G8 NATIONS TO DECIDE HOW TO FUND MEDICINES FOR POOR COUNTRIES

Even after the Group of Eight (G8) nation's meeting on global health, one issue has not been settled: finance mechanisms to pay for vaccines and medicines needed by developing countries in Africa and elsewhere.

A G8 communiqué, "Fight Against Infectious Diseases," adopted July 16, encourages greater investment in research, development and production of drugs and vaccines to address global diseases impeding development and calls for innovation in strategies to promote those goals. "The limited capacity of health systems is a major barrier to coming as close as possible to universal access to treatment for those who need it by 2010," it says.

The U.S. favors a system whereby donor nations would make commitments to buy vaccines that pharmaceutical companies might develop in the future. These advance market commitments would encourage manufacturers to develop vaccines against diseases epidemic in poor countries. Another system would issue bonds to pay for existing vaccines that could help developing countries now. The goal is to get donors to commit to 15 years' worth of budget allocations to the bond program, allowing poor countries to ramp up large-scale health campaigns without worrying that funding would not be renewed year to year. A third financing mechanism, favored by France, would tax airline tickets and use the money to pay for medicines for people with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria.