Unitaid-WHO partnership has advanced over 60 updates to global health policy, leading to unprecedented scale-up of game-changing health solutions
Geneva – A long-standing partnership between Unitaid and the World Health Organization (WHO) accelerates evidence generation to inform rapid updates to global guidance. This partnership has helped speed access to vital interventions that include best-in-class HIV and TB medicines, cutting-edge malaria-fighting tools, and major advances in prevention and care of cervical cancer and hepatitis C for people in resource-limited settings.
Published as global health leaders gather in Geneva for the 76th World Health Assembly, the report outlines the impact of this collaboration in moving the needle towards achieving 2030 targets outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Health programs worldwide rely on the WHO to review data and issue guidance, enabling them to roll out new health products and interventions safely and effectively. The two agencies have developed a collaborative approach to condense the timeline required to ensure new tools reach countries as quickly as possible.
This process ensures that evidence generated from Unitaid’s work can be rapidly translated into guidelines and recommendations issued by WHO. Unitaid identifies promising health solutions and works with WHO to shape and inform investment ideas. Unitaid then convenes qualified partners to deliver high-quality research and remove access barriers to enable wide-scale adoption. Based on evidence generated through this and partners’ research, WHO issues updates to global policies and supports countries to scale up vital products and interventions.
Since 2017, WHO has facilitated the design and delivery of more than 160 Unitaid-funded studies. This critical research has underpinned more than 60 updates to health guidelines and implementation tools. National health programs and global scale-up partners then implement vital interventions that are critical in advancing the care for people affected by or at risk of HIV, TB, malaria, cervical cancer, hepatitis C and COVID-19.
“Since its creation, Unitaid has been supporting countries to access innovations that save lives,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO. “WHO is proud to work with Unitaid to identify gaps and design interventions that are most needed to protect and promote health. By working to make sure innovations do not get stuck on their path to scale-up, the entire global health system benefits from Unitaid’s model.”
“WHO plays a critical role in shaping and informing Unitaid’s investment ideas. This ensures that evidence generated from our investments is rapidly translated into global guidance, leading to national policies which meet the needs of the most under-served populations,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid.
Access the report, Better Health Solutions, here.
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Better health solutions
Unitaid’s investment case 2023-2027
Unitaid welcomes the reconfirmed commitment to health and wellbeing made by Brazil and Portugal
As leaders from the two nations convened at the Brazil-Portugal Summit this week, a memorandum of understanding was signed reiterating the countries’ shared commitments to universal and equitable access to health, and highlighted Unitaid as a key actor in global health.
The agreement outlines a common vision of the future in which health issues will play an increasingly central role in the well-being of the populations of their countries and in the strengthening of their national economies. They pledged to coordinate efforts so that the treatment of health issues is a factor in reinforcing relations between the two governments at the bilateral, bi-regional and international levels and renewed their commitment to health cooperation within the community of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP) for the benefit of all its members.
Notably, the so-called “Carta de Lisboa” emphasizes the centrality of the World Health Organization in dealing with multilateral health issues and the importance of enhancing the performance of organs of the global health architecture, such as Unitaid.
“Unitaid commends the leadership of Brazil and Portugal in advancing collaborative and equitable approaches to health,” said Mauricio Cysne, Senior Advisor, Unitaid. “Strong partnerships such as this one are critical to enabling Unitaid to accelerate global health responses and ensure vital tests, medicines, and other health technologies reach people everywhere they are needed.”
Brazil was one of five founding members of Unitaid in 2006 and has been a strong ally ever since. Portugal’s commitment to Unitaid began during the COVID-19 pandemic and this support has carried over in support of the 2023-2027 Strategy.
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Key stakeholders convene ahead of the G20 second health working group to strengthen global collaboration in research and accelerate regional manufacturing for diagnostics
- G20 co-branded event was conducted by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, GoI, FIND, and Unitaid to discuss efforts for the sustainable development and manufacturing of effective, quality, and affordable diagnostic countermeasures
- The objectives of the meeting inform the Health Working Group of the G20 Presidency, hosted by India
- The meeting provides recommendations to the G20 and its Member States and international partners on the establishment of an R&D and manufacturing network for diagnostics
GOA, INDIA – 16 April 2023. The Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, FIND, and Unitaid co-hosted a high-level meeting to strengthen cooperation and enable sustainable development and manufacturing of effective, quality, and affordable diagnostic countermeasures prior to the G20 second health working group meeting, which will take place on 17–19 April 2023 in Goa, India. Stakeholders in attendance included representatives of the Government of India, G20 Member States (Australia, France, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil, and observers Mauritius, Netherlands, and Oman), international organizations, and over 20 diagnostics manufacturers from around the world.
While inaugurating the event, S Aparna, Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, said: “The centrality of diagnostics extends far beyond testing for a pandemic. Diagnostics are key to preventing and treating diseases optimally and, by extension, achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The Government of India is committed to ensuring quality, affordability, and access to diagnostics. We hope that the deliberations from today will be taken forward at the second Health Working Group meeting tomorrow.”
Regional development of diagnostics products through region-appropriate research and decentralized production of diagnostics can help reduce disparities, enhance health security, including pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capabilities, support UHC, and contribute to regional economic growth.
Sanjay Sarin, Vice President of Access at FIND, said: “The pandemic has bolstered the role of a more decentralized model for manufacturing diagnostics, one that combines global and regional manufacturing alike, in support of equitable and sustainable access to diagnostics worldwide. In line with the priorities of the G20, we believe that decentralized manufacturing supports the broader mission of expanding access to diagnostics and achieving UHC.”
The meeting built on a successful 2-day technical workshop on 13–14 April in Goa, India, organized by FIND and Unitaid and attended by over 20 diagnostics manufacturers from 13 countries. The workshop focused on the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of tests for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and the need to accelerate regional production of diagnostics in LMICs. It provided an opportunity for diagnostic manufacturers to deliberate on the enabling factors required for the sustainability of decentralized diagnostic R&D and manufacturing.
As a result of the workshop, manufacturers clearly stated their interest in establishing partnerships to facilitate the transfer of technology, know-how, and capacity building. Manufacturers also highlighted the need for countries to develop national diagnostic strategies with concrete budget allocations and procurement frameworks prioritizing sourcing of regionally manufactured tests. They stressed the need for governments and development partners to continue strengthening regulatory mechanisms and to make clear commitments to facilitate harmonization and fast-track regulatory processes for regionally manufactured products.
Finally, in line with the India G20 Presidency goals, there was agreement that funding needs to be made available to create and maintain capacity for coordinated global manufacturing, R&D and technology transfer.
Robert Matiru, Director of Programmes of Unitaid, said: ” The problems are clear. It is now critical that we take bold action and prioritize innovations that drive the availability and equitable access to essential health technologies, including diagnostics. At Unitaid, we are committed to adopting a market-based approach to accelerate, expand and sustain regional production, and will work with our partners to explore all solutions towards building more resilient health access globally.
The meeting today provided an opportunity for diagnostics industry partners to put forward their recommendations to G20 Member States so that they can be taken into consideration during the G20 second health working group meeting which has outlined “strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on availability & access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable medical countermeasures — diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics” as a key priority.
Summarizing the discussions, Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research and Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research said: “The need for diagnostics is immense. As we move forward into the second health working group meeting, it will be important for G20 countries to consider measures for greater investment in diagnostics, collaborative R&D, and manufacturing networks that complement existing efforts and strengthen local capacities, and address policy, infrastructure, and human resource related challenges.”
About the Department of Pharmaceuticals
The Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India focuses on the development of pharmaceutical sector in India and regulates various complex issues related to pricing and availability of medicines at affordable prices, research & development, protection of intellectual property rights and international commitments related to pharmaceutical sector which required integration of work with other Ministries. The Department’s vision is to make India the largest global provider of quality medicines at reasonable price. For more information, please visit https://pharmaceuticals.gov.in/
About FIND
FIND seeks to ensure equitable access to reliable diagnosis around the world. We connect countries and communities, funders, decision-makers, healthcare providers and developers to spur diagnostic innovation and make testing an integral part of sustainable, resilient health systems. We are working to save 1 million lives through accessible, quality diagnosis, and save US$1 billion in healthcare costs to patients and health systems. We are co-convener of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator diagnostics pillar, and a WHO Collaborating Centre for Laboratory Strengthening and Diagnostic Technology Evaluation. For more information, please visit www.finddx.org
About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health organization engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, affordably, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes developing and funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as advanced HIV disease, cervical cancer, hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid also recently deployed its expertise and capabilities to develop and deliver therapeutics (including oxygen) and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a lead agency of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator. Unitaid’s new Strategy, 2023-2027 includes developing and investing in interventions to respond to global health emergencies and to transform women’s and children’s health. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization. For more information, please visit www.unitaid.org
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Unitaid and the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund strengthen ties to improve access to critical health tools
Tokyo and Geneva – The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund) and Unitaid have signed a cooperation framework that aims to strengthen collaboration between the two agencies to increase cooperation between the Japanese research and development industry and the broader global health response. The partnership will focus on tackling complex challenges such as emerging drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB) and malaria and shifting patterns of vector-borne diseases due to climate change.
By reinforcing links between the GHIT Fund’s research and development pipeline and Unitaid’s expertise in product introduction and access, the framework will further efforts to connect partners and ideas dealing with topics of health innovation, access, and scale.
The agreement unites the two agencies at a broad strategic level and creates a channel for continuous collaboration, scanning the innovation pipeline for late-stage products that address the most pressing global health needs. This work will further efforts to ensure vulnerable and underserved populations have access to better health products and support progress towards universal health coverage.
“GHIT looks forward to strengthening the strategic partnership with Unitaid as both organizations enter the next chapter of respective 5-year strategic plans. We strive for seamless transition of GHIT’s innovation pipelines to Unitaid’s expertise in new product introduction and access, bridging to equitable and sustainable access and delivery at scale. We will accelerate the R&D pipeline to maximize impact,” said Dr. Osamu Kunii, CEO of the GHIT Fund.
“The recent COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of global collaboration in solving global problems,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid. “Unitaid’s reinforced partnership with the GHIT Fund will leverage ties with Japanese innovators who are addressing some of today’s most pressing health challenges. This will improve equitable access to the benefits of new medicines, diagnostics and health technologies for people everywhere, in pursuit of a healthier, safer world for all.”
About Unitaid
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply, and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Its work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities including advanced HIV disease, cervical cancer, and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management. Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, co-leading with Wellcome the Therapeutics Pillar and participating in the Diagnostics Pillar. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.
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Executive Board approves Unitaid’s urgent action to confront antimalarial drug resistance in high burden areas
Geneva – Meeting at its 41st session, Unitaid’s Executive Board discussed strategic direction for future investments, and voted to approve a new area for intervention to counteract growing resistance to antimalarial medicines in high burden areas.
This new area for investment is one of many global health challenges Unitaid plans to tackle and it prepares to begin the first year of implementation of an ambitious new five-year strategy, which will focus on enabling access to critical medicines and tools across low- and middle-income countries.
In support of these efforts, the Board voiced political support for long-term financial engagement from major donors, recognizing that reliable funding is critical to successfully delivering on its goals.
The new strategy builds on a strong foundation developed over the past 15 years. Using its investments in HIV self-testing as an example, Unitaid showcased how it has rapidly expanded access to HIV testing across low- and middle-income countries working through strong multi-agency partnerships. Self-tests have not only transformed a key element of the HIV response, they have paved the way for simplified testing and greater autonomy to identify a range of other health conditions including COVID-19, hepatitis C, HPV and others.
“With the new year on the horizon, Unitaid is moving into an exciting new chapter in our history. I am particularly proud to see the Board’s decision to respond to the scourge of antimalarial drug resistance in high burden countries, specifically, resistance threatening the efficacy of WHO-recommended medicines, as a key threat to our ability to deliver quality case management in the future,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid.
“On the eve of 2023, the board is enthusiastic about deploying our new strategy. For Unitaid, innovation is access. Also, we are more eager than ever to actively pursue our mission to expand the reach of the best health products for those who need them most. The challenges are and will continue to be numerous and demanding but we are confident Unitaid has the strategy and the skills to be up to it” said Marisol Touraine, Chair of Unitaid’s Executive Board.
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