning label which best suited the people in our region, based on scientific evidence in 2021 and again in 2023; this was played down

and thrown out. Now in 2025 we are seeing many changes in the US market with respect to the food which is produced there and shipped here. The media has captured this and amplified it.
The media is therefore powerful in its ability to empower people so they become stewards of the environment. The HCC values this partnership with the CBU and its stakeholders, and look forward to ongoing work and engagement. You can guarantee that once the media covers any area of health, the HCC will capture, share and repost it.

The post HCC and CBU Partners Showcase – Healthy Nutrition Food Policies appeared first on Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

A private sector business has been commended for staging an initiative to promote a healthier Barbados, even as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness touted an all-of-society approach to tackle the non-communicable disease (NCD) crisis facing the country.

At the prize-giving ceremony for the 10,000-Step Challenge, facilitated by Dr Emma Dash of the Livewell Clinics, Minister Davidson Ishmael said the NCD challenge must be faced head-on.

“It is not just government that has a responsibility for tackling this issue. Non-governmental organisations, charities, clinics, and individuals at a very personal level, at the household level, all need to take responsibility for us being able to tackle the problem in our country,” he said.

The challenge, which encouraged participants to walk 10,000 steps daily for 90 days, came against a backdrop of startling statistics, with the Barbados government spending around $64 million annually to fight hypertension and diabetes.

Minister Ishmael said this meant $64 million less for investment in education and other areas, while an estimated $145 million was lost annually in productivity due to NCDs. Eight out of 10 deaths in Barbados are attributed to these conditions.

“It is a simple investment in your future, in your health, in your well-being and, of course, a very massive investment in our well-being as a country, because the health of a nation is indeed the wealth of a nation.”

Meanwhile, Dr Dash said the ceremony on Saturday was about more than awarding prizes – it was about celebrating movement, commitment, and a shared vision for a healthier Barbados.

She explained that the mission for the challenge was to provide large incentives for Barbadians to move.

“In a world where convenience keeps us sitting, we wanted to remind our community that every step matters, every movement counts, and every choice to be active is a step towards a longer, stronger, and healthier life.”

Underscoring the impact of NCDs, Dr Dash said, “They claim too many of our loved ones, reduce our quality of life, and place an enormous burden on our healthcare system. We believe that through collective action, education, and consistent movement, Barbados can set an example for the world.”

Prizes for the challenge included discounted services at Bayview Hospital, a range of electronic devices, and a portable air-conditioning unit by Coast to Coast Cooling. (STT)

The post Business lauded for 10,000-Step Challenge appeared first on Barbados Today.

Latin American and Caribbean laboratories strengthen zoonotic influenza detection through joint PAHO-IAEA workshop

Cristina Mitchell

22 Aug 2025