IncollaborationwiththeGlobal

AllianceforWomen’sHealth,

KearneyandtheGatesFoundation

PrescriptionforChange:

PolicyRecommendations

forWomen’sHealthResearch

WHITEPAPERMAY2025

Images:Midjourney,GettyImages

Contents

Foreword3

Executivesummary4

Introduction:Thecaseforwomen’shealthpolicytransformation6

1Unlockinnovationinwomen’shealth9

1.1Women’shealthisunderfundedandunder-researched9

1.2Successinorphanandpaediatricdiseases:10Incentivesdriveinvestmentandinnovation

1.3Policyrecommendationstounlockinnovationin10women’shealth

2Expandtheinclusionofwomeninclinicaltrials12

2.1Womenremainunder-representedinclinicaltrials12

2.2Successinpaediatrics:Requirementsandincentives13

driveinclusion

2.3Recentguidelinesandinitiativesstarttofocusoninclusion13

2.4Policyrecommendationstoexpandtheinclusionofwomen14

inclinicaltrials

3Enhancedisaggregationofclinicaltrialdata16

3.1Policyrecommendationstoenhancedisaggregationof16

clinicaltrialdata

4Designclinicaltrialswithwomeninmind18

4.1Policyrecommendationstodesignclinicaltrialswith18

womeninmind

5Deepeninsightsintosex-specificdifferences20

5.1Policyrecommendationstodeepeninsightsinto20

sex-specificdifferences

Conclusion22

Contributors23

Acknowledgements23

Endnotes25

Disclaimer

Thisdocumentispublishedbythe

WorldEconomicForumasacontributiontoaproject,

insightareaorinteraction.Thefindings,interpretationsandconclusionsexpressedhereinarearesultofacollaborativeprocessfacilitatedandendorsedbytheWorldEconomicForumbutwhoseresultsdonotnecessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheWorldEconomicForum,northeentiretyofitsMembers,Partnersorotherstakeholders.

?2025WorldEconomicForum.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinany

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PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch2

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch3

May2025

PrescriptionforChange:

PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch

Foreword

ShyamBishen

Head,CentreforHealth

andHealthcare;MemberoftheExecutiveCommittee,WorldEconomicForum

PaulaBellostasMuguerza

SeniorPartner,GlobalLead,HealthcareandLifeSciences,Kearney

TheWorldEconomicForum’sGlobalAlliancefor

Women’sHealth,inpartnershipwithKearneyandtheGatesFoundation,ispleasedtopresentthis

whitepaperproposingkeypolicyrecommendationstoprotectimprovementsalreadymadeinwomen’shealthscienceandinnovationandtopromote

furtherprogress.

Addressingthewomen’shealthresearchgapis

notonlyanethicalimperativebutalsoacritical

steptowardstransformingglobalhealthoutcomes.Women’shealthhashistoricallybeenunder-

researchedandunderfunded,leadingtogapsin

knowledgeandinnovation.Despitecomprising

halftheworld’spopulation,womenhavealsobeenunder-representedinclinicalresearch,resulting

insignificantdisparitiesintheunderstandingof

men’sandwomen’sphysiology.Thesedisparitieshavefar-reachingimplications,influencing

diagnosis,treatmentsandultimatelyhealthoutcomesforwomen.

Thisexistinggapinwomen’shealthresearchisinlinewiththefactthatwomenliveinpoorhealth

for25%moreoftheirlivescomparedtomen,

accordingtoa2024report.1Closingthisgap

couldyield75milliondisability-adjustedlifeyearsannually–theequivalentofaddingsevenhealthydaysperyearperwoman–andunlock$1trillioninannualglobalGDPby2040.Whiletheeconomicbenefitsareimpressive,improvingwomen’shealthistherealwin,withlastingpositiverepercussions

forsociety.Thetimehascomeforstakeholderstoaddressthedriversofthisgap,improvingthelivesofwomenwhilestrengtheningcommunitiesandeconomiesworldwide.

Thispaperaddressesthepolicychanges

neededtoestablishamorerobust,safeand

inclusiveapproachtowomen’shealthscience

andinnovation.Westronglybelievethatdriving

innovationinwomen’shealthcanimprovethe

statisticsandleadtomorewomen-focusedclinicalresearch.Furthermore,itmakesthecasefor

includingwomenfromdiverseracial,ethnicandagegroupsinclinicaltrialstoensuresuchtrialsbetter

reflectthepopulationstheyaimtoserve.

Thepolicyrecommendationspresentedinthis

paperaimtoaddressthegapinwomen’shealth

research.Bypromotingamoreinclusiveapproachtoresearch,societycanadvancesciencethroughadeeperunderstandingofwomen’sphysiology,

therebyimprovingsafetyandoutcomesforwomenwhileadvancingknowledgeonhealthandmedicineforall.

Lookingtothefuture,itisimperativethat

policy-makers,healthcareleadersandother

stakeholdersjoinforcestoupholdwomen’shealthasacornerstoneofmedicalprogress.Thevisionoutlinedinthiswhitepaperprovidesastrategic

pathtoclosingthewomen’shealthresearchgapandadvancingsex-specificmedicine.

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch4

Executivesummary

Women’shealthresearchrepresentsavitalopportunitytodriveinnovation,improve

outcomesandboosteconomicgrowth.

Despitelivinganaverageoffiveyearslongerthan

men,womenspend25%moreoftheirlivesinpoorhealthorwithsomedegreeofdisability.2Addressingthisburdencouldimprovethelengthandquality

oflifeformillionsofwomenwhilealsoboostingtheglobaleconomybyatleast$1trillionannuallyby

2040.Despitethepotentiallyhigheconomicreturn,themostmeaningfulimpactofthesepolicychangesisimprovingwomen’shealthand,inturn,theirlives.

Currently,however,only7%ofhealthcare

researchfocusesonconditionsthatexclusively

affectwomen.3Inaddition,womenremain

under-representedinclinicaltrials,especiallyin

earlyclinicaltrialsandinkeytherapeuticareas

suchascardiologyandoncology,particularly

womenofcolourandpost-menopausalwomen.4Meanwhile,only5%ofavailablemedications

havebeenadequatelymonitored,testedand

labelledwithsafetyinformationforuseinpregnantandbreastfeedingwomen.5Furthermore,sex-

disaggregateddataisnotnecessarilyreported.Forexample,only7%ofmigrainetrialsand17%of

ischaemicheartdiseasetrialshavepublishedsex-disaggregateddata.6

Thesedisparitiescontributetothesignificant

physicalandsocialburdenthatmanywomenfaceduringtheirlifetimes.Theopportunity–andneed–forchangeisundeniableandimperative.

Chartingthewayforward

Theobjectiveofthiswhitepaperistohighlight

issuesinclinicalresearchthatarerelevantto

women’shealth,tocommunicatetheimportance

ofsolvingtheproblemtokeydecision-makersandtopromotepracticalpolicyrecommendationsthat

candrivecoordinatedaction.Implementingthese

recommendationswouldcreateamoresupportiveenvironmentforwomen’shealthscienceand

innovationandimprovehealthoutcomesforwomen.

Throughout2024andearly2025,theGlobal

AllianceforWomen’sHealthconvenedaworkinggroupofmorethan45organizationsfrom

industry,regulatorsandbeyondtoworkjointly

ontransformingthepolicylandscapeinwomen’s

healthscienceandinnovation.Drivingchangeusingthefiveleversofhealthcarepolicyoutlinedbelow

willfacilitateanimprovedunderstandingofcriticalphysiologicaldifferencesbetweenmenandwomenandpromotebetterhealthoutcomesforeveryone.

Thewhitepaper’srecommendationsareasfollows:

1

Unlockinnovationinwomen’shealth.

Regulatorychanges,suchaspriorityreview

vouchers,pairedwithfinancialincentivessuchastaxcredits,researchfundingandpublic–privateinvestmentmatching,canencourageawide

rangeofstakeholderstoinvestinwomen’shealthandultimatelystimulateinnovation.Theadoptionofanewpricingandreimbursementvalue

propositioncanalsohelpaddressfundinggaps,accelerateresearchanddrivethedevelopmentofnewtreatments.

2

Expandtheinclusionofwomeninclinicaltrials.Toensurethatnewtreatmentsare

safeandeffectiveinwomen,itisessentialto

improvetheirenrolmentinclinicaltrials,especiallyinearlyclinicaltrialsandinkeytherapeuticareas,suchascardiologyandoncology,aswellasthe

enrolmentofoftenexcludedsubpopulations,suchaswomenofcolourandpost-menopausalwomen.Forpregnantandlactatingwomen,thepaper

recommendsintroducingamaternalinvestigationframework,requiringresearchtobeconducted,ifpossible,inthosepopulationsandofferingtargetedresearchincentivestosupportthecollectionof

morerepresentativedata.Creatingawareness

amongregulatorsandclinicaltrialstaffastothe

importanceofinclusionandhowbesttodesign

inclusiveclinicaltrialscanacceleratethealignmentofeffortstoachievesharedgoals.

3

Enhancedisaggregationofclinicaltrialdata.Standardizingterminologyanddata

collectionandrequiringcomprehensivesex-

specificbenefit-riskassessmentswillprovide

betteridentificationofuniquesex-specificeffects.Particularlywhileimprovingdatacollection,itwillbeimportanttoadoptflexiblemethodologies

foranalysisandglobaldatasharingtomaximizeinsightsfromlimiteddatasets.

Designclinicaltrialswithwomeninmind.Educatinginvestigators,developers,clinical

trialstaffandpatients,alongwithimprovedclinicaltrialaccess,especiallyforwomenfromunderservedpopulations,isessentialforadvancingwomen’s

healthresearch.Clinicaltrialsmustalsobedesignedtoaccountforsex-baseddifferencesinphysiologicalmechanismsandtreatmentresponses.

Deepeninsightsonsex-specific

differences.Toaccountforsexdifferences

andensuretransparencyaboutsafetyandefficacyforallpatients,clinicalguidelinesaswellas

productpackageinsertsandpatientinformationleafletsneedtobeupdated.Lastly,implementingtheSAGERguidelinesinscientificjournalswill

improvetransparencywhenreportingsex-specificdifferences–clearlyaquickwin.

Womenhavewaitedlongenoughtoliveinbetterhealth;thetimeforchangeisnow.Prioritizing

innovationandinclusioncanbreakdownthe

barriershinderingprogressinwomen’shealth

researchwhiledrivingglobaleconomicgrowth.

Unitingindustryleaders,regulators,otherexpertsandpatientsisadecisivesteptowardsreshapingthelandscapeofwomen’shealthscienceand

innovationonepolicyatatime.Thesepolicieswilldrivemorerobustsciencethatnotonlyimproveshealthoutcomesforwomenbutalsopromisesfar-reachingeconomicbenefitsforall.

4

5

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch5

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch6

Introduction:Thecaseforwomen’shealth

policytransformation

Sexcharacteristicshaveafundamentaleffectonhealthanddiseases,yetcurrentresearchdoesnotadequatelyaccountforthis.

healthcaresystemscontinuetooverlooktheuniquebiologicalandsocialfactorsinfluencingwomen’s

health.Transformingwomen’shealthpolicyis

notjustamoralimperative,itisanecessarysteptowardsbetter,morerobustscienceleadingto

improvedoutcomes,reducedhealthcarecostsandahealthier,moresuccessfulsociety.

Forfartoolong,women’shealthhasbeentreatedasanicheissueratherthanafundamentalpillar

ofpublichealthpolicy.Theconsequencesof

thisoversightareprofound,includingdelayed

diagnoses,inadequatetreatmentsandpreventablesuffering,evendeath,thataffectshalftheworld

population.Despiteadvancesinmedicine,

BOX1

Terminology

Genderidentity(thegenderwithwhichapersonidentifies)

Genderexpression(howapersonoutwardlypresentsthemselvesinrelationtogenderedforces)

Gendermodality(whetheraperson’sgenderidentityisthe

sameastheirsexassignedatbirthornot,i.e.whethertheyare

cisgenderortransgender)

Perceivedorpresumedgender(howaperson’sgenderistypicallyunderstoodbythosearoundthem,whichmaydifferfromtheir

genderidentityand/orgenderexpression)

Definitionsofsexandgender:7

Genderreferstoanaspectofaperson’sidentity.Apersonissubjectedtoarangeofsocialforces(bothconstraintsandprivileges)basedontheirgender,whichmayinfluencetheirbehaviours,theirperceptionofthemselvesandhowtheyaretreatedbyothers.Alltheseinfluencesmayberelevantfor

biomedical,healthandcareresearch.Whenaccountingfor

Definition

Examples

Sexreferstothebiologicalvariablesthatdifferentiatefemalesandmales,andwhichcanincludevariationsofwhatare

consideredfemale-typicalandmale-typicalcharacteristics(sometimesknownas“variationsinsexcharacteristics”

or“intersex”).

Sexchromosomes

Geneexpression

Hormoneprofile

Secondarysexcharacteristics

Internalandexternalreproductiveorgans

gender,itisworthkeepinginmindthatanindividual’sgender

existsonaspectrum,canchangeovertimeandintersects

withotheraspectsoftheiridentitysuchasage,ethnicityand

sexualorientation.Thereisconsiderablediversityinhowpeopleexperienceandexpressgenderwithinandbetweensocieties.

Focusofthiswhitepaper

Thefocusofthiswhitepaperisonsex-associatedbiologicalvariablesasaninitialstep,eventhoughitsauthorsrecognizetheimportanceofgenderasacross-cuttingissue.

Throughoutthiswhitepaper,theterm“sex”isusedtomeansex-associatedbiologicalvariables.Furthermore,theterms“women”and“men”areusedtomeanindividualswith

female-andmale-typicalbiologicalvariables,respectively.

Itisimportanttoacknowledgethecomplexityofsexand

genderandtheneedformoreresearchintothechallengesfacingtransgender,genderfluidandnon-binarycommunities.

Definitionofwomen’shealth

Women’shealth–whichincludesconditionsthataffect

womenexclusively,differentlyanddisproportionately

tomen–isoftensimplifiedtoincludeonlysexualand

reproductivehealth.Thisreportdefineswomen’shealthascoveringconditionsthataffectwomenexclusively,suchasendometriosisandmenopause,butalsoconditionsthat

affectwomendifferentlysuchascardiometabolicconditionsordisproportionatelysuchasbonehealth,brainhealthandautoimmunediseases.

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch7

Researchshowsthatmedicinesarethreeandahalftimesmorelikelytobewithdrawnforsafetyrisks

inwomen,and,since2000,adverseeventsfrom

approvedmedicinesintheUnitedStateshavebeenreported52%morefrequentlyinwomenthanmen,withseriousorfatalevents36%morecommon

forwomen.8However,theeffectsoftheresearch

gapinwomen’shealtharenotjustphysical,they

havealsohadaprofoundpsychologicalimpact

insociety.Ina2022healthsurvey,nearly30%

ofwomenreporthavingtheirhealthconcerns

dismissedbyaproviderand15%saytheirproviderdidnotbelievetheyweretellingthetruth.9The

disparitiescontinue,withresearchshowingthat

womenare13–25%lesslikelythanmentoreceiveopioidanalgesiawhenreportingacuteabdominalpain.10Anotherstudyshowedthatwomenhave

longeremergencydepartmentthroughputand

processtimesthanmen.11Despitetheseissues,

women’shealthremainsunder-researched,under-representedandunderfunded,andavailabledataispatchyatbest,leavingcriticalgapsinprevention,diagnosisandtreatmentofconditions.

Investinginwomen’sheaIthisaninvestmentinabetterfutureforaII

Increasingtheinvestmentinwomen’shealthwill

notonlyimprovethequalityoflifeforwomen,

whichisessentialinitsownright,butpresentsanopportunitytoboosttheglobaleconomybymorethan$1trillionannuallyby2040.12Thisestimateissupportedbya2025surveywhichfoundthat70%ofabout1,000respondentsgloballyreportedlosingonetofivedaysofproductivityintheprevious

monthduetowomen’shealthissues.Furthermore,61%ofrespondentsindicatedthattheyhadtaken

timeoffduetowomen’shealthconditions,yetmanysharedthatthismetricdidnotfullycapturetheir

experience.Theyfeltpressuredtocontinueworkingevenwhensicktoavoidfallingbehind.13

Goingforward,itisimportantthatimprovementsalreadymadeinwomen’shealthscienceand

innovationareprotectedandfurtherprogress

ispromoted–fromin-vitrosystemstoanimal

modelstohumanstudies.Thisbeginswithdrivingresearchintowomen-specificconditionswhile

alsoadvancingtheunderstandingofwomen’s

physiologyinconditionsthataffectwomen

differentlyordisproportionately.Toachievethis,theinclusionofwomeninclinicaltrialsshouldbeexpanded,accountingforrace,ethnicityandageanddisaggregatingclinicaltrialdataaccordingly.Inaddition,clinicaltrialsshouldbedesignedtoaccountformeaningfulsex-baseddifferences.

Finally,sex-specificinsightsshouldbedeepenedtobetterinformbothphysiciansandpatients

(Figure1).

Withoutfundingandregulatorychangestosupportandadvancesex-specificclinicalresearch,womenwillnotbeabletofullyreapscientificadvances

tothesameextentasmen–despitetheiruniquehealthneedsanddespitetheirexplicitrightto

scienceandtechnologyasoutlined30yearsagointheBeijingDeclarationandPlatformforAction.14Incentives,requirementsandtherepresentationofwomeninresearchleadershiparekeyenablersforprogresswithproventrackrecords.

TheGlobalAllianceforWomen’sHealth,

inpartnershipwithKearneyandtheGates

Foundation,ispleasedtosharethiswhitepaper

withtheobjectiveofguidingadvocacyandpolicychangesprotectingandpromotingwomen’shealthinclinicalresearch.

Whenwomenspend25%moreoftheirIivesinpoorheaIth,theprobIemisn’tjustcIinicaI-it’ssystemic.Transformingwomen’sheaIthresearchisn’toptionaI;it’scriticaItounIockingsmarterscience,strongereconomiesandfairerfutures.Nowisthe

momentforustoturnthatpossibiIityintopoIicy-andpoIicyintoprogress.

SanjanaBhardwaj,DeputyDirector,ProgramAdvocacyandCommunications,GatesFoundation

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch8

FIGURE1Women,shealthresearchfocusareasandenablers

Focusareas

Data

disaggregationof

clinicaltrialsstarting

withterminology

harmonizationanddatacollectionstandards

Design

ofclinicaltrialswith

womeninmindto

improveeducation,

accessandoutcomes

Inclusion

ofwomeninclinical

trialsincludingwomenofcolour,

post-menopausal

women,pregnant

andlactatingwomen

Innovation

inwomen’shealth

forconditionsthat

affectwomen

uniquely,differently

Enablers

anddisproportionately

Insights

onsex-speci?c

differencesin

scienti?cpublications,clinicalguidelines

andproductpackageinformation

Representationofwomeninresearchleadership

healthresearch

fromlimitedphysiological

understandingtoafocuson

sex-speci?cscience

Transformthepolicylandscapeinwomen’s

andmedicine

Incentivestodriveinnovationandtoincludewomen

Requirementstodrive

innovationandtoincludewomen

Source:WorldEconomicForum

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch9

Unlockinnovationinwomen’shealth

Innovationinwomen’shealthresearchisurgentlyneededtoimproveconditionprevention,diagnosisandtreatment.

Atatimewhenregularadvancesinprecision

medicinearetransformingconditionprevention,

diagnosisandtreatment,manyconditionsthat

exclusivelyaffectwomenoraffectwomendifferentlyanddisproportionatelyremainunderstudied.

Innovationinwomen’shealthresearchcandeliverabetterunderstandingofthedifferencesinthe

underlyingphysiologybetweenmenandwomenandaddresstheseunmetneeds.

Women’shealthisunderfundedandunder-researched

1.1

Maternalhypertensivedisorders–pre-eclampsia,

forexample–accountfor70,000maternaldeaths

worldwideeachyear,butwithfewearlysymptomstheyareoftendiagnosedtoolateorevengoundiagnosed.15Endometriosis,anoestrogen-linkedconditionthat

affects10%ofreproductive-agewomenandgirls

globally–atotalofmorethan190millionwomen–

lacksaneffectivetreatmentdespiteitsprevalenceandoftendebilitatingsymptoms.16Meanwhile,thereisalsoinsufficientresearchintomenopause,anormaland

expectedtransitionforalmosteverywomaninmid-life,despiteitshavingaprofoundimpactonwomen’s

healthandqualityoflife.Thesearejustafewexamplesofhowalackofinvestmentinclinicalresearchcan

negativelyaffectwomen,withalargerimpactonthosefromlowandmiddle-incomecountries(LMICs),whereaccessbarrierspushavailablesolutionsevenfurtheroutofreach.

Thesenumbersarejustthetipoftheiceberg.Amajorlackoffundingforwomen’shealthdirectlylimitsresearch,creatingarippleeffectthroughout

society.Forexample,only7%ofbiopharma

innovationisinvestedinwomen-specificconditions,withnoteven1%investedinconditionsbeyond

women’scancer(Figure2).17Furthermore,thereisaglobal“drought”ofmedicinesthatareinthepipelineformaternalhealth,withonlytwodrugssincethe

1950shavingbeendevelopedandregisteredfor

pregnancy-specificconditions.18Additionally,the

USNationalInstitutesofHealth(NIH)allocatesonly11%ofitsbudgettowomen’shealthresearch,

and,despitewomenhavinga50%highermortalityrateintheyearfollowingaheartattack,only4.5%

oftheNIH’sbudgetforcoronaryarterydisease

supportswomen-focusedresearch.19Onthe

globalhealthstage,women’shealthisequally

underfunded.WithinLMIC-applicableresearchanddevelopment(R&D)forsexualandreproductive

health–arguablyawomen-centrichealthareato

beginwith–investmentinconditionsthatexclusivelyaffectwomenaccountsforonly8%ofthetotalandrepresentsonlyasmallproportionofwhatisspentonotherglobalhealthissuessuchasmalaria.20

1

Investmentinwomen-specificconditions

FIGURE2

2024PharmaR&Dspend(%)

Women’scancers6%

Allotherwomen-speci?cconditions<1%

Source:EvaluatePharma.

(2025).Kearneyanalysis.

/

PrescriptionforChange:PolicyRecommendationsforWomen’sHealthResearch10

1.2

Successinorphanandpaediatricdiseases:Incentivesdriveinvestmentandinnovation

Historyshowsthatwell-designedincentivesdrive

innovationinunder-representedareasofresearch.

TheUSOrphanDrugActwasintroducedin1983

toaccelerateinnovationintreatmentsforrare,or

“orphan”,diseasesbyprovidingstrongincentivesfordrugdevelopment.Sinceitspassage,theUSFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)hasapprovedmore

than600orphandrugindicationsfrommorethan450distinctdrugproductscomparedwithonly10such

productapprovalsinthedecadepriortoenactment.21TheActgrantstheFDAauthoritytodesignateorphandrugs,offeringsponsorskeybenefitssuchasmarketexclusivityforsevenyears,taxcreditsofupto25%forclinicaltrialexpendituresandwaivedprescriptiondruguserfees.22Comparableincentivestructures

havebeenintroducedacrosstheglobetodrive

innovationinrarediseases.Forexample,in1993,

JapanlaunchedtheOrphanProductDevelopmentSupportProgramtopromotethedevelopmentof

therapiesforrarediseasesbyprovidingvarious

incentivesfordevelopers,suchasfinancialsubsidiesforresearch,marketexclusivityandprioritized

scientificconsultations.23

Similarly,eventhoughtheUSCongresshas

notrenewedtheFDA’sRarePediatricDiseaseDesignationandPriorityReviewVoucher

Programrecently,theprogramme’ssuccess

demonstrateshowstrongincentivescanleadto

scientificinnovation.24Between2012and2024,

theprogrammedroveinnovationbyaccelerating

treatmentdevelopmentforrarepaediatricdiseases,withmorethan560designations,53priorityreviewvouchers,47awardedforindicationsthathadnoapprovedtreatmentpriortotheprogrammeand

39newtreatments–36ofwhichpreviouslyhadnoapprovedoptions.25Theseincentiveshavedriveninvestmentandinnovationinpreviouslyneglectedareasofmedicineandcanserveasablueprintforadvancesinwomen’shealthresearch.

Finally,antimicrobialresistance(AMR)isanother

exampleofhowincentivizationcanaffectglobal

health.AMRisapressingglobalhealththreat,yetthedevelopmentofnewantibioticshaslaggedduetolimitedfinancialincentives.26Toaddressthis,

policy-makersinsomejurisdictionsintroduced

marketentryrewards,priorityreviewvouchersandextendedmarketexclusivity,whichsuccessfully

spurredinvestmentinantibioticinnovation.Theseincentives,whichbeganin2012,encouraged

pharmaceuticalcompaniestodevelopnovel

treatmentsdespitehighresearchcostsand

uncertainreturns.TheAMRmodeldemonstratesthattargetedincentivescandriveinnovationandbringlife-savingadvancestomarket,offeringavaluableblueprintforacceleratingprogressin

women’shealthresearch.

1.3

Policyrecommendationstounlockinnovationinwomen’shealth

Regulatoryaswellasfina