GSK to Invest £1 Billion in Infectious Disease Battle
- Global health unit will focus on impact, not financial returns
- Drugmakers are facing calls to tackle infections, resistance
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GSK Plc plans to invest £1 billion ($1.2 billion) over a decade to accelerate work on new medicines and vaccines to combat malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, neglected tropical diseases and antibiotic resistance.
The UK drugmaker said it has also formed a global health unit focused on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases that disproportionately affect lower-income nations, an area that’s not usually profitable. The unit will have a “ring-fenced” budget, with results measured by health impact rather than financial returns, said Thomas Breuer, the company’s chief global health officer.