Intersection of Health Equity and Drug Development: How One Company Wrote Its Own Success Story

Abstract

The focus of this presentation is on how addressing health inequities through drug discovery can succeed if you create the right strategy for success. In her presentation, Deborah Arrindell ‘79 will center on sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited disease that affects over 100,000 individuals in the US, primarily African American; while globally it is estimated that close to 10 million people suffer from SCD outside of the US. In patients with SCD, the red blood cells (cells that carry oxygen) are sickled in shape, rather than being round. Drug development in SCD had largely gone unrecognized for decades, despite SCD being recognized as a clinical entity as early as 1910. It was not until 1995, that the US FDA approved hydroxyurea for the treatment of the painful sickle crisis that are the hallmark of SCD. However, in November of 2019 the US FDA approved a novel treatment for patients with SCD. There are many factors that probably led to a lack of drug development in SCD for many decades including: the disease was primarily confined to people of color, lack of government interest, lack of advocacy, lack of interest of larger Pharma companies to invest in drug development for this patient population, and other socioeconomic factors.

Speaker

Deborah Arrindell ‘79, Vice President, Pharmacovigilance and Risk Management, Global Blood Therapeutics

Perspectives in Global Development

The Perspectives in Global Development seminars are held Wednesdays from 12:20-1:20 p.m. eastern time during the semester. The series is presented in a hybrid format with some speakers on campus and others appearing via Zoom. All seminars are shown in Warren Hall 175. Students, faculty and the general public are welcome to attend. The series is co-sponsored by the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Integrative Plant Science as part of courses GDEV 4961, AEM 4961, NTRES 4961, GDEV 6960, AEM 6960, and NTRES 6960