International researchers launched the first worldwide health research summit Tuesday in a desperate bid to revive research on the so-called "forgotten diseases," the illnesses of the poor that account for half the world's deaths.
While there has been innovation in treating lifestyle diseases of the rich, like obesity and cardiovascular problems, the five-day World Health Organization's Summit on Health Research was tackling the lack of funding and drug development for tropical and infectious diseases; while most are curable, they still kill about 15 million people per year.
At the center of the agenda for researchers from 76 countries are things like the so-called "10-90 gap" -- the fact that only 10 percent of the world's health research budget goes to combat the most severe problems for 90 percent of the population.
"The system has been very successful at developing drugs, diagnostics and vaccines, but much less successful at getting them to people who need them," said Tim Evans, the WHO's assistant director-general, said at the opening ceremony of the summit.
Evans estimated that two-thirds of current child deaths could be prevented with existing technology.
He called for "a research agenda that is not dependent on the private sector," noting that drug companies don't have much incentive to distribute mosquito nets that could protect African children from malaria.
Dr. Bernard Pecoul of Medecins San Frontiers said rich nations and drug companies should not only help make existing medications more accessible, but also develop new medications for the diseases of the poor.
"I'm not criticizing the private sector. They're just not in a very good position to set priorities," Pecoul said, noting there is more money dedicated to developing new anti-cholesterol pills than selling anti-malarial drugs.
"The corporations should open up their laboratories and libraries. It won't earn them any money, but it will improve their image," Pecoul said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese