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Victorian biotechnology – saving lives in the world’s poorest countries
By Michelle Gallaher, CEO BioMelbourne Network. 27 August 2010.
Today, Victorian biotech companies and research organisations played a hand in saving thousands of lives in many of the poorest countries in the world.
Diagnosing and treating malaria, hepatitis and HIV / AIDS, vaccinating children and implementing basic are just some of the challenges international aid agencies face every day and Victorian biotech innovations are helping to make this job easier and more effective.
Today was a great day to highlight the huge impact Victorian biotech and research institutes are having on some of the world’s poorest countries. Over the weekend Melbourne will host the 63rd Annual United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization (DPI/NGO) Conference, “Advance Global Health – Achieve the Multi Development Goals.”
This is the first time Australia has hosted a United Nations event of this size and only the third time that the DPI/NGO Conference has been held outside of United Nations Headquarters.
The BioMelbourne Network threw its support behind the UN meeting by hosting a luncheon for leaders in the biotechnology sector. Mr Geoff Adlide, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation in Geneva spoke at the lunch and commended Victoria’s biotechnology and biomedical research efforts in this important and often neglected area. He encouraged Victoria to continue to focus research and development efforts in infectious diseases and to maintain their role in developing product for poorer nations.
Local biotech’s have 19 products on the market around the world and 120 mature research projects in the development pipelines – all targeted towards killer diseases like malaria, HIV/ AIDS and hepatitis. The Victorian biotechnology sector is the largest and most developed cluster in Australia with a long track record of success.
Victoria is, and has been for decades an excellent discovery and development engine for vaccines, new drugs and diagnostics targeted towards this population and has also been a major contributor to public health initiatives in numerous developing countries. Expertise in infectious disease is historically an area of strength for Melbourne researchers and biotech’s.
The list of Victorian products and research projects that will impact upon the health of people in the poorest countries around the world is extensive, across more than 30 local companies and research organisations. There are 19 products on the market in this therapeutic area, 15 malaria projects in development, 30 HIV/AIDS projects in development, 19 AIDS/HIV projects, and 15 hepatitis projects in the research and development pipeline.
The BioMelbourne Network estimates that the total Victorian R&D expenditure on projects targeted to addressing infectious diseases is approximately AUD$340 million per annum and increasing. Leading the way are the Burnet Institute and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Victorian biotechnology companies such as CSL, Universal Biosensors, Immuron, Halcygen Pharmaceuticals, Cellestis and Axxin with products already in the market and used in many countries supported by the United Nations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates[i] that in low-income countries people predominately die of infectious diseases such lung infections, diarrhoeal diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. An estimated 40 million people live with HIV/AIDS, every year there are 350-500 million cases of malaria with 1 million fatalities[ii]. As the global population continues to grow and we try to tackle the impact of climate change, poverty, health and an ageing population - biotechnology will play an integral role in providing solutions to tackle these convergent issues.
To find out more about Victoria’s biotechnology sector go to the Victorian BioPortal
The BioMelbourne Network is an independent local biotechnology industry organisation in Victoria, Australia. Victoria is the gateway to Australia’s biotechnology and research community.
