News

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. A group at the World Health Assembly this week announced that it will combine four different proposals that aim to fund research and development for neglected diseases of the developing world. The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved its fiscal year 2013 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill. The bill includes funding for global health programs at the US Agency for International Development and the State Department. Leaders from about 50 research agencies have announced the creation of the Global Research Council, a forum that will examine issues important to science agencies worldwide. Malaria stakeholders, donors, and partners recently launched the Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management, which will address growing mosquito resistance to at least one class of insecticides around the world.

The Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) and Policy Cures recently called on the US Government to fund all stages of research—from early, basic research stages to later stage clinical trials—to create global health tools such as vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, microbicides, and devices. In a letter-to-the-editor in BMJ, the two nonprofits stress that all stages of research are critical for global health product development. GHTC and Policy Cures also emphasize that while the US Government currently provides most of its support to basic, discovery, and preclinical research, the US should also increase its funding for the final stages of product development, which are often the most expensive and in need of support. “This current system is unsustainable as more and more products move into these expensive, later-stage clinical trials. Given that there is now the largest pipeline of new global health products in history, with a total of 365 products under development, this scenario is very likely in the near future,” the letter reads. Many important global health products have been produced thanks to US Government support—and a very critical part of the development cycle is basic research, which has helped produce successful candidates that now need support in clinical trials. The US government can help push the next generation of lifesaving products into completion by supporting all stages of global health product development. To read the entire BMJ letter, click here. To read the GHTC and Policy Cures report, click here.  

Late last week, the House Appropriations Committee debated and approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 appropriations legislation for the State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) account, which includes funding levels for the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The bill that the SFOPs subcommittee previously approved—which we discussed here—went largely unchanged in the full appropriations committee vote. As we covered last week, global health funding under USAID was restored to FY 2012 levels for most accounts. However, USAID’s family planning and reproductive health efforts were capped at 25 percent below the FY 2012 level, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was completely de-funded. Three separate efforts during the appropriations committee markup on Thursday to restore some funds to UNFPA failed. These cuts have been criticized by many in the global health community and on the Hill as harmful, short-sighted, and life-threatening to women worldwide. During the hearing, there were no amendments related to global health research and development (R&D) programs, although language in the report that accompanies the House bill highlights the need for research into health technologies appropriate for low-resource settings. Additional language in the accompanying report promotes R&D for microbicides, and HIV and malaria vaccines, among other health tools. The Senate will weigh in with its own (and likely very different) version of this legislation tomorrow, May 22nd. We hope that the Senate also recognizes the importance of USAID’s R&D efforts, and that it restores the agency’s family planning and reproductive health work. Congressional support for all areas of USAID’s global health programming—from R&D to women’s health—is critical to improve the health and well-being of people around the world.