G7 nations must strengthen the global health R&D architecture to meet pressing health challenges

At next month’s G7 Health Ministers meeting, G7 leaders will be considering political commitments that could impact the health and well-being of millions of people around the world. As G7 nations consider reforms to realize a more fit-for-purpose global health architecture, GHTC urges them to prioritize the following actions to strengthen research and development (R&D):

1. Advance the “100 Days Mission PLUS,” which aims to reduce the impact of future pandemics by developing and making medical countermeasures available within 100 days. To achieve this, G7 nations should strongly invest in the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, FIND, public health institutes, and regional manufacturing hubs, as well as scope and develop an international clinical trials network for coordinated testing and enhanced global regulatory collaboration.
2. Fully fund the World Bank’s Pandemic Fund. To date, the fund has secured just US$1.6 billion in pledges against its $10.5 annual target. G7 leaders should also ensure the fund invests in projects to strengthen laboratory, clinical research, and regulatory capacity to advance the development of and access to health technologies, work that is complementary to that of other international health initiatives.
3. Increase investment in R&D for poverty-related and neglected diseases (PRNDs). The pandemic has diverted critical resources and attention away from battles against long-standing global health challenges like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases. To reinvigorate these fights, G7 nations should boost funding and incentives for PRND R&D and support product development partnerships, which are uniquely equipped to advance technologies that are affordable, accessible, and adapted to the communities who need them. 
4. Center the needs of women, children, and other vulnerable populations in R&D. This includes expanding the activities of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, as well as enacting policies to improve the collection and analysis of sex- and gender-disaggregated data and ensuring adequate representation of women, pregnant or lactating individuals, and other underrepresented populations in clinical trials. G7 nations should also work with the World Health Organization to develop target product profiles to advance therapeutic formulations for children, pregnant individuals, and other at-risk populations.
5. Re-prioritize R&D to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). G7 countries have demonstrated past leadership on AMR research through support of the Global AMR R&D Hub. G7 nations should build on this by continuing to support hub operations and increasing investments and incentives for R&D for new and improved antimicrobials, point-of-care diagnostic devices, vaccines, and other technologies required to stay ahead of this rising threat. 
6. Integrate R&D into pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response mechanisms. As negotiations continue on the pandemic accord and reforms to the International Health Regulations, G7 nations should push for the accord to embrace a holistic approach to supporting end-to-end product development and for the International Health Regulations to include new amendments to promote R&D coordination and genetic sequence sharing and new indicators to assess R&D capabilities at the country level.

GHTC hopes that commitments made at this year’s G7 will take us one step closer to realizing a more resilient and equitable R&D ecosystem capable of delivering the tools needed to confront long-standing and emerging health threats.