The Union participates in NCD global ministerial meeting in Moscow

Dr Nils E Billo, Executive Director of The Union, spoke at a roundtable session on access to essential medicines and technologies for NCD care at the conference. As part of his presentation, Dr Billo described the Asthma Drug Facility (ADF), a procurement mechanism developed by The Union to help low-income countries obtain quality-assured essential asthma medicines. Through the ADF, the cost of one year of treatment for a patient with severe asthma has already come down to about US $50. In some countries, this is half of what they were paying before the ADF.

 

Universal access to essential medicines and technologies is one of the top five priority interventions recommended by the NCD Alliance of which The Union is a partner. The Alliance has developed a Proposed Outcomes Document for the UN High-Level Summit that includes a variety of strategies for addressing NCDs, which kill 36 million people each year. In addition to access to essential medicines and technologies, the other priority interventions are to reduce use of tobacco and salt, improve diets and increase physical activity and reduce hazardous use of alcohol.

 

As one of the leading international organisations working towards tobacco control, The Union has long stressed the devastating links between tobacco use and other diseases, including not only tuberculosis, but also NCDs, such as chronic respiratory diseases, cancers and diabetes. In addition to its extensive work to improve asthma management, The Union is also involved in studying the links between tuberculosis and diabetes as well exploring management of hypertension using the DOTS model.

 

The global ministerial conference was the first high-visibility event in advance of the UN Summit in September. It aims to support the efforts of Member States to develop and strengthen policies and programmes on healthy lifestyles and NCD prevention. These efforts are based on the WHO Global strategy for the prevention and control of NCDs and its action plan, which include multisectoral and innovative approaches in prevention and care.

 

Watch full webcast of the event, which included addresses by the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and WHO Director General Margaret Chan.

 

Click here for more information about the Moscow global ministerial conference and the NCD crisis.

 

Read the summary of a recent Lancet article outlining the NCD Alliance's top priorities