by Peter O'Donnell
BRUSSELS, May 30 (APM) - Health received unusual prominence at the G7 summit in Japan on 26-27 May, with the leaders of the world's seven richest countries taking strong positions on antimicrobial resistance and on the response to public health emergencies like Ebola and Zika and urging adequate incentives for research to compensate for market failure in medicines development.
"We endeavour to take leadership" in reinforcing action, they said in their closing declaration - and in addition to the customary acknowledgements of the considerations of health and humanity, they specified that they were concerned because current healthcare threats "could have serious impacts on our economies".
They added: "More needs to be done," and made a firm commitment "to consider potential for new incentives to promote R&D."
"We acknowledge the importance and contribution of R&D and innovation," they said, and agreed on "the importance of addressing market failure and incentivising R&D of new antimicrobials, vaccines, diagnostics."
They backed further regulatory cooperation in control of antimicrobial production, prescription, distribution and use, and offered their encouragement to "international discussions on incentivising the pharmaceutical industry to maintain production of essential antibiotics and avoid unavailability or market withdrawals of existing antibiotics."
In an accompanying "G7 Vision for Global Health" document, they undertook to "reinforce the global health architecture to strengthen responses to public health emergencies", with support for World Health Organisation (WHO) reform, and for improved funding and international cooperation.
The outbreaks of Ebola Zika "underscore the imperative to improve prevention of, detection of and response to public health emergencies," they said, emphasising the need for "partner coordination" and for mechanisms to accelerate R&D in public health emergencies.
They committed themselves to working with WHO and "other relevant international actors" in the efforts to prevent the spread and reduce the impact of Zika virus,
And they came out firmly in favour of collaborations among countries "shedding light on diseases that require further R&D improvements, particularly for conditions not adequately addressed by the market" - with a focus on poverty-related infectious diseases and neglected tropical diseases.
Policies should be put in place "to encourage the development of and access to medical products for those diseases," they said.
G7 countries themselves should support the process, both with support to cover R&D costs, and by putting in place incentives such as making advance purchase or creating markets and demand.
Collaboration should be strengthened between research institutions, funding organisations and policymakers across G7 countries, building on the G7 process now under way for mapping of R&D activities.
Also, regulatory cooperation on pharmaceutical products should be stepped up at international level, so that globally harmonised clinical trials might support development of antimicrobials, diagnostics and other countermeasures.
They recommended large clinical research infrastructure for the design, coordination and conduct of clinical trials and studies.
Wider use should be made of health data and a new digital infrastructure, they said, in building evidence and accelerating health science and innovation.
G7 leaders also called for strong health systems to deliver universal health coverage - in line with the objectives set in the United Nations' recently adopted sustainability development goals.
They emphasised the importance of "improving access to affordable, safe, effective, and quality assured, essential medicines, vaccines and technologies" and of "immunisation as one of the key cost-effective measures to prevent the spread of infectious disease and address emerging pandemics."
"The wide-reaching effects of population ageing" and associated illnesses, notably dementia, prompted G7 support for promoting active ageing as well as for primary prevention from "the beginning of life."
They urged sustained research and international collaboration on brain function through mapping of R&D programmes and accelerated interdisciplinary research efforts.
They recognised "the rising challenges of promoting a positive environment for innovative research and development, encouraging access to medicines and health care, and ensuring the sustainability of health systems."
G7 health ministers will meet in Japan in September, with a firm instruction from the summit "to further elaborate necessary actions on these areas."
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