Senator Booker introduces SIGHT Act in Senate

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) announced today the appointment of two returning individuals and one new individual elected by the GHTC membership to serve on the coalition’s steering committee for the next three years.   Rachel Cohen, Senior Advisor for Global Policy Advocacy & Access at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, and Elizabeth Lovinger, US and Global Health Policy Director at the Treatment Action Group, will continue serving on the steering committee following their reelection, and Jennifer Maple, Associate Director of Advocacy at IAVI, will newly join the coalition’s governance body following her election to the remaining open committee seat. Additionally, Jenny Blair, Director of US Partnerships at PATH, was recently appointed to hold the ex officio seat designated for PATH, which serves as GHTC’s secretariat organization.“As GHTC sharpens our focus on advancing policies to accelerate global health innovation and prepares for the next US administration and Congress, we’re delighted to welcome our new and returning steering committee members, who bring a wealth of advocacy and partnership experience to support the coalition in deepening our impact,” said GHTC Executive Director Dr. Kristie Mikus. More information about GHTC’s new and returning committee members is provided below: Rachel Cohen Rachel Cohen serves currently as Senior Advisor for Global Policy Advocacy & Access, after having previously served for 12 years as Executive Director of the North America office, at the Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative, an international nonprofit developing safe, effective, and affordable treatments for neglected patients around the world. Rachel has more than 30 years of experience in the global health and humanitarian field having held previous roles at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, Housing Works, and the U.S.+Cuba Medical Project. She has served on the GHTC steering committee since its establishment in 2011. Elizabeth Lovinger Elizabeth (Lizzy) Lovinger is the US and Global Health Policy Director for Treatment Action Group, an independent, activist, and community-based research and policy think tank fighting for better treatment, prevention, a vaccine, and a cure for HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C virus. Previously, she was manager of community health promotion at the New York City Health Department, where she focused on LGBTQ+ outreach efforts, and, before that, she worked at Gay Men’s Health Crisis, where she advocated for an end to HIV criminalization and better HIV prevention in prisons. Lizzy has served on the GHTC steering committee since 2021. Jennifer Maple Jennifer (Jenni) Maple serves as Associate Director of Advocacy at IAVI, a nonprofit scientific research organization dedicated to addressing urgent, unmet global health challenges, including HIV, tuberculosis, and emerging infectious diseases. In this role, she leads IAVI’s advocacy and government relations for North America and Japan and manages key relationships with policymakers, donors, advocacy partners, and coalitions. Prior to joining IAVI, Jenni coordinated a youth HIV/AIDS program in southern Uganda. Jenny Blair Jenny Blair is the Director of US Partnerships at PATH, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving health equity worldwide. In her current role, she manages PATH’s engagement and relationships with the US government and key US-based partners. As part of this role, Jenny also leads PATH’s US policy team, working to leverage PATH’s expertise to influence US global health policy. Before joining PATH, Jenny worked for the US House of Representatives and the International Justice Mission. These newly elected and appointed members will be joining other current GHTC steering committee members who are on alternate three-year term cycles, including Jodie Curtis, Washington representative for the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; John Meade Jr., Senior Program Manager of Policy at AVAC; and Fara Ndiaye, Deputy Executive Director of Speak Up Africa. Full biographies of all GHTC steering committee members can be found on GHTC’s website. 

The Global Health Technologies Coalitions (GHTC) welcomes the political declaration approved today by the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and applauds its commitments to promote the research and development (R&D) of and equitable access to antimicrobials, vaccines, diagnostics, and other products. GHTC especially appreciates the inclusion of concrete targets, such as the goal to reduce AMR deaths by 10 percent by 2030, the commitment to raise $100 million to support the implementation of national action plans against AMR, and support for important new mechanisms like the independent panel for evidence for action against AMR, which will help guide country action and provide both technical support and accountability. GHTC also commends the text’s robust R&D language, which includes many provisions for which GHTC has advocated, such as recognition of the need for stronger local and regional manufacturing capacities and the importance of public-private partnerships (including explicit mentions of our members the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator and the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership), and calls for stronger regional coordination of the licensing and registration of medical products and the use of push and pull incentives.   While GHTC welcomes the strong R&D focus in the political declaration, we believe that there should have been measurable research targets included as well, which would have facilitated better progress tracking and accountability among national governments. We also note with some concern the lack of follow-up outlined in the text, with the next High-Level Meeting on AMR to be held in 2029, providing insufficient time to course correct if inadequate progress has been made.   This political declaration is a laudable step forward, but the true test will be in the implementation of these commitments, as the next few months now become about setting up the right systems and structures to turn principles into action and ensure that this agenda is advanced in other multilateral forums like the G20.   “Antimicrobial resistance poses one of the most pressing threats to global health, and the High-Level Meeting on AMR and its political declaration represent a pivotal moment in our collective response,” said GHTC Executive Director Dr. Kristie Mikus. “We applaud the political declaration’s commitment to promote and invest in R&D in the AMR space, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and to push for a stronger innovation ecosystem for new technologies. As we continue to experience the rising tide of drug-resistant infections and emerging infectious threats, innovation will be more essential than ever before to promote the production of effective, affordable, and accessible health technologies on a global scale.”