[Drugs for 'neglected diseases': a bitter pill].
Neglected diseases are diseases restricted to poor areas; diseases for which there exist no commercial incentives to invest in the development of new treatments. Patients suffering from these diseases often have no access to essential drugs; this can be a matter of life and death. Lack of research and patent protection play a crucial role. Both are cost driven; greed in the West curtails the availability of life-saving drugs for all. Treatment options for trypanosomiasis and visceral leishmaniasis are lacking. It is recommended that drugs for the treatment of 'neglected diseases' be developed via a centralised, public approach that is not based on profit, rather than leaving it to free enterprise.
Veeken
H
H
Artsen zonder Grenzen, Medische afdeling, EA Amsterdam. hans_veeken@amsterdam.msf.org
Pécoul
B
B
D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000191:economics*; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics*; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000191:economics*; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical / Q000592:standards; D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy; D009965:Orphan Drug Production / Q000191:economics*; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000191:economics; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000188:drug therapy
D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D016568:Drugs, Generic; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents