How much is spent on medical R&D (and who spends it)?

According to one estimate, ‘’Total global investments in health R&D (both public and private sector) in 2009 reached 240 billion dollars (US). Of the US$214 billion invested in high-income countries, 60% of health R&D investments came from the business sector, 30% from the public sector, and about 10% from other sources (including private non-profit organisations). Only about 1% of all health R&D investments were allocated to neglected diseases in 2010.1

  1. Røttingen, John-Arne, Sadie Regmi, Mari Eide, Alison J. Young, Roderik F. Viergever, Christine Årdal, Javier Guzman, Danny Edwards, Stephen A. Matlin, and Robert F. Terry. “Mapping of Available Health Research and Development Data: What’s There, What’s Missing, and What Role Is There for a Global Observatory?” The Lancet 382, no. 9900 (2013): 1286–1307. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61046-6, p. 1286. [return]