Sustainable Procurement & CSR News - Pharmaceutical Industry

Blockchain startup Fantom has been given the green light to start tracking medicinal drugs in Afghanistan to help stem the country’s counterfeiting problem.

healthcare resources at all levels are being directed toward fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. While this has resulted in encouraging progress, many non-coronavirus patients are finding it difficult to access care due to limited available resources, while others avoid seeking in-person medical treatment for fear of exposure to the virus.

This trend is especially concerning among patients in need of chronic care, who account for 76% of all physician visits. For those with chronic diseases, failure to access care can lead to high-acuity care episodes, a situation that is dangerous and disruptive to patients, in addition to being costly for patients, payors, and providers alike.

To avoid these negative outcomes, and to preserve specialist availability and critical health care resources, health care organizations must find ways to provide safe access to primary care for patients with chronic conditions. One potential avenue for providing this care is through the use of eConsults and other forms of telehealth for chronic care management.

CVS Health has launched its 13th annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) report and unveiled Transform Health 2030, the company’s new CSR roadmap for the next decade. The report lays the groundwork for how the company will transform health in four priority areas: Healthy People, Healthy Business, Healthy Community and Healthy Planet. It outlines the ways CVS Health is simplifying the health care system, supporting the personal and professional development of colleagues, investing in community health at the local level and setting bold goals to reduce environmental impact.

At its General Assembly on June 9, 2020, the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA), an international organization comprised of over 115 associations representing 5 million public health professionals around the world, approved a new policy calling for immediate actions to close coal mines and coal plants and to invest in cheaper, healthier, and fairer alternatives. 

The WFPHA’s Call to Ban Coal for Electricity Production adds urgency and specificity to the crescendo of international health bodies calling on governments, multilateral institutions, and health organizations to take immediate action to phase out fossil fuel use and transition to healthier, renewable sources of energy. It builds upon the Federation’s prior resolutions and declarations, including the Kolkata Call to Action that called for “a rapid phase-out of coal” to limit further global warming and prevent illnesses and deaths associated with air pollution.

Scientist.com, the healthcare industry’s leading marketplace for life science research, announced today the launch of VERIF.i®, a standardized supplier pre-assessment program. Research organizations use VERIF.i to evaluate the facilities, personnel and processes supporting the sourcing of human biological samples and research services involving animals. Supplier pre-assessments improve quality management, reduce costs and reduce risk.

Swiss company has developed a tech-enabled shipping container that not only predicts and controls risk but reduces CO2 emissions by half.