Mundo Sano Today

     

Mundo Sano signed a cooperation agreement with Drugs
for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)

Mundo Sano and DNDi work together in order to improve access to drugs for Chagas disease and Malaria

Mundo Sano Foundation and DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative) launched a joint initiative with the aim of helping disadvantaged populations exposed to neglected diseases in the country and the region to access to more and better treatments. At the beginning, they will work with Chagas disease and Malaria, and later on both organizations aim at developing new initiatives related to other diseases, such as leishmaniasis.

Doctor Silvia Gold-President at Mundo Sano-and Eric Stobbaerts-Executive Director at DNDi Latin America-entered this cooperation agreement with the aim of optimizing resources and efforts to promote innovation, guarantee access and make medicines available to the affected populations.

"Building an alliance with DNDi represents a new challenge for Mundo Sano, since it is the first step to expand our intervention universe. Since 1993, Mundo Sano has been carrying out field research and has developed and implemented prevention and control programs in the heart of the affected areas. Thanks to this agreement, DNDi will share its experience in innovation and development of new drugs and will become a strategic allied to work towards access to treatments for the least favored people," stated Doctor Silvia Gold after entering the agreement.

"This agreement is an important milestone for us in order to enlarge our R&D activities in Argentina and Latin America. We believe in the quality of Argentine research and development institutions and we are positive that with the support of Mundo Sano we will be able to work jointly in innovations and deliver new treatments for patients that suffer from neglected diseases," highlighted Eric Stobbaerts, Executive Director at DNDi Latin America.

Overview of Chagas Disease

According to DNDi specialists, Chagas disease is endemic in 21 countries in Latin America; it would cause 14,000 deaths per year and the number of infected people would range between 8 and 15 million worldwide.

Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite transmitted by the vinchuca, an insect that dwells mainly in poor homes in rural areas. Vinchucas feed themselves with blood from infected individuals or animals: when an infected vinchuca bites and defecates immediately afterwards, it deposits trypanosomas (the parasite that causes the disease) on the skin of the individual. Trypanosomas enter the body through the injuries caused by scratching on the skin. After the infection, certain symptoms such as fever, tiredness, and gland inflammation may appear; this is known as the acute period of the disease. Afterwards, there are no symptoms until, after approximately 15 years, when the chronic phase of the disease is manifested through clinical problems, mainly cardiac, digestive and neuronal, which might be serious.

About DNDi

DNDi is a non-profit Product Development Partnership (PDP) that works in the research and development of new treatments for neglected diseases, specially Human African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, malaria, pediatric HIV and helminth-related infections. DNDi was established in 2003 by Oswaldo Cruz Foundation from Brazil, the Indian Council for Medical Research, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, and France's Institut Pasteur and Medecins sans Frontières (MSF). The WHO/TDR program acts as a permanent observer to the initiative. Since 2007, DNDi has launched four products: two fixed dose combinations for Malaria (ASAQ developed with Sanofi and ASMQ developed with Fiocruz), NECT (Nifurtimox-Eflornithine Combination Therapy for sleeping sickness) and SSG&PM, a combination therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in Africa. For further information, visit www.dndi.org.