Achieving a World Without Neglected Tropical Diseases

Five years ago, Pfizer joined representatives from across the global health community in setting a bold and historic goal: eliminate or control 10 Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) by 2020.

Since then, this commitment, known as the London Declaration, has helped spur unprecedented global action and progress in the fight against NTDs. These infectious diseases affect more than 1 billion people, mostly in poor and developing areas. They are both a consequence and a cause of poverty, thriving where access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare is limited.   

This week, I was proud to join our partners from around the world at the NTD Summit 2017 in Geneva, where we marked the five-year anniversary of the London Declaration. This milestone provides us with an important opportunity to reflect – on the immense progress made so far toward our elimination goals, the strategies that have enabled these gains and the considerable work still needed to achieve a world without NTDs. The progress is impressive. In 2015 alone, the pharmaceutical industry donated 1.5 billion treatments for NTDs, compared to 353 million in 2009. That means that in 2015, 991 million people received treatment for at least one NTD. Additionally, breakthrough new tools, including innovations in disease mapping, have accelerated progress against NTDs by improving drug delivery and making treatments more effective. This is making a real impact on the ground.

At Pfizer, we have long been committed to the global effort to eliminate trachoma, one of the 10 NTDs targeted in the London Declaration and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. For over 20 years we have partnered with the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) to reduce the burden of trachoma on patients. Like many NTDs, trachoma is both treatable and preventable. Using a holistic approach that incorporates the World Health Organization-endorsed SAFE strategy (which stands for Surgery, Antibiotic treatment, Facial cleanliness and Environmental improvement), the more than 100 diverse partners involved in ITI have reached millions of individuals at-risk of trachoma with comprehensive intervention strategies.

The results of these efforts are staggering. In 2011, 325 million people around the world required treatment for trachoma. Today, that number has dropped by nearly half to 185 million. In that time, Pfizer has donated more than 600 million doses of an antibiotic used to treat individuals at risk of trachoma. This remarkable progress is a testament to the collaboration between endemic countries, partner organizations, the WHO and donors. As a result of these efforts, Mexico, Morocco and Oman have officially eliminated trachoma, while six other countries are reporting elimination.

Still, even more work remains to achieve our shared goal of a world without NTDs. As global citizens, we recognize that innovative public-private partnerships – such as ITI and the Access Accelerated initiative to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases – are key to realizing the vision of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring that no individual is left behind. The NTD community must continue to expand its active, engaged network of partners in order to eliminate these diseases in even the most remote communities, once and for all.

Together, we can eliminate trachoma and build a stronger, healthier world.