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The following statement focuses on the 150th World Health Organization Executive Board meeting agenda item 11: “Immunization Agenda 2030.”Many recent scientific and multilateral agency reports and publications suggest that overall, immunization took a step backward in the past two years. Despite the tireless efforts of countless immunization program staff and health workers to ensure the availability of vaccination services, vaccination coverage globally fell for the first time in a decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed immunization infrastructure and workforce, impacted the global supply chain, increased the incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and derailed gains made in immunization campaigns around the world. Immunization is a pillar of people-centered primary health care, and we urge the World Health Organization (WHO) and member states to strengthen vaccine-related research and innovation with the most vulnerable populations in mind. GHTC calls on WHO and member states to: Accelerate and expand the COVAX facility research and development agenda to advance next-generation COVID-19 vaccines, including “variant-proof” COVID-19 vaccines and shots that could provide wide protection against coronaviruses, vaccines with optimized dosing, and vaccines more suitable for delivery in low-resource settings. World leaders must also do everything in their power to correct the shameful lack of equitable access to these lifesaving tools. Focus on the full spectrum of innovations that support immunization programs. The near term will inevitably be dominated by a continuing focus on COVID-19 vaccine rollouts. Nevertheless, it is vital that these activities are also leveraged to strengthen vaccine manufacturing capacities, storage, administration, and co-administration with other health interventions as well as novel service delivery, including focused “test & vaccinate” strategies as recently recommended by the Gavi board.Align immunization efforts with those to combat AMR. As highlighted by the recent research study published in The Lancet, drug-resistant bacteria kill 1.27 million people a year, the great majority of them in low- and middle-income countries. Children under 5 are particularly vulnerable. These shocking numbers require dramatic commitment against AMR, well above what has been funded thus far. Development of new vaccines could substantially reduce the burden of disease, especially for children under 5 in low-income settings. Support implementation research and the development of formal feedback loops to monitor follow-up of recommendations made by groups such as the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and regional immunization technical advisory groups. 

The following statement focuses on the 150th World Health Organization Executive Board meeting agenda item 10: “Road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030.”Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are inextricably linked to poverty and inequality. These diseases exact a heavy toll, causing chronic illness, severe disfigurement, blindness, and death. More than 1.5 billion people are estimated to require interventions against NTDs each year with many existing tools inadequate to effectively screen and treat populations in low-income and low-resource settings. Increased attention in recent years has brought new resources to the fight against NTDs and fueled research breakthroughs. Yet, very significant gaps remain in the arsenal of tools needed to control and eliminate these diseases, underscoring the need for research and development (R&D) of new tools. COVID-19 has also significantly disrupted interventions and activities across the entire spectrum of research and essential health services for NTDs. Leaders must demonstrate greater urgency to ensure that the progress made over the past decade is not reversed due to challenges caused by the pandemic.Therefore, GHTC calls on the World Health Organization (WHO) and member states to:Address the current diagnostic gaps for NTDs. The Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases recently published a number of target product profiles, and more guidance and support from WHO will be necessary to spur the development of new diagnostic tools. We urge WHO and member states to work together to explore regulatory and manufacturing pathways to facilitate prequalification and regulatory approval of in-vitro diagnostics. Support programs that help catalyze innovation and build capacity to develop new drugs, vaccines, and other health technologies, and urge WHO to facilitate greater coordination across the full scope of diseases. Accelerated programmatic action could advance scientific understanding for developing new tools, improving strategies, and strengthening service delivery. We urge member states to fill key gaps by investing in R&D for new and improved treatments and prevention tools, including therapies designed for children and shorter, simplified regimens with fewer side effects.

The following statement focuses on the 150th World Health Organization Executive Board meeting agenda item 9: “Global strategy for tuberculosis research and innovation.” Progress toward tuberculosis milestones and targets has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 alone, deaths from tuberculosis increased from 1.4 million to 1.5 million globally, far fewer people were diagnosed and treated for tuberculosis, and spending on essential tuberculosis services and research failed to increase in line with existing and new needs. This poses a risk to the achievement of the targets set in the political declaration of treating 40 million people diagnosed with tuberculosis and providing tuberculosis preventive treatment to 30 million people by 2022. To reverse the impact of the pandemic, avert preventable deaths, and put the world on track to end tuberculosis, essential tuberculosis services must be restored as a matter of urgency, and more domestic and international resources need to be mobilized. It is also critical that the development and uptake of new technologies is part of that investment. The Treatment Action Group reported tuberculosis research and development investment of US$915 million in 2020, far below the 2018 UN high-level meeting target of at least US$2 billion per year. Annual funding for tuberculosis research needs to more than double to reach the global target.Therefore, GHTC calls on the World Health Organization (WHO) and member states to:Substantially increase investments in tuberculosis research to drive technological breakthroughs and the rapid uptake of innovations. Member states must mobilize domestic resources, foster public–private partnerships, and incentivize the responsible and well-regulated engagement of pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, and other health product developers to expand the pipeline of new and equitably accessible tuberculosis tools, especially true point-of-care molecular diagnostics, new antibiotic regimens, and vaccines. While the specific call for member states to meet their tuberculosis research funding fair share targets is most welcome, much work remains to make these targets a reality.Address the unmet needs in translational research for tuberculosis. The pandemic has demonstrated that rapid sharing of data helps accelerate research and discovery. Some countries have already made strides by using common protocols coordinated through the Regional Prospective Observational Research for Tuberculosis (RePORT) network, and contributed data and biospecimens to the platform. Member states should double down and push for additional coordination and collaboration through these platforms. Address the drug-resistant tuberculosis crisis and close persistent gaps in diagnosis and treatment access and care. WHO and member states should work to ensure that the process for including new technologies to fight drug-resistant tuberculosis on the essential medicines and diagnostic lists and other guidelines is streamlined. WHO must continue to support the implementation of the global strategy for tuberculosis, including through the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases to provide crucial capacity-building and implementation research support to countries.

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) today honored Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) for their leadership in supporting global health research and development (R&D) with its 2021 Innovating for Impact Awards, which celebrate the US policymakers and partnerships driving global health innovation. GHTC also recognized Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) for its work advancing innovations to end preventable newborn deaths. “As our comeback from the COVID-19 pandemic has made clear, strong investments in public health research and development are a cornerstone of the American economy and a benefit to communities around the world,” Senator Wicker said in accepting the award. Senator Wicker, who founded and co-chairs the Senate Caucus on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and serves on the Armed Services Committee, was honored with a Congressional Champion Award for his long-standing work to advance policies and funding to combat global health challenges, including efforts to pass the End NTDs Act and protect Army and Navy malaria research programs.  GHTC also recognized Congressman Bera, who is a leader on the Foreign Affairs Committee, co-chair of the Tuberculosis Caucus, and a founding member of the Global Health R&D Congressional Working Group, with a Congressional Champion Award, for his determined leadership to strengthen global health security and his work pushing the US government to robustly support the international COVID-19 response, including by funding the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and other globally focused research efforts. “It’s my honor to accept this award,” Congressman Bera said, “I look forward to continuing to work to make the world a healthier, kinder place in the 21st century.” Additionally, GHTC honored NEST360 with its Partnership Award. NEST360 is an international alliance working to end preventable newborn deaths in African hospitals by developing and sustainably scaling up a package of hospital care including a comprehensive bundle of affordable, fit-for-purpose innovations to improve the care of small and sick newborns, along with training and implementation resources. Born out of the labs of the Rice University Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences, and Malawi University of Science and Technology and fueled by the support of funders, including the US Agency for International Development and its Saving Lives at Birth Grand Challenge Program, NEST360 is comprised today of experts from 15 leading organizations.   Deploying a comprehensive health systems approach that combines the development, testing, and validation of health technologies with distribution systems, training, and resources to support their use, NEST360 has advanced numerous game-changing devices, from a low-cost CPAP to help babies breathe to a battery-operated jaundice detector, and achieved significant progress in transforming newborn care. Since its founding in 2017, NEST360 partners have collaborated with governments to implement services in 65 hospitals across four African countries, train 10,000 medical professionals, and deliver more than 2,300 newborn technologies. These NEST360 facilities support the delivery of 500,000 newborns and the specialized care of 90,000 small and sick newborns annually. “We are honored to receive this award, which recognizes the work we do with our alliance members, funders, and partners to advance innovations to end preventable newborn deaths in African hospitals,” said Maria Oden, Co-Principal Investigator of NEST360. “No baby should die needlessly, and no parent should have to suffer the loss of a child because the intervention needed is not available. The NEST360 alliance remains dedicated to working with governments to drive sustainable solutions to overcome the barriers that stand in the way of quality newborn health care.” While GHTC’s Innovating for Impact Awards were previously presented in person at a recognition dinner in Washington, DC, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 awards were unveiled via an online multimedia campaign. “GHTC is thrilled to honor Senator Wicker, Congressman Bera, and the NEST360 alliance with our Innovating for Impact Awards,” said Jamie Bay Nishi, director of GHTC. “The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored for all of us just how important health technologies, smart policymaking, and multisector partnerships are to confronting global health challenges. We’re delighted to be recognizing the outstanding work of our honorees who are driving innovation to advance health equity globally.” Global health R&D is vital to conquering the world’s greatest health challenges and to building a safer, healthier world for all. Now in their fifth year, the Innovating for Impact Awards celebrate US commitment to global health R&D and honor the multisector partnerships and policymakers helping to transform breakthrough scientific research into lifesaving technologies for unmet global health challenges.