News: Announcement

GHTC Statement on the WHO Diagnostics ResolutionThe COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the centrality of access to diagnostics as a key component of detecting and controlling emerging infectious diseases. Early issues in developing accurate tests hampered the understanding of, and response to, the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. This is the case for a broader range of health areas, including poverty-related neglected diseases.Simply put, medicine cannot respond effectively without diagnostics. Yet despite diagnostics being an integral pillar to quality health care, a recent study from The Lancet highlighted that 47 percent of the global population has little to no access to diagnostics.This resolution on diagnostics is a good first step in acknowledging and addressing the gap in political prioritization, and we urge the World Health Organization (WHO) and member states to consider the following: Push for a special advisor to serve as a senior central point of contact at WHO for diagnostics to ensure internal alignment and push for greater strategic prioritization through a potential “International Diagnostics Alliance.” Likewise, the resolution should reaffirm the essential role played by civil society in defining, developing, and deploying better diagnostics. Include provisions in the resolution to build, strengthen, and enforce national and regional regulatory frameworks covering the market for diagnostics and the registration, accreditation, and oversight of laboratories. Coordinate national regulations concerning medical devices, and streamline and improve the WHO prequalification process to ensure greater access to diagnostics in lower- and middle-income countries. Mechanisms like collaborative registration should be strengthened to expedite the registration of new diagnostics in countries.Promote local and regional research and development, manufacturing, and distribution capacities for diagnostics. Prioritize investment in the procurement of diagnostics for all health areas, in particular recognizing that significant gaps remain for poverty-related and neglected diseases. Funding for diagnostic procurement remains significantly underfunded, and improved coordination across stakeholders—including donors and procurement mechanisms—is needed to fill gaps and ensure populations, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries, have access to critical diagnostics. 

2022 G-FINDER report highlights the inadequacy of global health R&D funding: GHTC offers key takeaways for the global health communityThe release of the 2022 G-FINDER report sheds light on current funding trends in global health research and development (R&D). Despite hard-won advocacy victories by GHTC and the global health advocacy community, neglected diseases are living up to their moniker from a funding standpoint, as global investment in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) remains far below levels required to overcome these persistent and devastating health threats. The new report highlights several new and ongoing funding trends. GHTC has identified three findings of particular importance to the global health research community.Funding for NTDs dropped precipitously; funding shortfalls for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB persist.Funding for NTDs included within the G-FINDER scope decreased by 10 percent in 2021, falling to their lowest total since 2009. NTDs impact more than a billion people each year, disproportionately afflicting women and children. The reduction in funding is particularly alarming given that many of the targets set in the WHO roadmap on NTDs (2012-2020) have not been met. Outside of NTDs, funding for malaria saw a substantial 5.7 percent dip, HIV/AIDS investment experienced a modest uptick of 2.7 percent, and TB funding remained virtually flat, dipping less than a tenth of a percent. While these three diseases receive more resources than NTDs, their funding levels are significantly below that which is needed to overcome these health crises and reach global health and development targets, like the Sustainable Development Goals.Funding for Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) declined for the fourth consecutive year.PDPs are the leading engines of medical innovation for diseases that lack sufficient commercial market incentives. Thus, it is distressing to see that neglected disease R&D funding for PDPs fell by 18 percent in 2021, continuing a multiyear backslide. Current PDP funding sits 40 percent below its peak, which was 13 G-FINDER cycles ago. The most recent dip was driven by reduced investment from large donors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). These findings also highlight the need to further diversify funding sources for PDPs, as well as global health R&D more broadly. Specifically on the US government funding front, PDP funding was not the only area in which USAID funding declined. Neglected disease R&D funding from the agency reached a record low, further highlighting the need for additional mechanisms within USAID to facilitate supporting medical innovations for unmet needs. During the virtual launch event for the report, keynote speaker Dr. Peter Hotez noted the vital role that US agencies like USAID and the US National Institutes for Health play in the global health R&D ecosystem.Funding for platform technologies and non-disease-specific investment is on the rise. For the seventh consecutive year, funding for non-disease specific (NDS) R&D increased, rising by 5.6 percent. Specifically, investment in platform technologies grew for the fourth consecutive year and now accounts for 22 percent of NDS funding. Much of the past year’s growth was buoyed by an increase in drug-related platform technologies, which historically received the smallest share of funding. This trend dovetails with a larger shift of investments toward drugs, as overall drug R&D funding eclipsed vaccine R&D funding for the first time in 2021.Overall, the global health advocacy community has made incredible strides in protecting and growing funding for global health innovation. This past year in the United States, GHTC helped support the passage of a global health research-friendly fiscal year 2023 omnibus package, which included significant funding increases across nearly every line relevant to global health R&D, as well as complimentary directives that will support global health R&D across several agencies. However, the challenges of competing global interests and tough funding environments are formidable, as shown by the G-FINDER report. This coming year presents a number of strong opportunities to elevate attention and support for resources for global health innovation, including United Nations High-Level Meetings on TB and universal health coverage. We urge leaders around the world to step up and invest in lifesaving global health R&D, and our advocacy community partners to continue to hold the world accountable for ensuring health and health equity for all. 

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) yesterday honored Dr. Anthony Fauci, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Senator Todd Young (R-IN) for their leadership in supporting global health research and development (R&D) at the 2022 Innovating for Impact Awards, an annual initiative recognizing US policymakers and partnerships catalyzing global health innovation. Additionally, GHTC recognized the partnership, led by TB Alliance, that developed the breakthrough technology pretomanid and the BPaL regimen—a shortened, simplified, and highly effective therapy for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). This year's awards also coincided with GHTC's 15th anniversary—a period over which the global health community has seen incredible innovation and progress.Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the chief medical advisor to the President was honored with Innovating for Impact’s first-ever Lifetime of Service Award for his extensive and wide-ranging contributions to advancing global health and global health research, including groundbreaking contributions to HIV/AIDS research that inform our understanding of the disease to this day, inspiring the creation of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), leading NIAID for decades, confronting COVID-19 and previously generation-defining health threats, and advising no fewer than seven US presidents. Dr. Fauci’s remarks set the tone for the evening, as he acknowledged the power of partnership in tackling the global health challenges and what can be accomplished with effective collaborations. To underscore this, Dr. Fauci referenced the R&D response to the Covid-19 pandemic, noting "What we're experiencing now with Covid, I think is another really good example of how important it is for groups getting together in a coalition type fashion. And I'm talking about what was accomplished in an extraordinary manner with the development of vaccines for Covid-19. I mean, this could not have been done by any individual component of the coalitions."Senator Sherrod Brown was honored with a Congressional Champion Award, celebrating his contributions to global health research policy, which include spearheading legislation that led to the Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher Program that has incentivized the development of new, lifesaving global health technologies for more than 25 neglected diseases; encouraging President Obama to release the National Action Plan for Combating Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis; and sponsoring the Comprehensive TB Elimination and End Neglected Tropical Diseases Acts. Senator Brown highlighted the tremendous impact commitments to public health have on the world and the key role the advocacy community plays in marshaling political support for global health innovation, “Public health lifts all boats…You do things right, everybody in society gains. And we all live longer, because of the emphasis on public health…We've made huge, huge progress as these awards tonight show, as your activism shows."GHTC also recognized Senator Todd Young with a Congressional Champion Award. Senator Young has supported global health R&D through many pieces of legislation. He co-authored the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Up surging Resistance Act to bolster the development of antimicrobial innovations for deadly pathogens and infections, introduced the End TB Now Act to support the development of new tools to combat tuberculosis (TB) through the United States Agency of International Development (USAID), and championed a call for innovative tools to end preventable child and maternal deaths through the introduction of the Reach Every Mother and Child Act.In recorded remarks, Senator Young reiterated his commitment to global health technology innovation, stating, “I continue to support robust funding for medical research because sustained investments have enabled critical biomedical innovation and discovery and help to find new tar new treatments and cures fo global diseases.”GHTC presented the Partnership Award to TB Alliance for the development of pretomanid and the BPaL regimen—an innovative treatment for drug-resistant DR-TB. Dr. Mel Spigelman, president and chief executive officer of TB Alliance, accepted the award on behalf of the partners, and joining him on stage were Natasha Bilimoria, deputy assistant administrator of USAID, and Barbara Laughon, senior scientist for TB Drug Development Partnerships at the US National Institutes for Health, representing two key partners in the development of pretomanid. Pretomanid is the first TB drug developed by a nonprofit organization. Pretomanid is part of the three-drug “BPaL” regimen. This innovative new therapy reduces the time needed to treat DR-TB from as long as 18 months or longer to 6 months and the number of pills comprising treatment by nearly 95 percent, all while significantly improving cure rates and toxicity profiles compared to the previous standards of care.In a video exploring the development, benefits, and impacts of pretomanid and the BPaL regimen, Jayshree Rampiar, a DR-TB survivor treated with the regimen, noted, “Before [treatment] had a lot of side effects, and the medication I’m taking now has less. I feel that my future is looking bright, and we can beat TB!”GHTC’s executive director, Jamie Bay Nishi closed the event by reminding us that while there is so much excellent and encouraging progress to celebrate, we still do not have all the tools needed to fully overcome the formidable global health challenges now and on the horizon. Thus, we must continue to strengthen our efforts to ensure more transformative innovations are developed and reach those around the world who need them. The Innovating for Impact Awards will continue to celebrate US commitment to global health R&D and honor the multisector partnerships and policymakers that drive the development of lifesaving technologies for global health challenges both old and new. We thank all those who support global health innovation. As Senator Sherrod Brown noted in his remarks, “None of this [progress] would have happened without the activism of so many of you around the world!”Continue to follow the discussion—and celebration—on Twitter at the hashtag #Innovate4Health.

In evaluating the G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration, Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) recognizes and applauds several encouraging commitments but urges leaders to walk the walk when it comes to making greater investments in research and development (R&D) and addressing emerging and persistent health threats with greater urgency. Promising support for The Pandemic Fund, ACT-A, and enhancing local capacity GHTC was pleased to see G20 leaders launch The Pandemic Fund in concert with this week’s summit in Bali. We believe this fund will be a critical mechanism for new R&D capacity-building investments and will help facilitate a coordinated and consistent approach to pandemic preparedness and response strengthening. We also echo the declaration’s focus on equity and inclusive membership in The Pandemic Fund’s governance structures, though we remain concerned that concrete targets and accountability provisions should have been included to establish a deeper commitment to diverse representation.  Additionally, GHTC welcomes G20 leaders’ expressed support for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), highlighting the continued importance of this cooperative framework to accelerate the development, manufacturing, distribution of, and equitable access to new health technologies in the fight against COVID-19. As the initiative enters a new phase, R&D must continue to be a central pillar to ensure that vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics keep up with new variants. While we commend G20 leaders for highlighting the need to draw lessons from ACT-A external evaluations, they did not specify recommendations from those reports that they look to act upon. Several evaluations noted the need for greater integration of lower- and middle-income countries and partners in ACT-A’s model and that a joint platform should be established to coordinate work across product areas. We urge leaders to take tangible steps in advancing these recommendations in the coming months. GHTC was also encouraged to see the G20 articulate the need for strengthening local and regional health product manufacturing capacities and cooperation, as well as sustainable global and regional R&D networks, to facilitate better access to health technologies in lower- and middle-income countries. Insufficient urgency to mobilize against AMR and “the big three” While it was noteworthy to have global health R&D reflected throughout the final communique from G20 leaders, unfortunately the declaration also fell short in several areas. For instance, while GHTC was pleased to see that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was elevated as part of pandemic preparedness, it was disappointing that countries failed to specify commitments and plans for addressing AMR, including planned investments to strengthen the pipeline of new tools to combat this growing health threat.  Similarly, enduring health challenges such as tuberculosis, malaria, HIV, and neglected tropical diseases did not receive a single mention, reinforcing the perception that they have fallen further off global leaders’ radars, even as new data confirms that the COVID-19 pandemic has eroded hard-won progress in these areas. Continued neglect of these pandemics is a recipe for increased backsliding and puts the goal of universal health coverage at risk. Investment in developing new tools to combat these long-standing threats is key to achieving broad health goals endorsed by the G20 in recent years.  A promising vision must be backed by greater commitment and accountability It was refreshing that this year’s declaration highlighted the importance of global health R&D in several areas, especially in relation to pandemic preparedness, and underscored that R&D investments and prioritization must continue to be a focus of national, regional, and global bodies to combat emerging and ongoing health threats. However, the declaration was light on tangible commitments and failed to address some of the world’s leading and most persistent health threats. To realize the vision of this declaration and the G20’s health goals more broadly, we call on leaders to make specific pledges and be more accountable to the principles outlined in the communique.