By MSF Access Campaign

It is often said that Innovation and Access are two sides to the same coin when it comes to ensuring that people in developing countries are able to get the healthcare products they need to stay alive and well. And it is through the lens of these two complementary activities that we can understand why MSF first set up the Access Campaign in 1999, and then, four years later in 2003, DNDi — the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative. Both entities set out to overcome the barriers to innovation and access that stop people getting the medicines they need in the under-resourced countries where MSF works and beyond.

Over 20 years, the relationship between MSF and DNDi has remained close, with a stream of people moving between the two organisations, working hand in glove to deliver better treatment for people in low- and middle-income countries.

On the occasion of DNDi’s 20th anniversary, we sat down with two leading lights — Julien Potet, the Access Campaign’s Neglected Tropical Diseases Policy Advisor, and Joelle Tanguy, DNDi’s Director of External Affairs, to reflect on what has been achieved and what the future could hold for Innovation+Access for neglected people.

Read the interview published on the MSF Access Campaign blog