KNOWLEDGE PORTAL
on innovation and access to medicines

“CONRAD develops and tests innovative, user-centered technologies to improve sexual and reproductive health globally by enabling prevention of HIV/STI, unintended pregnancies, and maternal and neonatal disease…We provide encompassing end-to-end expertise, from discovery to preclinical and early clinical testing, clinical trials (focusing on Safety, PK, PD, acceptability, and effectiveness), human-centered design and regulatory strategy, all the way through to implementation” (CONRAD, n.d.).

This organization was included for its participation in non profit R&D for Neglected Diseases (Vieira M, Kimmitt R and Moon S. F1000Research 2021, 10:190).

“The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with CF the opportunity to lead long, fulfilling lives by funding research and drug development, partnering with the CF community, and advancing high-quality, specialized care” (CFF, n.d.).

This initiative was selected based on its inclusion in the report “RE:ROUTE, A map of the alternative biomedical R&D landscape”, (Kiddell-Monroe, Greenberg, and Basey 2016).

“The Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) is a £250m specialist venture capital fund that invests in, and creates, new biotech companies to deliver high impact therapeutics for age-related dementias. By making meaningful, sustained, and actively managed investments we will enable the development of therapeutics addressing one of the largest global unmet medical needs, thus generating significant returns for our investors” (SV Health Investors, n.d.).

This initiative was selected based on its inclusion in the report “RE:ROUTE, A map of the alternative biomedical R&D landscape”, (Kiddell-Monroe, Greenberg, and Basey 2016).

“EQRx is a new type of pharmaceutical company committed to working across the healthcare ecosystem to bring innovative medicines to more patients. In partnership with health systems around the globe, we are creating a New Category of Medicines: therapies with the clinical rigor expected of new products but at a price-point uncommon for novel therapeutic options, available sooner than generics and biosimilars as we don't have to wait for patent expiry… We're developing novel, patent-protected treatments for patients, starting in cancer and immune-inflammatory diseases…Our pipeline has more than 10 therapeutic programmes in various stages of clinical development” (EQRx, n.d.).

By establishing the EspeRare Foundation, the founders "fulfill [their] dream of dedicating their pharma expertise to children battling rare diseases". They "strive to uncover the potential of existing molecules to address severe unmet therapeutic needs in rare diseases, thus giving better chances to existing drugs to reach these underserved patients".

“The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is a public-public partnership between countries in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, supported by the European Union. EDCTP’s mission is to enhance research capacity and accelerate the development of new or improved medical interventions for the identification, treatment and prevention of poverty-related infectious diseases, including emerging and re-emerging diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, through all phases of clinical trials, with emphasis on phase II and III trials” (EDCTP, n.d.).

CSIR is a public research organization that "researches, develops, localises and diffuses technologies to accelerate socioeconomic prosperity in South Africa. The organisation’s work contributes to industrial development," and supports both public and private sectors, ny aligning research priorities.

“The Pandemic Prevention Platform (P3) program aims to support military readiness and global stability through pursuit of novel methods to dramatically accelerate discovery, integration, pre-clinical testing, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures against infectious diseases…P3 aims specifically to develop a scalable, adaptable, rapid response platform capable of producing relevant numbers of doses against any known or previously unknown infectious threat within 60 days of identification of such a threat in order to keep the outbreak from escalating and decrease disruptions to the military and homeland” (Greene, n.d.).

“The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit medical research organization that discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable treatments for neglected people. DNDi is developing medicines for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, river blindness, mycetoma, dengue, paediatric HIV, advanced HIV disease, cryptococcal meningitis, and hepatitis C. Its research priorities include children’s health, gender equity and gender-responsive R&D, and diseases impacted by climate change. Since its creation in 2003, DNDi has joined with public and private partners across the globe to deliver twelve new treatments, saving millions of lives” (DNDi, 2023).

The EU’s Vaccine Prize, sponsored by the European Commission, offered €2 million to encourage inventors to create a viable alternative to current cold chain technology for vaccines. The prize aimed to spur innovation that could help solve the challenge of guaranteeing that life-saving vaccines are not damaged during transport and storage in developing countries (European Commission, 2014).

This initiative was selected based on its inclusion in the report “RE:ROUTE, A map of the alternative biomedical R&D landscape” (Kiddell-Monroe, Greenberg, and Basey 2016).

The European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) is a leading European non-profit Product Development Partnership (PDP) that “supports global efforts to develop effective and affordable vaccines against diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries. Through constructive collaboration and exchange with academia, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, policy makers, donors and other product development partnerships (PDPs), EVI is building a vaccine portfolio that proactively addresses critical challenges and opportunities, and is promoting innovative solutions in vaccine research and development (R&D)” (EVI, n.d.).

“FHI 360 is a global organization that mobilizes research, resources and relationships so that people everywhere can access the opportunities they need to lead full, healthy lives...By bringing together deep expertise and diverse perspectives, we collaborate with partner communities and peer organizations to build enduring networks and expand our collective impact. In everything we do, we advocate for access and equity for people everywhere, enabling them to create their own paths forward” (FHI 360, n.d.).

This organization was included for its participation in non profit R&D for Neglected Diseases (Vieira M, Kimmitt R and Moon S. F1000Research 2021, 10:190).