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Developing countries can lead in medical innovation
Learning from the vaccine nationalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, South-South cooperation presents a pathway to improving access to therapeutics and diagnostics and to address health challenges and promote medical innovation in the Global South, especially in view of the US' recent withdrawal from the WHO.
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A technician runs a bacterial resistance test in a laboratory at Persahabatan Central General Hospital in Pulo Gadung, East Jakarta, in this undated photo. (WHO/Rosa Panggabean)
T
he successful collaboration between the health ministries of Malaysia and Thailand, industry partners in Egypt and Malaysia and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) to bring a new hepatitis C antiviral drug, ravidasvir, to market in 2022 was an important milestone.
For years, a 12-week course of treatment using sofosbuvir cost between US$70,000 and $80,000, putting it out of reach for many in the Global South. But ravidasvir, a safe and effective alternative when combined with sofosbuvir, costs far less, averaging less than $500 per course.
This type of South-South cooperation could serve as a model for developing countries with endemic disease, highlighting how collective action can help them address health challenges and promote medical innovation.
As this year’s chair of ASEAN, Malaysia plans to advance the agenda of collaborative, need-driven research and foster the development of therapeutics and diagnostics in the Global South.
Ravidasvir’s success depended on several factors. First, DNDi worked with an Egyptian drug manufacturer to develop the molecule, which was originally produced in the United States but overlooked by large pharmaceutical companies.
Second, once it became clear that this research and development initiative would produce an independent, affordable treatment for hepatitis C, the Malaysian Ministry of Health, together with DNDi leadership in Southeast Asia, designed an aggressive access strategy based on market competition, driving down the prices of three treatment options. Throughout the process, Global South partners were in the driver’s seat.
This sense of ownership prompted a flurry of activity in Malaysia, ultimately lowering the barriers between siloed government departments and dispelling conventional thinking.
