The Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security is supporting five product development partnerships to help increase the number of drugs, diagnostics, vaccines and vector control tools that are available worldwide. These new products will include more effective drugs against malaria and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, tests to help countries diagnose illnesses more accurately and quickly, develop vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccine, and products that help to control the spread of disease-carrying vectors.
In addition, the Centre in partnership with Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration is helping countries improve systems to register new drugs, a process which ensures countries have checked that drugs are safe to use before they are available for purchase in country.
The Indo-Pacific Regulatory Strengthening Program
Australia supports national medicines regulatory authorities in the region to work together improves the impact and safety of medical products through more efficient regulation. Learn more about the program here.
Product Development Partnerships
The research and development of more effective drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other health tools for neglected diseases is hindered by large upfront costs and low market returns. Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), which bring together public, private, academic and philanthropic actors, have emerged over the last two decades to drive the development of new tools for use in poor-country settings where commercial incentives alone will not drive product development. Australia has funded PDPs to develop new tools for tuberculosis and malaria since 2013.
- An independent evaluation in 2017 found the investments performed strongly and represented good value for money.
- A further mid-term review of Australia’s support for PDPs was completed in October 2020. The review found continued evidence that the PDP model represents value for money as well as PDP-specific examples of the large-scale health and economic impacts of their work. PDPs had also made a substantial contribution to the COVID-19 response and have developed significant partnerships and collaborations with Australian institutions.
