Recent news
May 2011
Global health research can help boost economic development, opinion piece says
May 5, 2011 -- “Science, technology and innovation (ST&I) are increasingly a focus for discussions about how to achieve economic and human development in low- and middle-income countries,” Seth Berkley, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, writes in a SciDev.net opinion piece. He adds that as “policymakers look to ST&I strategies to spur economic growth, they should consider the enormous promise of global health research and development (R&D) — and the product development partnership (PDP) model in particular.”
“For example, when the Swiss drug maker Novartis invested in a local Kenyan firm to cultivate the active ingredient in its anti-malaria drug Coartem, it employed 7,500 farmers in East Africa, as well as helped create high-tech production facilities in Kenya and Uganda. East African Botanicals, the Kenyan firm, also attracted additional investors and expanded its business,” Berkley writes, adding, “Product development partnerships work closely with academia, industry, donors, and developing country partners. The aim is to develop new health tools and ensure widespread access to these products by keeping prices low and ensuring rapid delivery.” According to Berkley, such “investments and partnerships can help developing countries accelerate the search for new health tools, ensure researchers and policymakers can participate more directly in the global effort to combat diseases of poverty, and secure future access to new products by cultivating a sense of country ownership. This approach also builds local scientific capacity to absorb, use, and develop new technologies.” He concludes, “Multiplied across more than two dozen existing product development partnerships, this model for global health R&D holds the potential to enhance both health and wealth in developing countries." See the link below for more details.
