Families USA's Global Health Initiative advocates for U.S. policies that advance global health research, with the goal of developing medical technologies to improve global health.
February 25, 2009
In This Issue:
Policy Updates
1. Economic Recovery and NIH Funding
News and Reports
2. Plan to Combat Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Recommendations of the Federal Tuberculosis Task Force
3. Glaxo Proposes Patent Pool for Neglected Diseases
4. HIV Gene Therapy Trial Promising
5. Colorado State University Researchers Discover Why Mosquitoes Transmit Infectious Disease without Falling Ill, May Hold Key to Preventing Spread of Disease
6. Rise in Malaria Rates, Drug Resistance Tied to Climate
7. Knocking out Malaria
8. Health Impact Fund Promotes Drug Access and Innovation
Events
9. Follow-up: Families USA’s Health Action 2009—Global Health Reception
10. Symposium: Biomedical Approaches to HIV/AIDS Prevention
Policy Updates
1. Economic Recovery and NIH Funding
There was $10 billion for NIH research and infrastructure included in the economic recovery bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, that was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday, February 17th. This included the following:
- $8.2 billion for NIH's Office of the Director (OD) to fund research; $7.4 billion will be distributed to NIH’s institutes, centers, and the common fund; the rest will be retained by the OD;
- $1.3 billion for NIH's National Center for Research Resources to fund equipment, repairs, and renovations for non-federal research facilities; and
- $500 million for repairs and renovations to NIH's buildings and facilities.
An additional $400 million will be transferred to NIH from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to fund cost-effectiveness studies.
At a briefing held at AAAS on February 18, NIH’s Acting Director, Dr. Raynard Kington, stated that the agency would immediately start planning for funds allocation, and would initially focus on evaluating already-reviewed approved and meritorious grants to determine whether they are appropriate for stimulus funding. Grants funded under the economic recovery act will be for two years and need to demonstrate a stimulus effect, such as jobs creation. General information on agency timelines is available at www.recovery.gov. NIH is required to post information on its website--this should be available February 25th at www.nih.gov/recovery. At the time of writing, the NIH site was not yet active.
News and Reports
2. Plan to Combat Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Recommendations of the Federal Tuberculosis Task Force
Plan to Combat Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Recommendations of the Federal Tuberculosis Task Force (CDC MMWR, February 13, 2009)
Since 1992, the Federal Tuberculosis (TB) Task Force has been charged with drafting a plan to improve the prevention and control of drug resistant TB. Although TB predominantly affects developing countries, it continues to be health concern in the United States. This new report addresses the challenges of extensively drug-resistant TB and what is needed to combat the disease.
To read the report, click here.
3. Glaxo Proposes Patent Pool for Neglected Diseases
Glaxo Proposes Patent Pool for Neglected Diseases (Reuters UK, February 13, 2009)
“GlaxoSmithKline Plc's (GSK.L) chief executive urged creation of a voluntary patent pool to spark development of new treatments for neglected diseases in the world's poorest countries.”
To read the article, click here.
4. HIV Gene Therapy Trial Promising
HIV Gene Therapy Trial Promising (BBC News, February 16, 2009)
Jo Robinson, of the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said, “Some people find their HIV becomes resistant to current treatments over time so it's essential that we invest in researching potential new approaches like [gene therapy]."
To read the article, click here.
5. Colorado State University Researchers Discover Why Mosquitoes Transmit Infectious Disease without Falling Ill, May Hold Key to Preventing Spread of Disease
Colorado State University Researchers Discover Why Mosquitoes Transmit Infectious Disease Without Falling Ill, May Hold Key to Preventing Spread of Disease (CSU News, February 13, 2009)
“Colorado State University researchers have discovered that mosquitoes that transmit deadly viruses such as dengue avoid becoming ill from the virus by mounting an immediate, potent immune response, but their immune system doesn't completely eliminate the virus, allowing them to pass it on. The discovery is a step toward finding a way to prevent mosquitoes from spreading the virus to new victims.”
To read the article, click here.
6. Rise in Malaria Rates, Drug Resistance Tied to Climate
Rise in Malaria Rates, Drug Resistance Tied to Climate (Scientific American, February 16, 2009)
“Warmer temperatures are at least partly to blame for a surge in malaria in East Africa and the increase in drug-resistant strains of the disease, according to a University of Michigan researcher.”
To read the article, click here.
7. Knocking out Malaria
Knocking out Malaria (PopSci.com, February 17, 2009)
“The first vaccine for one of the world’s most deadly diseases is on the way.”
To read the article, click here.
8. Health Impact Fund Promotes Drug Access and Innovation
Health Impact Fund Promotes Drug Access and Innovation (The Lancet, February 2009)
“The world needs improved pharmaceutical innovation and better access for patients to medicines already available. But these goals are hard to reconcile. ‘By facilitating access, we strangle innovation, and by stimulating innovation through strong patents, we obstruct access for many people to new medicines they urgently need,’ explains Thomas Pogge, professor of philosophy and international affairs (Yale University, CT, USA). ‘Is there a way forward?’”
To read the article, click here.
To read an op-ed piece about the Health Impact Fund, click here.
To read “The Health Impact Fund: Making New Medicines Accessible for All,” click here.
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9. Follow-up: Families USA’s Health Action 2009—Global Health Reception
Last month, Families USA’s Global Health Initiative hosted a reception as part of our Health Action 2009 Conference. We were pleased to have Rear Admiral Ali S. Khan, MD, MPH, Assistant Surgeon General and Deputy Director of the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-borne, and Enteric Diseases at CDC speak at the reception about his expertise on zoonotic diseases. As a leading CDC expert on global health, emerging infectious diseases, and bioterrorism, he has traveled to “hot spots” to combat hantavirus, SARS, Ebola, and other deadly pathogens.
We also showed a short video clip from CNN’s Planet in Peril: Battle Lines. This video clip explores how various infectious and highly lethal diseases are transmitted from animals to humans, and how these diseases are tracked.
To view Dr. Khan’s presentation, click here.
For more information about CNN’s Planet in Peril: Battle Lines, click here.
To read the CNN article, “Tracking Deadly Viruses' Spread from Animals to Humans,” click here.
Thank you to all who attended the reception.
10. Symposium: Biomedical Approaches to HIV/AIDS Prevention
Date: February 24, 2009
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Place: Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco, CA
Hosts: The University of California San Francisco, Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), and the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS)
For more information, click here.
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