Gates Foundation will spend $2.5B to boost women’s health innovations

The Gates Foundation is committing to spend $2.5 billion through 2030 to advance more than 40 promising innovations to improve women’s health outcomes — a one-third increase on its investments in the past five years. This latest funding commitment builds on the philanthropic foundation’s decades of investments in global health that benefit women and children. For years, it has invested significantly in lifesaving innovations, including new contraceptives, portable diagnostic tools, and micronutrient supplements. This is the foundation’s largest investment in women’s health research and development, although still short of what’s needed, according to Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the gender equality division at the Gates Foundation. “Many conditions that disproportionately, differently, or only affect women remain misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or ignored,” Zaidi told Devex. This includes conditions such as endometriosis, a condition that causes pelvic pain and affects 1 in 10 women worldwide, but the rate of misdiagnosis is as high as 65%. Yet, research funding for women-specific conditions is underwhelming. Only 1% of health care research spending beyond oncology goes to conditions affecting women, according to an analysis by McKinsey & Company. Where funding for basic research was available, few receive support for late-stage clinical development, or get approved. In 2022, only two of the 37 prescription drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were specific to female health conditions. This is despite the fact that women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health compared to men, and most of it happens during their working years. Improving their health could unlock at least $1 trillion in annual global GDP by 2040, according to a report by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute. Zaidi hopes the foundation’s latest commitment will encourage other investors, philanthropists, and the private sector to co-invest in women’s health research and development, help shape innovation and product development, and ensure they’re accessible to women and girls who need them most. “In the innovation space, the Gates Foundation serves as a catalyst to address under researched areas and advance new innovations, but, on our own, we can’t cover all the needs and issues that impact women’s health. Collaboration is essential to overcome decades of underinvestment and make sure that breakthroughs don’t stall in labs,” she explained. What the foundation is investing in The foundation’s $2.5 billion commitment covers support for the discovery of new innovations through early-stage product introduction, as well as generating data and evidence, and advocacy to support uptake. It will fund research and innovations focused on five areas: obstetric care and maternal immunization, maternal health and nutrition, gynecological and menstrual health, contraceptive innovation, and sexually transmitted infections. The foundation will also continue investment in new contraceptive options and research to understand women’s gut health and nutrition. While the Gates Foundation has been investing in women’s health for decades, Zaidi said that “what is exciting about this commitment is that it highlights innovations that may be lesser known.” This includes research on hormonal intrauterine devices, or IUDs, and their potential to help women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding and are at risk of anemia. Zaidi mentioned that in one study, women experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding and suffering with pain and fatigue were found to be nearly twice as likely as men to have their symptoms misattributed to psychological factors. Lack of or delayed treatment puts them at greater risk of anemia. The foundation is also funding research on artificial intelligence-enabled ultrasounds to diagnose heavy menstrual bleeding and its potential use for diagnosing cardiac and pulmonary conditions, and breast cancer; as well as research on the vaginal microbiome to understand how it changes over a woman’s lifetime and their susceptibility to bacterial vaginosis and other conditions. “Gynecological health is critically under-researched and we’re stepping forward to amplify how important it is in order to improve the health of women globally,” Zaidi said. When it comes to obstetric care, the foundation is supporting the development of a drug that targets the root cause of preeclampsia. It is also supporting the introduction to market of several innovations, such as a low-cost drape that helps identify excessive blood loss postpartum, a rapid diagnostic test that detects both HIV and the bacteria that causes syphilis, as well as a self-injectable contraceptive. Expanding contraceptive options are still very much needed to meet women’s different needs, Zaidi said, adding that nearly 40% of women who begin using existing contraceptives stop using them within a year due to dissatisfaction with existing methods. “Women need more from contraception — more control, fewer side effects, and options that match their lives and preferences as their needs change,” she said. “What is needed by a woman at age 20 is often quite different than what that woman may want as she enters perimenopause.” She said supporting these innovations is all about giving women dignity and autonomy “at every stage of their reproductive lives.” “We are compelled to keep going to find new methods because we know there are 257 million women who want to use contraception but lack access,” Zaidi said. The foundation is also supporting service delivery and other means to ensure innovations reach the women who need them, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, outside of the $2.5 billion commitment. “Just developing new tools is insufficient. Ensuring they are delivered into the hands of women who need them most is critical,” Zaidi said.