EDCTP contributions to ending neglected tropical diseases
In line with the theme of World NTD Day 2025, “Unite. Act. Eliminate,” EDCTP reaffirms its commitment to ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Since their inclusion in the scope of the second EDCTP programme (EDCTP2) in 2014, our research funding has achieved significant milestones in controlling and eliminating these diseases.
Joining forces against NTDs
The EDCTP Association has been working with public and private partners under the EDCTP2 programme to support research on preventing, treating, and controlling NTDs.
Additionally, on World NTD Day, Global Health EDCTP3 will sign and endorse the Kigali Declaration. This high-level political declaration aims to mobilise political will, community commitment, resources, and actions necessary to end the suffering caused by these infectious diseases. Dr Michael Makanga, Executive Director of Global Health EDCTP3, will sign the Declaration during a special event organised by the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases.
The Kigali Declaration has also been endorsed by EDCTP Association members from Europe (Belgium, Germany, UK) and Africa (Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda).
“We’re proud of the achievements of EDCTP2 projects and partners in bringing new, effective treatments for NTDs. Let’s unite under Global Health EDCTP3 to support research to tackle these devastating diseases affecting the world’s poorest populations. ”
Dr Pauline Beattie, Operations Manager and Scientific Adviser, EDCTP Association
Investing in innovative research against NTDs
Since 2014, EDCTP2 has invested €80 million in NTD research. With support from the EDCTP Association and its partners, this funding has led to improved treatments for leishmaniasis, soil-transmitted helminth infections, sleeping sickness and schistosomiasis, while also empowering African research leaders in NTDs.
The EDCTP2-funded STOP Consortium demonstrated the efficacy of a fixed-dose combination of ivermectin and albendazole for treating soil-transmitted helminths. These results, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on January 10, 2025, provide new hope for controlling these NTDs, which impact around 1.5 billion people worldwide.
This important work continues under the STOP2030 project, funded by Global Health EDCTP3, which is testing the safety and effectiveness of the fixed-dose combination in mass drug administration campaigns in Kenya and Ghana.
“Our findings demonstrate that a fixed-dose combination of albendazole and ivermectin is more effective than albendazole alone in treating Trichuris trichiura and hookworm infections, representing a major breakthrough in the fight against soil-transmitted helminths. Further studies in larger populations and real-world settings will be crucial to ensure that this combination therapy can be integrated into global deworming programs.”
Dr Jose Muñoz, coordinator of the STOP Consortium and Head of the International Department, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal, Spain)
This year, the Global Health EDCTP3 Work Programme includes a research topic on developing preventive vaccines against NTDs in sub-Saharan Africa. Global Health EDCTP3 will invest around €45.9 million in three research and innovation projects aimed at:
- Generating data on novel or existing vaccines to advance the prevention, control, and elimination of NTDs in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Improving the understanding of barriers to the progression of new or improved vaccines against NTDs.
- Generating clinical data that includes pregnant and lactating women, newborns, children, adolescents, other vulnerable groups, and people with co-infections and co-morbidities.
Towards eliminating NTDs
EDCTP is proud to support studies contributing to the elimination of NTDs in Africa.
In 2021, the WHO verified the elimination of sleeping sickness in Côte d’Ivoire, an achievement that relied significantly on the efforts of the EDCTP2-funded DiTECT-HAT project.
As of 30 January 2025, Guinea has also received WHO certification confirming the elimination of sleeping sickness as a public health problem. Projects supported by EDCTP2 (FEX-g-HAT and ACOZIKIDS) and Global Health EDCTP3 (STROGHAT) have played a vital role in this collaborative effort. This marks the first disease eliminated in Guinea and represents a significant milestone in the global campaign to eradicate sleeping sickness.