September 25, 2008
Access to essential medicines is part of the fulfillment of the right to health, says Hans Hogerzeil, PhD, a World Health Organization leader who will speak on the subject next week at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Hogerzeil, director of essential medicines and pharmaceutical policies at WHO, is this year’s recipient of the UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy Award for Public Service. He will receive the award and present a seminar at UNC on Oct. 2 at 2:00 p.m. in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium in the Global Education Building on the Chapel Hill campus.
“Dr. Hogerzeil’s work at WHO has been paramount to improving global policies and standards for the rational selection of medicines,” said Howard McLeod, PharmD, director of the institute. “We are pleased to honor Dr. Hogerzeil for his efforts, which allow UNC IPIT researchers to broaden our vision and deepen our insights. His work is especially relevant as we seek to help physicians prescribe the right medicine at the right time to the right person.”
Hogerzeil’s award acknowledges his work in establishing the WHO Essential Medicines Program, which provides an objective way to prioritize the availability of medications across the world, McLeod said.
“He coordinates the pharmaceutical policies and essential medicines programs of all major United Nations agencies, the Global Fund and the World Bank, a role that is fundamental to UNC IPIT’s efforts to understand how and why specific drugs work better in some populations than in others,” McLeod said.
A primary goal of UNC IPIT is to help nations, communities and individuals better select medicines based on actual genomic evidence, ultimately helping to improve prognosis, reduce risk and lower cost of care.
Hogerzeil’s seminar, “Access to Essential Medicines as Part of the Fulfillment of the Right to Health,” is open to the public, but seating is limited.
Hans Hogerzeil, MD, PhD, FRCP (Edin)
Hogerzeil qualified as a medical doctor from Leiden University in the Netherlands and received a Ph.D. in public health in 1984. For five years, he was a mission doctor in India and Ghana. In 1985, he joined the WHO Action Programme of Essential Drugs, first in the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Alexandria, Egypt, and later in the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. As a WHO staff member, he has advised more than 40 developing countries on the development of their national medicines policies, essential drugs lists, and essential drugs programs. As secretary of the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines, he initiated the recent changes in procedures for updating the Model List of Essential Medicines, which places stronger emphasis on evidence-based selections. He is director of essential medicines and pharmaceutical policies and chair of the Interagency Pharmaceutical Coordination Group.
Hogerzeil is the editor of several WHO books on essential medicines policies, the quality use of medicines, medicines in emergency situations and essential medicines for reproductive health. He has published more than 50 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and teaches every year at international courses all over the world. In 1996 he was invited to become a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh, Scotland, and in 1998, he received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland.
UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy
UNC IPIT was formed in the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy as a collaborative effort with the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing and with support from the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences. Leadership in key areas of pharmacogenomic research will be fostered by creating contiguous office and laboratory space to bolster collaborations and the development of comprehensive research investigations and treatment tools. IPIT will also offer the services of core facilities in molecular genomics, cellular phenotyping and bioinformatics to add to the excellent core facilities already existing at UNC.
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