Iniciativas en la investigación y desarrollo de nuevos fármacos para enfermedades desatendidas

Abstract

Neglected diseases constitute a group of just over twenty common pathologies in tropical and subtropical countries that cause half a million deaths annually and affect 1.7 billion people (almost half of them children) especially in the most disadvantaged places and social classes. However, the research and development of new treatments for these diseases is a minority in efforts and economic resources compared to their global burden of disease, which translates into a limited and a very scarce number of new therapeutic alternatives. To alleviate this situation, different actions have emerged, such as the Initiative on Drugs for Neglected Diseases (DNDi), an independent organization whose objective is the research and development of new treatments for these diseases. Since its creation in 2003, it fosters cooperation between different public and private agents for the development of new medicines and therapeutic protocols, as well as the scientific review of existing ones for the treatment of diseases such as malaria, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease or leishmaniasis. This paper analyzes and reviews the therapeutic innovations for neglected diseases, especially those developed by DNDi in recent years and their prospects.