Amanda Glassman was quoted in a Voice of America article on neglected diseases.
From the Article
A billion people around the world suffer from neglected tropical diseases, and the global health community is working to develop new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics. But experts note that success is uneven in part because of different rules and regulations in different countries for drug development and testing.
Dr. Shyam Sundar sees patients suffering from Kala azar in India's Bihar state. The disease, transmitted by sandflies, causes prolonged fever and can be fatal, if left untreated.
Dr. Sundar is developing a simpler approach to treatment, rather than the older protocol of several days of injections.
“Today, the future is much more bright for this disease than what it was 20 years ago," said Sundar.
Dr. Sundar works with Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDI). The international collaboration, committed to developing and delivering new drugs and therapies, has launched a four-year program for diagnosis and treatment of kala azar in India and Bangladesh. Experts say DNDI's findings may ultimately change the way the disease is treated in these two coutnries.
Dr. Peter Hotez, president of Sabin Vaccine Institute, says it is much easier to test new therapies in India than in other parts of the world.