The Global Network team just returned from a half-day briefing hosted by the health policy journal Health Affairs, initiated around their November/December 2009 Issue focused on neglected diseases. The event spurred fascinating dialogue on the current burden of NTDs around the world, control efforts underway, broad partnerships engaged on the issue, and the work ahead.
A wide range of experts presented throughout the morning, including:
- Philip Musgrove and Peter Hotez, who gave thorough overviews on the current NTD situation and ongoing advocacy, policy, resource mobilization, and control/elimination efforts. Specifically, they discussed the world’s massive NTD burden, the growing shift toward innovative and flexible regional control strategies, the mobilization of communities to deliver integrated interventions, and the importance of the Obama Administration’s Global Health Initiative and its inclusion of NTDs as a key pillar.
- Ken Gustavsen, Christy Hanson, Joseph Damond, and Scott Ratzan, who discussed the immense value of public-private partnerships engaged in the field of NTDs. The drug donation programs of major pharmaceutical companies–Merck, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson–were highlighted, as were their commitments to innovation, scalability, and sustainability. USAID’s NTD program was also detailed, including their commitment to building on existing health platforms and to working with affected communities.
- Peter Singer and James Geraghty, who discussed what else needs to be done for these diseases. Singer outlined a new “global acceleration plan” to support developing world pipelines for innovation–a potential “goldmine” for new NTD technologies. Geraghty advocated for expanding the biotech industry’s involvement in fighting neglected diseases but also working to improve incentives–through mechanisms such as tax credit legislation advocated for by Genzyme–for companies to do so.
Dr. Peter Hotez presents at the Health Affairs Briefing
