Center for Global Health R&D Policy Assessment

In 2005, a group of 162 scientists, public health experts, non-governmental organizations and government officials proposed a medical R&D treaty that would place global obligations on funding medical R&D. The treaty would set minimum levels of support for each participating country to finance medical R&D based upon their national incomes. Member states would agree to support qualified medical research and development (QMRD) in areas including the development of biomedical databases, research tools, pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines and medical diagnostic tools as well as evaluations of these products. Special tradable “credits” could be used to fund a member state’s minimum contribution to QMRD. Product developers would be paid to carry out the research and products would be sold at generic prices immediately following their regulatory approval. Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia and Suriname have proposed initiating discussions on a WHO biomedical R&D treaty to address such issues as global cooperation in funding clinical trials and better regulation of ethical standards in the conduct of these trials.