Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Presents at 2013 BIO International Convention, Apr-24-2013 03:45 PM. Venue: McCormick Place - Chicago Bulls Room, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60616, United States. Speakers: Trevor Mundel, President, Global Health Program.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that Brian Arbogast has been named director of the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene program. He will start work at the foundation on May 13, 2013. Brian has more than 20 years of experience leading teams around the world. Arbogast was previously with Microsoft Corporation. Most recently, he concentrated in cleantech and international development to drive market solutions that address the world's most pressing challenges.

On April 5, 2013, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. entered into a Research Agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to discover drug candidates intended to treat two filarial worm diseases (onchocerciasis, or river blindness, and lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis) and tuberculosis. Under the Research Agreement, the Gates Foundation will pay the company an aggregate of $17.7 million over a 3 year research term as well as invest $5 million in the company’s common stock. Under the Research Agreement, the company is responsible for conducting research activities directed at discovering potential neglected disease drug candidates in Gates Foundation global health priority areas in accordance with an agreed upon research plan. The research program is guided by a joint steering committee.  The company will also work with the Gates Foundation to seek additional funding for the further development of each drug candidate that is selected by the joint steering committee to treat these neglected diseases. Also as part of the company’s funded research activities, the company is responsible for creating an expanded library of boron compounds to screen for additional potential drug candidates to treat neglected diseases and for providing access to the expanded library compounds for neglected disease research to the Gates Foundation, and others, including academic, governmental and other non-profit institutions or equivalent entities. Under the terms of the Research Agreement, the Gates Foundation will have the exclusive right to commercialize selected drug candidates in specified neglected diseases intended to benefit people in specified developing countries. The company retains the exclusive right to commercialize any selected drug candidate outside of the specified neglected diseases as well as with respect to the specified neglected diseases in specified developed countries, provided that the company complies with certain obligations, including compliance with the Gates Foundation global access strategy. The company is required to pay the Gates Foundation royalties on specified license revenue received by the company in any specified developed country pursuant to any agreement in which the company licenses its rights to develop, commercialize or distribute a product discovered under the Research Agreement containing any selected drug candidate.