Tonight we’ll wrap up our Hannukah and NTDs series with a focus on the remaining NTDs as defined by the WHO: buruli ulcer, dengue fever, guinea worm, African sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, and leprosy.  At the Global Network, we are commonly asked “why do you only focus on seven NTDs?”  The seven NTDs we’ve detailed over the last seven nights are the most common NTDs, representing approximately 90% of the total disease burden.  We also focus on them, however, because they are generally referred to as “tool-ready”–that is to say, we have medications that are safe, affordable, and available to treat the seven most common.

Which brings us to the “other” NTDs that also cause significant suffering among the poorest of the world’s communities. Like the most common ones, these NTDs promote the continuation of poverty in developing communities by impairing physical and intellectual growth and decreasing worker productivity.  But unlike the others, they are either missing treatment/control tools altogether or the tools are difficult to access or afford.

Many groups are working to change this landscape.  Analysis from Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) clarifies:

For the “most neglected” diseases, patients are so poor that they have virtually no purchasing power and cannot spark market interest in drug R&D among pharmaceutical companies. Recently, the field of R&D for neglected diseases has seen the emergence of several new organisations, new donors, new financial mechanisms, and a new political environment. However, although the global R&D landscape has improved for neglected diseases since 2003, the dire needs of the most neglected victims who carry on suffering in the developing world are still largely unmet. A recent study by G-Finder revealed that less than 5 percent of worldwide R&D funding for neglected diseases has been directed towards the most neglected diseases.

To read more about these NTDs, visist our website.