PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Development Aid: Disease Control (28 October 2014)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department gives to (a) the European and Devoloping Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, (b) other innovative financing partnerships to develop new global health commodities for diseases of poverty including HIV/Aids and tuberculosis, (c) the TB Alliance, (d) the International Aids Vaccine Initiative and (e) other product development partnerships.

Asked by:
Sir Nicholas Dakin (Labour)

The UK Medical Research Council (MRC) leads the UK Government relationship with the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). Over the period 2013-2018, DFID will provide £10 million to EDCTP through the MRC. In addition DFID support for product development research is counted as a Member State contribution to EDCTP.

DFID contributes to a number of innovative product development partnerships (PDPs) for the development of drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other technologies for diseases of poverty. Funding of £138 million for 2013-2018 was announced in August 2013 and includes support for the TB Alliance, the International AIDS vaccine Initiative and eight other PDPs (details of the awards were published in August 2013 and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dfid-invests-to-save-millions-from-deadly-diseases). In addition over the period 2012-2017, DFID will provide £6.5 million for the Saving Lives at Birth programme in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, US Government, Norwegian Government and Grand Challenges Canada. This programme is supporting new technologies to prevent mothers and babies dying at birth.

Answered by:
Baroness Featherstone (Liberal Democrat)
3 November 2014