The South African government will work to end the neglect of neglected tropical diseases by using a new patent pool to develop drugs for more than a dozen diseases. South Africa is the first country to take action and recognize the tremendous potential that the patent pool could have. The patent pool was created by GlaxoSmithKline and includes over 2,300 patents that will aid in the drug development process to create drugs to treat neglected tropical diseases, TB, malaria and others. The impacts of these diseases are enormous as they cause adverse health effects and even death for millions each year. While numerous pharmaceutical companies have generously donated drugs to treat neglected tropical diseases, new drug development has basically stalled as the poorest regions of the world lack market incentives for drug creation because the population is too poor to buy the drugs.
The new patent pool will target the 50 least developed nations worldwide, a majority of which are in Africa, to encourage innovation in drug development. One of the most remarkable aspects of the patent pool is not only does it provide access to promising compounds that can be used for drug development, it also will provide expertise and technical knowledge to aid in the process. We are optimistic that this new patent pool will promote innovation and collaboration to make significant strides in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.
