“The rise of emerging economies in Latin America is an opportunity to improve strategies for fighting neglected illnesses and increase the region’s contribution to the global struggle against them, says” Eric Stobbaerts, the Latin America director of the independent Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), Inter Press Service reports. “Our region is going through a major transformation in economic and social terms,” Stobbaerts told IPS after a meeting on “Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases” (NTDs) held in London on January 30, “mentioning the progress that has been made in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Mexico,” IPS writes.

“At the London meeting, DNDi highlighted, among other key aspects for the battle against neglected diseases, the promotion of innovation; open exchange of knowledge and research; and the creation of public-private institutional partnerships for the development of effective drugs,” IPS writes. “From the point of view of the DNDi, regional platforms for clinical research into specific diseases that bring together researchers, doctors, regulators, national controllers and ideally, patients themselves ‘are vital to ensure that our work is based on patients’ needs,’ Stobbaerts said,” the news service notes (Frayssinet, 2/3).