G-FINDER: the first survey of global investment into products for neglected diseases
A team of experts at The George is conducting a five-year survey tracking global investment in new products for the prevention and treatment of neglected infectious diseases. The survey provides powerful new evidence with which funders can better target their R&D investments in this area of need among the world’s poorest populations.
Led by Dr Mary Moran, a well-known authority on medicines for neglected diseases, the team has released the first two annual reports from the G-FINDER (Global Funding of Innovation for Neglected Diseases) survey. The findings indicate that total funding for neglected disease product development was US$3 billion. However, just three conditions captured the lion’s share of funding, collectively accounting for nearly three-quarters of global investment: HIV/AIDS (US$1.2b, 39%), malaria (US$541.7m, 18%) and tuberculosis (US$445.9m, 15%). A worrying trend is the continued neglect of major killers such as leprosy, rheumatic fever, trachoma and Buruli ulcer, which in total received less than 0.4% of funding.
The G-FINDER research group surveyed 208 organisations in 44 countries. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is providing funding for five annual G-FINDER surveys from 2008 to 2012.
