BIO Ventures for Global Health

Catalyzing research for neglected tropical diseases

admin — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:34:00 GMT

In this article, WIPO Magazine hears from WIPO Re:Search partners about why the initiative is creating such interest.

Open innovation

admin — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 05:28:00 GMT

European Biopharmaceutical Review features the WIPO Re:Search program in its Autumn 2012 issue. Read more

Drug repurposing

admin — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 07:30:00 GMT

Chemical & Engineering News reports on the recent trend to find new uses for approved drugs and shelved drug candidates.Read more

Malawi partners with two US NGOs in anti-AIDS drive

admin — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 07:27:00 GMT

The Nyasa Times reports that the Malawi branch of the US-based Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) has partnered with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Malawi’s Ministry of Health in a new program which seeks to strengthen HIV service delivery in the country. Read more

Haiti takes on dreaded disease elephantiasis one mouth at a time

admin — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:13:00 GMT

The Washington Post reports on Haiti's campaign against campaign against lymphatic filariasis and other neglected diseases.Read more

MDG countdown: Working to fulfill a global promise

admin — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:04:00 GMT

USAID's IMPACT blog examines the progress made on achieving the Millenium Development Goals. Read more

The future of global mHealth? Emerging markets more readily adopt technology

admin — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 07:59:00 GMT

According to PwC, in their 2012 report titled Emerging mHealth: Paths for growth, patients and doctors in emerging markets are more likely to use mHealth applications or services. More specifically, they found that 59% of patients in emerging markets use mHealth, compared to 35% in developed markets. Read more

Revised formula yields a lower priority review voucher user fee of $3,559,000; will that help spark greater interest in the program?

admin — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:51:00 GMT

The FDA law blog analyzes a change in FDA policy for FY2013. On September 13th, FDA announced that the user fee rate will be just $3,559,000 for redeeming a tropical disease priority review voucher in FY 2013. Read more

10 pharma giants form nonprofit to gang up on common R&D foes

admin — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:19:00 GMT

FierceBiotech reports that 10 of the world's largest drugmakers have joined forces to form a nonprofit that aims to address some of the issues that stymie progress of new meds onto the market. And TransCelerate BioPharma, the new nonprofit, has already established a slate of early projects that could benefit the entire group of founding pharmas. Read more

Low cost design makes ultrasound imaging affordable to the world

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:41:00 GMT

An ultra-low cost scanner that can be plugged into any computer to show images of an unborn baby has been developed by Newcastle University engineers.

The hand-held USB device – which is roughly the size of a computer mouse – works in a similar way to existing ultrasound scanners, using pulses of high frequency sound to build up a picture of the unborn child on the computer screen.

However, unlike the technology used in most hospitals across the UK costing anywhere from £20,000-£100,000, the scanner created by Jeff Neasham and Research Associate Dave Graham at Newcastle University can be manufactured for as little as £30-40. Read more

Scientists describe why a strong federal investment in research is important to them and the country

admin — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:39:00 GMT

Research!America interviewed scientists to get their take on why investment in research is necessary to the US. Watch here

One woman’s drug-resistant TB, echoing around the world

admin — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:02:00 GMT

The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog reports on the case of Rahima Sheikh, one of India’s first documented cases of tuberculosis that is resistant to virtually all the medicines approved to treat it. Read more

Thai trial yield continues with news vaccine changed virus

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 10:58:00 GMT

The vaccine that showed a vaccine can prevent HIV infection also has shown that vaccine also changed the virus in people who did become infected, according to research revealed today in the first plenary session of AIDS Vaccine 2012. Read more at Science Speaks blog

Obama and Romney tackle 14 top science questions

admin — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:52:00 GMT

Scientific American partnered with grassroots organization ScienceDebate.org earlier this summer to encourage the two main presidential candidates--Barack Obama and Mitt Romney--to answer 14 questions on some of the biggest scientific and technological challenges facing the nation. Read more

Tuberculosis, drug resistance, and the history of modern medicine

admin — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:00:00 GMT

In the New England Journal of Medicine, Salmaan Keshavjee and Paul Farmer shine light on the reasons for the anemic response to drug-resistant tuberculosis by examining the recent history of tuberculosis policy. Read more

Alnylam plants its RNAi technology with Monsanto

admin — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 08:44:00 GMT

Burrill and Company speaks to Laurence Reid, chief business officer of Alnylam about a new strategic alliance with the agbio giant Monsanto that gives Monsanto worldwide exclusive rights to use Alnylam’s technology and intellectual property over a 10-year period. Listen to the podcast here

Guinea worm is poised to become the second human disease to be eradicated

admin — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 06:36:00 GMT

Guinea worm disease is reaching the end of its days. The parasitic infection, which has sickened millions, mostly in Asia and Africa, is on the verge of being done in not by sophisticated medicine but by aggressive public health efforts in some of the poorest and most remote parts of the world. Read More

India: A Powerhouse of Innovation for Neglected Diseases?

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:55:00 GMT

The BRIC countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, and China -- are playing an increasingly important role in innovation. Their growing domestic markets demand goods that meet their specific needs, and their dynamic export industries are moving beyond simple imitation. This change is true in health technologies, such as vaccines, drugs and diagnostics, as well as in IT and other areas. Read More

Strong Candidate for Possible Single-Dose Malaria Cure Discovered

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:54:00 GMT

A recently discovered compound from the aminopyridine class, code named MMV390048, caused quite a stir at the MMV Expert Scientific Advisory Committee (ESAC) meeting in Toulouse, France. The compound shows potent activity against multiple points in the malaria parasite's lifecycle. Read More

MDR-TB, XDR-TB More Widespread Than Previously Believed, Study Shows

admin — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:52:00 GMT

In a study published on Wednesday in the Lancet, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that "[a]mong 1,278 patients who were resistant to two or more first-line tuberculosis drugs in Estonia, Latvia, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and Thailand, 43.7 percent showed resistance to at least one second-line drug," which "suggest[s] the deadly disease may become 'virtually untreatable,'" according to the study, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. Read More

First agreements concluded under WIPO Re:Search for research on neglected tropical diseases

admin — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 06:49:00 GMT

Research to develop treatments for neglected tropical diseases received a boost this month as AstraZeneca concluded agreements through WIPO Re:Search with iThemba Pharmaceuticals (South Africa), the University of California, San Francisco (U.S), and the University of Dundee (UK), according to a press release from the World Intellectual Property Organization. Read more

Kenya to establish grant for women in science

admin — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:36:00 GMT

SciDevNet reports that the Kenyan government announced it would establish a grant which awards female scientists up to three million Kenyan shillings. The announcement was made during the opening ceremony of the ASJC in Nakuru. Read more

'It is a critical time to capitalise on the biotech opportunities available within India'

admin — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:30:00 GMT

Express Pharma's Viveka Roychowdhury interviews James C. Greenwood, President & CEO,Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), about biotechnology company involvement in India. Read more

Developments in vaccines and diagnostics (audio)

admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 07:28:00 GMT

Dr. Moira Gunn talks about new vaccines for neglected diseases and about a handheld device which can detect disease on the spot with the CEOs from Inviragen and Opko Diagnostics, Dan Stinchcomb and David Steinmiller. Listen Here

Raising the Bar for Neuroscience in the Northwest

admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 06:44:00 GMT

From Alzheimer’s to depression, brain diseases are an extremely challenging area for therapeutic discovery and development. The field of neuroscience has an inadequate understanding of how the brain works and why things go wrong to cause diseases. The field is very exciting, but still relatively young, and all stakeholders could benefit from improved collaboration. When it comes to the brain and nervous system, we are all patients in one way or another. Read More

Open-innovation projects turn old R&D wisdom 'on its head'

admin — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 10:29:00 GMT

The Guardian today highlights a number of initiatives underway that have been bringing biotechs, pharma companies, academic researchers, and even the general public into new "open innovation" therapeutic projects. Read More

Campaign: Ryan's Medicare Policies Draw Fire

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:51:00 GMT

Several healthcare groups are opposing the policy ideas of new Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, claiming his proposals for Medicare and Medicaid reform would do more harm than good. Read More

Smartphone as Doctor

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:50:00 GMT

If there’s any doubt that mobile apps are taking health care in directions unimaginable a few years ago, consider a few tidbits from just the past few weeks. First, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just gave the green light to something called an “ingestible sensor.” It’s a tiny computer chip embedded inside a pill. Read More

Optimism About Defeating Aids

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 11:48:00 GMT

For five days in July, some of the most influential people in the global effort to eliminate HIV/AIDS gathered in Washington for the “AIDS 2012” conference. Participants, many of the long-time veterans of the fight against the disease, took stock of the progress they’ve made, and what needs to be done in the future. Read More

Microchip 'could improve detection of substandard drugs'

admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:46:00 GMT

A microchip tailored to detect a specific active ingredient in a drug that costs only a few US cents to produce could help in efforts to detect counterfeit and substandard medicines in the developing world, researchers say. Read More

Trying To Rev Up AstraZeneca’s R&D Engine

admin — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:44:00 GMT

Martin Mackay likes a joke about how decisions were made when he joined AstraZeneca as head of R&D two years ago. In his charming Scottish brogue, he quips that the Swedish-British drug firm “had more tollgates than the New Jersey Turnpike.” The joke falls flat with his colleagues in Europe, but his U.S. counterparts get the message: The hurdles to efficient and productive research were abundant. Read More

Emerging economies alter global innovation landscape

admin — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:29:00 GMT

The dynamics of global innovation are changing as a result of the activities of emerging economies, according to The Global Innovation Index 2012. Countries like China, India – and even Paraguay and Sri Lanka – show that while innovative activity generally increases with income levels, good results can be achieved using their own innovation models. Read More

On Clinton trip, Uganda and Malawi offer opposite lessons for AIDS in Africa

admin — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:27:00 GMT

If this small nation, with a per capita income of less than $3 a day and a life expectancy of 53, offers a hopeful model for fighting the scourge of AIDS in Africa, then large and relatively prosperous Uganda shows how quickly progress can run off track. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton saw Malawi’s more promising example Sunday as part of an eight-nation African visit. Read More

US initiatives aim to tap into scientists' skills

admin — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:24:00 GMT

The US Department of State has increased its efforts to promote international cooperation in science and engineering by launching two new outreach initiatives. One will seek to tap into US-based scientific diasporas — scientists from developing countries and elsewhere who are currently working in the United States. Read More

Sharing “open innovation” risks and rewards

admin — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:44:00 GMT

A growing trend in collaborative health research is creating potentially life-saving global partnerships between pharmaceutical companies, academic researchers, disease advocates, and even the general public, who are drawn into the world of science through “crowd-sourcing”. Read More

Gilead HIV drug as good as Merck's Isentress: study

admin — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:12:00 GMT

Gilead Sciences Inc said its elvitegravir, a component of the company's important four-drug Quad HIV treatment currently awaiting an approval decision, demonstrated similar efficacy and tolerability to Isentress in difficult-to-treat patients. In the two-year late-stage clinical trial, elvitegravir met the primary clinical goal of being "non-inferior" to Merck and Co's Isentress, researchers said. Read More

Merck Steps Further into HIV Space

admin — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:11:00 GMT

Merck & Co. expanded its reach into the HIV arena by signing two licensing agreements for investigational drug candidates. One deal is with Chimerix, based in Research Triangle Park, NC, and the other is with Yamasa of Choshi, Japan. Merck is also planning to advance an internally developed HIV candidate, MK-1439, into a Phase IIb trial. Read More

Global neglected disease research 'rapidly expanding'

admin — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:01:00 GMT

Research on neglected tropical diseases (NTD) has increased over the past two decades, with the steepest growth in Brazil and India, according to a new report. Every year, NTDs affect more than one billion people and kill more than half a million people across the world. Despite these figures, historically there has been little focus on NTD-related research, public health services, or drug and vaccine development. Read More

PharmaTelevision News Review: Interview with Don Joseph

admin — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:44:00 GMT

In this episode of PharmaTelevision News Review, filmed at #BIO2012 Convention in Boston, Fintan Walton talks to Don Joseph, CEO of BioVentures for Global Health about the role of BVGH and their new report, 'Biotechnology: Bringing Innovation to Neglected Disease R&D'. Watch Here

Novavax teams up to fight malaria

admin — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:04:00 GMT

Novavax ($NVAX), CPL Biologicals (CPLB) and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) will team up to develop a malaria vaccine in India. The three entities will receive funding from India's Department of Biotechnology Vaccine Grand Challenge Program for the research. Read More

Biotechs find cash to tackle ‘neglected’ diseases

admin — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:59:00 GMT

Smaller is better when it comes to tackling drug development for some of the world’s most serious diseases. Read More

Study says neglected tropical infections linked to heart disease

admin — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:44:00 GMT

The World Health Organization says there is an "alarming" increase in life-threatening cardiovascular disease in many low and middle-income countries. And a new report from the group says this might be the result of unchecked viral, bacterial and parasitic infections -- as well as chronic illnesses such as tuberculosis, HIV, and chagas. Read More

NPR series examines global progress against AIDS

admin — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:03:00 GMT

Kaiser Family Foundation reports that NPR is hosting a special series called "AIDS: A Turning Point," in which NPR explores the global progress against HIV/AIDS ahead of the AIDS 2012 conference taking place in Washington, D.C., this month. Read more

Obama administration closes Global Health Initiative office

admin — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:37:00 GMT

Today, in a down-page blog on the Global Health Initiative website, the administration announced that the Global Health Initiative’s office is closing. Read more

The role of biotech investing in the fight against neglected diseases

admin — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:07:00 GMT

In 2011, our leadership expanded the foundation’s program-related investment (PRI) initiative from $400 million to $1 billion. This expansion reflects our excitement for PRIs as a tool to support innovation in the foundation’s program areas of global health, global development, and US education. Read More

J&J seeks OK for first drug against resistant TB

admin — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 07:02:00 GMT

Johnson & Johnson said Monday that it is seeking U.S. approval for the first new type of medicine to fight deadly tuberculosis in more than four decades. The experimental drug, called bedaquiline, also would be the first medicine specifically for treating multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis. That's an increasingly common form in which at least two of the four primary TB drugs don't work. Read more

Obamacare will affect research

admin — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 07:27:00 GMT

Though it is the general public that will feel the main impact of the health care law, the legislation also includes key provisions, protected by today’s ruling, that benefit biomedical research. Read more

US Supreme Court upholds Obama health-care reform law

admin — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:56:00 GMT

Nature News breaks down the provisions relevant to biomedical research and commercialization in the fully upheld Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Read more

Supreme Court upholds health-care law, individual mandate

admin — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 08:05:00 GMT

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the individual health-insurance mandate that is at the heart of President Obama’s landmark health-care law, saying the mandate is permissible under Congress’s taxing authority. Read more

Measure to increase FDA funds through new company fees goes to Obama

admin — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:18:00 GMT

A measure that would generate $6 billion in fees over five years for the Food and Drug Administration is headed to President Obama for his signature after passing the Senate on Tuesday, a rare moment of bipartisan cooperation in a divided Congress. Read more

Rep. Michael McCaul wins House passage of new incentives for pediatric drug development

admin — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:01:00 GMT

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3059, also known as The Creating Hope Act of 2011, last night. This bipartisan provision was designed to create incentives for pharmaceutical companies to work to develop drugs that combat rare pediatric diseases such as childhood cancers and sickle cell disease. Read more

Biotech wasn’t immune to job loss in great recession, BIO report says

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:45:00 GMT

Xconomy reports that while gains over a decade might look good at first glance, biotech wasn’t immune to the Great Recession, as the industry employed 23,000 fewer people in 2010 than it did in 2007, according to an analysis Battelle performed for the Biotechnology Industry Organization. What biotech can be thankful for is that it didn’t shed as many jobs as other large industries, as its 1.4 percent decline compared favorably to IT services/telecom (down 2.4 percent), aerospace (down 2.5 percent) and the overall U.S. private sector (down 6.9 percent), according to the Battelle analysis. Read more

Smaller biotechs partner to tackle neglected diseases

admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:25:00 GMT

Small- to medium-sized biotech businesses are stepping up alongside big pharma to develop treatments and diagnostics for neglected diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and dengue fever, which because they typically affect impoverished third-world countries have been considered noncommercial markets. Read More

BIO day 1: China, IP and saving the world

admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:21:00 GMT

As China positions itself as a major global player in the international biotechnology arena, it has included biotechnology as one of the seven strategic priorities for scientific and technological development in its 12th Five-year Plan. During the 2012 BIO International Convention, a full-day of program has been devoted to China and will target both Chinese and Western delegations. Read More

USPTO seeks potential applicants for their Patents for Humanity program

admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:20:00 GMT

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's (USPTO) Patents for Humanity program creates business incentives for patent holders to tackle the world's most pressing challenges. This 12-month voluntary pilot program recognizes those who apply their technology to improve the lives of the poor.

Download the flyer.

For more info, visit www.uspto.gov/patentsforhumanity

Senate bill disappoints NIH advocates

admin — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 07:16:00 GMT

In a telling sign of tight fiscal times, a prominent advocate for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US Senate today offered the biggest funding increase he could muster for 2013: a .33% percent increase, amounting to US$100 million more for the biomedical agency than it will receive this year. Read More

Global summit aim to reverse years of family planning neglect

admin — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:32:00 GMT

A major summit is being planned for July that aims to pour money into family planning in the developing world after almost two decades of neglect, particularly during the Bush years. Read More

Groups fighting HIV/AIDS in DC find lessons in Africa

admin — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:30:00 GMT

If the nation’s capital were a nation in Africa, it would rank 23rd out of 54 countries in percentage of people with HIV — a higher rate than the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Rwanda, Ethiopia and 28 other African countries. Read More

Metrics Mania afflicts the fight against poverty

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:53:00 GMT

A lot of people who say they want to help poor people — the aid and development community — have been getting really nasty with each other lately. Why? In part, it’s because fighting poverty is messy and hard to measure. Read More

Insight: Dengue vaccine in sight, after 70 years

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:51:00 GMT

One of the grimmest legacies of the war in the Pacific is still being fought 70 years on, but a victory over dengue, the intensely painful "breakbone fever" which that conflict helped spread around the world, may be in sight. Read More

Survey Finds 1 In 10 New Cases Of TB In China Are Drug-Resistant

admin — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:50:00 GMT

One in 10 cases of tuberculosis in China cannot be treated by the most commonly-used drugs, driven by a lack of testing and misuse of medicine, according to a national survey that showed for the first time the size of the drug-resistant epidemic," the Associated Press reports, Read More

A Role for Business at the Frontier of Development

admin — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:50:00 GMT

The social and economic challenges faced by Africa may seem daunting – with many communities suffering from hunger, a lack of clean water and sanitation, and little access to education or a functioning health system. However, if we work together, I believe we can overcome these challenges one-by-one and build a positive, virtuous cycle where we invest in healthcare, which in turn increases economic development. Read More

Foreign aid works, changing and saving lives

admin — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:15:00 GMT

The critics of foreign aid have been proved thoroughly wrong, writes Jeffrey D. Sachs. He rights about the many promising gains made in the last dozen years. Aid for health care works — and works magnificently — to save and improve lives. Read more

From R&D to innovation

admin — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:51:00 GMT

For the past couple of days we have been hearing about appropriate technology. This morning it was all about appropriate innovation. Read More

(RED)RUSH Games: A video game tournament to end HIV/AIDS

admin — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:49:00 GMT

What if our actions in the virtual world of video games had real-life consequences… like helping to end HIV/AIDS? Read More

Genome of Chagas disease vector decoded

admin — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:47:00 GMT

An international team of scientists has decoded the genome of one of the main vectors of Chagas disease, paving the way for more targeted vector control and new ways to prevent disease transmission. Read More

Reducing TB transmission in ‘hotspots’ could have widespread benefit

admin — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:14:00 GMT

In a recent study published in the journal PNAS, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health discovered that public health efforts to reduce tuberculosis transmission in geographic “hotspots” where infections are highest could significantly reduce TB transmission on a broader scale. Read more

Guidelines updated on research partnerships

admin — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:13:00 GMT

More than ten years after the first edition was published, a revised version of influential guidelines for encouraging greater effectiveness in international research partnerships was released last week. Read more

Stubborn Infection, Spread by Insects, Is Called ‘The New AIDS of the Americas’

admin — Wed, 30 May 2012 11:08:00 GMT

Chagas disease, caused by parasites transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects, has been named “the new AIDS of the Americas” in a lengthy editorial published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Read more

U.S. Opposes Proposed International Org for R&D to Meet the Health Needs of Developing Countries

admin — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:26:00 GMT

Science Speaks blog discusses the US decision not to support a new international organization to fund research and development (R&D) for neglected diseases – to which every nation would commit to spend at least .01 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on government-funded R&D devoted to meeting the health needs of developing countries. Read more

New Latent Tuberculosis Test Promises to be Cheap and Fast

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:38:00 GMT

Biomedical engineers at UC Davis have developed a microfluidic chip to test for latent tuberculosis. They hope the test will be cheaper, faster and more reliable than current testing for the disease. Read more

Report: Foreign Countries Want to Lure US Biotechs

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:06:00 GMT

MIT reports that the Battelle Technology Partnership Practice released a report on Monday commissioned by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) which found that while many countries are cutting budgets, they’re upping research and development incentives to attract biopharmaceutical companies. Read more

Kaiser Poll Finds Bipartisan Support for Spending on Global Health

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:58:00 GMT

Two-thirds of Americans say that the U.S. is spending too little or about the right amount on global health with one in five saying spending is too high, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey on the public's views of global health issues. Read more

Global Body Seeks Unified Approach to Assessing Science

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:43:00 GMT

The leaders of about 50 national research agencies in both the developed and developing worlds have announced the establishment of a Global Research Council (GRC) intended to examine issues of importance to science-funding agencies worldwide. Read more

Child Mortality Down by a Third in Millennium Villages

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 10:20:00 GMT

Death rates among children under five at the Millennium Villages have decreased by one-third in the last three years compared to similar communities not participating in the project, The Guardian reports. The villages, which were proposed by economist Jeffrey Sachs, were established in 10 countries to test the effectiveness of an integrated approach to aid and development that includes health, education, agriculture and other programs. Read more

New Study Shows Haitian Cholera Strain Has evolved

admin — Sat, 05 May 2012 11:24:00 GMT

The cholera strain in Haiti is evolving, a new report shows, suggesting that the task of ending the now two-year-old epidemic will be much more difficult that previously thought, Voice of America reports. The cholera bacterium is changing as survivors acquire some immunity to the original strain, a study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states. Read more

Can Poor Countries Produce Their Own Drugs?

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:06:00 GMT

The greatest challenge for lower and middle-income countries in development new products to address neglected disaeses is not the scientists or the technologies required to carry out complex research and development projects, but the financial support and buy-in from governments, companies, and non-governmental organizations, according to a panel led by BIO Ventures for Global Health at the Forum 2012 conference, SciDevNet reports. Read more

U.S. Largest Funder of Health Research

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:34:00 GMT

The U.S. government provides the greatest amount of funding to global health research and development in the world, according to a new report by the Global Health Technologies Coalition and Policy Cures. The report compiled data showing that the U.S. has spent $12.7 billion during the past 10 years, United Press International reports. Read more

US Biopharma: "Nearly 300 Vaccines in R&D"

admin — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 07:26:00 GMT

United States-based biopharmaceutical companies are developing nearly 300 vaccines for the prevention and treatment of a wide variety of diseases, according to new industry data, PharmaTimes reports. Read more

Global Health Initiative Aims to Use IP to Combat Neglected Diseases

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:23:00 GMT

A new initiative, called WIPO Re:Search, aims to encourage the biopharmaceutical and global health research communities to share intellectual property and related assets to promote the development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for neglected diseases, Baldwins Intellectual Property reports. Backed by some of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, the consortium has great potential to open up valuable information and expertise to neglected disease researchers at academic institutions and non-governmental organizations. Read more

Leaders From BVGH and BIO Discuss Unprecedented Analysis

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:05:00 GMT

BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) surveyed the landscape of drugs and vaccines in development for 23 neglected diseases to – for the first time – shed light on which organizations are doing what. Recently, BVGH CEO Don Joseph sat down with Jim Greenwood, CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), to discuss the reports key findings, including how biotechnology companies are participating in 41% of neglected disease drugs and vaccines in development. Listen now

Sebelius Lends Support To Vaccination Projects In Haiti

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:13:00 GMT

In what some call a surprising move, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is in Haiti to support a cholera vaccine pilot project already under way, NPR’s reports on its health blog “Shots.” The wider campaign aims to vaccinate 211,000 infants with a five-in-one vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B, a cause of bacterial meningitis). Children will also get vaccinated against polio and rubella. Read more

Gates Foundation Partners With Brazil to Spark Solutions in Child, Maternal Health

admin — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:36:00 GMT

A new partnership between the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will focus on maternal and child health, reports the Puget Sound Business Journal. The Foundation will allocate up to $8 million for research to prevent and manage pre-term birth in Brazil as an expansion of its Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative. Read more

Vaccines Group Gets Cut-Price Rotavirus Shots

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:42:00 GMT

Developing countries will be able to purchase rotavirus vaccines for one-third of the market price thanks to a recent deal between the GAVI Alliance and two major pharmaceutical companies, reports Reuters. Countries will be able to buy GlaxoSmithKline’s Rotarix and Merck’s Rotateq for about $5 per course to help prevent rotavirus-related diarrhea, which kills more than 500,000 children each year, according to the World Health Organization. Read more

Drug-Resistant Malaria Spreads Along Thai-Myanmar Border: Study

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:12:00 GMT

A strain of malaria is becoming more resistant to artemisinin — the most effective malaria-fighting drug available today — along the Thai-Myanmar border, according to a 10-year study published in The Lancet, Reuters reported. Read more

Vaccines Alliance Nears Deal on Cervical Cancer Shots

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:13:00 GMT

A price deal between the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and cervical cancer vaccine manufacturers Merck and GlaxoSmithKline could help safeguard millions of women in developing countries, where more than 85% of the 275,000 cervical cancer deaths occur each year, Reuters reports. Read more

How Many Products Are In Development For Neglected Tropical Diseases? BVGH Takes A Closer Look

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:31:00 GMT

Biotech companies appear to be punching above their weight when it comes to research on neglected tropical diseases, although there is still ample room for others in the industry to get involved, according to a recent report by BIO Ventures for Global Health, Pink Sheet reports. Read more

SME Biotech Companies Play A More Critical Role In R&D For NTDs Than Previously Thought

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:20:00 GMT

In an unprecedented analysis of organizations working on neglected tropical disease research and development, BIO Ventures for Global Health uncovered several surprising results, Forbes reports. For example, 40% of neglected disease research and development projects include a biotech participant. Read more

Biotech Humanitarian Award and Nomination

admin — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:51:00 GMT

Submissions for nominations to the Biotech Humanitarian Awards, given each year at the BIO International Convetnion, is now open. The award is given to an individual who has improved the world by significantly reducing human suffering or enhancing the human experience, by applying the science of biotechnology to heal, feed or fuel the planet. Read more

BRICS Help Improve Health in Poorest Countries

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:42:00 GMT

At a time when traditional Western global health funders continue to reduce spending, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- collectively referred to as BRICS -- have increased their aid funding to improve health in the world’s poorest countries, according to a report by Global Health Strategies initiative, Business Live reports. Read more

Africa Sees Slight Drop in Infant and Maternal Mortality

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:26:00 GMT

The mortality rate of African children under five years old dropped slightly in 2011, according a report on Africa's economic and social status drafted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union (AU) Commission. In sub-Saharan Africa, the mortality rate of people below five years of age reduced from 174 per 1,000 live births to 121 between 1990 and 2009, reported Afrique en ligne. Read more

Advanced TB Vaccine Trials Near Completion in South Africa, Global Research Drive Launched

admin — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 06:52:00 GMT

Scientists unveiled a global blueprint for tuberculosis (TB) vaccine development that involves groups working together to test new vaccine candidates, and coordinating fundraising for expansive and expensive human trials, the Washington Post/AP reports. The blueprint’s release comes in anticipation of next year’s completion of the first advanced clinical trial for a TB vaccine. Read more

Drug-Resistant "White Plague" Lurks Among Rich and Poor

admin — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:33:00 GMT

With increased globalization, immigration, and the rise of drug resistance, tuberculosis (TB) is beginning to impact wealthy and poor national alike, Reuters reports. Read more

Aligning the Goals of Development and Business

admin — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:14:00 GMT

In the 1960s, 70 percent of resources sent to the developing world came from official development assistance, but today about only about 13 percent of global development aid comes from public sources, writes USAID’s Maura O’Neil. Instead private sources of capital now make up the majority of international aid, underscoring the importance of public-private partnerships in global development. Read more

Researchers Say Malaria Drug Could Also Treat Cancer

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:43:00 GMT

When researchers combined with some cancer drugs, the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine helped to halt the spread of aggressive cancers, VOA reports. Read more

India Cancer Ruling Opens Door for Cheaper Drugs

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 08:57:00 GMT

In an unprecedented court ruling, Indian generic medicine manufacturers can now make and sell the Bayer cancer drug Nexavar cheaply in India, Reuters reports. This is the first-ever compulsory license issued for Nexavar, and the move could set a precedent that could impact the production and sale of other drugs, such as those for HIV/AIDS, TB, and others. Read more

Thomson Reuters Provides Strategic Insight and Content for Critical National Health and Science Initiatives

admin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:44:00 GMT

A new partnership — composed of Alzheimer's Research UK, the Institute of Physics, the National Institutes of Health, and led by Thomson Reuters — will work to inform research and influence policymaking by providing citation data, unifying multiple information sources, and share insights by evaluating, selecting, and analyzing scientific and scholarly data, it states in a press release. A similar initiative aimed at tackling the explosion of Big Data for global health is in development by Thomson Reuters, the NIH, and BIO Ventures for Global Health. Read more

Progress, No Big Breakthrough, In Hunt for HIV Cure

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:32:00 GMT

New tactics are helping researchers gain ground against HIV, a very complex disease that has continually stumped scientists with its ability to mutate, Reuters reports. These new approaches include flushing hidden HIV from cells, and changing out a person’s immune system cells to make them resistant to HIV before putting them back into the patient’s body. Read more

Money or Die: A Watershed Moment for Global Public Health

admin — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:52:00 GMT

The widespread austerity and debt reduction measures in response to the world economic crisis are threatening life-saving global health programs, Foreign Affairs reports. Read more

Millennium Development Goal on Safe Drinking Water Reaches Target Early

admin — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 11:08:00 GMT

The Millennium Development Goal to cut in half the number of people without access to safe drinking water has been met, well before the 2015 deadline, The Guardian reports. More than 2 billion people gained access to improved drinking water between 1990 and 2010, according to the WHO and Unicef joint monitoring program for water supply and sanitation; however, 11% of the world’s population still lacks access to safe water. Read more