<< Back to Cover (Alert, Summer 2001)

NEWS & EVENTS

BARRIERS TO NEW TB TREATMENTS DISCUSSED ON WORLD TB DAY

Treating a TB patient in a Russian prison (© MSF 2001)

Did you know that the World Health Organization estimates 35 million people will die from tuberculosis (TB) in the next twenty years? To raise awareness about the disease and the limited treatment options currently available, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) marked World TB Day with a public discussion at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) on March 20. Laurie Garrett, Newsday reporter and author of The Coming Plague and Betrayal of Trust, moderated the panel discussion entitled "Defusing the Time Bomb: the World's TB Crisis." Lee Reichman, MD, Director of the New Jersey Medical School National Tuberculosis Center, and Giorgio Roscigno, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Global Alliance for Tuberculosis Drug Development, joined James Orbinski, MD, former MSF International President in exploring the need for more affordable and effective treatments for TB and how to make them accessible to those most at risk: the world's poor and displaced, the urban homeless, and people with AIDS. To read a transcript from the discussion, click here.

MSF FIELD WORKERS SPEAK ON THE NEED FOR HIV/AIDS TREATMENTS

Caring for AIDS patients in Cambodia (© MSF 2001)

On June 25, the first ever United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) will convene in New York City. MSF field workers with first-hand experience treating people with HIV/AIDS in the developing world will be at the meetings to advocate that treatment, as well as prevention and care measures, be prioritized in the declaration of commitment on HIV/ AIDS that world leaders will be signing at the meeting. On Thursday, June 21, at 7 pm, MSF will hold a public forum on "Dying from Lack of Treatment: The International AIDS Crisis" at the CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan. Speakers will include Chris Ouma, MD, a former MSF physician from Kenya who now works with the organization Action Aid Kenya to treat people with AIDS in the slums of Nairobi. He will be joined by Konstantin Lezhentsev, MD, who works in MSF's HIV/AIDS instrumental in setting up the country's first HIV treatment program focused on mothers and children. Onanong Bunjumnong from MSF's AIDS project in Thailand and Rose Mougnutou, MD, from MSF's programs in Cameroon will also be speaking. Anne-Valerie Kaninda, MD, MSF USA's medical advisor, will moderate the discussion. For more information, click here.

MSF TO HOLD MAJOR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES IN NEW YORK THIS FALL

A health worker in Siberia, Russia (© Gary Calton/MSF)

The Crisis of Neglected Diseases: Developing Treatments & Ensuring Access, a conference sponsored by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in conjunction with Continuing Education and Public Programs, The Graduate Center, CUNY, will be held on Thursday, October 4, 2001, at The Graduate Center in New York City

Neglected diseases kill millions of people around the world each year. These are infectious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, sleeping sickness, and kala azar that predominantly affect poor people in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Research and development for new medicines are at a virtual standstill. Medicines that do exist are increasingly ineffective because of drug resistance, or are simply unavailable because producers do not expect an adequate return on investment. For some diseases, no treatment exists at all because researching and developing treatments would be unlikely to result in profitable drug sales.

The conference is the culmination of two years of research into the access crisis by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Working Group, an independent, interdisciplinary group of international experts. Designed to engage key players in the field-from researchers to pharmaceutical companies to governments, the conference will explore alternative models for drug development and access to treatment. MSF also hopes the conference will raise public awareness about the crisis and its impact on millions of people worldwide.

Conference Program
Thursday, October 4
9:30am - 5pm

Morning Panels: Defining the Crisis
What is the extent of the access crisis? How does it impact patients and doctors around the world? What are the challenges in creating sustainable research and development programs for various neglected diseases? The Drugs for Neglected Diseases working group and an international panel of experts will address these and other critical questions.

Afternoon: Seeking Effective Solutions
What needs to be done? Who should do it? How can we build an effective international response that involves key players and ensures accountability? Afternoon sessions will feature international leaders in health policy, research, industry and government discussing proposals for significant changes in how research and policy are done.

To find out more about the neglected diseases crisis, conference speakers, and registration information, see our special website, www.neglecteddiseases.org.