Gamechangers

We look at products that have transformed the prevention, treatment or diagnosis of neglected diseases between 1999 and 2023.

Our Infectious Disease R&D tracker shows that 183 products targeting neglected diseases have been approved by a regulatory agency or prequalified by the World Health Organization.

64% were approved between 2014 and 2023.

A chart depicting Approved products by type and disease, CVCP type products has 23 products for Maralia approved, while Diagnostics types have the most amount of diseases represented at 13.A chart depicting Approved products by type and disease, CVCP type products has 23 products for Maralia approved, while Diagnostics types have the most amount of diseases represented at 13.

80 of the 183 approved products have been prequalified by the WHO. Prequalification is used by procurement agencies like UNICEF, the Global Fund and UNITAID to determine which products to distribute to low- and middle-income countries.

A stacked area chart depicting Approvals and WHO pre qualifications over timeA stacked area chart depicting Approvals and WHO pre qualifications over time

Life-saving vaccines

More than 17 million lives were saved between 2000 and 2022 due to vaccines in Gavi-supported developing countries. 16 vaccines have been approved between 1999 and 2023.

A chart depicting Approved vaccine technology types with a total of 16 over 4 differed types: Subunit – 2, Oral Live attenuated – 4, Inactive – 4, and Conjugate vaccine – 6.A chart depicting Approved vaccine technology types with a total of 16 over 4 differed types: Subunit – 2, Oral Live attenuated – 4, Inactive – 4, and Conjugate vaccine – 6.

The gamechangers

Pneumonia: It is estimated that between 2010 and 2019, the introduction of PCV 13 prevented 175 million cases globally.

Malaria: The first ever malaria vaccines, Mosquirix (RTS, S/AS01e) and R21/Matrix-M are WHO prequalified. Mosquirix rolled out as a pilot in three high-burden African countries, resulting in a 13% drop in mortality among children age-eligible for vaccination.

Drugs that revolutionised treatment

Nearly 75% of approved drugs in this study are new chemical entities, with just over a third targeting malaria and a further third split between hepatitis C and Tuberculosis.

A chart depicting Approved drugs by archetype, with New chemical entity representing over half of the total.A chart depicting Approved drugs by archetype, with New chemical entity representing over half of the total.

The gamechangers

Hepatitis C: Became curable thanks to direct-acting antivirals (DAA). In just over a decade, Egypt has transitioned from having one of the highest rates in the world to one of the lowest.

Tuberculosis: Three novel drugs, bedaquiline, delamanid and pretomanid, have been approved and form the backbone of the WHO-recommended all-oral treatment for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

Ground-breaking diagnostics

Diagnostics amplify the impact of vaccines and therapeutics by identifying those most likely to benefit from treatment. Over 50% of the approved diagnostics are immunoassay-based tests, followed by molecular-based tests and lateral flow assays.

A chart depicting Approved diagnostics by technology types.A chart depicting Approved diagnostics by technology types.

The gamechangers

HIV: Point-of-care molecular technologies such as viral load monitoring and early-infant diagnosis have enabled ‘test and treat’ facilities. Estimates suggest these tests can increase WHO-recommended ART initiation within 60 days of birth by four times and decrease mortality by a fifth.

Tuberculosis: Global rollout of novel nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), such as cartridge-based platforms and line probe assays, for diagnosing drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis have resulted in an early initiation of treatment by over a month.

Each of these approved products has improved the lives of those affected by neglected diseases. We celebrate the achievements of the past 20 years but recognise this vital work must continue to address remaining needs and to make existing treatments more effective, affordable or accessible.