Neglected Diseases – Dundee’s Quest for New Medicines – Monday 30th September 2013, 7pm

Dundee is leading a new battle on tropical diseases. These infectious diseases are responsible for more deaths and disability in sub-Saharan Africa than all other causes combined. As a result there is a huge difference in average life expectancy -54 years in Africa compared to 80 years in the UK.

Many of the currently available treatments for these neglected diseases of poverty are not fit-for-purpose and affordable, safer new drugs are urgently needed.

Despite these gross inequalities in health, only 10% of global expenditure on the research and development of new treatments is devoted to diseases that afflict 90% of the world’s population – the 10:90 gap.

Alan’s talk examined strategies to overcome gaps in the discovery, development and delivery of new treatments for neglected diseases and he described how the University of Dundee is contributing in the fight towards health for all.