Gilead Sciences and the World Health Organization (WHO) will strengthen their agreement to eliminate the deadly parasitic disease visceral leishmaniasis (VL) through expanded cooperation focused on delivering treatments to East African countries over the next five years.
Under the agreement, Gilead will donate more than 400,000 bottles of AmBisome liposome injection and provide additional financial support of $9.2 million through 2030, the company said in a press release Thursday. Donations will be made mainly to countries that account for approximately 74% of the world’s VL burden, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, and Nepal.
“Thanks to continued efforts and investment, eradication of visceral leishmaniasis is within reach,” said Daniel O’Day, CEO of Gilead. “Through our efforts to expand access to diagnosis and treatment of this disease, we are already making significant progress in endemic regions. By expanding this collaboration and increasing our focus on East Africa, we will accelerate progress toward elimination and help ensure more people receive the care they need to survive.”
AmBiosome became the first FDA-approved VL treatment in 1997 and has since helped reduce the burden of disease around the world, including in Southwest Asia, where Gilead’s partnership with WHO has reduced new cases of the disease by more than 95% since 2005.
“This agreement underscores the power of strategic partnerships in advancing global health priorities. Through our collaboration with Gilead Sciences, WHO is well positioned to support countries in accelerating the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis as a public health problem,” said Dr. Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care. “Over the next five years, this collaboration will help expand access to essential tools, foster innovation, and strengthen our most burdened health systems.”
The new agreement between the company and public health authorities is the result of years of collaboration towards this mission, with the most recent three-year contract extension ending in 2025. The agreement, estimated at $11.3 million, includes financial support to improve access to diagnosis and treatment in affected communities, allowing national programs to “consolidate the gains made over many years and move towards verification of elimination,” Daniel Argault-Dagne, director of prevention and care in WHO’s Neglected Tropical Disease Division, said at a briefing. time.
VL is considered the second most deadly parasitic disease after malaria and is endemic in 80 countries worldwide. This serious disease, transmitted through the bite of an infected sandfly, attacks internal organs and causes symptoms such as prolonged fever, weight loss, and anemia. Gilead says VL is fatal in more than 95% of cases if left untreated, and disproportionately affects people in “some of the world’s poorest regions.”
Gilead has a long history of expanding access to its medicines through collaboration with global partners. A recently expanded agreement between the Global Fund and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) aims to expand the twice-yearly HIV vaccination Eztugo to a total of 3 million people in high-infection and resource-limited countries by 2028. However, the supply deal has been requested by Médecins Sans Frontières/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which last month said the plan was “not sufficient”. To put a stop to the global HIV epidemic.
