Home Add to Favorite Contact Submit  
           29 March, 2024


    
Category:  Press » Health & Fitness

 

ASTMH Symposium Showcases Efforts To Meet the Need for New Medicines to Treat Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries

Popularity:
         Views: 1654
2009-11-22 04:34:28     
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

An urgent need for new medicines to treat neglected infectious diseases in the developing world has prompted a growing number of collaborations among academic researchers, non-profit product development partnerships (PDPs), and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. As noted today in a symposium at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), these collaborations are opening up new avenues of access to industry technology, expertise, and capabilities, enabling the harnessing of industry resources for new product innovation.

The need for these collaborations between industry and global health non-profits results from the lack of effective prevention or treatments for many infectious diseases of the developing world. There is a tremendous need for new R&D that could lead to new cures. Despite substantial progress in improving delivery of existing medicines for infectious diseases in the developing world, there are still major gaps in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment that must be alleviated through development of new medicines.

"Industry/public sector product development collaborations are one of the success stories for the developing world, as biopharmaceutical companies are discovering that investment in global health R&D is consistent with their broader commercial strategies," observed Dr. Christopher D. Earl, former chief executive officer of BIO Ventures for Global Health, who organized the symposium. "The participants in this symposium highlight how their organizations have made substantial progress in moving unused compounds from companies' shelves to the laboratory and ultimately to the clinic. By allowing experts access to assets that industry has amassed, these collaborations have spurred the development of new medicines for malaria, tuberculosis, and various parasite-borne diseases."

The symposium, "Rummaging Through Pharma's Attic: Taking Advantage of Industry's Unused Assets to Generate New Products for Infectious Diseases of the Developing World," featured presentations on the following topics:

* Finding a Diamond in the Rough: Screening Industry's Libraries Against Tropical Parasites -- James H. McKerrow, University of California, San Francisco
* Raiding the Deep Freeze: The Fexinidazole Story - Robert Don, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), Geneva, Switzerland
* Will They Respect You in the Morning: Forging Partnerships with Biotech and Big Pharma -- Jorg J. Mohrle, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
* Extending a Hand: Eli Lilly's TB Drug Discovery Partnership -- Gail H. Cassell, Eli Lilly & Co., Indianapolis, IN

The aim of the symposium was to illustrate how industry/public sector collaborations help to bridge what Dr. Earl calls an "innovation gap" for new treatments for infectious diseases of poverty. "Historically, most global health products lacked a profitable market that would justify investing the millions of dollars needed to develop new medicines," he explained. "Additionally, most biotechnology companies lacked experience with the pathogens that afflict poor populations, and were largely unfamiliar with medical practice and pharmaceutical distribution in the developing world. Those barriers, combined with the perceived lack of incentives and management time to devote to non-core activities, conspired to stifle industry investment in global medicines."

"That is all changing, as donors such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, federal agencies such the National Institutes of Health and industry itself are supporting product development collaborations," Dr. Earl continued. "Disease experts are increasingly gaining access to companies' compound libraries, technology platforms, and shelved products, and the result is greater access to effective medicines among the populations that need them."

"The story of these product development collaborations is one of pioneering companies and public sector partners creating successful models to the benefit of global health," said Thomas Wellems, MD, PhD, president of ASTMH. "As the ASTMH is committed to improved global health, we look forward to and actively encourage continued collaborations in this area."

About the ASTMH

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), founded in 1903, is a worldwide organization of scientists, clinicians and program professionals whose mission is to promote global health through the prevention and control of infectious and other diseases that disproportionately afflict the global poor.

Specialized in: Astmh Symposium
Print press release      Bookmark this page
Related Press releases 
New Initiative by Impact on Life Revolutionizes Patient Care in Nottinghamshire with Enhanced NHS Information Leaflets (Popularity: ): Nottingham, Nottinghamshire - In an innovative stride towards enhancing patient care, Impact on Life has launched a new series of NHS Patient Information Leaflets in Nottinghamshire. This initiative stands as a testament to the organization's commitment to improving patient education and engagement through accessible and reliable health information.The Need for Quality Patient Information Leaflet NHSIn the complex landscape of healthcare, patient empowerment and education are paramount. Informed patients are better ...
Innovative Menopause Support Now Available in Hampton (Popularity: ): Hampton, UK - Menopause is a natural transition in a woman's life, yet it often comes with challenges that can affect daily life. Recognizing the need for supportive and effective solutions, a new initiative focusing on peri menopause treatment and menopause help in the UK has been launched. This groundbreaking service is available through Let's All Talk Menopause, an organization dedicated to providing comprehensive support and treatment options for women ...
ehnote Ushers in a New Era of Ophthalmology Practice Management with Groundbreaking EMR Software (Popularity: ): ehnote, a pioneer in ophthalmology-specific electronic medical record (EMR) software, unveils the latest advancements to its comprehensive solution, empowering eye care professionals to streamline operations, elevate patient care, and achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency.ehnote’s innovative EMR software is meticulously crafted to address the unique challenges faced by ophthalmology practices. Its robust suite of features empowers practitioners to optimize patient flow, enhance clinical decision-making, and simplify administrative tasks with unparalleled ease. ...
Raleigh Gynecologists Release Article Providing Tips For Managing Birth Control Pill Contraception (Popularity: ): Raleigh, North Carolina (press.abc-directory ) March 14, 2023 - The Raleigh Gynecologists at Raleigh Gynecology recently released a new informational resource that provides tips for women looking to learn more about managing birth control and contraception methods. The new section can be found on the company's website. The expert gynecologists have designed this article so that it can be used as a research tool and consumer resource for women who ...
Dr Leeds Introduces Telemedicine Services to Ensure Safe Treatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Popularity: ): Fort Lauderdale, FL - USA | June 3rd, 2020 -- The current pandemic due to COVID-19 has forced the world to go indoors by practicing social distancing and adhering to lockdown instructions globally. These are the times that call for solidarity and unity to fight the situation until the world comes back to its normal being. In such challenging times, the medical experts at Dr Leeds have introduced telemedicine in ...


Related Business 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (Popularity: ): Provides major support for scientists conducting research aimed at developing better ways to diagnose, treat and prevent the many infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases.
Aphios Corp. (Popularity: ): Developing natural therapeutics, with a focus on infectious diseases, cancer and quality-of-life medicines. Overview of extraction and nanoscale technologies, product pipeline and profile of company in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Midwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (Popularity: ): MISSION: To expand the scope and quality of research in biodefense and emerging infectious diseases in the region, with the goal of developing the next generation of diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics against selected biologic threats.
13th International Symposium on HIV (Popularity: ): "13th International Symposium on HIV & Emerging Infectious Diseases" ,Toulon, France, June 3-5, 2004.
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (Popularity: ): US organization dedicated to encouraging and sponsoring public and professional education about infectious diseases, supporting research and trainingand aiding in the prevention and treatment.
Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice (Popularity: ): Journal published nine times a year. Articles on topics of current interest to physicians and other health care professionals treating patients with infectious diseases.
Virax Holdings, Ltd. (Popularity: ): Developing therapeutics for autoimmune diseases, AIDS, cancers, infectious diseases based on patented Co-X-Gene platform technology co-expressing antibodies and T cells. Based in Australia.
Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network (Popularity: ): GIDEON - Provides information, including disease, therapy and vaccine lists, support and demo of GIDEON. Medical software for the fields of infectious diseases and microbiology targeted at doctors and lab specialists.
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (Popularity: ): NFID supports research into the causes, cures, and prevention of infectious diseases and sponsors public and professional education programs. Virtual library, factsheets, vaccine research conference information, National Coalition for Adult Immunization.
Infectious Disease Clinics of North America (Popularity: ): Each issue focuses on a single topic in infectious diseases.