DNDi is awarded the 2023 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in recognition of its accomplishments in delivering new, safe, effective, affordable, and accessible treatments for some of the world’s most neglected diseases.
‘We are immensely grateful for this award, which is a fantastic opportunity to give visibility to the millions of people who are neglected by policymakers and commercially driven pharmaceutical research.’
Dr Luis Pizarro, Executive Director, DNDi
About the Award
The Princess of Asturias Awards, the most prestigious awards in Spain, recognize scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level. They are conferred in eight different categories: the Arts, Social Sciences, Communication and Humanities, Concord, International Cooperation, Sports,Technical and Scientific Research, and Literature.
DNDi joins previous laureates in the International Cooperation category including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the International Red Cross, Amref Health Africa, and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
Princess of Asturias Award Ceremony
The award ceremony took place on Friday 20 October in Oviedo, Spain. The ceremony was broadcasted live on RTVE and Radio 5.
Selection of media coverage
- El País – The initiative that develops medicines for the 1 billion people ignored by big pharmaceutical companies
- El País – Dr Kavita Singh: ‘Climate change is altering patterns for dengue fever and other diseases.’
- La Voz de Asturias – Dr Jorge Alvar: ‘Our model works. We have developed 12 treatments and will have another 15 by 2030.’
- La Voz de Asturias – Luis Pizarro: ‘If our patients are deprived of the advances of medical research, it is because they were born in the wrong place.’
- RTVE – Dr Luis Pizarro: ‘We must develop medicines without thinking about profit.’
- RNE – Dr Juliana Quintero: ‘Neglected diseases affect poor people.’
- RNE – Dr Luis Pizarro: ‘They are forgotten patients and poor patients.’
- Infosalus – Chagas disease will be the leading cause of heart transplants in Spain in a few years, warns DNDi
- SER – Dr Luis Pizarro: ‘This award is a loudspeaker for people with neglected diseases’
- La Vanguardia – Pizarro stresses the importance of helping those ‘forgotten by traditional research’
- La Razon – Luis Pizarro: ‘We hope to eliminate sleeping sickness by 2030.’
Acerca de DNDi
La iniciativa Medicamentos para Enfermedades Olvidadas (DNDi) es una organización internacional sin fines de lucro que descubre, desarrolla y proporciona tratamientos seguros, efectivos y asequibles para pacientes desatendidos. Utilizando el poder de la innovación, la ciencia abierta, las asociaciones y las alianzas de advocacy, buscamos soluciones a la falta de medicamentos contra las enfermedades que amenazan la vida de personas vulnerables.
Desde su creación en 2003, DNDi presentó doce nuevos tratamientos, entre ellos nuevas combinaciones de medicamentos para la leishmaniasis visceral (kala-azar), dos antipalúdicos con dosis fija, un tratamiento antirretroviral sencillo y adecuado a niños pequeños con VIH y la primera entidad química que ha desarrollado con éxito, el fexinidazol, aprobado en el 2018 para el tratamiento de la enfermedad del sueño.
Photo credits: Ana Ferreira-DNDi; Fundación Princesa de Asturias
