Responsible Care
01-févr.-2012
BHC CEO Dr. Jörg Reinhardt: “Only together can we successfully fight neglected tropical diseases.”
Private and Public Partners Unite to Combat 10 Neglected Tropical Diseases by 2020
London,
2012-01-30
BHC CEO Dr. Jörg Reinhardt: “Only together can we successfully fight neglected tropical diseases.”
Private and Public Partners Unite to Combat 10 Neglected Tropical Diseases by 2020
Jörg Reinhardt (third from right) with participants of the panel discussions
Today, 13 pharmaceutical companies, the U.S., U.K. and U.A.E
governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank and other global health
organisations announced a new, coordinated push to accelerate progress toward eliminating or
controlling 10 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by the end of the decade.
Uniting efforts with NTD-endemic countries, partners pledged to bring a
unique focus to defeating these diseases and to work together to improve the lives of the 1.4
billion people worldwide affected by NTDs, most of whom are among the world’s poorest.
In the largest coordinated effort to date to combat NTDs, the group announced at an event at the Royal College of Physicians that they would: sustain or expand existing drug donation programs to meet demand through 2020; share expertise and compounds to accelerate research and development of new drugs; and provide more than US$785 million to support R&D efforts and strengthen drug distribution and implementation programmes. Partners also endorsed the “London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases,” in which they pledged new levels of collaborative effort and tracking of progress.
“Today, we have joined together to increase the impact of our investments and build on the tremendous progress made to date,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “This innovative approach must serve as a model for solving other global development challenges and will help millions of people build self-sufficiency and overcome the need for aid.” The Gates Foundation announced a five-year, US$363 million commitment to support NTD product and operational research.
To guide the effort against NTDs, the World Health Organisation (WHO) this week unveiled a new strategy “Accelerating work to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases – A roadmap for implementation” that sets targets for what can be achieved by the end of the decade.
“The efforts of WHO, researchers, partners, and the contributions of industry have changed the face of NTDs. These ancient diseases are now being brought to their knees with stunning speed,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO. “With the boost to this momentum being made today, I am confident almost all of these diseases can be eliminated or controlled by the end of this decade.”
New commitments from partners will close the funding gap to eradicate Guinea worm disease and expedite progress toward the 2020 goals of elimination for lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma, sleeping sickness and leprosy, and control of soil-transmitted helminthes, schistosomiasis, river blindness, Chagas disease and visceral leishmaniasis.
Bayer HealthCare CEO Dr. Jörg Reinhardt attended the meeting in London as Bayer's representative. "At last," he said, "we have managed to get all involved parties to the table. After all, only together can we successfully fight neglected tropical diseases. We at Bayer will continue to work together closely with the World Health Organization and make our contribution towards combating Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness."
To support the worldwide efforts Bayer HealthCare (BHC) will support the initiative and committed itself to double the existing amount of Nifurtimox from 500.000 to 1 million tablets per year to effectively combat Chagas Disease. The program, including BHC´s valid agreement with WHO to provide Suramin and Nifurtimox to treat Sleeping Sickness, will run until 2020. Additionally Bayer will give access to selected substances to third parties, including the R&D organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi ), out of its compound libraries to find new treatments for NTDs.
Speaking on behalf of the CEOs of the 13 pharmaceutical companies involved, Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, said, “Many companies and organisations have worked for decades to fight these horrific diseases. But no one company or organisation can do it alone. Today, we pledge to work hand-in-hand to revolutionize the way we fight these diseases now and in the future.”
With new and existing pledges totaled, companies will donate an average of 1.4 billion treatments each year to those in need, according to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). In addition, new research and development collaborative efforts and access agreements with 11 companies and the R&D organization DNDi are providing unprecedented access to compound libraries that could lead to new treatments. These commitments will work in parallel with other efforts to speed the development of critical NTD treatments, including WIPO Re:Search, a database of research compounds, knowledge and expertise.
For further information (webcast, press release etc.) please click here .
In the largest coordinated effort to date to combat NTDs, the group announced at an event at the Royal College of Physicians that they would: sustain or expand existing drug donation programs to meet demand through 2020; share expertise and compounds to accelerate research and development of new drugs; and provide more than US$785 million to support R&D efforts and strengthen drug distribution and implementation programmes. Partners also endorsed the “London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases,” in which they pledged new levels of collaborative effort and tracking of progress.
“Today, we have joined together to increase the impact of our investments and build on the tremendous progress made to date,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “This innovative approach must serve as a model for solving other global development challenges and will help millions of people build self-sufficiency and overcome the need for aid.” The Gates Foundation announced a five-year, US$363 million commitment to support NTD product and operational research.
To guide the effort against NTDs, the World Health Organisation (WHO) this week unveiled a new strategy “Accelerating work to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases – A roadmap for implementation” that sets targets for what can be achieved by the end of the decade.
“The efforts of WHO, researchers, partners, and the contributions of industry have changed the face of NTDs. These ancient diseases are now being brought to their knees with stunning speed,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO. “With the boost to this momentum being made today, I am confident almost all of these diseases can be eliminated or controlled by the end of this decade.”
New commitments from partners will close the funding gap to eradicate Guinea worm disease and expedite progress toward the 2020 goals of elimination for lymphatic filariasis, blinding trachoma, sleeping sickness and leprosy, and control of soil-transmitted helminthes, schistosomiasis, river blindness, Chagas disease and visceral leishmaniasis.
Bayer HealthCare CEO Dr. Jörg Reinhardt attended the meeting in London as Bayer's representative. "At last," he said, "we have managed to get all involved parties to the table. After all, only together can we successfully fight neglected tropical diseases. We at Bayer will continue to work together closely with the World Health Organization and make our contribution towards combating Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness."
To support the worldwide efforts Bayer HealthCare (BHC) will support the initiative and committed itself to double the existing amount of Nifurtimox from 500.000 to 1 million tablets per year to effectively combat Chagas Disease. The program, including BHC´s valid agreement with WHO to provide Suramin and Nifurtimox to treat Sleeping Sickness, will run until 2020. Additionally Bayer will give access to selected substances to third parties, including the R&D organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi ), out of its compound libraries to find new treatments for NTDs.
Speaking on behalf of the CEOs of the 13 pharmaceutical companies involved, Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, said, “Many companies and organisations have worked for decades to fight these horrific diseases. But no one company or organisation can do it alone. Today, we pledge to work hand-in-hand to revolutionize the way we fight these diseases now and in the future.”
With new and existing pledges totaled, companies will donate an average of 1.4 billion treatments each year to those in need, according to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). In addition, new research and development collaborative efforts and access agreements with 11 companies and the R&D organization DNDi are providing unprecedented access to compound libraries that could lead to new treatments. These commitments will work in parallel with other efforts to speed the development of critical NTD treatments, including WIPO Re:Search, a database of research compounds, knowledge and expertise.
For further information (webcast, press release etc.) please click here .