Pesquisa, desenvolvimento e inovação para o controle das doenças negligenciadas

The steady stream of new products on the market is the result of technological innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. The Brazilian government has invested in promising initiatives for innovation through the development of drugs for public health programs, setting up the Program for Research and Development on Neglected Diseases, which focuses on seven diseases: dengue fever, Chagas’ disease, leishmaniasis, Hansen’s disease, malaria, schistosomiasis and tuberculosis. The article reviews the R&D applied to the prevention and control of neglected diseases in Brazil and worldwide. On the basis of survey data, we note that there are great obstacles to the development of the technology and products needed to fight neglected diseases and there are few investments in this segment in comparison with research that focuses on other diseases. In this light, we stress the importance of investment in research in this area and in sanitation and educational programs to guide the population in combating the proliferation of vectors and causative agents