Financial Times: Innovation needed to tackle global epidemic of non-communicable diseases
Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Novartis Foundation

“…The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is comparable to the greatest global health challenges we have had to confront in recent history. … [I]n contrast with common perceptions, much of [the increase in NCD incidence] has happened in low- and middle-income countries. Health systems in these regions are ill-equipped to address this emergency. They are stretched under the pressure of fighting infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis, which still make up a majority of deaths in much of the developing world. It will take decades before sufficient health coverage is achieved that can adequately address the scale of the NCD epidemic. We need a new approach. … [I]nnovations in health care delivery will make a big difference in the outcome of the global fight against the NCD epidemic. In the face of the challenges that stand in the way of achieving universal health coverage, innovation is our best asset. We must never stop looking for new solutions to the world’s health problems and learning from our collective experiences” (1/31).