NEW YORK (April 15, 2021)—The 2020 G-Finder Report, released today, shows that low funding levels are putting life-saving science—and especially the most vulnerable—at risk. Global investments in tuberculosis (TB) research and development (R&D) funding totaled of $670 million in 2019. This is far short of the estimated $2.16 billion that the Stop TB Partnership estimates is needed annually to develop and deliver new tools that can end the TB pandemic, which causes illness in 10 million people each year. These tools include effective vaccines, diagnostics and drug regimens.
Importantly, this funding shortfall does not yet account for the significant diversion of resources and capacity toward addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The World Health Organization has estimated that the impact of COVID-19 may have resulted in a half million additional deaths from TB last year. One of the very important lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is that significant and rapid progress can be made when adequate resources are provided.
Developing new technologies to combat the TB pandemic is not only a humanitarian imperative, but a wise and cost-effective investment. Another recent report called Keeping the Promise highlights how product development partnerships have become leading global developers of technologies to address diseases like TB, for which commercial incentives are scarce or nonexistent.
Increased investments are needed to sustain and accelerate progress against the TB pandemic by ensuring we have effective, modern tools to fight it. In a 2018 United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis nations around the world issued a political declaration committing to close the funding gap. While this was an encouraging announcement, the numbers make it painfully clear: the promise has not yet been met.
Mel Spigelman MDPresident & CEOTB Alliance
Read the full report: https://www.policycuresresearch.org/analysis/