E-drug: New York conference on neglected diseases
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The Crisis of Neglected Diseases: Developing Treatment and
Ensuring Access
Sponsored by Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders
(MSF) in conjunction with Continuing Education & Public Programs,
The Graduate Center, CUNY
October 4, 2001, New York City
Register on the web: www.neglecteddiseases.org
Or by phone: 212-817-8215
General conference queries:
access-nyc@newyork.msf.org, or tel +1-212-847-3153
Neglected diseases kill millions of people around the world each
year. These are infectious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis,
sleeping sickness, and kala azar that predominantly affect poor
people in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the
Middle East. Research and development for new medicines are at a
virtual standstill. Those medicines that do exist are increasingly
effective because of drug resistance or simply unavailable because
producers cannot expect an adequate return on investment. For
some diseases no treatment exists at all because researching and
developing treatments would be unlikely to result in profitable drug
sales.
Defining the Crisis (9:00 - 12:00 PM)
What is the extent of the crisis? How does it impact patients and
doctors around the world? What are the challenges in creating
sustainable research and development programs for different
neglected diseases? The Drugs for Neglected Diseases working
group and an international panel of experts will address these and
other critical questions.
Seeking Effective Solutions (1:00 - 5:00 PM)
What needs to be done? Who should do it? How can we build an
effective international response that involves key players and
ensures accountability? Afternoon sessions will feature international
leaders in health policy, research, industry and government
discussing proposals for significant changes in how research and
policy are done.
Speakers will include (alphabetical):
* Dr. Jean-Pierre Garnier, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline
* Laurie Garret, Author of The Coming Plague and Betrayal of
Trust
* Dr. David Heyman, Executive Director for Communicable
Diseases, World Health Organization
* Dr. Philippe Kourilsky, Director, Pasteur Institute
* Professor David Ofori-Adjei, Director, Noguchi Memorial
Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra
* Dr. Carlos Morel, Director, World Health Organization Special
Program for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases
* Dr. Morten Rostrup, President, MSF-International Council
* H.E. Dr. Chandreshwar Prasad Thakur, Union Minister for
Health & Family Welfare, India
Conference Goals:
* Present the culmination of two years of research into the
access crisis by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Working
Group, an independent, interdisciplinary group of international
experts.
* Raise public awareness about the crisis and its impact on
millions of people worldwide.
* Engage key players in the field - from researchers to
pharmaceutical companies to governments - in exploring
alternative models for drug development and access to
treatment.
Film & Discussion: Wednesday, October 3, 7pm - 9pm
A film will be shown the evening before the conference at the same
location entitled, "Your Money or Your Life" - a new documentary
by Belgian journalist Michel Peremans on HIV/AIDS, sleeping
sickness, and the access crisis. Join the director and MSF for a
discussion following the film.
David Veazey
MSF-USA
access-nyc@newyork.msf.org
212-847-3153
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