WHO and Bayer AG renew longstanding collaboration to eliminate three deadly neglected tropical diseases – World Health Organization (WHO)

Report on the Renewed WHO and Bayer AG Partnership for NTD Control

Executive Summary

The World Health Organization (WHO) and Bayer AG have extended their long-standing collaboration for the period 2025–2030. This public-private partnership, a key example of Sustainable Development Goal 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), aims to accelerate progress against three neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The initiative directly supports the achievement of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by providing essential medicines and financial support, thereby contributing to universal health coverage and addressing the health-related targets of the 2030 Agenda. The collaboration also addresses the socioeconomic drivers of disease, impacting SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Advancing SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Target 3.3: End the Epidemic of Neglected Tropical Diseases

The renewed agreement focuses on scaling up treatment for three specific NTDs in endemic countries, in alignment with the WHO NTD road map 2021–2030. The contribution from Bayer AG is structured to directly combat these diseases.

• Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis)
• Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)
• Taeniasis/cysticercosis (pork tapeworm disease)

Target 3.8: Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Access to Medicines

The partnership enhances access to essential, quality-assured medicines for vulnerable populations, a cornerstone of universal health coverage. The five-year commitment includes:

1. Medicine Donation: A total of 18 million tablets and vials, with an estimated value of US$ 15.5 million. Donated medicines include:
   • Suramin and nifurtimox for human African trypanosomiasis and Chagas disease.
   • Niclosamide for taeniasis.
2. Financial Support: A provision of US$ 9.45 million to support WHO’s programmatic operations at global, regional, and country levels, strengthening health systems and ensuring interventions reach those in need.

Programmatic Impact on Specific Diseases and SDG Targets

Sustaining the Elimination of Human African Trypanosomiasis

Significant progress has been made towards eliminating sleeping sickness, a direct contribution to SDG 3.3. Support from this partnership has been instrumental in these achievements.

• Between 2020 and 2025, ten countries were validated by WHO for having eliminated the disease as a public health problem.
• Reported cases have dropped to historic lows, with only 546 gambiense and 37 rhodesiense cases reported in 2024.
• Future efforts will focus on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, strengthening screening, capacity-building, and surveillance to achieve final elimination goals.

Advancing Towards Chagas Disease Elimination

The program targets the interruption of Chagas disease transmission, with a special focus on protecting future generations, which aligns with SDG 3 and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

• The donation of nifurtimox, including a paediatric formulation, improves treatment access for children.
• A key priority is the elimination of congenital Chagas disease through the systematic screening and treatment of girls and women of childbearing age.
• Support will also strengthen health information systems, foster digital innovation for disease mapping, and empower patient associations.

Controlling Taeniasis/Cysticercosis and its Neurological Impact

This component of the partnership addresses the link between NTDs and non-communicable diseases, contributing to SDG Target 3.4 (reduce premature mortality from NCDs).

• The donation of niclosamide is used for mass drug administration to treat T. solium taeniasis.
• Treating taeniasis is critical to preventing neurocysticercosis, a major cause of preventable epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries.
• Future strategy will utilize a One Health approach in high-burden countries, integrating human, animal, and environmental health programs.

Broader Contributions to the Sustainable Development Agenda

Impact on SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

NTDs disproportionately affect the world’s poorest populations, creating a cycle of poverty and disease. By targeting these conditions, the partnership addresses fundamental drivers of inequality.

• NTDs impose a significant economic burden on developing communities through direct health costs, lost productivity, and reduced educational attainment.
• Providing free treatment and strengthening health systems in marginalized regions helps reduce this economic burden, contributing to poverty reduction and diminishing health inequalities.

A Model for SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The collaboration between WHO and Bayer AG, spanning over two decades, serves as an exemplary model of a multi-stakeholder partnership for sustainable development.

• It demonstrates the critical role of the private sector in achieving global health targets.
• This sustained partnership model is essential for achieving the ambitious targets of the WHO NTD road map and the broader 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

This is the most central SDG addressed in the article. The entire text focuses on a partnership to combat three specific Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs): Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), and taeniasis/cysticercosis. The article details efforts to provide treatment, reduce disease incidence, and move towards elimination, all of which are core components of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article is fundamentally about a partnership. It describes the “longstanding collaboration” between the World Health Organization (WHO), a public international body, and Bayer AG, a private pharmaceutical company. This public-private partnership is presented as an “exemplary model” for mobilizing financial resources, medicines, and expertise to achieve global health goals, directly reflecting the spirit of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.
   • The article directly addresses this target by focusing on the fight against three specific NTDs. It explicitly mentions the goal is to “accelerate progress towards the 2030 targets set in the NTD road map 2021–2030,” which aligns perfectly with the timeline and objective of Target 3.3. The efforts to achieve “elimination of sleeping sickness” and control Chagas disease and taeniasis are prime examples.
2. Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
   • The collaboration ensures the “donation of quality-assured medicines” free of charge to endemic countries. The article specifies the donation of suramin, nifurtimox, and niclosamide, which are essential for treating these NTDs. This action directly contributes to providing access to affordable (in this case, free) essential medicines, a key component of universal health coverage.

Under SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • The article showcases a successful, long-term public-private partnership. Dr. Jeremy Farrar from WHO praises it as an “exemplary model of collaboration between the private and public sectors,” and the text highlights its duration (“spanning over 20 years”) and renewal. The partnership mobilizes both donated medicines and financial support (“US$ 9.45 million”), demonstrating an effective resourcing strategy as mentioned in the target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 3 Targets

• Disease Incidence: The article provides specific data on the number of reported cases of sleeping sickness, stating that in 2024, “only 546 cases of the gambiense form and 37 cases of the rhodesiense form were reported.” This is a direct indicator of progress in controlling and eliminating the disease (relevant to Target 3.3).
• Number of People Requiring Interventions: The text mentions a significant achievement: “a reduction in the number of people requiring treatment against NTDs by nearly 700 million between 2010 and 2023.” This serves as a high-level indicator for progress against NTDs (relevant to Target 3.3).
• Geographic Elimination of Disease: Progress is measured by the number of countries achieving elimination status. The article states that “10 countries have been validated by WHO for eliminating either the gambiense or the rhodesiense forms of this condition as a public health problem” (relevant to Target 3.3).
• Access to Medicines: The quantity and value of donated medicines are clear indicators of increased access. The article specifies “18 million tablets and vials” with an “estimated value is US$ 15.5 million” being donated, which measures the contribution towards universal access to essential medicines (relevant to Target 3.8).

Indicators for SDG 17 Targets

• Value of Financial and In-Kind Contributions: The partnership’s contribution is quantified, serving as an indicator of its scale and impact. The article mentions a financial commitment of “US$ 9.45 million in support of WHO’s programmatic work” and a medicine donation valued at “US$ 15.5 million.” These figures measure the resources mobilized through the partnership (relevant to Target 17.17).
• Existence and Duration of Partnership: The article itself is evidence of the partnership. Its longevity (“spanning over 20 years”) and formal renewal (“five-year extension (2025–2030)”) are qualitative indicators of a sustained and effective collaboration (relevant to Target 17.17).

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: who.int