29
Jan

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are diseases of the developing world. Although many NTDs have been major public health problems in developing countries for decades or even centuries, most still lack effective and specific treatments. The lack of specific treatment has led to suffering and loss both in lives and the economy. Research fundings and efforts from the developed world have substantially advanced knowledge on these diseases but still fall short of finding effective therapeutics. Many factors contribute to this shortcoming. Translation of discovery research into clinical testing and finally clinical use is a lengthy and expensive process and usually involves pharmaceutical industry, which is mainly driven by prospects of financial return. Such prospects rely on high price of new drugs and high purchasing power in developed countries. The lack of such prospect in developing countries either prevents development of drugs for NTDs altogether or changes their target product profiles to fit better with market in developed countries. For example, antivirals for prevention in travelers from developing countries may have better market potential than those for treatment in developing countries.

Many tropical developing countries have considerably progressed in the last few decades both in scientific and industrial capabilities. Some have become important world economic powers. It is now therefore time to take the matter of NTDs in the hands of developing and endemic countries. Alone, it is still difficult for each country or institution to carry out all the tasks to bring scientific discovery to clinical use. A partnership of academic, government, and industrial organizations in developing countries through South-South collaboration model should be able to bring about all the needed capabilities to develop solutions for NTDs. Equal partnership and leaderships from developing countries in this model will ensure proper direction of the developments toward the real needs in the developing world.

DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative) is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to developing drugs for neglected diseases and is therefore perfectly allied with the concept of the South-South collaboration. DNDi has successfully developed an antiviral drug for hepatitis C treatment, Ravidasvir, in collaboration with Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and Ministry of Public Health, Malaysia Ministry of Health, and an Egyptian company, Pharco Pharmaceuticals. This is an excellent example of South-South collaboration to fight with diseases prevalence in endemic countries. A more recent collaboration, Dengue Alliance, has been formed in collaboration with DNDi and partners from Thailand, Malaysia, India and Brazil to find specific treatments for dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever. Although the initiative and much progress has been made, the road ahead of the collaboration is still long and challenging. It is imperative that more partners joining the alliance and be committed to the goal of the alliance to ensure success without much delay. The PMAC side meeting is a perfect platform to discuss and communicate among current and potential partners and supporters of the cause. A South-South collaboration on health-related issue allies well with the recent theme of the conference on geopolitics and should contribute to the concept and spirit of PMAC.