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Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign-up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. The government of the United Kingdom (UK), through a public-private partnership called UK Research and Innovation, is building the country’s first vaccine manufacturing and innovation center with additional funding and expertise from Janssen, Merck & Co., and Wellcome Trust. The center will focus on creating rapid, cost-effective ways to develop and manufacture vaccines for clinical trials and global distribution, with Ebola and Lassa fever among the infectious diseases the center will tackle. The vaccine manufacturing and innovation center will be based in Oxford and is slated to open in 2022. A comprehensive study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases shows the remarkable genetic diversity of HIV and reveals how the subtypes of the virus are distributed by country and region and where new strains are emerging. The systematic review and global survey found that the greatest diversity of HIV exists in Central Africa and subtype C causes the greatest number of HIV infections globally. Subtype C was also found to be the near-exclusive strain of HIV in southern Africa, where HIV prevalence is highest, strengthening the case for prioritizing the development of an HIV vaccine specific to this subtype. Overall, the study also highlighted the challenging nature of developing a vaccine against a virus that is so genetically diverse and widespread. Researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have developed six antibodies that could be used to test for and potentially treat Zika—a virus which has afflicted more than 1.5 million people worldwide and for which there is no effective vaccine or treatment. Inexpensive to produce and identifiable via means like a simple filter paper test in the field, these antibodies have the potential to provide protection against the virus or could also be used in an antibody-based diagnostic test for Zika, potentially providing an inexpensive and quick means of monitoring for the virus. One researcher noted, “Rapid spread of the disease within the epidemic regions, coupled with migration of infected persons, has underscored the need for rapid, robust and inexpensive diagnostic tools and therapeutics.”

Interested in more global health innovation news? Every week GHTC scours media reports worldwide to deliver essential global health R&D news and content to your inbox. Sign-up now to receive our weekly R&D News Roundup email. The Population Council and its partners announced the launch of the first clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of a male contraceptive gel—an innovation that could advance contraception and bring more equality to the burden of family planning, which is largely borne by women. The gel, known as NES/T, is a novel, reversible contraceptive composed of a progestin hormone used for female contraception and testosterone. The gel is designed to be applied daily and absorbed through the skin on the upper arms and shoulders. The phase 2b trial, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, will test the product for pregnancy prevention among more than 400 couples. Should NES/T prove effective, it would be the first user-controlled method for contraception for men since the condom. Last Monday, South African drug maker Aspen Pharmacare launched a triple-antiretroviral (ARV) combination tablet for the treatment of HIV in South Africa—a country which accounts for 19 percent of the global burden of people living with HIV and 15 percent of new infections. The new medicine, known as Emdolten, is taken once daily and contains dolutegravir, an antiretroviral medication that counters the drug resistance that often develops with older HIV treatments, along with lamivudine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. In May, the South Africa Regulatory Authority and the European Medicines Agency issued a warning advising doctors not to prescribe dolutegravir to women seeking to becoming pregnant following cases of birth defects in a study; however, Aspen Pharmacare stated that using dolutegravir is safe for men, women not of child-bearing age, and child-bearing women using contraceptives, which account for approximately 70 percent of HIV patients. Researchers have developed a way to freeze-dry an inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) so that it can be stored at elevated temperatures, up to 40°C, for four weeks and then dissolved for use without losing its potency—potentially offering a new tool to eradicate the disease. While existing oral vaccines have led to polio’s elimination in many countries, these oral vaccines contain a weakened live virus, which can cause paralysis in rare cases. Thus, there has been push to use IPVs, which contain dead strains of the virus. Although IPVs have already been introduced in many countries, their widespread use is inhibited by their sensitivity to temperatures above and below approximately 4°C (39.2°F).

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) yesterday honored Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) at its second annual Innovating for Impact Awards. GHTC also recognized the partnership that developed and introduced improved child-friendly tuberculosis (TB) medicines, making these transformative treatments available to children in need worldwide. This event, which celebrates US policymakers and partnerships driving progress in global health innovation, was hosted with support from Johnson & Johnson.In remarks at the event, Senator Blunt voiced his support for continued US efforts to find treatments and cures for the world’s deadliest diseases. “We’ve seen real crises in the last few years…Ebola in 2014…Zika in 2015—and suddenly the globe gets really small. Suddenly there are no borders or barriers in a global health crisis, and we’ve been reminded too often of that. You just simply can’t separate global health and American health,” said Blunt in accepting his award. Senator Blunt, who is Chairman of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, received a Congressional Champion Award in recognition of his leadership in protecting and expanding funding for agencies engaged in global health research and development (R&D), including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.View video honoring Senator Roy Blunt.Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who is ranking member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, was also recognized with a Congressional Champion Award for her leadership in championing medical research funding and in galvanizing action and new funding to respond to the Ebola and Zika epidemics. Caitlin Peruccio, a member of Rep. DeLauro’s staff, accepted the award on behalf of the Congresswoman who was not able to attend due to House leadership elections yesterday evening. “The questions before us are not just about policy, they are about our values…We cannot ignore the suffering of those beyond our border or pretend their fortunes are somehow separate from our own. Global health must be an American priority,” Peruccio said, reading the Congresswoman’s prepared remarks.View video honoring Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.GHTC presented the Partnership Award to Dr. Mel Spigelman, president and chief executive officer of TB Alliance, who accepted the award on behalf of the many partners who supported the development and roll out of improved TB medicines designed specifically for children. This partnership, which was led by TB Alliance—with contributions from Australian Aid, Irish Aid, Unitaid, the US Agency for International Development, UK Aid, and other partners—produced new formulations of TB treatments that are appropriately dosed for children, dissolvable in water, and fruit-flavored for palatability. Now available in 86 countries and counting, these affordable medicines have transformed the treatment of TB for children and their families around the world.“On behalf of TB Alliance and our partners, we are honored to receive this award. We are proud to have had the opportunity to improve the treatment landscape for children, who are perhaps the most vulnerable of those afflicted with TB. Our ultimate goal of ending the TB epidemic will require both new tools and collaborative approaches; we remain dedicated to advancing TB drug research, development and delivery with our partners worldwide, so we can one day realize a world in which every person with TB can be treated with an affordable, safe, short, and effective therapy,” said Dr. Spigelman.View video honoring child-friendly TB medicines.Dr. Spigelman was joined onstage by Cheri Vincent, Chief of the TB Division at the US Agency for International Development, and Dr. Anna Laura Ross, Technical Manager of Strategy at Unitaid, for a short dialogue discussing their organizations’ contributions to develop and bring these child-friendly TB treatments to market.Attendees also heard from Kojo Nnamdi, host of NPR WAMU's The Kojo Nnamdi Show, who emceed the dinner, and Dr. Alan Tennenberg, Chief Medical Officer of Global Public Health at Johnson & Johnson who spoke about the power of multisector partnerships in advancing global health innovation.“GHTC is thrilled to honor Senator Blunt, Congresswoman DeLauro, and the developers of child-friendly TB medicines with our Innovating for Impact Awards,” said Jamie Bay Nishi, director of GHTC. “US leadership in global health R&D has helped fuel tremendous progress in generating new cures and vaccines to fight the world’s deadliest diseases, and we’re so delighted to recognize the outstanding work of our honorees who helped make this progress possible.”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 its second year, the Innovating for Impact Awards celebrates US commitment to global health R&D and honors the multisector partnerships and policymakers helping to transform breakthrough scientific research into lifesaving technologies for unmet global health challenges.