Challenges in Global Access to Life-Saving Medications and Vaccines episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 3, 2026 · 17 MIN

Challenges in Global Access to Life-Saving Medications and Vaccines

from Public Health On Call · host Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

About this episode:   During the recent pandemic, low-income countries struggled to access the COVID-19 vaccine, despite a global framework that had been established for this purpose. In this episode: Tahir Amin, a leader in the access to medicines movement, shares his perspective on what failed during the pandemic and how this experience reflects larger challenges in the availability and affordability of critical medications. Guest:  Tahir Amin, DPLP, is a founder and CEO of the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK), a nonprofit organization working to address the inequities in how medicines are developed and distributed. Host:  Dr. Josh Sharfstein is distinguished professor of the practice in Health Policy and Management, a pediatrician, and former secretary of Maryland's Health Department.  Show links and related content:  Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines—Polity Books (book) Americans' Challenges with Health Care Costs—KFF Patently imperfect—Science Could Patent Reform Lower Drug Prices?—Public Health On Call (March 2023) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌PublicHealthPod on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 3, 2026

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