New Priorities for Biotech in the Global Market

New Priorities for Biotech in the Global Market
by Sylvia Norman, PhD, PMP

Dr. Trevor Mundel, President of the Global Health Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided an inspiring start to the 2014 BIO International Convention forums on Emerging Opportunities in Global Markets. In a plenary session interview with journalist David Brancaccio, he discussed the soon-to-be released 2013 Global Burden of Disease Study. The study focused on the 70 poorest countries of the world and identified infectious diseases (TB, malaria, HIV, childhood pneumonia, etc.) as the highest priority for disease prevention and treatment. Dr. Mundel said that in spite of technological advances in vaccines and diagnostics, mosquito netting for beds remains the most cost-effective intervention against malaria. Why? Current vaccines and diagnostics for infectious diseases do not address the developing countries market need for low-cost products, distribution and long-term ambient temperature shelf life.

When asked for a list of the Gates Foundation's top priority biotech products, Dr. Mundel responded:
1) an infection control surveillance device that detects if a person in the room has an infectious disease
2) biomarkers for predicting risk of preterm birth

Poor return on investment (ROI) is frequently cited as a reason for not developing products for use in developing countries. David Brancaccio and Dr. Mundel said that every day 20,000 children die of treatable diseases. The majority of these occur in developing countries where infectious diseases, not diabetes or cancer are the primary cause of disease-related deaths. With a statistic like that, isn't it time for our Biotech industry to realign our priorities and broaden the definition of ROI?

Check out the BIO Buzz Center interview with Dr. Mundel for more information on how Biotech can help prevent deaths from treatable diseases in developing countries.