Distribution of R&D funding flows for neglected diseases by source and type of funding

What you see

The data visualization illustrates the funding flows for neglected diseases by source of funding (chart A), yearly trends in investments by source (chart B), funding category (chart C), funding type (chart D), and by recipient organization type (chart E) for the period 2007–2018. All funding data have been adjusted for inflation and are reported in 2018 US dollars (US$) (adjustment performed by the data source).

Points to note:

• The G-Finder survey data underestimate the total R&D investments for these diseases as reporting is incomplete and needs to be interpreted cautiously due to the scope restrictions of the survey. In addition, due to a change of scope of the G-FINDER survey for this round of analysis, change in the overall funding and that of particular diseases need to take these modifications into account (see “scope and limitations” below).
  
  
• Over the 12 years of investments on R&D for neglected diseases:
  
  -- A total of US$ 41.3 billion was invested (chart D) with the largest share of investments by public sector-governments (65.46%), followed by philanthropic (20.70%) and the private sector (13.08%) (chart A).
  
  -- More than half of the total investments went to researchers and developers (US$ 23.3 billion) (chart D), which were mainly funded by public sector governments for 78.88%, followed by philanthropic (20.29%) (select “Funding to researchers & developers” in chart D and see chart A).
  
  -- Funding for vaccines R&D have also been predominantly financed by public sector governments (63.87%), followed by philanthropies (21.00%), while the share of funding flows for medicines R&D is more evenly distributed among the three main sources of funding: public sector governments (40.19%), the private sector (33.56%) and philanthropies (24.72%) (click on the funding category listed in chart C and see chart A).
  
  -- Academic and other research institutions received the highest share of funding (US$ 15.82 billion, 38.29%%), followed by aggregate pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and product development partnership (PDP) (US$ 7.28 billion (17.62%) and US$ 6.72 billion (16.26%) respectively(chart E-see information in popup window).
  
  
• Compared to previous years, in 2018:
  
  -- Public sector governments, the private sector and philanthropies have all increased their investments in neglected diseases R&D (chart B).Vaccines R&D remain at the top of investments by the public sector governments (US$ 0.7 billion) and philanthropies (US$ 0.2 billion), whereas medicines R&D remain the top focus of the private sector (US$ 0.4 billion) ( click on the funding source in chart A and see chart C).
  
  -- Public sector governments and philanthropies together account for 97.29% of funding support to researchers and developers, (select “Funding to researchers & developers” in chart D and see chart B). Funding to researchers and developers were mainly dedicated to basic research and vaccines R&D (each at US$ 0.64 billion; chart C).
  
  -- Funding to PDPs from public sector governments increased for the second year in a row since 2016 reaching its highest since 2007 (US$ 0.32 billion compared to US$ 0.19 billion in 2016); together with funding from philanthropic, they account for 97.62% of funding to PDPs, (select “Funding to PDPs” in chart D and see chart A and B).

Scope and limitations

The data must be interpreted cautiously because of the specific scope restrictions of the G-FINDER survey (see link below for detail). The scope of the G-FINDER survey is determined by applying the following three criteria for neglected diseases (R&D investments which do not meet these criteria are excluded).

• The disease disproportionately affects people in developing countries.
• There is a need for new products (i.e. there is either no existing product, or improved or additional products are needed).
• There is market failure in developing these new products (i.e. there is an insufficient commercial market to attract R&D by private industry).

Note that this latest data visualization does not contain data for R&D funding for Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fevers (contained in the visualization published by the Observatory in July 2017) as the data for these have not been updated by Policy Cures Research. A separate report focusing on emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) identified in the WHO R&D Blueprint will address these; its data will be visualized and provided in the Observatory once available.

For this year’s analysis, the scope of the G-FINDER survey was modified as followed:

Additions:

• Hepatitis B: basic research, medicines, biologics, and diagnostics
• Mycetoma: Basic research, medicines, and diagnostics
• Snakebite envenoming: Basic research, medicines, biologics, and diagnostics

Expansions:

• Hepatitis C now includes all virus genotypes (rather than only genotypes 4, 5 & 6), although restrictions to ensure that R&D is targeted at LMICs remain.
• The scope for leprosy was expanded to include vaccine development.
• A new category called “biologics” now consolidates funding that was previously included under therapeutic vaccines, drugs, and preventive vaccines.

To explore the data further

• Select a source of funding, a funding category or other selections to filter the corresponding information in the other charts.
• To filter results for a different year or range of years, untick All in the year filter on the top left and select the year (or years) of interest.
• Hover the cursor on a slice in the pie or a bar in a graphic to see more information in a popup window.
• Undo a selection by clicking ‘undo’ or ‘reset’ near the bottom of the page or by clicking the same element again.

Data sources

• Neglected diseases R&D scope document
• Neglected diseases, products and technologies matrix