Nagasaki Outcomes Statement calls for access, delivery for NTDs

On May 12th, the eve of the G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting, global health leaders from around the world convened in Nagasaki to call for the prioritization of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Gathering at the Symposium for G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting in Nagasaki, “Accelerating Research, Development, Access, and Delivery for Neglected Tropical Diseases,” hosted by the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), Nagasaki University and Uniting to Combat NTDs (Uniting), leaders and the community jointly developed the Nagasaki Outcomes Statement, which calls for the acceleration of R&D, access, and delivery for NTDs.

NTDs are a group of 20 conditions that affect more than 1.6 billion people and disproportionally affect communities in low-income countries (LICs). Despite the need for diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics, NTDs are under-researched, under-treated and under-funded. Whilst incredible progress has been made against NTDs, with 47 countries having eliminated at least one NTD, and 600 million fewer people required interventions against NTDs in 2020 than in 2010, the Covid-19 pandemic and global economic slowdowns are threatening progress made to date. Unless sustained and specific action-oriented steps to maintain the momentum are taken, there is a real risk of a reversal of gains made in the last decade.

The Nagasaki Outcome Statement builds on and reaffirms the “Kigali Declaration on NTD,s ” a high-level political declaration that is mobilizing political will, community commitment, resources and action, and securing commitments needed to end suffering caused by NTDs. The Nagasaki Outcome Statement aims to accelerate the implementation of the Kigali Declaration by outlining how R&D, access and delivery for NTDs are critical to achieving G7’s ambitions on Universal Health Coverage and pandemic preparedness.

It highlights the importance of:

1. Accelerating research and development (R&D) for NTDs.
2. Accelerating access for medical interventions against NTDs.
3. Connecting, coordinating and creating an enabling environment for the acceleration of R&D, access and delivery.

The details of the Nagasaki Outcome Statement will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

Osamu Kunii, CEO of GHIT Fund, stated “We are confident that Japan, as the host country of the G7, has communicated to the world the current status of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and has made progress in addressing these issues together with stakeholders from industry, government, academia and the private sector. The role of the GHIT Fund is to work closely with our partners to accelerate research and development more than ever, and to serve as a bridge between Japan and the world to promote innovation and product development.”

Professor Shigeru Kohno, President of Nagasaki University stated, “It is significant that Japan, as the chair of the G7, has been able to send a message about the need to revitalize neglected tropical diseases (NTD) countermeasures and research and development at a time when the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the end of its emergency declaration for Covid-19, for which many resources have been allocated to counter the pandemic and those for NTDs have been greatly delayed. Nagasaki University, which has the leading tropical medicine research institutions in Japan, would like to further contribute to the global fight against NTDs by bringing together not only academics, but also industry, government, and the private sector.”

Thoko Elphick-Pooley, Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs, said: “We acknowledge and commend the G7’s endorsement of the Kigali Declaration on NTDs. We call on G7 leaders to continue to meet their commitments by building on investments in research and innovation for new drugs and diagnostics to help reach the goals set out in the World Health Organization’s NTD road map, as well as financing to ensure a sustainable supply of commodities for NTDs. This investment will help to ensure that the most vulnerable populations have access to effective treatments and prevention measures. Investing in NTD programs is critical to achieving the G7 priorities of universal health coverage (UHC) and pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (Pandemic PPR) efforts. Urgent action is needed to protect progress on NTDs. This is a critical moment; when the G7 acts together, they can achieve ambitious goals.”
MB Bureau