“For far too many people around the world, the quality and length of their lives is determined by an act of fate,” said Melinda Moree, BIO Ventures for Global Health CEO, at the opening of the Partnering for Global Health Forum this morning. “We must come together in concrete, productive, and especially happy partnerships, in order to connect people and ideas to save lives.”
Perseverance in research and development for neglected tropical diseases was a theme of the opening session of the Forum, with keynote speaker Dr. Regina Rabinovich, Director, Infectious Diseases, Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, heralding the recent development of partnerships in the global health field as a key part of the solution to bridging the gap from basic research to impact.
“Innovation is critical, and everyone has the potential to invent something,” said Rabinovich. “Capital from philanthropy alone will not solve the global health crisis.”
She pointed to the results of the c
ase studies by BIO Ventures for Global Health as evidence that fundamental reliance on innovation and partnerships is a key building block for global health and an absolute requirement for a long-term vision.
“I have a vision of a little girl who has grown up without fear of dying of childhood illness, holding her immunization card for malaria, tuberculosis, and other diseases in hand,” said Rabinovich. “Where she is from does not matter. The Partnering for Global Health Forum has much to offer to make that vision a reality.”
Also at the breakfast session, James C. Greenwood, President and CEO of BIO, released a formal BIO policy statement on options to improving access to medicines in the developing world, representing the first time that BIO as an industry has come together to identify viable options that companies should consider as they develop and market their products worldwide.
“Hundreds of millions of fellow residents on our planet lack access to basic health care and access to medicines. More can, and should, be done,” Greenwood said.
“There are undeniable positive signs of progress in the global health care arena,” added Dr. Fabrizio Bonanni, Executive Vice President, Operations, Amgen, and Chair of the BIO Board’s Standing Committee on Intellectual Property. “But while increased global attention on the importance of treating neglected diseases is working, so much more needs to be done.”
We agree. Stay tuned for more from the Forum!