Why are some medicines injectable, while others come as tablets? What are the specific challenges of manufacturing drugs for neglected diseases? Why is acoziborole – our new sleeping sickness pill – white? Why does the design of drug packaging require so much thought? And how do we ensure the consistent quality of our medicines?

Dr Stephen Robinson, Pharmaceutical Development Director at DNDi, oversees all Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) work for both DNDi and our sister organization GARDP. In this interview, he talks in particular about zoliflodacin, a newly registered antibiotic for gonorrhea developed by GARDP; about acoziborole, a new single-dose oral treatment for sleeping sickness developed by DNDi; and explains why CMC is a shared resource between GARDP and DNDi.