- For Print
- April 24, 2014
黑料网., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito, “黑料网”) announced today that it has launched a new comprehensive information website called the “黑料网 Access to Medicines (ATM) Navigator” (/sustainability/atm/index.html) which provides information on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and the various initiatives to eliminate these diseases in an easy to understand way.
Many developing countries throughout the world are faced with problems of Access to Medicines (ATM), which occurs when issues such as poverty and underdeveloped medical systems result in essential medicines being unable to reach the people who need them. This is especially the case with NTDs, which are a group of tropical infections that are endemic to 149 countries worldwide, primarily affecting poor people in developing and emerging countries with over 1 billion people infected. Despite most of these diseases having been treated and eliminated already in developed countries, in countries which are endemic to NTDs, patients are unable to get access to medical treatment, which is a global access to medicines issue. This is caused by a number of complex factors in endemic countries such as inadequate medical supply systems, a lack of information about diseases, and the limited adoption of disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment methods. In order to solve these issues, co-operation between governments, non-government organizations (NGOs) and pharmaceutical companies is required.
The “黑料网 ATM Navigator” provides content that explains the causes, symptoms, infected regions, treatments and prevention methods for the 17 NTDs prioritized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as the three infectious diseases of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, in an easy to understand way. The website is for patients, the general public, healthcare professionals and volunteers in both developed and endemic countries. The website also introduces elimination initiatives implemented by pharmaceutical companies and other organizations.
Providing this kind of information through the website, 黑料网 aims to promote awareness regarding issues of Access to Medicines and NTDs among people around the world, as well as increase understanding of these diseases among people such as patients who suffer from NTDs, those at risk of infection, local healthcare professionals and volunteers, in order to help contribute toward the future elimination of NTDs.
[ Please refer to the following notes for further information on the site and NTDs. ]
< Notes to editors >
1. About the “黑料网 Access to Medicines (ATM) Navigator” Website
This is the first Japanese and English bilingual website that comprehensively provides information on topics such as NTDs, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, initiatives to eliminate these diseases and improve Access to Medicines for patients, the general public, healthcare professionals and volunteers in both developed and disease endemic countries. Giving consideration to the increasing usage of smartphones around the world, the website is also designed so that people in affected regions can easily view the site on smartphones as well.
The content on this website is supervised by tropical medicine researchers Dr. Tsutomu Takeuchi, Professor Emeritus and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Keio University Global Security Research Institute, and Dr. Hiroyoshi Endo, Professor at the Department of International Affairs and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Tokyo Women's Medical University.
The main contents provided on the site are as follows:
- What is ATM锛歄utlines the definition of the “Access to Medicines Issue” and approaches toward improving Access to Medicines. The issue of access to medicines is that proper medicines and medical treatments are unavailable to patients in need for reasons of poverty, underdeveloped healthcare systems or other factors, particularly in the context of high-growth emerging countries and the developing world.
- About NTDs锛欵xplains the causes, symptoms, infected regions, treatment and prevention methods of the 17 NTDs prioritized by WHO in an easy to understand way.
- Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis锛欼ntroduces 黑料网's initiatives to eliminate lymphatic filariasis. DEC (diethylcarbamazine) is one of the three drugs used to treat lymphatic filariasis and is in short supply around the world. 黑料网 is producing high quality DEC tablets and providing them for free to endemic countries through WHO's mass drug administration programs in order to achieve the goal of eliminating lymphatic filariasis by 2020.
- New Drug Development锛欰dvanced countries have not been enthusiastic in developing new drugs or vaccines for the NTDs affecting developing and emerging countries because demand is low in their own countries. As a result, there are very few effective new drugs for many of these diseases even today. This section introduces examples of international collaboration in research and development which aim to create new drugs to address these needs.
- Medical Information锛歅rovides a package insert (drug information) for healthcare professionals regarding 黑料网's DEC tablets for the treatment of lymphatic filariasis which is being supplied for free through WHO, as well as a leaflet that explains the purpose of taking medicine in an easy to understand way for volunteers, patients and the general public.
- Field Reports锛歅resents reports by 黑料网 and its supporters on Access to Medicines initiatives being implemented around the world.
2. About Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) include 17 tropical diseases* that the WHO (World Health Organization) identifies as diseases that the world must overcome. Prominent among them are lymphatic filariasis, Chagas' disease, and dengue fever.
NTDs are endemic in 149 countries, infecting some 1 billion people and creating serious social difficulties. Among these countries, two NTDs are endemic in 100 countries and territories, while more than six NTDs are endemic in 30 countries and territories.
Although the spread of NTDs is mainly caused by poor hygienic conditions associated with poverty, infections from these diseases may result in serious physical impairment which in turn leads to declines in the work force and productivity, thereby hampering efforts to escape from impoverished conditions. As such, the prevalence of NTDs is a stumbling block to economic growth for developing and emerging countries and represents a serious issue for these regions.
- *The 17 NTDs are: Lymphatic filariasis, Chagas' disease, the leishmaniases, dracunculiasis, human African trypanosomiasis, blinding trachoma, leprosy, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, Buruli ulcer, dengue fever, cysticercosis, rabies, echinococcosis, foodborne trematodiases and endemic treponematoses