Japan has announced a 100 million dollars fund for research and development on diseases plaguing developing countries. The initiative, a collaboration between the Japanese government, academia and private pharmaceutical companies, hopes to invent technologies and create new drugs to address long neglected diseases such as T.B, malaria and other ailments afflicting the poorest of countries.
In its inaugural five year plan, more than 100 million dollars is allocated to support the work of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). Japanese Pharmaceutical Companies such as Eisai, Daiichi Sankyo, Shionogi and Takeda, will be targeting drug resistant TB and finding new treatments for malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and sleeping sickness (Human African trypanosomiasis or HAT).
Hopefully, the initiative would encourage more private and public sectors collaboration and allocation of monies with to address the diseases of wider sectors of global populations. On one hand, these initiatives can shift the 10/90 gap of global health research expenditure to a more equitable ratio. Yet there are concerns of involving the private pharmaceutical companies too much with academia, which may later raise questions on conflict of interests and the independence of academic and research institutes.
To read more about the story follow the link: Japan launches $100m initiative to develop drugs for poorest nations
Reference:
SELINA MCKEE, (2013), Japan launches $100m initiative to develop drugs for poorest nations, World News, Pharma Times Online.
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