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| After a barren period when very few therapies were introduced for neglected
diseases, which kill around 3m people a year and cause the loss of the
equivalent of 92m years' of healthy life, there are now over 60 drug research
projects underway.
In the PLoS Medicine analysis, which is based upon a 100-page report financed by
the Wellcome Trust, Mary Moran of the London School of Economics found that
around three-quarters of these projects are conducted under the umbrella of drug
development Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Thirteen of them have already
reached clinical trial stage and two are awaiting regulatory approval (rectal
artesunate for malaria, and paromomycin for visceral leishmaniasis). These
PPP-driven projects should result in six or seven new drug registrations in the
next five years.
Research by Dr Moran and her colleagues has shown that PPPs have been a critical
driver of this considerable increase in activity, and that the PPP approach
brings together the best skills of both public and private partners. This model
consequently performs better than either sector working alone when it comes to
delivering safe, effective, affordable drugs for neglected diseases.
In a linked editorial, entitled "A New Era of Hope for the World's Most
Neglected Diseases", the PLoS Medicine editors argue that Moran's findings are
one of several indicators that the world is finally taking action against these
diseases.
For example, the Gleneagles Communiqué arising out of this year's G8 summit
specifically called for increased investment to encourage the development of
tools for neglected-disease control.
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Citation: Moran M (2005) A breakthrough in R&D for neglected diseases: New ways
to get the drugs we need. PLoS Med 2(9): e302.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020302
Alan
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