The new Congress and global health innovation
What are the implications for research to develop new health tools?
On the heels of the recent elections and a leadership shift in the House of Representatives, it is important to note that research for global health diseases has always garnered bipartisan support. As the new Congress prepares to start work in January, members of both parties should ensure that they sustain and elevate this long-standing prioritization of research and innovation for global health.
Harnessing research, science, and innovation to develop new health products can ensure that US investments in global health and development are effective and that taxpayer funds go as far as possible. In addition, congressional support for health research reflects a commitment from the American public. According to a poll from Research!America, 90 percent of Americans believe that the United States has a responsibility to conduct research for global health diseases.
Bipartisan support
Both Democrats and Republicans have long supported global health research and development (R&D). For example:
- In 2007, Republican Senator Sam Brownback and Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown recognized the exceptional need to create new products for neglected tropical diseases, as well as the need for a market-based mechanism that encourages industry to take up the challenge. They co-sponsored a provision to the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 that would award a priority review voucher (PRV), which entitles the sponsor of a newly approved drug or biologic that targets a neglected tropical disease to an expedited review of a future new drug application. In 2010, Senator Brownback introduced a bill that would expand the current PRV program. Senator Brownback's bill, called the Creating Hope Act of 2010, has key bipartisan support from Democratic Senators Brown and Al Franken, who co-sponsored the legislation.
- Democratic members of Congress also have a history of supporting and advancing global health research. For instance, Democratic Congressman Albio Sires introduced the 21stCentury Global Health Technology Act earlier this year. The legislation would provide steady financial support to US Agency for International Development (USAID) to fund research initiatives, as well as authorize a long-term program to continue the creation of health technologies for low-resource settings. The bill has bipartisan support from 25 co-sponsors.
- In addition, the bipartisan Lantos-Hyde Act of 2008 directs the United States to invest in a future advance market commitment (AMC). The AMC is a unique financing effort that pools donor funding to guarantee a future market, at a specified price, for companies that can develop a specific product that is demanded by low- and middle-income countries. AMCs have the potential to be incredibly cost-effective by requiring relatively small financial commitments and resulting in huge global health gains.
- Support for global health research often goes beyond Congress to include Republican and Democratic Presidential Administrations. For example, former Republican President George W. Bush launched the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a landmark HIV/AIDS program that also provides funding for research and development of new therapies. In addition, Democratic President Barack Obama has made research and innovation a major component of the Global Health Initiative (GHI). According to new White House documents, the GHI will expand "investments in game-changing innovation by promoting research and development, both in terms of applied science as well as operation and implementation research, to address important questions that are immediately relevant to both GHI and partner country goals and objectives."
When the 112th congressional session begins in two months, members of Congress should work closely with the Administration to ensure that this strong bipartisan support for global health research continues. Prioritizing innovation for new tools can make enormous inroads in global health and development, maximize US investments, and affirm values and initiatives that Americans care deeply about.
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