• DNDi_Logo_No-Tagline_Full Colour
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Cryptococcal meningitis
      • Hepatitis C
      • Dengue
      • Pandemic preparedness
      • 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
      • 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
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • Social media
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
      • Podcasts, radio & TV
      • Media workshops
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our strategy
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
      • Our prizes and awards
      • Our story: 20 years of DNDi
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
  • DNDi_Logo_No-Tagline_Full Colour
  • Our work
    • Diseases
      • Sleeping sickness
      • Visceral leishmaniasis
      • Cutaneous leishmaniasis
      • Chagas disease
      • Filaria: river blindness
      • Mycetoma
      • Paediatric HIV
      • Cryptococcal meningitis
      • Hepatitis C
      • Dengue
      • Pandemic preparedness
      • 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
      • 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
  • News & resources
    • News & stories
      • News
      • Stories
      • Statements
      • Viewpoints
      • Social media
      • eNews Newsletter
    • Press
      • Press releases
      • In the media
      • Podcasts, radio & TV
      • Media workshops
    • Resources
      • Scientific articles
      • Our publications
      • Videos
    • Events
  • About us
    • About
      • Who we are
      • How we work
      • Our strategy
      • Our donors
      • Annual reports
      • Our prizes and awards
      • Our story: 20 years of DNDi
    • Our people
      • Our leadership
      • Our governance
      • Contact us
    • Work with us
      • Working at DNDi
      • Job opportunities
      • Requests for proposal
  • Donate
Home > Press releases

CIPIH Report could change the lives of neglected patients

Geneva, Switzerland — 5 Apr 2006

DNDi welcomes the final report of the WHO’s Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH). The report clearly states that it is imperative for governments to set global health priorities and promote innovation to develop and deliver much-needed medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics adapted to the needs of the sick and neglected in developing countries.
[Português]

The report recognises that the burden of infectious diseases disproportionately affecting developing countries continues to increase. It states that the limited market cannot attract investment for innovation and that intellectual property rights are not an incentive in this area. The progress so far, by different players and public-private-partnerships to research and develop relevant health tools, is insufficient to change the situation.

As a first step, the report recommends the creation of a new, sustainable, global framework for R&D. The creation of this framework will need hands-on involvement of the public and private sectors, more partnerships and public funding, and a greater coordination role for the WHO.

“DNDi commends the Report’s recommendations. The current drug R&D model is failing millions in the poorer regions of the world where purchasing power is virtually non-existent and existing research capacities are underutilized. This Report brings hope of new treatments and diagnostics to neglected patients,” commented Dr Bernard Pecoul, Executive Director of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi).

At the next World Health Assembly, DNDi hopes that the CIPIH Report, in tandem with the resolution EB117.R13 “Global Framework on Essential Health R&D” proposed by Kenya and Brazil and synergistic with the Report’s conclusions, will encourage the WHO and its member states to take concrete steps towards solving the problems identified.

In June 2005, DNDi and partners launched an R&D appeal urging governments to boost R&D for neglected diseases. The appeal, signed by over 4,000 scientists so far, will be submitted to the WHA in May 2006. With the CIPIH Report recommending increased government involvement, DNDi believes that the time is right for the appeal’s call to become reality.

“This May, for the very first time, several initiatives advocating the issue of extensive government support for a new global framework for R&D will be presented at the WHA. We strongly hope this means that the WHO, in collaboration with world governments, will devise novel mechanisms to develop and bring new drugs to the neglected,” said Dr Pecoul.

To view the CIPIH report (in 6 languages) online, please go to: http://www.who.int/intellectualproperty/documents/thereport

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) is an independent, not-for-profit drug development initiative established in 2003 by five public-sector research organisations – Kenya Medical Research Institute, Indian Council of Medical Research, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Brazil, Malaysian Ministry of Health, and France’s Institut Pasteur; and Médecins Sans Frontières. The UNICEF/ UNDP/World Bank/WHO’s Special Progra mme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) is a permanent observer to the initiative. With a current portfolio of 20 projects, DNDi aims to develop new, improved, and field-relevant drugs for neglected diseases, such as malaria, leishmaniasis, human African trypanosomiasis, and Chagas disease that afflict the very poor in developing countries. DNDi also raises awareness about the need for greater R&D for neglected diseases and strengthens existing research capacity in disease-endemic countries. For further information, please consult www.dndi.org.

The R&D appeal was launched in June 2005 by DNDi and its founding partners, MSF, OxFam, BIOS Initiative. Supported initially by 18 Nobel laureates, more than 4,000 scientists have now signed on. Further information on the Appeal here

For more information, or to arrange an interview with Dr Bernard Pecoul , contact Ann-Marie SEVCSIK at amsevcsik@dndi.org ; +1-646-258-8131 or +41 (0)79 814 9147)

Policy advocacy Funding

Read, watch, share

Loading...
Press releases
13 Jun 2025

Serum Institute of India signs a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DNDi to advance the development of a new treatment for dengue in low- and middle-income countries

Press releases
13 Jun 2025

K-MEDI and DNDi have initiated collaborative R&D to develop a treatment for neglected diseases

News
6 Jun 2025

DNDi is partnering with Médecins Sans Frontières South Asia for the Without Borders Media Fellowship 2025 

News
5 Jun 2025

Meet the DNDi Eastern Africa 2024-2025 Media Fellows

Press releases
5 Jun 2025

Colombia becomes first country to recommend rapid tests to diagnose Chagas disease

Statements
27 May 2025

DNDi interventions at the 78th World Health Assembly

Press releases
22 May 2025

Six African nations commit to eliminate deadly neglected disease visceral leishmaniasis

Videos
20 May 2025

The Children of the Sierra

VIEW ALL

Help neglected patients

To date, we have delivered thirteen 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
Linkedin-in Instagram Twitter Facebook-f 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