Interventions in Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) represent some of the largest public health interventions globally, and the innovative biopharmaceutical industry has always been an active partner throughout.

The innovative biopharmaceutical industry’s support to NTDs is multi-faceted, and R&D activities are complemented by medicine donations and programs to strengthen health system capacities and improve public awareness on disease prevention.

This year, we celebrated the first-ever NTD Day and I am pleased to see that R&D investment by multinational biopharmaceutical companies reached its highest-ever level. However, we are far from having all the tools we need to control and eliminate NTDs. Our industry is committed and engaged in a long-standing fight, and will continue to dedicate teams of world-class researchers and our facilities to find new cures for these diseases that affect the poorest of the poor.

Collaboration is however, at the heart of everything: cross-sectoral cooperation and public-private partnerships are more important than ever if we want to further catalyze innovation, harness the power of science and technology, and help unlock new ways of reaching a world free of NTDs.Beyond research and development, our industry also helps endemic countries to address their NTD related health challenges – by assisting countries to build strong health systems that are accessible and staffed with qualified healthcare workers, along with helping to bolster the supply chain and facilitating the delivery of quality, affordable medicines and vaccines. We look forward to working alongside governments and the global health community to sustain gains and bring innovative solutions to accelerate progress towards the control and elimination of NTDs.