TACKLING NEGLECT

A team from the London School of Economics and Political Science, led by Dr Mary Moran, has documented dramatic change in research into ten 'neglected diseases', including malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy and sleeping sickness. These changes could result in at least eight new drugs being developed by 2010.

After a barren period when very few therapies were introduced for these diseases, which kill around three million people a year and cause the loss of the equivalent of 92 million years of healthy life, there are now more than 60 drug research projects underway.

Around three-quarters of these projects are conducted under the umbrella of public–private partnerships (PPPs) for drug development.

The Moran report identifies PPPs as a critical driver of this increase in activity, and suggests that they deserve the active support of policy makers and politicians. Dr Moran's team recommends the creation of a public fund to pay for research and development of drugs for neglected diseases within PPPs, which they estimate would cost up to £1.1 billion (US$1.9 billion) over ten years.

The report also argues that a package of incentives should be established to encourage research by small or medium-sized companies, which are increasingly important players in the neglected disease field.

See also

• Full report: The New Landscape of Neglected Disease Drug Development [PDF 830KB]
• Executive Summary for The New Landscape of Neglected Disease Drug Development [PDF 420KB]
• Attention for neglected diseases (Press release: 8 September 2005)