Setback for Malaria Vaccine: Time for an AMC?

There was bad news in research last week from the New England Journal of Medicine about the effectiveness of what had seemed to be the best prospect for a malaria vaccine. In a recent blog post, Owen Barder discusses the limitations of current donor practices that fund specific research projects—leading to variable funding across vaccine candidates. In this case, Owen proposes that donors use an Advance Market Commitment—an approach proposed by the Center for Global Development report Making Markets for Vaccines in 2005. Under an Advance Market Commitment, donors would create a contract to pay for a successful vaccine, if and when it is developed. This approach creates strong commercial incentives for vaccine companies to invest more themselves in developing and testing possible vaccines; and it ensures that the vaccine is made widely available when it is developed. This approach has been successful in providing access to the pneumococcal vaccine tailored to developing country needs. The first AMC financed pneumococcal vaccines were introduced in Nicaragua, and have since been rolled out in nine other countries.

Global Fund Forum

This week, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is set to name a new Executive Director. As the Fund’s Board considers new policies and its new ED prepares to takes office, the Center for Global Development’s Global Fund Forum features prominent thinkers and practitioners on priority reforms and best investments to advance the fight against the three diseases. Recent contributors include Todd Summers (CSIS), Owen Ryan (Foundation for AIDS Research), Jason Wright (International HIV/AIDS Alliance), and others. Our newest post comes from Deb Derrick, President of Friends of the Global Fight. The Forum was featured in the Global Fund Observer and allafrica.com. If you’re interested in adding your voice, please contact Kate McQueston.

Call for Proposals-Millions Saved Cases

One of the greatest human accomplishments has been the spectacular improvement in health since 1950. Documenting this progress, Millions Saved is currently required reading at over 60 universities around the world. A decade after the first launch of Millions Saved, CGD and the Disease Control Priorities Network will compile recent developments in global health and impact evaluation by revisiting the Millions Saved cases and updating the book with new case studies. Proposal submissions must be received by January 15, 2013. Guidelines for submission and selection criteria are provided at the announcements homepage here.

Priority-Setting in the Americas

“Every country, every health system has room for improvement,” said Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg, the President of the Institute of Medicine, at an event co-hosted by CGD and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in October. The event, which also featured Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, Director of the Pan American Health Organization, highlighted the importance of supporting health technology assessment (HTA) to set priorities for scarce public funding. We discuss the highlights of the event in a blog here, and the whole event recording can be seen here.