From R&D to the Patient: Changing the role of Business in Global Health

Moving health products from the research and development stage to the clinic is a long and costly process that involves many actors, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In these markets, global organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and Gavi play a significant role in moving health products through the process. These organizations influence market behavior at the research and development, manufacturing, procurement and delivery stages with the hopes of increasing access to life saving health products to patients in LMICs. Their efforts have been effective. For example, over the last 20 years the number of deaths caused by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria has been reduced by 46% in countries where Global Fund works. Gavi has helped immunize 760 million children in the last 21 years, preventing over 13 million deaths worldwide. These are significant achievements, but are there opportunities to better engage some of the other actors in this space, particularly those from the private sector? We will explore this idea through discussion with the panelists.