Written by Jennifer Rigby
LONDON (Reuters) – Three of the world's biggest health funders have joined forces for the first time in a $300 million partnership aimed at tackling the linked impacts of climate change, malnutrition, infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation, Wellcome and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Monday announced a research partnership in Denmark focused on finding affordable solutions, especially for people in low- and middle-income countries.
Each will commit $100 million to the three-year effort.
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, said the main aim was to “break down the barriers between often isolated research fields.”
For example, COVID-19 has shown that obesity can be a risk factor for the severity of some infectious diseases, while extreme weather events related to climate change can increase food insecurity. showed that undernourished children may be more vulnerable to deadly diseases such as measles and cholera.
The partners said advances in nutritional science and understanding of the gut microbiome have opened the door to further understanding “the effects of over- and under-nutrition on all aspects of health and development.”
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has a controlling stake in pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), whose blockbuster weight loss drug Wegoby has generated billions of dollars in revenue for the foundation since its launch in 2021.
The partners said the initiative was important given the waning global focus on health post-pandemic. Wellcome CEO John Arne Rottingen also said this demonstrated a global commitment to tackling “market failures” and ensuring fair access to medical advances.
The funding includes support for researchers based in low- and middle-income countries, and the partners said they are seeking private, philanthropic and public partners.
“The most effective solutions to pressing challenges often come from the very communities that impact them,” says Catherine, executive director of the African Center for Population and Health Research, a leading scientific research institution.・Kyobutungi said.
(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
