Annex 2
EXAMPLES OF RESEARCH COUNCIL CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE WORK OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS
This Annex lists a few of the Research Council
achievements that are contributing to improving and saving lives
in the developing world.
Insecticide treated bednets save children's lives
(MDGs 4 & 6)
MRC demonstrated in The Gambia in 1986 that
sleeping under bednets treated with safe pyrethroid insecticides
reduced people's exposure to malaria infected mosquito bites.
A further MRC study demonstrated a 63% drop in deaths from all
causes in children under five years when using such nets. These
and other studies led to the establishment of national bed net
programmes and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Malaria Intervention
for Child Survival Programme. One of the most effective practical
interventions against malaria, insecticide treated nets are now
saving lives across the world.
Vaccination against respiratory disease can work
in Africa (MDG 4)
Haemophilus influenzae type b has almost
been eradicated in the developed world. However a lack of reliable
vaccine supplies means it persists in Africa where it is one of
the most common causes of fatal meningitis and bacterial pneumonia
in children. Following trials carried out by the London School
of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the MRC Gambia Laboratories,
in partnership with the Gambian government, the country's vaccination
rate has reached 80 per cent and the disease has been almost eliminated
among children. On the basis of the Gambia studies (and others
in China and Uruguay), the WHO Global Programme for Vaccines and
Immunization recommended that "Hib vaccine should be included
in routine infant immunization programs".
Eliminating blinding trachoma worldwide
Across the world some 150 million people suffer
from active Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the leading
preventable cause of blindness. In 1993, an MRC Clinician Scientist
published a trial showing that a single dose of oral azithromycin
was at least as effective as the then WHO-recommended treatment—supervised
application of tetracycline ointment twice daily for six weeks.
This MRC trial influenced Pfizer, the manufacturer of azithromycin,
to start a donation programme for trachoma control (135 million
doses pledged to date). With this safe, effective, single-dose
treatment incorporated in WHO-recommended guidelines, the World
Health Assembly resolved in 1999 to eliminate blinding trachoma
completely by 2020.
US approval of an anti-HIV drug specifically formulated
for paediatric use
Treatment of HIV/AIDS in children is a great
challenge in LICs. One of the reason that paediatric formulations
are difficult to give and are expensive. Data from an EDCTP-funded
study, involving the MRC Clinical Trials Unit, contributed to
the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) granting tentative
approval for the registration of a fixed-dose anti-HIV drug specifically
formulated for children. That the three component drugs are combined
in one tablet, and the tablets can be stored, distributed, and
administered easily to children is a significant advance in resource-limited
settings.
Following tentative FDA approval, this antiretroviral
drug will be included in the WHO Prequalification Programme and
will become available for distribution under the PEPFAR and Clinton
Foundation programmes.
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