GHIT Fund Secures US$20 million pledge from Wellcome over 5 years
TOKYO, JAPAN (December 5, 2022)—The Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT)
Fund announced today that it has secured a pledge from global charitable foundation
Wellcome for GHIT Fund’s third five-year plan, GHIT 3.0 (from FY2023 to FY 2027*1) of
US$20 million (approximately 2.7 billion yen*2) over five years.
Since its inception in 2013, GHIT Fund has been investing in new drug development andportfolio management to contribute to global health, supporting Japanese technology andinnovation to combat infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropicaldiseases (NTDs) that affect the world’s vulnerable and underserved populations. In 2023, the10th anniversary of its founding, GHIT aims to streamline and accelerate research &development for malaria, tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and otherinfectious diseases.
"We are incredibly grateful for Wellcome's commitment to the GHIT Fund. I am confident
that the GHIT Fund will strengthen the partnership between Japan and overseas more thanever and contribute to innovations from Japan, including breakthrough drugs, vaccines, anddiagnostics over the next five years.” said Dr. Osamu Kunii, CEO of GHIT Fund.
Professor Gordon Dougan, Director of Infectious Disease at Wellcome, said: “Infectious
diseases are one of the greatest health threats facing the world, with people in low-andmiddle-income countries continuing to suffer the most from diseases such as TB, malaria,
and neglected tropical diseases. The GHIT fund addresses this enduring gap by investing in
product R&D and by leveraging scientific expertise and product development capabilities inJapan.
“Japan, with its excellent pharmaceutical industry, plays an important role in global health byproviding major support of GHIT and in its international leadership such as through its
upcoming G7 Presidency. Wellcome is proud to be supporting the GHIT Fund whose work
will help us develop lifesaving vaccines, treatments and tests for people everywhere."
As of December 5, there are 61 ongoing projects, including 28 discovery, 20 preclinical and
13 clinical trials, including one project that has been submitted for regulatory approval, in theGHIT portfolio. The total amount invested since 2013 is 28.4 billion yen (approx.US$204million). GHIT Fund has 168 partners (58 domestic and 108 overseas) that have participatedin product development to date, and the number of Japanese and overseas institutions has
increased dramatically over the past 10 years.

1*１

From April 2023 to March 2027

* ２ USD1 = JPY¥138.87, the approximate exchange rate on November 30, 2022.

###The GHIT Fund is a Japan-based international public-private partnership fund (PPP) that was formed
between the Government of Japan, multiple pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation, Wellcome, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GHIT Fundinvests and manages an R&D portfolio of development partnerships aimed at addressing neglecteddiseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical diseases that afflict the world’s
vulnerable and underserved populations. The GHIT Fund mobilizes Japanese industry, academia, andresearch institutes to create new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for malaria, tuberculosis, andneglected tropical diseases, in collaboration with global partners.
https://www.ghitfund.org/en

About Wellcome
Wellcome is an independent charitable foundation which supports science to solve the urgent healthchallenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we’retaking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.
https://wellcome.org/2