Tapping New Resources for Global Health Innovation
May 17, 2010
“[G]lobal health [is] important not just for humanitarian reasons, but for reasons of international security and for the health and well-being of the American people. In my new post at a domestic agency, we see global health as a necessary component of that well-being.” (BVGH Blog, “Don’t blame the market”)
So asserted Dr. Nils Daulaire, newly appointed Director of the Office of Global Health Affairs at the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, on the Obama Administration’s revamped commitments to global health. He addressed an audience of over 200 leaders in global health, biopharmaceuticals, academia, and donor organizations, who gathered in Chicago this month at the second Partnering for Global Health Forum, organized by BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH, a Burness client) and held in conjunction with the BIO International Convention.
The goal: to share innovative ideas and best practices and speed the development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for the world’s poorest. And Daulaire’s perspective—that global health is a necessary part of domestic health and security—signaled what was, to many in the room, a welcome shift in the willingness of the U.S. government to engage the whole range of players in the global health community—from biotech companies, to academia, to nonprofits.
“None of us assumes innovation and research comes from bureaucrats in Washington,” he added. “We have to be more open than the US government has ever been to look at ways that go outside the box. Progress has been far too little and far too slow.”
But increased U.S. engagement, Daulaire emphasized, will require a similar commitment in return: “If we give the world the tools that it needs, we will need all of you to work with us, to press us, to nag us, to make sure we get the practical needs to apply those tools to the people who need it most.”
It’s just one sign of many that U.S. government attitudes towards global health are changing. Like many at the Chicago Forum, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.
Here are some other highlights from BVGH’s liveblog coverage:
- “The ten billion dollar question”: The Gates foundation just pledged $10bn for vaccines. But what will they do with the money?
- “A novel conversation”: It’s easy to raise money for malaria or HIV vaccines. But how do you generate funds to tackle a smaller, neglected disease?
- “Creating a new pharma model”: An unusual collaboration is bringing to market an anti-diarrhea drug derived from a South American tree.
For more posts from the day’s sessions, click here.
