J&J invests $500m into global HIV and TB treatment
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has committed $500 million to research and development programmes over the next four years in a bid to eliminate HIV and tuberculosis (TB) across the world by 2030.
In a statement published on October 4, J&J said it will be dedicating a team of researchers to accelerate the delivery of next-generation medicines and vaccines.
Paul Stoffels, J&J’s vice chairman of the executive committee and chief scientific officer, said the company was working closely with governments and scientists.
“No single institution can tackle the historic challenge of eliminating an infectious disease. By advancing our technologies, uniting our best scientists and leveraging decades of experience in HIV and TB, we’re optimistic that we can make a significant contribution to the global effort,” he said.
“This investment in innovation has the potential to positively impact the day-to-day lives of millions of people affected by both HIV and TB and maximize the efficiency of country investments in health over the long-term,” the statement said.
J&J currently has eight HIV products on the market, including three antiviral agents and five combination products.
“Although HIV is now considered a chronic and manageable condition, people living with HIV still face a lifetime of taking daily pills. We therefore must continue to advance important innovations to help them,” said Johan Van Hoof, the managing director of Janssen Vaccines, a subsidiary of J&J.
“The global challenge remains immense. With 37 million people around the world living with HIV—and nearly two million people newly-infected each year—we cannot treat ourselves out of the HIV epidemic. Our ultimate goal must be to find a preventive vaccine for HIV.”
Additionally, J&J announced a goal of saving an estimated 1.8 million lives and preventing 12 million new TB infections in the next decade.
It said it was working with partners to improve detection of undiagnosed cases of TB, broaden access to the TB treatment bedaquiline, and accelerate research and development to discover next-generation TB treatments.
Jaak Peeters, global head of global public health at J&J, said the company was instituting a ten-year initiative to combat the spread of the disease.
“TB is the world’s number one infectious killer. The good news is that TB is both preventable and treatable, and J&J is committed to doing everything we can to make TB history. With our 10-year initiative we want to unleash the power of science and technology to forever change the trajectory of this terrible disease,” Peeters said.
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