Hero in Africa

The slogan of the DNDinitiative must be :

“Vaccinate the poor to protect the rich. Africa vaccinated to protect the rest of the world.”

as suggested by Dr Augustine Kadima, coordinator of the HAT platform in Democratic Republic of Congo.

The DNDi was established in 2003.It focuses on developing and delivering new treatments to combat poverty related neglected diseases. 

The founders were public and private institutions such as :

• Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF/Doctors without Borders)
• Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Brazil)
• Indian Council for Medical Research (India) 
• Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kenya) 
• Ministry of Health (Malaysia) 
• Institute Pasteur (France) 
• Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO-TDR) 

Their line of duty involves :

• Development of pills to substitute injections for the patients  far from the hospitals or medical care.
• Synchronization of efforts from  biotechnological areas, ministries of health, non-governmental organisations public and private research institutions, in various countries. 
• Decentralization of roles to make work easier.
• Training local researchers while building or improving their  labs and clinics. 
• Facilitating open sharing of scientific knowledge, data and technology rights.

They have already developed six new treatments for the neglected diseases in Africa.They include:

•  2007>Malaria ASAQ- Artesunate/ Amodiaquine Combination Therapy. Has since been distributed to 32 countries. 
• 2008>  ASMQ (Artesunate/Mefloquine Combination Therapy for Malaria. 
• 2009>NECT (Nifurtimox-Eflornithine Combination Therapy for sleeping sickness. Available through World Health Organisation in all countries where the disease occurs. 
• 2010>SSG and PM (Sodium Stibogluconate and Paromomycin Combination Therapy .Is for Kala azar in East Africa and Asia.
• 2011>The Benznidazole paedriatic form was  developed by the Brazilian public pharmaceutical lab .

The grind is still spinning as DNDi aim at developing 11 to 13 new treatment by 2018.There are more than seven neglected diseases in sub Saharan Africa. The title ‘neglected’ arose from the fact that the affected are the poor, marginalized, neglected population of our society.

There is need for more countries to engage in the fight against the diseases in Africa. Dr. Bernard Pecoul, the director of DNDi, explained that out of the many neglected diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa, there are 1.2% new Chemical Entities for them but only 0.4% clinical trials.

Also,Dr. Hiiti B. Siilo, the Director General of Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA), expressed concern over the gap in countries involved in the post market surveillance of the quality of drugs. 

“Only 10 countries are involved since only they have expressed interest world wide.”

DNDi is doing a good job,seemingly.Africa has a hero.All that's left is for our institutions to strengthen the network.

PUBLISHED:http://www.scienceafrica.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=184:dndi-s-decade-of-research-improved-treatments&catid=87&Itemid=586