Recent news
December 2011
WHO group to recommend treaty to fund global health R&D
December 20, 2011 --A World Health Organization (WHO) working group has narrowed proposals under consideration for ways to fund research and development (R&D) for diseases that predominately affect impoverished populations. Among the narrowed list is a recommendation that WHO members begin negotiations for a binding treaty in order to better finance global health R&D. This mechanism would establish which global health R&D ventures would be funded, and the levels at which they receive funding. The treaty would also require that governments signing the global binding instrument adhere to these rules. In an era of budget shortfalls and insufficient funding for global health R&D across the globe, this will help ensure that financing is given to the health R&D projects that need it the most.
The principles behind the binding instrument include:
· Open knowledge innovation
· De-linkage
· Competition
· Access and strengthening innovative capacity in developing countries
· A global coordination mechanism
· A call for increased public investment
· A mechanism for redistributing resources
· The pooling of funds to meet these aims
This proposal is not meant to replace the current intellectual property-based system, but rather to supplement it in areas where it is less successful, especially where diseases are disproportionately affecting developing countries.
Of the 15 proposals considered by the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: financing and coordination (CEWG), six were found to meet the desired criteria of the group. These six included: a globally binding instrument for R&D and innovation for health, direct grants to companies in developing countries, equitable licensing, patent pools, pooled funds, precompetitive R&D platforms/open source and access, and prizes.
The group announced its recommendation on November 18th. It is expected to finalize its report by February, make it public in March and present the full CEWG report at the World Health Assembly in May 2012.
