Health Innovation Networks to Help Developing Countries Address Neglected Diseases

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1115538
• Publication Date: 2005-07-14T22:03:51Z
• Authors: Carlos M. Morel; Tara Acharya; Denis Broun; Ajit Dangi; Christopher Elias; N. K. Ganguly; Charles A. Gardner; R. K. Gupta; Jane Haycock; Anthony D. Heher; Peter J. Hotez; Hannah E. Kettler; Gerald T. Keusch; Anatole F. Krattiger; Fernando T. Kreutz; Sanjaya Lall; Keun Lee; Richard Mahoney; Adolfo Martinez-P...; R. A. Mashelkar; Stephen A. Matlin; Mandi Mzimba; Joachim Oehler; Robert G. Ridley; Pramilla Senanayake; Peter Singer; Mikyung Yun
• Keywords: Publishing; Biomedical Research; Public Sector; Drug Industry; Developed Countries; Health Policy; International Cooperation; 1. No poverty; 3. Good health; Patents as Topic; 03 medical and health sciences; Technology Transfer; 0302 clinical medicine; Humans; Private Sector; Diffusion of Innovation; Delivery of Health Care; Developing Countries; Biotechnology

Gross inequities in disease burden between developed and developing countries are now the subject of intense global attention. Public and private donors have marshaled resources and created organizational structures to accelerate the development of new health products and to procure and distribute drugs and vaccines for the poor. Despite these encouraging efforts directed primarily from and funded by industrialized countries, sufficiency and sustainability remain enormous challenges because of the sheer magnitude of the problem. Here we highlight a complementary and increasingly important means to improve health equity: the growing ability of some developing countries to undertake health innovation.