GSK And UK MRC Join Forces For NCD Research In Africa
GlaxoSmithKline has entered into collaboration with the U.K. and South African Medical Research Councils to advance research into non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa.
Funding for the research was pledged by the U.K. Foreign Office Minister for Africa and the South African Minister for Science and Technology as part of the two countries’ collaboration in scientific research. Under GSK’s Africa NCD Open Lab initiative, the project will support researchers from South African institutions focusing on NCD research in the country.
Under the agreement, the U.K. MRC will provide £2.5 million in funding via the U.K. Newton Fund, while the South African MRC will provide an additional £1 million as well as R&D support. GSK in turn has committed to provide £4 million in funding to support successful NCD research proposals coming from chosen countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where the call for proposals will be issued later this year.
Patrick Vallance, President of Pharmaceutical R&D at GSK, said, “We believe that by providing support to African institutions as they carry out their own research into the chronic disease variants that most affect the African people, the NCD Open Lab will play a key role in helping to tackle disease in this area.”
Noncommunicable or chronic diseases typically last long and have a slow progression. NCDs are classified into four types: cardiovascular, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Together, they are the leading cause of death around the world and are responsible for 63 percent of all annual deaths, translating to roughly over 36 million fatalities each year. According to the World Health Organization, around 80 percent of all NCD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries.
The multi-stakeholder partnership will launch an official call for proposals from South Africa and other areas in sub-Saharan Africa this year and are set to start in the second quarter of 2015.
Earlier this year, U.K. MRC also awarded funding to advance research in neurodegeneration and dementia.