Report: Global increase in R&D for neglected diseases

Global R&D funding for neglected diseases reached a new peak of $3.57 billion in 2017, according to a new report from Policy Cures Research Ltd. (Sydney, Australia). The total was $232 million higher than the 2016 sum. The 2017 total was the highest the survey had ever recorded in its 11-year history; the survey also recorded two consecutive years of growth for the first time since 2009.

The group's G-FINDER report showed that for the first time, government funding surpassed contributions from philanthropic organizations for product development partnerships in the space. Public sector funding accounts for about two thirds of the global R&D total, and with an $181 million increase to $2.32 billion in 2017, was the key driver of the overall increase...