Great Science Isn't Enough: Solving The Global Health Drug Development Equation

Designing infectious disease interventions for low- and middle-income countries requires solving for access, affordability, and delivery from day one rather than treating them as downstream afterthoughts. In this inaugural episode of Outsourcing Against the Outbreak, Dr. Krishnan Ramanathan, Interim CEO of the Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI), explores how to navigate the unique economic and operational realities of global health R&D. The discussion covers how philanthropic risk-sharing enables sustainable drug development, why access criteria must be built into early clinical milestones, and the importance of establishing local research and manufacturing capacity across Africa and Asia. Dr. Ramanathan also shares insights on moving beyond transactional outsourcing toward true long-term strategic partnerships (such as Gates MRI's collaboration with IQVIA) to prepare supply networks for outbreak surges and deliver essential medicines to vulnerable populations.