New sources of funding are needed to stimulate health research specifically for diseases that affect people in developing countries, according to a report published today by an international expert group convened by WHO.
The Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination (CEWG) has called for increased global commitment to funding and coordinating health research to meet the specific needs of developing countries. The group proposes a package of changes that includes utilizing open knowledge innovation and prizes as incentives, mandatory government commitments, pooling of funding and an international binding convention on global health research.
Recommendations to improve global financing
- Research outputs that address health needs of developing countries should be in the public domain or made available through open licensing.
- Patent pools should be used to increase sharing of research results.
- Pooled funding mechanisms should coordinate financial resources and some of the funds should be used for capacity building in developing countries including direct grants to companies that can help promote technology transfer.
- WHO should play a central coordinating role in global health research.
- Increased funding is needed from governments and philanthropic sources in the light of market failures of private investments.
- All countries should commit to spend at least 0.01% of gross domestic product on research to develop health technologies for use in developing countries.
For a copy of the report, contact Eda at the MTA Eda@medicaltoruismassociation.com.
