New Antipoverty Drugs, Vaccines, and Diagnostics: A Research Agenda for the US President's Global Health Initiative (GHI)
2011

Research Agenda for Global Health Initiative

Editorial Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Peter J. Hotez

Primary Institution: George Washington University

Hypothesis

Allocating a small percentage of Global Health Initiative funds to neglected tropical diseases could significantly improve health outcomes.

Conclusion

Investing 1%–2% of GHI funds in neglected tropical diseases could lead to the development of new tools to combat these diseases and improve global health.

Supporting Evidence

  • 1.4 billion people live below the World Bank poverty line and are affected by neglected tropical diseases.
  • The US government has invested heavily in research for major diseases but neglects tropical diseases.
  • Investing in neglected tropical diseases can help improve health and economic conditions for the poorest populations.

Takeaway

If the US spends a little bit of its health budget on research for diseases that mostly affect poor people, it could help create new medicines and vaccines to make them healthier.

Limitations

The current funding for neglected tropical diseases is minimal compared to the overall health budget.

Participant Demographics

Focus on the world's poorest populations living below the poverty line.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pntd.0001133

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