Making the business case for investment in global health research
Biopharmaceutical companies have the expertise and proven track record to produce new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for neglected diseases. So why aren’t more companies committing their considerable research and development (R&D) capabilities to the cause of preventing and treating these diseases?
Because biopharmaceutical companies face barriers to investing in innovation for global health:
- Lack of a market or other incentive to reward them for R&D risk
- Lack of experience working directly with the neglected diseases that affect the developing world
- Lack of certainty about what creates product success in poor countries
Some companies are so committed to the cause of global health that they have broken down those barriers. These pioneering companies have accessed donor funding and partnered with disease experts to apply their knowledge to global health. They have learned how to apply their existing technologies to develop innovative new solutions for neglected diseases of poor countries.
BIO Ventures for Global Health has analyzed six of these partnership agreements—their objectives, milestones, and potential impact on patients in the developing world.
These biopharmaceutical leaders are an inspiration to other companies. They prove that the industry is willing—and able—to commit its resources to global health projects.