Contain This: The Latest in Global Health Security

The Orphaned Drug - How the world came together to treat River Blindness

January 30, 2020 Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Season 1 Episode 3
Contain This: The Latest in Global Health Security
The Orphaned Drug - How the world came together to treat River Blindness
Show Notes

In June 2018 the US FDA approved the drug moxidectin for the treatment of River Blindness. How did this drug with no market and no chance of profit get through FDA approval? This podcast is a tale of two cities; two people on opposite sides of the world came together to produce a new drug to treat the disease. Mark Sullivan, Founder & Managing Director of Medicines for Global Health and John Reeder, the Director of the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases tell us how this orphaned drug came to be and how it will contribute to the elimination of River Blindness.