E-drug: India OKs miltefosine for leishmaniasis
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[Below is a press release from MSF which I think we missed putting on
E-drug. Miltefosine was developed under a collaboration between the Indian
government, the German biopharmaceutical company, Zentaris (formerly part
of Asta Medica), and the Tropical Disease Research (TDR) programme, which is
co-sponsored by the WHO and the UNDP. The approval was granted to German
Remedies, Zentaris' Indian partner. The project began in 1995 when Asta
Medica signed an agreement with WHO. Miltefosine was originally developed
for cancer. It is expected to revolutionise treatment of visceral
leishmaniasis in adults and children. It has been found to yield cure rates
of around 98% with negligible side effects. (quoted from Scrip 2002, no
2757, 21 June). See also
http://www.who.int/tdr/research/progress/leish_prd/miltefosine.htm and
http://www.who.int/tdr/publications/tdrnews/news60/miltefosine.htm. KM]
New Drug for Visceral Leishmaniasis Is First Step In Tackling Neglected
Diseases But Much More Must Be Done
Geneva, June 21, 2002 � The humanitarian medical aid organization Doctors
Without Borders/M�decins Sans Fronti�res (MSF) welcomes this week's news
from the World Health organization that miltefosine, a new drug to treat
visceral leishmaniasis,* has been registered in India, and can now be used
to treat patients infected with this killer disease. Visceral leishmaniasis
affects around half a million people world-wide, almost all the poor in
remote areas in the less-developed world. Without treatment, it is almost
always lethal.
"This is excellent news for leishmaniasis patients. New, effective
treatments are desperately needed. Although miltefosine has its limitations,
it is the first oral drug to treat the disease, making it a much more
practical drug compared to the current injectable treatments," said Dr
Bernard P�coul, Director of MSF's campaign for access to essential
medicines. "Miltefosine must now be made available in other countries
afflicted by this killer disease. The drug also needs to be affordable to
patients who need it. We hope the price can come down to around 10$ per
treatment." This is roughly equivalent of the price of the generic version
of SSG, the most commonly used drug today.
Virtually no new treatments have become available for tropical diseases
treatment in recent decades, even though these diseases kill millions of
people each year in developing countries. An article published in article
published in the Lancet tomorrow** shows that out of the 1393 new drugs
developed between 1975 and 1999, only 16 were targeted for tropical diseases
and tuberculosis. Society has failed to allocate sufficient resources to
battle the diseases that particularly affect the poor: market prospects and
return on investment dictate today's pharmaceutical industry's investments,
and the diseases of the poor are neglected.
The authors of the Lancet article conclude that the crisis of the most
neglected diseases requires a combination of new strategies. An
international pharmaceutical policy for all neglected diseases is required.
More emphasis and investigation needs to go to mechanisms to oblige the
private sector to invest in diseases of the poor; and not-for-profit drug
development initiatives need to be explored.
Drug development cannot be left to the private industry alone. Without a
shift to needs-driven R&D, the needs of millions in the developing world
will continue to be largely ignored.
*Visceral leishmaniasis, also known as "black fever," is a parasitic disease
endemic in 62 countries. 200 million people are at risk of being bitten by
infected sand flies that spread the parasite; 90% of all the cases occur in
Sudan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Brazil.
**Trouiller P; Olliaro P, Torreele E; Orbinski J; Laing R, Ford N. Drug
development for neglected diseases: a deficient market and public health
policy failure. Lancet 22 June 2002.
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