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Groundbreaking survey of funding for global health R&D released in India

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PATH/Gabe Bienczycki
December 15, 2009

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), a group of more than 30 nonprofit organizations dedicated to increasing US support and funding for global health research and development (R&D), commends the release of the 2009 Global Funding of Innovation for Neglected Disease (G-FINDER) survey created by the George Institute for International Health. The G-FINDER is the only annual global survey of public and private investments into R&D for neglected diseases.

According to the survey, the US Government is the single largest investor in global health R&D, providing $1.3 billion for neglected diseases R&D in 2008, a nominal increase over 2007 funding levels. Two organizations, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, accounted for nearly 60 percent of total funding worldwide. Countries like India and Brazil, now among the top five government funders of global health R&D, are playing an increasingly large role as investors, and are taking the lead on diseases such as leprosy and dengue fever.

The report highlights the critical role the United States has played in advancing new health technologies as well as the need for sustained and increased funding for research. As a result of investment in global health R&D, Americans and millions of people worldwide no longer live in fear of diseases such as polio and measles, and new technologies are saving children from life-threatening illnesses, such as diarrheal disease.

Existing tools to combat global health diseases such as antiretroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS and bed nets for malaria have made tremendous progress in the fight against disease, but more is needed to stop the spread of life-threatening illnesses,” said Dr. Christopher Elias, president and CEO of PATH, an international nonprofit organization and secretariat of the GHTC. “We need new vaccines, tests, drugs, and other health tools that can prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases and address existing and emerging global health threats.”

The GHTC applauds the report’s call for stronger investment in global health R&D by high-income countries. Although the United States has long been a global leader in fostering innovation to improve the lives of others around the world, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other neglected diseases continue to exact a high toll in developing countries. Every day, more than 35,000 people die from these illnesses. The GHTC works with policymakers to highlight actions that the US Government can take in order to further address these persisting issues, including:

  • Increase R&D funding for US government agencies that help to fight global infectious diseases, including the NIH, United States Agency for International Development, Centers for Disease Control, Department of Defense, and the Food and Drug Administration.
  • Increase private industry engagement in global health R&D through market incentives and innovative financing.
  • Strengthen cooperative international efforts to review and approve new vaccines, drugs, tests, and other health tools to ensure safe and effective global health solutions are available when they are needed.

"History has shown that investing in global health research not only saves lives, but also produces cost savings and efficiencies,” said Dr. Mary Moran, Director of Health Policy at the George Institute and developer of the G-FINDER survey. “To meet the global health needs of tomorrow, it is critical to invest in research today so that the most effective health solutions are available when we need them.”

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PATH/Mike Wang
January 31, 2010

GHTC applauds White House budget proposal

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President Obama's fiscal year 2011 budget proposal clearly demonstrates that the White House is committed to research and development (R&D) and global health issues by increasing funding for several key US agencies. The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) applauds this commitment to innovation and urges the Obama administration to continue to bolster and integrate its investment in R&D. President Obama's budget proposal would allocate nearly $32 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which lists global health as one of its priorities for FY 2011. In addition, the Department of State, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), would receive approximately $8.5 billion in global health funding under the president's proposal. All three agencies would receive funding increases under the president’s proposal compared with FY 2010. These agencies play crucial roles in global health R&D, and portions of each of their budgets are used for such research. “Developing new tools and encouraging innovation are crucial to ensuring that people in the developing world have access to the drugs, vaccines, diagnostics, and other tools they need to survive,” said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, a GHTC member organization . “In the current economic downturn, President Obama’s budgetary increases for these agencies and global health efforts overall show how committed this Administration is to addressing today’s most pressing global health needs and preparing to meet tomorrow’s challenges.” The R&D work carried out by NIH and USAID is key to meeting broader US global health goals. NIH is the leading US government agency for biomedical research support and operations, while USAID catalyzes the development of innovative health products in the developing world and connects potential partners. New tools can help advance overall US global health priorities by improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the diseases that affect vulnerable populations worldwide. Although increasing the budget for key agencies is an important first step, R&D funding still falls short of a target of 3 percent of US gross domestic product, which President Obama set in April 2009 during a speech to the National Academy of Sciences. More can be done by the US government to advance these new tools, and the GHTC strongly urges the Administration to boost the importance of innovation surrounding new health tools and products through the FY 2011 budget. “R&D for new tools and technologies is at a crucial crossroads, as so much progress has been made on new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other tools,” said Jana Armstrong, executive director of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative North America, a GHTC member. “Despite this tremendous progress, further scientific advances will be critical to a comprehensive global health response. The United States should boost its commitment to the innovation that will ultimately save lives worldwide.”
PATH/Wendy Stone
September 20, 2009

New report demonstrates power of vaccines and immunizations worldwide

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The report released today by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, and World Bank demonstrates the power of immunization to improve child and maternal health in the developing world. The State of the World’s Vaccines and Immunizations (SOWVI) documents the substantial gains in global health and life-expectancy that have been achieved through widespread availability of lifesaving vaccines. The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC)—over 30 nonprofit organizations advocating together for accelerated development of new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, microbicides, and devices—welcomes the report for highlighting the crucial role of vaccines in the progress that has been made to improve health around the world. As the SOWVI report demonstrates, health technologies like vaccines are among the most effective and successful health interventions available today. Such tools have made an enormous impact on global health, allowing Americans and millions of people around the world to live longer, healthier lives, and to no longer live in fear of diseases such as polio and measles. These vaccines—hailed today as successes—were preceded by groundbreaking research and development. To continue this progress in preventing, diagnosing, and treating global diseases, the US government and other global health leaders must continue to invest in the development of new health tools like vaccines, tests, and drugs. The GHTC applauds and supports world efforts to make current vaccines accessible in poor and remote areas around the world, but notes that continued investment in global health research for new health tools is also essential. Today we face, especially in the developing world, growing incidences of diseases for which vaccines have not been found, or for which treatments are losing their effectiveness. Solutions to address these diseases will require an even more advanced and sophisticated use of science than was available before now. Recent breakthroughs in vaccination against life-threatening diseases such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and rotavirus demonstrate that new vaccine research is capable of making a dramatic impact worldwide. The US government has historically been a leader in global health research and development, and should continue to play a leading role in supporting new research for vaccines and other important health tools. To continue the progress that has already been made and to ensure further innovation to improve health around the world, the GHTC urges the US government to: Provide robust, long-term, and sustained investment in the development of health tools like vaccines. Explore a variety of mechanisms that will incent the private sector—which has been a critical innovator of many of the life-saving vaccines that exist today—to continue playing a major role in the development of new vaccines. Ensure that regulatory systems are in place so that, once developed, new vaccines can be quickly and safely delivered to those who need them most.