A news report jointly released by the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) and Policy Cures recently claimed that the United States government is the largest funder of global health research and development (R&D) in the world, investing $12.7 billion over the past 10 years in the creation of new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other products for neglected diseases of the developing world. According to the report, the funding has helped to lead the development of more than half of the 45 new health products in the last decade that have been used to save lives around the world.

The report states that the US government each year provides around 45 percent of its total global investment and 70 per cent of all government investment worldwide in global health R&D. In the last decade, the US government more than doubled its yearly financial commitment to developing new global health products, from $685 million in 2000 to $1.4 billion in 2010. These investments represent just 0.01 per cent of US gross domestic product (GDP).

The report, saving lives and creating impact: Why investing in global health research works, finds that five federal agencies—the National Institutes of Health (NIH), US Agency for International Development (USAID), Department of Defense (DoD), centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—provide significant contributions each year to global health R&D. This commitment from the US Government and its federal agencies has led to a remarkable increase in global health products.

Forty-five new health tools were registered between 2000 and 2010, and the US Government was involved in 24 to 53 per cent, of these new global health products in the last decade.

According to Kaitlin Christenson, director GHTC,“This report provides critical new evidence for policy makers in the US. We always believed that the US was a leader in global health R&D, and that US investments were making a huge difference in the global public health landscape. And we now have clear evidence that support these beliefs and shows the critical importance of US support for these lifesaving health tools.”

Many of these new products are on course to save millions of lives and dollars around the world. The report looks at two global health technologies developed with US Government support—a new meningitis vaccine and a new test to diagnose tuberculosis (TB)—and finds that US investments have led to hundreds of millions of dollars in savings. The US and its partners are now supporting the largest pipeline ever of new global health products, the report said. Federal agencies are working with partners in the non-profit, academic, private, and philanthropic sectors to support development of 200 of the 365 products in the pipeline, many of which will become the next generation of lifesaving vaccines, drugs, and other tools.

The report finds that the health and economic benefits, both domestically and internationally, provide clear reasons for the US to continue its support for global health R&D. It also offers recommendations for how the US Government can generate an even greater impact from its investments in new global health products. These include maintaining funding levels for global health R&D and increasing these levels where possible; and bolstering its partnerships with industry, non-profit groups, and the philanthropic sector to translate promising research into new successful health products. The report also noted that US support for global health R&D has been heavily tilted toward basic science research and increased support for the later stages of research will be needed as more products move into the final stages.