During the 1990s, MSF teams made a bitter observation: we were failing to treat some of our patients suffering from infectious diseases, while in developed countries, remarkable progress was being made in the field of health. Two decades on, medicines in developing countries are still either too expensive, aren't suitable to be used in many of the contexts in which we work (for example, in hot, humid conditions or where there's a lack of electricity), or simply don't exist for the diseases we need to treat.
In 1999, we launched the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, now known as the Access Campaign. Its mission focuses on three areas: overcoming barriers to access to essential medicines, stimulating research and development for neglected diseases, promoting health exceptions to global trade agreements.
In 2003, MSF joined several research institutes, including the Institut Pasteur, to create the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a non-profit research and development organisation engaged in research and development of new treatments for neglected diseases.
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Green light to put public health first at WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha
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Rich countries blocking drug deal for poor countries
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A Matter of Life and Death: The role of patents in access to essential medicines
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Report shows near empty pipeline of drugs for diseases of the world's poor
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Fatal Imbalance: The Crisis in Research and Development for Drugs for Neglected Diseases
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TRIPS council session on access to medicines
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G8 window dresses while poor die from lack of medicines
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Global Health Fund must not be a subsidy for the drug industry
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