IE: Question A
- 1. United Nations: We Demand More Hope for Global Healthcare Ian Kurth Source: blog.globalhealthportal.northwestern.edu
- 2. Unparalleled moment of possibility with: Monumental strides in biotechnology research We are close to grasping for far more of humanity: Life rather than Death, Life rather than Suffering – by delivering treatments for the most pervasive diseases With the Science, we must advance: Capital, human resources Policy, regulatory accommodation Leadership Public-Private partnerships Hope & Confidence of Success Commitment to the arduous efforts Source: www.npr.org Source: www.unaaqld.org.au
- 3. HIV/AIDS 33.2 million living with HIV. 2.1 million die of AIDS yearly. 95% of HIV infections in developing countries. HIV medication, Antiretroviral’s (AVR’s), extremely expensive in developing countries Requires import of cheaper generic drugs, often violating patent-laws (set by WTO) leading to potential economic sanctions Problem: AVR regimen difficult (many pills taken at specific times daily) Not taken properly (e.g. patients share meds) Cost-prohibitive to Pharmaceutical Companies to insure proper AVR use Also lack of infrastructure to regularly distribute full range (“cocktail”) of meds Solution: More effective AVR drug cocktail, such as one pill a day instead of many A vaccine to eradicate the HIV virus entirely Current Research: AVR taken once daily (Stribild from Gilead Pharm.). Extremely expensive at $28,500 per patient per year Antibody Neutralizing Therapy (injecting antibodies to neutralize HIV virus) Promise of a vaccine – Theraclone Sciences, private company funded by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), Venture Capital Firms, and Pfizer UN Demands: Increase World Health Organization (WHO) grants for antibody vaccine research Work with developing countries to expedite human research Develop and implement broader and more consistent Intl. Policy and economic accommodation to make AVR meds less expensive worldwide, while preserving incentives for the private sector to invest in research and delivery Source: www.glogster.com Source: natap.org Source: blogs.discovermagazine.com
- 4. Malaria 219 million people affected each year. 660,000 yearly deaths (mostly children). 90% of deaths in Africa. Accounts for 1 in 6 of all childhood deaths. Malaria is the major cause of childhood deaths (apart from general lack of access to medical care) in developing countries due to strains of malaria resistant virus from outdated drugs such as Chloroquine (CQ), which is most frequently available in developing countries due to its cheap cost. Problem: Old drugs, such as CQ, costs $0.30 per dose Most effective drug treatments are Artemisinin Combination Therapy (i.e. ACT) drugs that cost $11 per dose (65 times the daily minimum wage in many African countries) Solution: Vastly increase production and use of ACT drugs by reducing costs and price to end-users Develop a better vaccine – i.e., a one dose vaccine format instead of a long-term drug treatment protocol Current Research: Breakthrough in vaccine research manipulating samples of the virus: 100% of all human test subjects not contracting malaria after receiving the vaccine and being exposed to the disease Developed by Sanaria with $12.47 million in funds from the NIH, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research UN Demands: Work with countries and companies to make ACT drugs far less expensive in developing countries Increase WHO funding to complete clinical trials of Sanaria vaccine as well as other vaccines Work with local regulators to expedite approvals to begin wide-spread treatments Fund and expedite global vaccination while preserving private sector research and production-distribution investment incentives Source: www.childsheart.org Source: pcwww.liv.ac.uk Source: ibnlive.in.com
- 5. Hearing Loss 360 million people have disabling hearing loss. Half caused by untreated childhood ear infections. Hearing aid production meets less than 10% of global demand. Without proper medical care and antibiotic treatments, ear infections go untreated and lead to debilitating hearing loss from childhood. Unlike many other diseases, hearing loss can be effectively treated with hearing aids, but unlike many other diseases, hearing loss does not get the attention necessary to bolster an effective impact on treatment. Problem: 2-week course of antibiotic treatment can cost $3-66 in Africa, where daily wages are less than $1 Hearing aids cost from $2,000-6,000 and there is very little, if any, government help to cover the cost of hearing aids in developing countries Solution: Make antibiotic drugs cheaper, more available – but focused on particular indications Fund private (e.g. The Starkey Foundation) and public foundations that donate hearing aids as well as creating government hearing-care programs in developing countries -- with research in medically reversing hearing-loss and deafness still in its infancy Current Research: Breakthroughs in hearing aid technology make aids smaller, clearer in sound amplification, and more durable The Lyric aid, by Phonak, is inserted into the canal and can remain there for months Research in reversing deafness include stem-cell and genetic protein research to regrow cochlear cilia (the hairs necessary for hearing) from companies like GenVec which has partnered with Novartis as it is set to receive $213.6 million in research funding UN Demands: The WHO should help fund private organizations, such as Starkey, to make hearing aids more widely accessible Supply peace-keeping troops to allow these organizations the safety to fit hearing aids for people in unstable countries Engage developing governments to establish more effective programs for hearing-care Fund additional early stage funding for stem- cell and genetics based hearing research Source: www.kids-ent.com Source: www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org Source: www.digitalhearingcare.org.uk
- 6. Psychiatric Disorders More than 450 million suffer from mental disorders. In developed countries 50% do not get necessary care – 90% in developing countries. Severe mental illness reduces life expectancy by 25 years. Homelessness is often associated with a severe mental illness as their unemployment rate is 90%. Especially in developing countries, many suffering debilitating mental illness often go undiagnosed and untreated. Mythical stigma, such as being “possessed”, exists, and the mentally ill are social outcasts. Without appropriate institutions, the mentally ill are often left destitute and homeless, prone to risky behavior such as drug abuse. Problem: Many developing countries lack infrastructure, mental health education/experience, and social perspective to effectively diagnose mental disorders and deliver, often life-long, treatment Many disorders are difficult to diagnose and the disorder exhibits itself differently amongst sufferers (e.g. bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia) Solution: Disorders (e.g. bipolar) were diagnosed by observation and talk therapy, but research has illuminated physical neurological/neurochemical abnormalities associated with many mental disorders enabling medical test diagnosis (e.g. brain imaging) Therapies can be improved with greater acceptance, more advanced drug treatments, remote interaction with professionals, and overall greater investment commitment Current Research: Research on diagnosing mood disorders have advanced to genetic markers for proteins controlling indicative neurochemicals – a research leader is the HudsonAlpha Institute, which studies genetic sequences of thousands of bipolar patients (received a $7.8 million NIH research grant). To replace drug therapies for mood disorders (e.g. Lithium, a 30-year-old treatment with severe side effects), research seeks focused treatments at a genetic and specific neurochemical level. Long-distance “talk” or “cognitive-behavioral” therapy include online long-distance “telehealth” implemented according to strict guidelines such as the use of electronics to monitor bodily vital signs and drug adherence while video-conferencing with licensed psychiatrists – offered by companies like “CMS Teleheath” and even , virtual rehab programs developed for Microsoft X-box (developed by Reflexion Health with a $7.5 million Series A investment from West Health Investment). UN Demands: Increase WHO funding for diagnostic and treatment research Mental health awareness campaigns to de-stigmatize psychiatric disorders and support of infrastructure investments Global policy initiatives to make internet and telecommunications readily available to patients in developing countries Source: blogs.psychcentral.com Source: shrdocs.com Source: www.activeforever.com
- 7. In Conclusion These are a few examples of the many pervasive diseases plaguing humanity, especially the populations of developing countries. We need many more breakthrough treatments and cures, but the science has achieved great promise. Beyond the partnership of the private sector with the UN and other public participants – making broad healthcare advances requires more from scientists and investors. Better Partnership of the Best Scientists with the Best Investors: With the intellectual capital of the biotechnology research, fast and large sums of monetary capital for the “right” research is required to go from a laboratory white-board to the pill, or the vaccine in a patient’s arm. Research is increasingly offering a vast array of options and directions – and with time-of-the-essence, investors are increasingly challenged to assess investment opportunities. Capital has also become more complex as philanthropies scale, governments address political considerations with mission strategies, and return and risk has deeper meaning for venture capitalists, corporate R&D efforts, and public market pension/fund investors. Individuals and organizations must continue to reinvent themselves to achieve improved synergies of healthcare science and finance. Source: www.unmultimedia.org Source: www.cattolicanews.it Source: kimberley-gordon.squarespace.com