Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative

Stumbled across the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, while I was reading about MSF. MSF donated their 1999 Nobel Prize winnings to them. Other notable funders include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

There are a lot of under-recognized diseases that affect the developing world, but there is often a lack of research, drug development and public advocacy for these epidemics. It's nice to see an initiative that is starting to tackle this issue. Keep this organization in mind when planning your gift-giving.

Some excerpts from their website:

"Despite major advances in drug development in recent decades, essential medicines to treat many diseases that affect the world’s poor are either too expensive, no longer produced, highly toxic, or ineffective. Recognising these issues from its field experience, Médecins Sans Frontières committed its 1999 Nobel Peace Prize funds to develop an alternative model for the research and development (R&D) of new drugs for neglected diseases."

"Neglected tropical diseases continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality in the developing world. Yet, of the 1,556 new drugs approved between 1975 and 2004, only 21 (1.3%) were specifically developed for tropical diseases and tuberculosis, even though these diseases account for 11.4% of the global disease burden."