Global health research makes America richer and healthier

A patient in the U.S. was treated for itchy eyes using ivermectin, a drug originally developed to combat river blindness (a parasitic disease causing skin damage and blindness in sub-Saharan Africa). This case illustrates how global health research, aimed at neglected tropical diseases, can yield unexpected medical benefits in wealthy countries. Ivermectin was later found effective for eyelid inflammation, dry eyes, and rosacea. This is not an isolated case; global health research has repeatedly produced treatments that improve health in high-income countries, often through innovation spillover—where discoveries in one context lead to unexpected applications elsewhere. For example, research on a malaria vaccine in the 1980s also contributed to vaccines for shingles and RSV, which are now used in the U.S.

Investing in global health research generates significant economic returns for the U.S. A 2012 report from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimated that every $1 spent on global health research yields a return of $2.21, while each research grant creates seven American jobs. Between 2008 and 2024, U.S. institutions like the NIH invested $46 billion in global health research across neglected diseases, emerging infectious diseases, and sexual and reproductive health. This investment catalyzed $104 billion in economic activity and created 600,000 jobs in the U.S. These figures demonstrate that global health research is not just a humanitarian effort but also a financially sound strategy for economic growth.

Global health research has directly improved health outcomes in the U.S. through new medications and vaccines. For instance, a malaria vaccine developed in the 1980s by GlaxoSmithKline and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research now prevents up to one in eight childhood deaths in malaria-affected regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the technology behind this vaccine is used in the shingles and RSV vaccines, which are expected to prevent over 9 million cases of shingles in the U.S. and save the healthcare system $55 billion by 2050. Another example is the tuberculosis vaccine, developed over 100 years ago, whose active ingredient was later approved to treat bladder cancer, potentially preventing 300,000 cancer recurrences and saving nearly 100,000 lives in the U.S. by 2050.

Global health research also provides insights to improve healthcare delivery systems in the U.S. By studying health systems in other wealthy countries, U.S. researchers identify effective policies that can be adapted locally. For example, Washington state designed its Washington Cares program, a publicly operated long-term care insurance initiative, by learning from Germany’s experience with long-term care. This program, funded by a payroll tax of less than 0.6% of wages, covers costs like home care, home modifications, and nursing home expenses. Economists estimate that unpaid caregivers in the U.S. provide care valued in the trillions of dollars annually, and a robust long-term care system could enable these caregivers to contribute more to the formal economy, benefiting the U.S. as its population ages.