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In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. President Obama releases his fiscal year 2013 budget with mixed reviews for global health research and development. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is making headway in tuberculosis research in Kenya. New ways of preserving vaccines are about to enter field trails in Vietnam. This technology could be used around the world. Data sharing can be the catalyst to more research and development for neglected tropical diseases. Scientists show how some cells in the body can repel attacks from HIV.

Research!America, a member of the GHTC, recently conducted analyses in target states to measure the health and economic impact of global health research and development (R&D), highlighting its benefits for states across the nation and strengthening the evidence base for Congress’ support of federal investments in global health R&D. Mandy Goldberg, Global Health R&D Advocacy intern, shares the organization’s findings in Illinois. This is the fourth post in a series. “The world is interconnected, and that demands an integrated approach to global health,” President Obama stated when he announced the US Global Health Initiative on May 5, 2009. His former neighbors in Illinois agree. More than 50 percent of Illinoisans think more about global health today than they did five years ago, and for good reason. In addition to innumerable health benefits worldwide, global health research and development (R&D) has an important economic impact on the state of Illinois. Illinois boasts more than 200 academic, government, and nonprofit research institutions, as well as seven research and technology parks, all of which contribute significantly to employment within the state. Illinois is one of the top 10 bioscience employers in the United States, with more than 57,000 people working in the industry. For each bioscience job, almost six additional jobs are created on average, according to a 2010 analysis by Battelle and BIO. Dollar for dollar, global health is one of Illinois’s best investments. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/PATH Spending on global health R&D not only adds jobs to the market, it also directly contributes to state economic growth. In 2010, Illinois received more than $700 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest funder of global health research. Every $1 million that the NIH invests generates more than $2 million in new state business activity. Public-sector investment provides important economic incentives to stimulate private-sector investment. One private-sector partner doing notable work in global health is Abbott, an Illinois-based healthcare company. Abbott invested $4.1 billion in R&D in 2011 and generated $38.9 billion in revenue, a great boost to the state economy. Just last week, Abbott announced a new joint research agreement with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a product development partnership dedicated to developing new drugs for patients suffering from the most neglected tropical diseases. Abbott and DNDi will work together to discover and advance new antimicrobials that fight disease, leading to the end-goal of finding new treatments for several of the world’s most neglected diseases, including Chagas disease, helminth infections, leishmaniasis, and sleeping sickness. Dollar for dollar, global health is one of Illinois’s best investments. Illinoisans recognize its value: 92 percent of state residents believe it is important for Illinois to be a leader in health R&D. However, Illinois ranks only 8th in R&D investment and 13th in federal funding despite ranking 5th in the nation in population. Increased investment is needed to secure this economic pillar and produce further growth in one of Illinois’s most rewarding economic sectors.

On Monday, President Obama released his Administration’s much-anticipated FY 2013 budget request to mixed reviews. In his introduction to the overall budget request, Obama emphasized that research and development (R&D) programs are essential to the US economy and the country’s future. He even highlighted the work of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in this area. When looking at the budget numbers for global health, Obama’s emphasis on R&D in his introduction played out in various ways, with some good and bad news. Overall, the President’s request was in line with the rumors that preceded its release. Global health numbers faced nearly across-the-board decreases when compared with FY 2012 levels, although the broader State and Foreign Operations account did receive an increase. Under the State and Foreign Operations account: The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the GAVI Alliance received major increases. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) saw funding cuts. Most global health line items in the budget for the US Agency for International Development (USAID)—aside from family planning and reproductive health—received reductions in funding, some by as much as 25 percent. These funding cuts could drastically affect USAID’s ability to support global health R&D projects. Global health R&D funding under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) account saw additional inconsistent results, with some good and bad news. The FDA received an $11 million increase. However, this increase relies on the collection of user fees, which has some constraints. Overall NIH funding remained at FY 2012 levels, with essential programs at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Fogarty International Center receiving small, but welcome, increases. The Office of AIDS Research stayed the same as last year, as did the new National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS). More flat-funding was seen at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HIV and AIDS and polio stayed essentially the same as FY 2012, with malaria receiving a small increase. Otherwise, global health programs at CDC were requested at last year’s levels. Further drastic cuts at crucial Department of Defense research programs on malaria, HIV and AIDS, and neglected diseases add to the concerning budget slashing. It is important to note that the President’s Budget Request is not the last word on global health R&D funding. Congress has the authority to change the funding levels as it sees fit. However, it could be difficult to justify spending above what the Administration views as appropriate, especially given the current fiscal crisis and the shortened election-year appropriations process. Although some of the proposed reductions may appear to be minor, given the larger picture of the federal budget, they will certainly have serious effects on R&D projects—both for those now on the cusp of groundbreaking results, and for those in the future. The Administration has tried to soften the blow of these budget reductions by pointing out that cost-savings can be found in global health scientific advances like newer HIV drugs, inexpensive diagnostics, and streamlined vaccine delivery devices. It’s absolutely true that these new tools can save dollars while they save lives. The question is, if we cut US global health R&D funding now, will we have these urgently-needed advances to rely on five or ten years down the road? More information on the President’s budget request can be found at the following links: Kaiser Family Foundation Budget Tracker White House Office of Management and Budget Website and blog post

Ashley Bennett, senior policy associate at the GHTC, writes about the new programs announced at a White House event on Wednesday to promote innovation in global development. Earlier this week, senior Obama Administration officials announced several exciting new programs to support and highlight the power of innovation in global development, including global health research and development (R&D) for new products. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah announced a partnership, entitled the Higher Education Solutions Network, designed to promote new solutions to global development obstacles. The partnership will create hubs for innovation at US colleges and universities to “create and leverage a virtual network of leading experts who will help USAID solve distinct global development challenges” through ramped up engagement with students and faculty. Next, Dr. David Kappos, director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), unveiled the Patents for Humanity pilot prize competition through Challenge.gov. Patent applicants whose product benefits “humanitarian needs”—including medical technologies—will be eligible to win a certificate good for expedited patent review for an additional product that they would like to submit. The program operates in a fashion somewhat similar to the Priority Review Voucher program at the Food and Drug Administration. An important distinction, though, is that for the USPTO pilot program, the certificates are non-transferrable. This program should help private businesses pursue product R&D for areas of need that they may not necessarily find commercially attractive, which may have applications for global health diseases that predominantly affect populations in developing countries. “By harnessing the power of science and technology with research and development, Patents for Humanity plays a key role in advancing President Obama’s global development agenda. By collaborating with parts of the world in ways unimaginable just a few years ago, and by unleashing broader prosperity in emerging economies, this important new USPTO initiative demonstrates that the power to innovate is the power to lead, by design, and by solution,” Kappos wrote in a blot post about the program. Finally, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new model licensing agreement to accelerate licenses for nonprofit organizations that are engaged in neglected tropical disease (NTD) product development to use certain inventions and compounds from NIH and the FDA laboratories. The scope of the program includes vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, and diagnostics for NTDs as defined by the World Health Organization. The wealth of technology available from these sources has the potential to drastically impact global health product development by expanding the material resources scientists need for their studies. During the launch event, the story of MenAfriVac™, a product developed by GHTC member PATH, was used to demonstrate the power technology transfer has on research for neglected diseases. “We‘d like to see more of those transactions occur and more non-profits take up our technologies to bring them to the people that most need them in low-income areas of the world,” said Mark Rohrbaugh, director of the NIH Office of Technology Transfer. In addition to these initiatives for global health research and development, new programs for mobile technology, clean energy, and hybrid seed production were also announced. All of these new programs align with the Administrations overall global development policy, including President Obama’s Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) for development, as well as with the innovation theme outlined in the recent State of the Union address. “A core part of my global development strategy is harnessing the creativity and innovation of all sectors of our society to make progress that none of us can achieve alone,” President Obama said. President Obama is right. Using the power of innovation from all partners—from the US agencies to academic institutions, not-for-profit groups, and the private sector—can have significant impacts on longstanding global health and development challenges. It’s critical that US policymakers continue this spirit of innovation. You can find more information on this White House fact sheet and also on the Science Speaks blog.