New Drugs For Tuberculosis And Other Neglected Diseases

A striking development from the BioPartnering Latin America conference in September of 2010 was the evidence of an increasing acceleration of interest in and commitment to partnerships in the emerging market countries by large pharmaceutical and biotech companies. One goal of these partnerships is to increase drug development and availability for neglected diseases of poverty, like tuberculosis and malaria.
Who was there? The Who’s Who of Big Pharma—Merck, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, and others, as well as biotech companies like Genzyme—all looking for partnership opportunities with the developing world.

Examples of discussion

One-third of the global population—2 billion people—is infected with the mycobacterium that causes tuberculosis; between 5 and 10 percent of those infected will develop active TB disease. In 2006, the WHO estimated that 9.2 million people became sick with TB and 1.7 million died. Tuberculosis is the leading killer of HIV-positive patients. New tuberculosis drugs and therapies must be developed and made available even in areas of great poverty.

Developing world partnerships

Brazil, where the conference was held, and emerging markets in general, are more than just a revenue opportunity for pharmaceutical companies. Many of these countries have growing economies and offer patient populations for clinical trials. They also welcome a partnership with Big Pharma and can provide infrastructure, manufacturing, R&D for tuberculosis drugs and vaccines, and are becoming more aware and protective of intellectual property issues.

The Brazilian government is very involved in funding early and mid-stage biotech projects, and a high percentage of total money spent on pharmaceutical R&D comes directly from government.

Positive momentum

From our perspective, this momentum is very positive. First, the rising clout of emerging markets speaks well for the increasingly close relationships of the pharmaceutical industry with partners in these countries. Second, these relationships can provide an increase in resources, opportunity, and awareness of neglected diseases like tuberculosis n these countries. These are much larger problems than in the developed world, where they need to and can become higher priorities. As we grow closer, our partners’ problems become our problems.

By: Molly Pollen

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About the author BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to save lives by accelerating the development of new drugs for neglected diseases to address the unmet medical needs of the developing world. To help solve the global health crisis, biopharmaceutical innovation is needed. Learn more at www.bvgh.org.