From bench to clinic: bridging the translational gap in neglected disease drug development.

摘要

Neglected diseases are technically defined as a group of tropical diseases prevalent in developing countries and are particularly associated with underserved and poverty-stricken populations. More broadly, neglected diseases could be thought of as diseases that do not command the attention of the principal entities (pharmaceutical companies) that have the required skill sets and capacity to discover and develop new and innovative drug therapies. This expanded view of neglected diseases would then include rare (orphan) diseases and other unmet medical needs. Pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest the large sums of money and resources that are typically required to develop and register a new drug if the market for that drug is too small or they are unable to pay for it. For example, many tropical neglected diseases affect millions of patients, but it is a market that consists of the poorest of the poor, with no means to pay. This lack of financial incentive is the main factor behind the relatively modest efforts devoted to neglected disease R&D by the pharmaceutical industry.