Pfizer Launches ‘An Accord for a Healthier World’ to Improve Health Equity for 1.2 Billion People Living in 45 Lower-Income Countries

  • Pfizer will provide all its current and future patent-protected medicines and vaccines available in the U.S. or EU on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries.
  • Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda are the first five countries to commit to join the Accord. Health officials in these countries will help identify and resolve hurdles beyond supply to inform the roll out in all 45 lower-income countries.
  • Pfizer calls upon global health leaders and organizations to join the Accord, bringing their expertise and resources to close the health equity gap and help create a healthier world for 1.2 billion people.

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TGen study offers path for late-stage cancer patients wanting to leverage their own health data to guide their care

PHOENIX, Ariz. — May 18, 2022 — For cancer patients nearing the end of standard of care treatment, data gleaned from their tumor genome and tissue samples can be an invaluable resource for seeking out future care. But how do patients safely access these data and obtain analyses to guide future personalized care?

A unique study pairing researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, with one cancer patient is now underway to help answer that question. Rick Stanton, a former engineer and advanced prostate cancer patient, is at the center of TGen’s Patient Engagements, Operational Practices, and Laboratory Environment Standardization (PEOPLES) protocol.
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AZBio CEO Talks Medtech Opportunities on STEM Unplugged

Arizona’s MedTech sector continues to grow and play an integral role in the future of patient treatment. Tune in to this episode of STEM Unplugged to learn more about the role of AZBio and the opportunities to get involved with SciTech Institute. Kelly, Claire and Joan discuss the career pathways in MedTech.

Think about the advancing technology in Arizona and the role our future workforce plays in research. The guests discuss the importance of delivery and access to quality healthcare, too.Continue reading

Designer neurons offer new hope for treatment of Parkinson’s disease

The new study describes the implantation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to replace dopamine-producing neurons destroyed by Parkinson’s disease. Such cells not only survive the grafting procedure and manufacture dopamine, but send out their branching fibers through the neural tissue to make distant connections in the brain, just as their naturally-occurring counterparts.Continue reading

Milestone: Arizona researchers sequence genomes of more than 100,000 COVID-19 samples

A massive effort to track the COVID-19 pandemic in Arizona over the past two years resulted in the genomic sequencing of more than 100,000 samples of the COVID-19 virus by a coalition of Arizona universities and health agencies, including Arizona State University, TGen, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona and the Arizona Department of Health Services.Continue reading

Governor Ducey Signs Legislation To Enhance Access To Precision Medicine

Governor Douglas A Ducey signs HB2144_photo credit Dignity HealthPHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey today signed legislation to ensure patients and their doctors have access to innovative testing that can help determine the most effective medical treatment for cancer and other diseases.

Before signing the bill at the Dignity Health Cancer Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, the governor said Arizona now joins only a handful of other states in requiring health insurance plans to cover biomarker testing when there’s a clinical need.

“These types of tests have become a crucial part of cancer and other disease therapies and should be available to everyone who wants one,” said Governor Ducey. “Biomarker tests save lives. They help doctors determine the best course of treatment, prevent unnecessary treatments and will help us cure diseases like cancer in the future. No one should be denied this information.”

The legislation, H.B. 2144, was sponsored by Rep. Regina Cobb of Kingman and passed with strong bipartisan support in the Arizona House and Senate. Continue reading