Neglected Tropical Diseases

Strong progress has been made towards tackling Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) over the past decade, although notably a number of NTD donation programs began much before this. In 2019, for the fifth consecutive year, more than one billion people were treated for at least one of the 20 NTDs that are being targeted for control or elimination by the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, over 600 million fewer people no longer require interventions against NTDs. However, over 1.7 billion of the world’s poorest people – or one in five – still have their lives affected, or worse cut short, by NTDs, highlighting the need for a continued, concerted focus on tackling these diseases.

2020 was a landmark year for NTDs. The London Declaration – a collective commitment launched in 2012 to bring resources to bear to end NTDs – came to an end. More than 80 diverse partners committed to the declaration, including original endorsers: AbbVie, Bayer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, DNDi, MSD, Eisai, Gilead, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Lions Club International Foundation, Merck, Mundo Sano, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, The World Bank, DFID and USAID.

In addition, this year marked the 10-year countdown to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which includes SDG target 3.3 to ‘End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, NTDs and other communicable diseases’ and its supporting indicator: Measuring the number of people requiring interventions against NTDs. The political will to address NTDs was exemplified at the 2019 United Nations (UN) High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which recognized that access to NTD interventions is integral to achieving ‘Health for All’.

Now, a new chapter is being forged for NTDs. Recognizing that global health actors need to continue to mobilize joint action on NTDs, a new declaration was launched in January 2022: The Kigali Declaration. Once again, this declaration highlights the cross-sector support needed from policy makers, community leaders, civil society, industry and others to advance our journey to control, eliminate and eradicate NTDs, especially in light of emerging global health challenges, such as antimicrobial resistance.

As the innovative biopharmaceutical industry, we recognize that, to achieve an NTD-free world, we need to work together to sustain current access and capacity building initiatives and develop new, innovative approaches to NTD treatment and care. By assisting countries to build strong health systems, including NTD country programs, that are accessible and staffed with qualified healthcare workers, along with helping to bolster the supply chain and facilitate the development and delivery of quality, affordable medicines and vaccines, we will ensure no one is left behind on our collective journey to reach the SDGs and achieve UHC.