Four reasons to visit the Contraceptive Technology Innovation Exchange today

This Independence Day, GHTC is taking a break from our cookouts and parades to celebrate America’s extraordinary contributions to advancing innovation to save lives around the world. The US government has long played a leading role in the development of new technologies to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases and conditions impacting people living in the world’s poorest places. US leadership in global health research and development (R&D) is a testament to our nation’s character, our ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, and our dedication to improving human lives worldwide. Below GHTC takes a look at America’s contributions to global health innovation: The US government is the largest funder of global health R&D in the world. The US government is by far the largest funder of global health R&D—contributing around 45 percent of total investment and 70 percent of all government investment each year. Even when measured as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP), the US government remains the largest funder of global health R&D. Between 2000-2013, the US government invested over US$18 billion in global health R&D. While this may sound like an extraordinary amount of money, annual US investment in global health R&D represents only a tiny fraction of overall US government spending—less than one-tenth of one percent of our GDP. While US investment in global health R&D nearly doubled between 2000 and 2009, funding has been largely stagnant, or on the decline, since then. A sustained and robust US investment in R&D by the United States is critical to delivering the next generation of health technologies to address both existing and emerging diseases and conditions. The US government contributes more than just funding to advance global health R&D. Five federal agencies that are engaged in global health R&D—the US Agency for International Development, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, and the Food and Drug Administration—contribute much more than just funding. The US government has been involved in the development of many breakthrough technologies that are transforming global health. Between 2000 and 2010, the US government was involved in the development of over half (25) of the 45 global health products. The US government has been involved in the development of lifesaving innovations, including: Antiretroviral treatments, which have dramatically extended the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS. A vaccine that protects against meningitis A, costing less than $.50 per dose, which been delivered to more than 251 million people in Africa’s meningitis belt since its launch in 2010. A pediatric antimalarial drug, which has had 300 million treatments delivered to children suffering from malaria in 50 endemic countries since 2009. US investment is fueling a robust pipeline of global health products with the promise to save and improve lives. As of 2012, the US government was involved in the development of 200 of the 365 global health products in the development pipeline. Promising innovations under development receiving support from the US government include: A preventative HIV and AIDS vaccine that could dramatically reduce new infections. New tools to prevent and treat malaria, including medicines that will both protect against the disease and prevent its transmission. Vaccines to prevent tuberculosis (TB), which are in various phases of clinical trials. New cost-effective diagnostics for malaria, TB, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). New vaccines for NTDs—such as dengue fever, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis. US contributions to global health R&D are having a ripple effect beyond saving and improving lives. US contributions to global health innovation not only saves lives, but also produce direct benefits for Americans by creating jobs, strengthening US competitiveness in research and technology, improving US relations abroad, and enhancing our health and national security. US investments also drive economic progress and reduce poverty in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Between 2000 and 2011, health improvements accounted for about 11 percent of economic growth in LMICs. The development of new health technologies will ultimately provide LMICs with the solutions they need to tackle their most pressing health challenges and chart a course for self-sustainment. So this Fourth of July, as you enjoy your burger and watch fireworks light up the sky, take a moment to celebrate America’s contributions to global health. While there is much more to be done, Americans should take pride in our nation’s efforts to advance innovation to save lives worldwide.

A woman's hands holding a SILCS diaphragm. (Photo: PATH/Patrick McKern) Last week, GHTC member PATH launched the Caya® contoured diaphragm in the United States, after developing and testing nearly 200 prototypes to ensure the product was safe, effective, and user friendly. PATH collected input from women and health care providers across the globe throughout the research and development (R&D) process, ultimately creating an innovative contraceptive that protects against sexually transmitted infections, has no side effects, and is discreet, comfortable, easy to use, and “one-size fits-most." The Caya® diaphragm, which is now available in 25 countries, is an important addition to existing contraceptive options, as it is the first diaphragm introduced in the United States in 50 years. In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the Chinese Food and Drug Administration as a functioning regulator; China has now developed two vaccines—for Japanese encephalitis and influenza—that have received WHO prequalification, a sign that a product is safe and effective. A representative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has worked with the Chinese government to enhance its vaccine R&D capacity, said that the second prequalification “may be the start of China truly becoming a player in global health.” China recently established a system that regulates manufacturing for pharmaceutical products based on the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) and US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) standards. However, China’s regulatory system still has some barriers to overcome, as the regulatory approval process takes much longer than the EMA’s or FDA’s. Additionally, the Chinese government requires vaccines and drugs to be packaged individually—which is not conducive to international shipping—and there are currently no guidelines on how a manufacturer can obtain a license in China if clinical trials are conducted abroad. A vaccine candidate for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has been successfully tested in mice and will progress to Phase I clinical trials shortly. The vaccine uses a weakened strand of a poxvirus—known as Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara—that has been altered to display a certain protein unique to the MERS virus. The immune system recognizes the protein as foreign, and develops antibodies and T cells to combat MERS. In the lab, the MERS virus was not able to reproduce in vaccinated mice despite exposure to “high levels” of the virus. The vaccine was developed by the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich’s Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, and the German Center for Infection Research has already committed 1.5 million euros for the Phase I clinical trials. The results of a massive trial for a new pneumonia vaccine were announced last week, demonstrating a major reduction in cases of the disease responsible for fifteen percent of deaths in children under five years of age. The vaccine, known as PCV-10, protects against ten different bacteria that can cause pneumonia. The trial lasted seven years, during which time the vaccine was given to 35,000 children in the Kenyan town of Kilifi. Eighty percent of vaccinated children demonstrated greater resistance to pneumonia. The town saw a 42.7 percent reduction in cases overall, and a 95 to 100 percent reduction in invasive pneumococcal disease—the most deadly form of pneumonia.