Product/drug development

Introduction

Improved understanding of social issues improves public health, health care delivery, and the design and uptake of new interventions and tools – whether by health and science professionals (e.g. use of a new diagnostic method) or by the community (e.g. use of bednets).

The social sciences applied to public health include a number of sub disciplines such as health economics, medical sociology, medical anthropology, social epidemiology and health geography. Gender has particular significance as a social issue with potential impact on health – society assigns different roles to men and women and, as a result, transmission dynamics of infectious diseases may disproportionately affect women or men, or lead to differential impact of disease according to gender.

TDR related research

TDR supports research on this topic. Our work is being conducted in the following areas:

Analysis of the dengue drug research portfolio
African trypanosomiasis treatment
Efficacy and safety of a shortened pentamidine treatment for stage 1 of human African trypanosomiasis (3 days instead of 7) and nifurtimox-eflornithine combination treatment for stage 2 of the disease.
Moxidectin development against onchocerciasis
Therapy for visceral leishmaniasis
Praziquantel for schistosomiasis
Shortening and simplifying TB treatment
TB/HIV research

TDR and product/drug development

Of the 18 new drugs or new drug combinations that have been registered internationally for TDR-targeted diseases since the 1970s, more than half resulted from TDR collaborations. We have also helped to develop several of the public-private partnerships (PPPs) – Medicines for Malaria Initiative (MMV), the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).

We encourage the development of new drugs and improved drug regimens by supporting these PPPs, identifying research gaps, attracting new partners and supporting research in neglected areas. We also established the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Initiative (ANDI) to help initiate both discovery and development.