Malaria & Neglected Tropical Diseases

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Invest in

malaria and

NTDs to fight

future disease

outbreaks

On World Malaria Day, and ahead of the malaria & NTD summit in

Kigali, Rwanda, it is important we recognise the role of strengthening

health systems to prepare for the next global disease outbreak.

©James Roh/Cotopaxi Foundation

WRITTEN BY

Andrea Lucard

Executive Vice

President of Corporate

Affairs, Medicines for

Malaria Venture

WRITTEN BY

Michelle Childs

Head of Policy

Advocacy, Drugs for

Neglected Diseases

initiative

Paid for by Medicines for

Malaria Venutre (MMV)

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the term

“global health” was often used with

reference to low and middle-income

countries. If the past two years have taught

us anything, it is that we are all “global

health”—North or South, rich or poor, microbes and

particles connect us all.

This World Malaria Day is the perfect time to

recognise that investments in combatting diseases

that often occur amongst the poorest populations

allow countries to build more resilient health

systems. These systems can be deployed in response

to the next global health emergency.

Unlocking innovation

Outbreaks are more likely to occur where health

systems are fragile, and treatment and prevention

tools are scarce. When financial incentives for health

research are low or non-existent, such as in the

context where malaria and neglected tropical diseases

(NTDs) prosper, product development partnerships

(PDPs) are a proven path to unlocking innovation.

The PDP model leverages partners from the public

and private sectors to innovate health tools where a

single entity would be unable or unwilling to take on

the investment.

Since their establishment around 20 years ago, a

small community of 12 PDPs have delivered more

than 65 new health technologies that have protected

and saved the lives of more than 2.4 billion people.

Highlights from two of these PDPs include the

first new single-dose treatment to prevent malaria

relapse in over 60 years, developed in partnership

by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and GSK;

and the first all-oral treatment for sleeping sickness,

developed by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases

initiative (DNDi), Sanofi and the National Sleeping

Sickness Control Programme in the Democratic

Republic of Congo.

Preparing to combat future outbreaks

From the laboratory to the patient, PDPs have

engaged the populations they serve, helping to

expand local expertise and strengthen healthcare

systems. These capabilities can be called upon to fight

disease outbreaks when new health crises emerge.

In Africa, PDPs have helped strengthen local

capacity to research the world’s most neglected, often

deadly, diseases, such as visceral leishmaniasis and

sleeping sickness. DNDi has supported the training

of laboratory technicians, nurses and physicians

to conduct state-of-the-art clinical research for the

treatment of NTDs. In 2020, these trained resources

were quickly mobilised to launch the ANTICOV clinical

trial – a large trial to find treatments for mild-tomoderate

cases of COVID-19 in low-resource settings.

In addition to supporting local research

capability, PDPs are also working to build on

existing manufacturing capacity for medicines

closer to where they are most needed. With only

around 375 pharmaceutical manufacturers, Africa’s

public sector relies disproportionately on imported

medicines for malaria and NTDs – COVID-19

highlighted this vulnerability.

With funding from Unitaid, MMV is supporting

a Kenyan pharmaceutical manufacturer, Universal

Corporation Ltd, and two Nigerian manufacturers,

Emzor and Swipha, in the development of WHOprequalified

preventive medicines for malaria in

pregnancy. This increased self-sufficiency within the

continent will potentially provide not only adequate

supplies of these life-saving medicines, but also

quality-assured medicines for other diseases.

Like other tropical diseases, malaria thrives where

access to basic health services is limited. Common

symptoms, such as fever, have been shown to mask

indications of other infections, including COVID-19.

This burdens health systems and allows for disease

to spread undetected across borders. Through a

project supported by MMV, Transaid (UK) and

Zambia’s National Malaria Control Programme, local

community members — be they fisherman, farmers,

or primary school teachers — use training systems

established for malaria to inform fellow community

members about COVID-19 related policies, such as

handwashing and social distancing.

PDPs invest where others do not and this is

crucial to strengthening global health security.

The next health emergency is likely just around

the corner. In preparation for this inevitability,

sustained and flexible support to the invaluable

work of PDPs is needed.

Find out more at

mmv.org

08 MEDIAPLANET

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