08/12/06

Global health R&D must include poor countries

Thai researcher at the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Bangkok Copyright: WHO/ TDR

We encourage you to republish this article online and in print, it’s free under our creative commons attribution license, but please follow some simple guidelines:

You have to credit our authors.
You have to credit SciDev.Net — where possible include our logo with a link back to the original article.
You can simply run the first few lines of the article and then add: “Read the full article on SciDev.Net” containing a link back to the original article.
If you want to also take images published in this story you will need to confirm with the original source if you're licensed to use them.
The easiest way to get the article on your site is to embed the code below.

For more information view our media page and republishing guidelines.

The full article is available here as HTML.

Press Ctrl-C to copy

<div class="article-wrap">
<div id="article-introduction">
<h1>Global health R&D must include poor countries</h1>
<h4></h4>
</div>
<br />
<br />

<div id="article-body">
<p><P>The World Health Organization (WHO) can help developing countries create and enforce policies to protect and promote public health while fostering innovation. But it must do so with their full participation, says this editorial in The Lancet.</P><br />
<P>This week (4-8 December) an intergovernmental group convened by the WHO gathered to start designing a global strategy to boost research and development focusing on treatments for leading diseases in poor countries.</P><br />
<P>But more than half of the WHO’s member states were absent from the meeting — and of those missing, a third are among the least developed countries, as identified by the UN.</P><br />
<P>The group aimed to take forward proposals on patenting and licensing policies so that developing countries can ensure products are relevant to their own settings, follow regulatory frameworks and are available at affordable prices. </P><br />
<P>Many of its recommendations, however, depend on developing country governments taking the lead, and they cannot be expected to do so if they are not included in the discussion.</P><a  href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673606698140/fulltext" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to full article/paper in The Lancet</A>*<BR>*Free registration is required to view this article.<BR><BR><br />
<P>Reference: The Lancet 368:2034 (2006)<BR><BR></P></p>

</div>
<div class="quick-links-wrapper">
<h3>You might also like</h3>
[related-articles]
</div>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/opinions/global-health-rd-must-include-poor-countries/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(e,t,n,r,i,s,o){e["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=i;e[i]=e[i]||function(){(e[i].q=e[i].q||[]).push(arguments)},e[i].l=1*new Date;s=t.createElement(n),o=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];s.async=1;s.src=r;o.parentNode.insertBefore(s,o)})(window,document,"script","//www.google-analytics.com/ga.js","ga");var _gaq=_gaq||[];var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(["_setAccount","UA-3223906-8"],["_trackEvent","article interaction","republished","https://www.scidev.net/global/opinions/global-health-rd-must-include-poor-countries/",null,true])
</script>
</div>

The World Health Organization (WHO) can help developing countries create and enforce policies to protect and promote public health while fostering innovation. But it must do so with their full participation, says this editorial in The Lancet.

This week (4-8 December) an intergovernmental group convened by the WHO gathered to start designing a global strategy to boost research and development focusing on treatments for leading diseases in poor countries.

But more than half of the WHO’s member states were absent from the meeting — and of those missing, a third are among the least developed countries, as identified by the UN.

The group aimed to take forward proposals on patenting and licensing policies so that developing countries can ensure products are relevant to their own settings, follow regulatory frameworks and are available at affordable prices.

Many of its recommendations, however, depend on developing country governments taking the lead, and they cannot be expected to do so if they are not included in the discussion.

Link to full article/paper in The Lancet*
*Free registration is required to view this article.

Reference: The Lancet 368:2034 (2006)