DAKAR, 13 February 2009 (IRIN): Diseases that kill millions of people annually in the developing world are overlooked as donors and pharmaceutical companies spend most of their money on creating products to treat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, according to a study by Georgia Institute for International Health.
Funding for what the Australia-based research organisation calls “neglected diseases”- including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria – went up in 2007 to 2,5 billion US dollar, but survey leader Mary Moran said there was also bad news.
– Some of the biggest or cruellest killers like pneumonia and Buruli ulcer (kroniske åbne og ekspanderende sårdannelser) have few advocates, no global fund and get less than five percent of funding, stressed she.
Pneumonia, which kills more under-five children every year than AIDS, malaria and measles combined, according to World Health Organization (WHO), received only one percent of 2007 public and private research and development monies.
Meanwhile, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has received a staggering 12,4 billion dollar since 2001, according to its website.
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