Journal Article > Meta-AnalysisFull Text
Lancet Global Health. 2013 December 1 (Issue 6); DOI:10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70078-0
Pedrique B, Strub-Wourgaft N, Some C, Olliaro PL, Trouiller P, et al.
Lancet Global Health. 2013 December 1 (Issue 6); DOI:10.1016/S2214-109X(13)70078-0
In 1975-99, only 1·1% of new therapeutic products had been developed for neglected diseases. Since then, several public and private initiatives have attempted to mitigate this imbalance. We analysed the research and development pipeline of drugs and vaccines for neglected diseases from 2000 to 2011.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
JAMA. 1999 January 27
Pécoul B, Chirac P, Trouiller P, Pinel J
JAMA. 1999 January 27
Drugs offer a simple, cost-effective solution to many health problems, provided they are available, affordable, and properly used. However, effective treatment is lacking in poor countries for many diseases, including African trypanosomiasis, Shigella dysentery, leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, and bacterial meningitis. Treatment may be precluded because no effective drug exists, it is too expensive, or it has been withdrawn from the market. Moreover, research and development in tropical diseases have come to a near standstill. This article focuses on the problems of access to quality drugs for the treatment of diseases that predominantly affect the developing world: (1) poor-quality and counterfeit drugs; (2) lack of availability of essential drugs due to fluctuating production or prohibitive cost; (3) need to develop field-based drug research to determine optimum utilization and remotivate research and development for new drugs for the developing world; and (4) potential consequences of recent World Trade Organization agreements on the availability of old and new drugs. These problems are not independent and unrelated but are a result of the fundamental nature of the pharmaceutical market and the way it is regulated.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Lancet. 2002 June 22; Volume 359 (Issue 9324); DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09096-7
Trouiller P, Olliaro PL, Torreele E, Orbinski J, Laing R, et al.
Lancet. 2002 June 22; Volume 359 (Issue 9324); DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09096-7
There is a lack of effective, safe, and affordable pharmaceuticals to control infectious diseases that cause high mortality and morbidity among poor people in the developing world. We analysed outcomes of pharmaceutical research and development over the past 25 years, and reviewed current public and private initiatives aimed at correcting the imbalance in research and development that leaves diseases that occur predominantly in the developing world largely unaddressed. We compiled data by searches of Medline and databases of the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products, and reviewed current public and private initiatives through an analysis of recently published studies. We found that, of 1393 new chemical entities marketed between 1975 and 1999, only 16 were for tropical diseases and tuberculosis. There is a 13-fold greater chance of a drug being brought to market for central-nervous-system disorders or cancer than for a neglected disease. The pharmaceutical industry argues that research and development is too costly and risky to invest in low-return neglected diseases, and public and private initiatives have tried to overcome this market limitation through incentive packages and public-private partnerships. The lack of drug research and development for "non-profitable" infectious diseases will require new strategies. No sustainable solution will result for diseases that predominantly affect poor people in the South without the establishment of an international pharmaceutical policy for all neglected diseases. Private-sector research obligations should be explored, and a public-sector not-for-profit research and development capacity promoted.