Barbeitas Mady

Doctoral student in sociology of health and innovation, EHESS

Contact: mady.unb(at)gmail.com

Dissertation defended on 10 January 2022: Pharmaceutical research & development for neglected diseases from leishmaniasis standpoint : continuity or discontinuity on Global Health?

Maurice Cassier, thesis director

Leishmaniasis is a complex of clinical manifestations that is classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organisation. It is endemic in 98 countries or territories with an annual incidence of approximately 2 million new cases worldwide. Neglected tropical diseases are sometimes lethal, sometimes debilitating, but their main characteristic is a lack of adapted treatments due to the absence of profitable markets. The importance of this disease in the global context coupled with the lack of private sector commitment to drug development has mobilized several actors, including public research institutes and international organizations. They have approached the private sector to share the costs and risks of developing new drugs for leishmaniasis, establishing public-private partnerships. In this context, this research aims to scrutinize the power relations at work in public-private partnerships for the development of new drugs for leishmaniasis. It also embraces the production and circulation of scientific knowledge in public-private partnerships. In particular, this study focuses on the role and place of companies, public institutions and international organizations in sharing information and in providing new products to neglected patients. On the other hand, this dissertation focuses on the trajectory of some molecules registered for the treatment of leishmaniasis at the global level. By studying drug trajectories, this research proposes a broad look at the political, economic and technological issues related to the production of medicines for neglected diseases. This second axis is based on the hypothesis that therapeutic innovation is transformed and adapted according to the contexts of use, the geographical regions and the nature of the actors involved. Through the example of leishmaniasis drug development, this research aims to contribute with the field of political economy of medicines and globalization of health.

Mots clés

Innovation, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Public Private Partnerships, Leishmaniasis, Global Health, DNDi