Ethical issues of "Grand Challenges in Global Health"

The Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative is a Gates Foundation-sponsored program that aims "to achieve scientific breakthroughs against diseases that kill millions of people each year in the world’s poorest countries." Of the 14 'grand challenges', 6 are specifically related to vaccines and vaccination. The total amount awarded to date -- $436.6 million -- reflects the size of the initiative and the significant financial support behind it.

Amid the several dozen grants awarded was support to the University of Toronto for the study of ethical, social, and cultural issues related to these efforts. The work at Toronto is led by Peter A. Singer, MD (not the Princeton philosopher of the same name) and Jim Lavery, Ph.D.

Earlier this month, the Toronto group published four papers in PLoS Medicine. The papers (all available free at the PLoS Medicine website) review the work of the ethics group to date, future plans, and some of the key issues identified from their work thus far.