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Product development partnerships (PDPS) - Challenges and opportunities

Source: TropIKA

Title of the session: Product development partnerships (PDPS) - Challenges and opportunities

Date: 02/11/2009

Agenda item: Symposium 8

Session theme: PDPS Challenges and opportunities

Meeting room: Lenana

Chair(s): Regina Rabinovich, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Presenters:

• Tom McLean, Innovative Vector Control Consortium
• Chris Hentschel, Medicines for Malaria Ventures
• Ashley Birkett, PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative
• Professor Wen Kilama, AMANET

TropIKA rapporteur: Beatrice Irungu

Major topics:

• A renaissance of vector control-product innovation
• Effective Collaborations,Successful Delivery: Ten Years of MMV
• Malaria Vaccine Research & Development: Past, Present,and Future
• 10 years of malaria PDPS achievements and lessons learnt - African perspective

Keywords:

• Product development partnerships
• vaccines
• drugs
• vector control

Scope: Public health implications

REPORT ON ORIGINAL SESSION

Overview

New and improved tools for control and elimination of malaria are needed. These tools include new drugs, insecticides, insecticide treated bednets and vaccines. Product Development Partnership (PDP) was established in 1999 to address challenges faced in the fight against malaria. PDPS focuses on drugs, vaccine and vector control. Their main objective is to discover, develop and deliver tools for control and elimination of malaria. However, most PDPS are limited by finances. PDPS represented in these sessions were Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) and PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.

From the African perspective, it was noted that there is need for long term training for the researchers to properly carry out the health research needed. Other challenges include Major obstacle to access PDPS, weak public health systems, corruption and lack of political commitment

CONTEXT AND ISSUE

Defeating malaria will require new tools to supplement current interventions eg All the suitable insecticides show resistance and new ones are needed

More ideas and innovations required if we are to stay ahead of malaria

Key facts and figures

There are 122 PDPS in the pipeline

Initiatives on the ground; experience/s derived

• IVCC whose mission is to produce innovative products for reducing transmission of mosquito borne pathogens is addressing vector control strategies. Their main challenges is funding

• For MMV Drug quality is non-negotiable with partners

• Quality alone is not enough to achieve health impact. There is need for an access function

• PDPS should not have a financial interest

Research Findings

• a vaccine in a Phase 3 trial and

• new vector control options in the pipeline.

Lessons learned

• PDPS need to be trusted partners

• High business development skills needed

• Transparent management portfolio needed

• Capacity strengthening needed

Issues raised, obstacles, difficulties

• Financial challenges for PDPS

• Poor clinical models especially for vaccines

• Few targets for vaccines

• Ramping of late stage trials

• Dilemma in compensating trial participants

• Availability of successful product; how long and how soon

• Which guidelines on product availability to follow when trial is over

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

From formal presentations

Public health Implications

PDPs played a big role in product innovation development and delivery.

Identified conclusions

Main points of agreement

PDPS needed in delivery of affordable tools to control and eliminate malaria

• African institutions to be involved in developing needed clinical trials documents

• New family of products driven by desires of consumers to use the product needed

Personal observations from rapporteur

PDPS with proper funding will play a very important role in innovation, development and delivery of tools to control and eliminate malaria.

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