• DNDi - Best Science for the Most Neglected 20 Years
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Cryptococcal meningitis
      • Hepatitis C
      • Dengue
      • COVID-19
      • Antimicrobial resistance
    • Research & development
      • R&D portfolio & list of projects
      • Drug discovery
      • Translational research
      • Clinical trials
      • Registration & access
      • Treatments delivered
    • Advocacy
      • Open and collaborative R&D
      • Transparency of R&D costs
      • Pro-access policies and IP
      • Children’s health
      • Gender equity
      • Climate change
      • AI and new technologies
  • Networks & partners
    • Partnerships
      • Our partners
      • Partnering with us
    • Global networks
      • Chagas Platform
      • Dengue Alliance
      • HAT Platform
      • HELP Helminth Elimination Platform
      • LEAP Platform
      • redeLEISH Network
    • DNDi worldwide
      • DNDi Switzerland
      • DNDi DRC
      • DNDi Eastern Africa
      • DNDi Japan
      • DNDi Latin America
      • DNDi North America
      • DNDi South Asia
      • DNDi South-East Asia
      • DNDi Southern Africa
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • Social media
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our strategy
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
DNDi - Best Science for the Most Neglected 20 Years
  • DNDi - Best Science for the Most Neglected 20 Years
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Cryptococcal meningitis
      • Hepatitis C
      • Dengue
      • COVID-19
      • Antimicrobial resistance
    • Research & development
      • R&D portfolio & list of projects
      • Drug discovery
      • Translational research
      • Clinical trials
      • Registration & access
      • Treatments delivered
    • Advocacy
      • Open and collaborative R&D
      • Transparency of R&D costs
      • Pro-access policies and IP
      • Children’s health
      • Gender equity
      • Climate change
      • AI and new technologies
  • Networks & partners
    • Partnerships
      • Our partners
      • Partnering with us
    • Global networks
      • Chagas Platform
      • Dengue Alliance
      • HAT Platform
      • HELP Helminth Elimination Platform
      • LEAP Platform
      • redeLEISH Network
    • DNDi worldwide
      • DNDi Switzerland
      • DNDi DRC
      • DNDi Eastern Africa
      • DNDi Japan
      • DNDi Latin America
      • DNDi North America
      • DNDi South Asia
      • DNDi South-East Asia
      • DNDi Southern Africa
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • Social media
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our strategy
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
Home > News

2016 in Review

Home > News

2016 in Review

22 Dec 2016
Share on twitter
Share on facebook
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on print

Our staff, partners, and stakeholders share their highlights from 2016.


Mycetoma added to WHO neglected tropical diseases list

After years of campaigning, mycetoma became the 18th disease to be included on the WHO list of neglected tropical diseases. The move facilitates funding, research, and support to fight this disease

“I was representing the Sudanese Government when I gave a statement to support the inclusion of mycetoma in the WHO neglected tropical diseases list that was discussed at the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May. Its adoption was a memorial event. I could not control my deep emotions and feelings and in fact I went into tears.”

Prof Ahmed Hassan Fahal
Director, Mycetoma Research Centre, Sudan

Towards a public health approach for hepatitis C?

Clinical trials on combination therapy for hepatitis C, ravidasvir and sofosbuvir, begin in Malaysia
“For many years I was involved with HIV and HCV as both an activist and a nurse in a French prison. This new HCV battle that we have started reminds me of the HIV battle of 30 years ago.

I was so proud, after months of intensive work, we enrolled the infamous first patient, and then the second one. And today, two months later, we have 164 patients. We keep up our motivation and we continue our battle.”

François Simon
Clinical Project Manager, DNDi


Fexinidazole, the first new oral candidate for sleeping sickness

The candidate entered into its last stage of clinical development before potential submission to regulatory authorities in 2017

“Fexinidazole could bring a great change for patients since they will no longer have to undergo infusions, and wake up at night to take their drug. If we are successful, this product will really support a big change in how we can treat HAT. I am proud to be a part of this, and to be the only female investigator in the clinical trials that DNDi are conducting on HAT in the DRC.”

Dr Hélène Mahenzi
Medical Doctor, Bandundu Hospital, Democratic Republic of Congo

New pre-clinical candidates for visceral leishmaniasis

Years of development efforts with partners finally move two new compounds into pre-clinical stage
“It has been really wonderful to see substantial lead optimization efforts deliver two new pre-clinical candidates in a very short time frame. I feel very proud to be part of this exciting prospect for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.”

Delphine Launay
Pharmaceutical Development Manager, DNDi

Launch of the Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership

In May, we launched a new initiative together with the WHO to address important global public health needs for antibiotics for R&D

“As a doctor working in Africa and Asia, I have seen the reality of people dying needlessly from drug-resistant infections. With the launch of GARDP, we have a unique opportunity to serve all those in need, no matter where they are, through very concrete antibiotic R&D projects.”

Dr Manica Balasegaram
Director, Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership

Harnessing students’ work to develop potential new drugs

The Open Synthesis Network, a new collaboration between DNDi and several universities, is up and running

“The capabilities and resources within the university chemistry training system are untapped. A few years ago I began making plans for a collaboration with universities where students work on projects related to potential treatments for neglected diseases.

Students are incredibly motivated and enthusiastic to not only work on projects that represent actual real-life problems, but to learn from exposure to active drug discovery projects. We hope this exposure might increase the number of students who will decide to work in the area of NTDs, evolving the NTD landscape!”

Robert Don
Discovery & Preclinical Director, DNDi

TB-HIV co-infection superboosting study results prompt a change in WHO guidelines

Increasing the dose of ritonavir to counter drug-drug interactions

“Tuberculosis is a major problem for HIV-positive children. The interactions between the anti-TB medications and the antiretroviral drugs can compromise their health. When children with TB take lopinavir, we need to up the doses of another medication, ritonavir, to overcome this drug interaction. We call this superboosting. The information gathered from the DNDi superboosting study helped to strengthen our knowledge on the treatment of small children who have TB and need lopinavir for their HIV treatment.”

Helena Rabie
Paediatrician, Cape Town

How to address the policy incoherence between trade and health?

UN High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines issues report calling for change

“New health technologies are seldom developed without high-margin market incentives. This leaves those in the developing world with preventable diseases and in need of specialised medicine to suffer and even die…We recommend the creation of an internationally binding R&D convention that ‘de-links’ the costs of R&D from end prices.”

Ruth Dreifuss
Former Swiss President &
Co-chair of the UN High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines
 .
Malebona Precious Matsoso
Director General of the South African Department of Health &
Member of the UN High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines

Photo credits: Neil Brandvold–DNDi; Graham Crouch–DNDi; Don Paul/DNDi; S & Gentlemen-DNDi

Policy advocacy

Read, watch, share

Loading...
Davide Paparo and Ian Hausler with their thermotherapy device "CLARA"
Stories
16 Mar 2023

Cutaneous leishmaniasis: Swiss students develop innovative thermotherapy device for safer treatment of ‘flesh-eating parasite’

Stories
8 Mar 2023

Highlighting gender-based treatment gaps on International Women’s Day: Mary Alamak’s story

DNDi-GARDP Southern Africa director, Carol Ruffell (left), presents the December 2022 edition of HIV Nursing Matters and the 2022 paediatric ARV dosing chart to Bénédicte Schutz, Monaco’s Director of International Cooperation (centre), and Yordanos Pasquier, Monaco’s Deputy Director of International Cooperation (right).
News
3 Mar 2023

Working together to ensure optimal treatment for children living with HIV in South Africa

Nurse with patient
Press releases
1 Mar 2023

Fiocruz and DNDi sign strategic alliance agreement

Statements
28 Feb 2023

DNDi’s submission to the Technical Assessment component of the first Global Stocktake

Statements
22 Feb 2023

DNDi comments on the zero draft of the WHO CA+ for consideration of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body at INB4 & 5

Hat Platform Newsletter N°22 screenshot
Publications
22 Feb 2023

HAT Platform Newsletter No. 22

Lab activities
News
20 Feb 2023

First in-person Dengue Alliance meeting brings together experts from dengue-endemic countries to develop treatments for a growing viral threat

VIEW ALL

Help neglected patients

To date, we have delivered twelve new treatments, saving millions of lives.

Our goal is to deliver 25 new treatments in our first 25 years. You can help us get there. 

GIVE NOW
DNDi - Best Science for the Most Neglected 20 Years
Facebook-f
Twitter
Instagram
Linkedin-in
Youtube
International non-profit developing safe, effective, and affordable treatments for the most neglected patients.

Learn more

  • Diseases
  • Neglected tropical diseases
  • R&D portfolio
  • Policy advocacy

Get in touch

  • Our offices
  • Contact us
  • Integrity Line

Support us

  • Donate
  • Subscribe to eNews

Work with us

  • Join research networks
  • Jobs
  • RFPs
  • Terms of Use   
  •   Acceptable Use Policy   
  •   Privacy Policy   
  •   Cookie Policy   
  •   Our policies   

  • Except for images, films and trademarks which are subject to DNDi’s Terms of Use, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Switzerland License   
We use cookies to track our audience and improve our content. By clicking 'Accept All', you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Click on 'Customize' to accept only some cookies.
Customize
REJECT ACCEPT ALL
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearRecords the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
elementorneverThis cookie is used by the website's WordPress theme. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_16Q5RH3XRG2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gat_UA-10302561-11 minuteA variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
_hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress30 minutesHotjar sets this cookie to detect the first pageview session of a user. This is a True/False flag set by the cookie.
_hjFirstSeen30 minutesHotjar sets this cookie to identify a new user’s first session. It stores a true/false value, indicating whether it was the first time Hotjar saw this user.
_hjIncludedInPageviewSample2 minutesHotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's pageview limit.
_hjIncludedInSessionSample2 minutesHotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's daily session limit.
_hjSession_112884430 minutesHotjar sets this cookie.
_hjSessionUser_11288441 yearHotjar sets this cookie.
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
Targeting
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo