Support for global health is at the core of DSW’s advocacy work. One of the four focus areas for the organisation is to have global health policies and financing include and support SRHR. We recognise at DSW recognises the urgent need to improve the global health situation, and we continue to advocate for health improvements in low- and middle-income countries. As part of this work, we are launching a series of policy briefs on the issue of global health research and development, outlining why we need to increase financial and political support (in Europe) for efforts aimed at creating new ways to tackle diseases such as HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria.
Download the new Infographic on European investment in PRNDs now!
R&D for PRNDs
A crucial element of this is support for the development and distribution of innovative new interventions to tackle head-on diseases that affect a huge number of people living in low-and middle income countries. Poverty-related and neglected tropical diseases (PRNDs), such as HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria (as well as 17 other infectious diseases identified by the WHO), affect more than one billion people around the world, causing 6 million deaths annually.
90/10 Gap
Because these diseases affect people living in some of the world’s poorest countries, for many years there has been insufficient investment in research and development aimed at addressing and eradicating these diseases as the private sector has not seen a market interest in developing new medicines and treatments. It is estimated that, overall, only ten per cent of the world’s resources for health research are directed at diseases that affect the poorest ninety per cent of the world’s population.
Return on Investment for Europe
It is because of this “90/10” gap that we work for increased political and financial support to global health R&D, supporting the creation of modern, effective, affordable and accessible medical interventions to bring an end to the suffering caused by PRNDs. As part of our new series of policy briefs on global health R&D, today we are launching an infographic, developed in collaboration with Policy Cures, outlining the value for the EU in investing in global health R&D, and how funding for global health R&D can have positive economic and health benefits for Europe as well as the rest of the world, and a significant return on investment.
Read on and support us as we we advocate for an end to these terrible diseases!
Did you know:
– PRNDs account for 361 million years of healthy and productive life lost globally
– PRNDs remain a burden for the EU – 150 new cases of TB every year
– There are no vaccines for HIV or malaria
– The EU invested €2.1 billion in PRNDs research between 2007-2012
– Since 2000 47 new products aimed at PRNDs have been registered, with over 350 more in the pipeline
– Every €1 invested by European governments into PRNDs brought an additional €1.47 in investment from outside Europe
Next week – what are the innovative instruments we acn support to develop in the innovations we need.
