RESUMO
Over the past quarter century, product development partnerships (PDPs) have importantly brought health technologies, particularly for neglected diseases, to market for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With public sector financing, PDPs de-risk the gulf between where the global burden of disease falls and where paying markets exist. From fighting COVID-19 to developing novel antibiotics, the work of PDPs now extends beyond these traditional bounds. As PDPs have shepherded more health technologies to market, they are also confronting new access challenges. This article lays out 5 areas to strategically leverage the PDP model for better access to new health technologies. Making the case for enhanced support of the PDP approach will require greater transparency, as well as recognition of the contributions made by both public and private sector partners. The governance and funding of PDPs must be accountable to meeting the needs and building capacity of target beneficiaries in LMICs. To take an end-to-end approach, PDPs must work in tandem with other public sector institutions as well as local manufacturers as part of a larger innovation ecosystem. PDPs will need to keep pace with both the dynamics of diseases and markets in delivering the next generation of much needed health technologies.
Product development partnerships (PDPs) play an important role in bringing new and needed health technologies to market, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. As these products emerge from the R&D pipeline, new access challenges in paying for and delivering them in the health care system have emerged. The COVID-19 pandemic has also both stretched and tapped into this work. These developments provide a window of opportunity, both to take stock of lessons learned and of strategic opportunities to leverage the PDP model beyond its traditional bounds of neglected diseases. Greater transparency and recognition of the contributions of PDPs, accountability of governance and surety of financing, and coordination with pooled procurement and local manufacturing initiatives can build a foundation for even more impactful contributions in the future.