Novartis extends its commitment to patients with leprosy providing free drugs to all patients worldwide through 2010
Novartis and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that they are further extending their agreement to fight leprosy: all patients in the world will now continue to benefit from free drugs under the extended agreement until the end of 2010.
November 4, 2005 - Depending on the number of cases detected over the next five years, this agreement is valued at between $14.5 and $24.5 million. The first phase of the donation (2000 to 2005) led to about 4 million patients being cured and was valued at US$ 40 million.
The lower dollar value of the new agreement is due to the impressive progress being made in the struggle to eliminate leprosy as a public health problem in all countries. As of the beginning of 2005, the number of cases of leprosy worldwide was 286,000, a drop of 38% since the beginning of 2004.
The number of new cases detected during 2004 was also substantially lower (down 21% than in the previous year), providing further evidence that previously undetected cases are finally being reached and treated.
The rapid progress in recent years is largely due to improved coverage of leprosy services, with the integration of leprosy treatment into the general health system. This has made multidrug therapy (MDT), donated by Novartis and made available free by WHO to all countries, easily accessible even in the most remote areas.
Since 1985, more than 14 million patients have been cured of leprosy through the use of multidrug therapy (MDT). The greatest credit for the progress rests with committed governments and with the staff of national programmes.
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