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1 October each year is dedicated to celebrating the International Day of Older Persons to raise awareness about the challenges and opportunities of ageing. It is a day for honouring the contributions of older persons to society and highlighting the importance of their dignity, independence and inclusion. This year’s theme advocates for healthy and inclusive ageing. By 2100, the number of people aged 65 and over is projected to reach 2.4 billion, and the fastest growing segment will be those aged 80 and older. Much of our work at the WHO Kobe Centre aims to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC) in the context of population ageing to improve the accessibility, affordability and acceptability of health services including long-term care (LTC) for older people. This past year, we pioneered research to assess the available evidence of unmet health and social care needs among older people (generally above 60 years) in five of WHO’s Regions to ensure they are not left behind in global efforts towards UHC. For the first time, policy-makers can now examine the gaps and opportunities in their regions to identify and address the barriers that lead to unmet needs. This will help improve health information systems that...

Saudi German Health UAE has been awarded the Gold Award for Patient Experience Excellence by the Arab Hospitals Federation, selected from 267 submissions across 10 Arab countries. This recognition celebrates SGH UAE’s deep commitment to embedding patient experience into every layer of operations from leadership to the front lines and non-patient-facing departments. With CXM as its transformation partner, Saudi German Health UAE advanced through a multi-phase Patient Experience Elevation Program that helped shape a culture where experience is not only delivered but lived across every floor, every department, and every shift. A Patient Experience Transformation Built From the Inside Out CXM’s transformation philosophy centers on one foundational truth: meaningful change begins from within the organization. This belief made the partnership with Saudi German Health UAE especially impactful, as both organizations share the conviction that enhancing patient experience starts with empowering those who deliver it. At the heart of the Patient Experience Elevation Program were more than 850 team members across clinical and non-clinical functions, whose daily actions shape how care is felt. Recognizing staff as the true heartbeat of the organization, CXM’s approach focused on aligning mindset, behavior, and operational culture to create a system where experience is not just delivered, it is...

Crystalys Therapeutics said on Tuesday it has emerged from stealth mode with a funding round of $205 million to help finance global late-stage trials of its lead drug as a treatment for gout. The Series A financing round was co-led by Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder of obesity drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab, SR One and Catalys Pacific, and had participation from other investors. The company, which had a pre-money valuation of $75 million, had closed an initial investment in June, and had been working with three to four additional investors for a second capital raise, CEO James Mackay told Reuters. Crystalys is accelerating two late-stage trials of dotinurad, a once-daily oral drug being evaluated in the U.S. and Europe as a second-line treatment for gout in patients unresponsive to first-line therapies. "There really is no available second-line treatment for these patients," said Mackay adding that while Amgen's (AMGN.O), opens new tab intravenous drug Krystexxa is successful as a third-line treatment, the high price limits it to a small portion of patients. Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis, which is caused by buildup of uric acid in the body and leads to pain and swelling in the joints. Dotinurad belongs to a...

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to bolster the use of artificial intelligence and provide an additional $50 million in research grants aimed at finding cures for childhood cancers, according to a White House official. The order builds on the National Cancer Institute's Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, a 10-year, $500 million program announced by Trump during his 2019 State of the Union Address focused on gathering and sharing data on childhood cancers. "Pediatric cancer remains the leading cause of chronic disease-related deaths for children in the United States, and its incidence has increased by more than 40% since 1975," Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a briefing. Data gathered through the 2019 initiative now make it possible for researchers to use AI to "improve clinical trials, sharpen diagnoses, fine-tune treatment, unlock cures and strengthen prevention strategies," Kratsios said. The data initiative proposed $50 million in funding over 10 years. According to a White House official, the National Institutes of Health will be doubling its investment by an additional $50 million to take advantage of, and improve, existing data, with more investments planned. The funding is aimed at attracting scientific teams...

Britain will not impose sales tax on private health care, its health minister said on Tuesday, amid media reports that it was one option being considered by the government ahead of a November 26 budget. "It's not happening," health minister Wes Streeting told the BBC. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is widely expected to hike taxes at the November budget to fill a fiscal hole which economists forecast at tens of billions of pounds, prompting speculation as to where the axe might fall. Reeves said on Monday she was sticking to the Labour Party's manifesto commitments not to raise sales tax, known as value added tax (VAT), national insurance contributions or the rates of income tax.

Shares of U.S. drugmakers rose after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Pfizer will cut the price of all prescription drugs in the Medicaid program for low-income Americans in exchange for tariff relief and added that he expects other drugmakers to follow suit. Trump referred to another announcement from a drugmaker next week and said that Eli Lilly has been "fantastic" in these negotiations. Investors and analysts said the announcements appear to be the beginning of the rebound for the sector. While the "most favored nation" pricing and pharmaceutical tariffs have loomed as a concern for the sector for some time, today's announcement appears to read positively, said BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman. Shares of Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Merck, AbbVie and Bristol Myers Squibb were up between 2% and 7% at the close. Separately, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary also made comments at the White House event on the commissioner's review voucher under which certain experimental therapies addressing a chronic public health need and meeting specific criteria could be reviewed in one to two months, rather than the standard 10 months. He is expected to announce five recipients of those vouchers. "We wouldn't be surprised if we see an announcement of a (voucher) for orfoglipron...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Pfizer (PFE.N), opens new tab will cut the price on all of its prescription drugs sold to the Medicaid insurance program and will introduce all new prescription drugs at a "most favored nation" price. The White House is also planning to unveil a direct-to-consumer website for Americans to buy drugs, called TrumpRx, the official added. Pfizer will launch sales of some of its drugs directly to consumers through that website. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. Trump sent letters to 17 leading drug companies in July telling them to slash drug prices to match those paid overseas - a policy the president has called most favored nation pricing. He asked them to respond with binding commitments by September 29. Pfizer is the first company to announce a deal. A company spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. The U.S. has been engaged in one-on-one talks with the companies, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a cabinet meeting last month, adding that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was using the threat of tariffs on the industry for additional leverage.

Vibativ ® treats patients with pneumonia and serious skin infections Specialty pharmaceutical companies Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company a fully owned subsidiary of Astra Industrial Group and a leading pharmaceutical company in the Middle East and Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: CPIX), a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the launch of Cumberland's Vibativ ® (telavancin) injection in Saudi Arabia . The announcement follows an agreement between the companies providing Tabuk with the exclusive rights to register and promote the product for patients in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East . Vibativ is a patented, FDA-approved injectable anti-infective that can serve as a potentially life-saving treatment in patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia resulting from infections, including the flu and COVID-19. It is intravenously administered with once-daily dosing and does not require therapeutic drug monitoring, decreasing health care professionals' exposure to the patient. It is designed to treat serious infections due to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and other Gram-positive bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA ). Vibativ addresses a range of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including those that are considered difficult-to-treat and multidrug-resistant. "Given the global concern about multidrug-resistant organisms, Vibativ is an important addition to our anti-infective portfolio...

AbbVie (ABBV.N), opens new tab said on Monday it would launch its ovarian cancer drug Elahere in the UK at a list price matching that in the U.S. President Donald Trump has been demanding that drugmakers align domestic prices with the lowest levels paid by comparable high-income countries under the "most-favored-nation" policy. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. The U.S. pays nearly three times more for prescription drugs compared to other developed nations. Last week, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N), opens new tab said it planned to launch schizophrenia drug Cobenfy in the UK next year at a price matching its U.S. list price. AbbVie was one of the 17 drugmakers to receive letters from U.S. President Donald Trump in July outlining how they should cut prices to match those paid overseas. The company was in discussions with Britain's cost-effectiveness watchdog, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure the drug is valued fairly, the drugmaker said on Monday. AbbVie said the talks will determine Elahere's launch in the UK. The company did not immediately respond to a request on the pricing. Unlike in the U.S., where market forces determine drug prices, European governments...

U.S. pharmaceutical lobby group PhRMA said on Monday it would launch a new website in January to help patients buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers, bypassing pharmacy benefit managers and other middlemen. The website, to be called AmericasMedicines.com, will allow drugmakers to list medicines available for direct purchase and connect patients with programs that offer lower prices and fewer barriers to access. The move is part of a broader push by the industry to simplify how Americans get their medicines and reduce out-of-pocket costs following mounting pressure from the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has urged pharmaceutical companies to bring down U.S. drug prices, and in July sent letters to 17 major companies demanding they slash U.S. prescription drug prices to match those paid in other developed nations. The companies have until September 29 to respond with binding commitments. The White House has also floated the idea of a government-run website, possibly named TrumpRx, to help Americans shop for cheaper medicines, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month. PhRMA did not immediately respond to a request for more details on its upcoming website. The direct-to-consumer model has recently gained traction, with companies like Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab, Pfizer (PFE.N), opens new tab, and AstraZeneca (AZN.L),...