To achieve any success in reducing the burden of NTDsthere must
be more appropriate ODA funding to supportongoing programmes and
for research and development of new tools, drugs, diagnostics
and vaccines. In addition togovernments, changing this bias is
the responsibility of both prospective recipients and donors.
Issues in health policy and the impact on NTDs NTDs have
received more drug donations from pharma-
ceuticalcompaniesthananyotherpublichealthinitiatives. Public
private partnerships have successfully distrib-uted donated
ivermectin in onchocerciasis eliminationefforts since 1987, and
this method has now been appliedto provide albendazole, donated
by GlaxoSmithKline andMectizan, donated by Merck and Co. Inc.,
for lymphaticﬁlariasis through the Mectizan Donation
Programme.Numerous charities, pharmaceutical companies, inter-
national programmes and non-governmental organis-ations (NGOs)
are involved with various NTDs, eachoffering different opinions
on the best strategies to tackletheseproblems.TheGlobalN