The $300 million research partnership has been established by three global health funders, including the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Wellcome and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal of this initiative is to address the interconnected impacts of climate change, malnutrition, infectious diseases, and antimicrobial resistance with a particular focus on developing affordable solutions for people in low- and middle-income countries. Each funder will contribute $100 million to the three-year partnership.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that obesity can increase the severity of certain infectious diseases, while extreme weather events linked to climate change can lead to food insecurity, making malnourished children more susceptible to diseases such as measles and cholera. Advances in nutritional science and an understanding of the gut microbiome are considered key to understanding the impact of over- and undernutrition on overall health and development.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation has achieved success with its weight loss drug Vegovi. The partners emphasize the importance of this initiative in light of the declining global focus on health after the pandemic. Funding will also support researchers in low- and middle-income countries, with openness to engagement with private, philanthropic, and public partners.
The partners highlight the importance of addressing market failures and ensuring equitable access to medical advances on a global scale. They recognize that the most effective solutions often come from the communities directly affected by the challenges being addressed. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the Center for African Population and Health Research, a prominent research institution, emphasizes the role of community involvement in finding solutions to pressing health problems.