Why do we speak out?

Since our inception in 2003, DNDi has advocated for public responsibility and public policies required to meet the medical needs of the most neglected patients. Our goal? A global system for biomedical research and development (R&D) that ensures all people benefit from medical innovation and have access to the fruits of scientific progress.

Over the past decade, the issues of medical innovation and access to medicines have featured on the political agenda like never before:

• The global coronavirus pandemic and 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa have highlighted the dire lack of treatments and vaccines for epidemic-prone diseases, as well as the need to ensure equitable access to new innovations and strengthen stewardship of public investments in R&D.
• High drug prices have focused attention on the urgent need to make drugs more affordable for those who need them and ensure greater transparency in drug pricing and R&D costs.
• The global crisis of antimicrobial resistance and lack of new antibiotics has revealed major deficiencies in the existing business model for pharmaceutical R&D.

What are we calling for?

While important progress has been made in some areas, significant global, regional, and national action is still needed to re-orient the R&D system to address persistent shortcomings. Joining with NGOs, civil society organizations, key governments, researchers, and opinion leaders, DNDi is working to focus policymakers’ attention on changes needed in the current system while sharing best practices and lessons learned from our own experience. Together, we are advocating for a sustainable global R&D framework that ensures innovation and affordable access to new health technologies for all.