Medical R&D Projects Proposed By WHO Regions Show Diversity

The regions of the World Health Organization earlier this month submitted their proposals for projects to boost research and development of health technologies for diseases disproportionately affecting developing countries and lacking a market incentive. A shortlist of projects will be selected by a group of WHO-chosen experts at a 3-5 December meeting in Geneva.

The proposed demonstration projects of the six WHO regions are available here.

The proposals show some overlap in priorities, but generally show a range with regard to diseases, such as paediatric HIV, malaria, visceral leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, or diabetes, and a variety of proposals aimed at broader concepts and issues such as innovation and access, antibiotics resistance, biomarkers, and low-cost vaccine development.

The experts’ recommendations will proceed to the January meeting of the WHO Executive Board, and finally, the annual World Health Assembly in May.

The December meeting is the next step in a long process at the WHO to address the problem (IPW, WHO, 6 November 2013).

Health technologies include medicines, diagnostics, medical devices, vaccines, among other things, according to WHO.

“The projects must demonstrate effectiveness of alternative, innovative and sustainable financing and coordination approaches to address identified R&D gaps,” it says on its website.