More than one billion people around the world are impacted by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

A diverse group of conditions disproportionately affecting poor and marginalized populations, NTDs can cause disability, including blindness, stigma, and pain. The impact of NTDs can be far-reaching, leading to malnutrition, cognitive impairment, stunted growth, inability to attend school, and billions of dollars in lost productivity each year.

Five of the most prevalent NTDs—trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminth infections—can be addressed through the administration of safe, effective medicines to whole populations. Effective treatment of at-risk communities for a number of years, combined with the strengthening of health systems, can result in the control and elimination of the diseases.

Alongside non-governmental and private sector partners, the U.S. government has been steadily progressing the fight against NTDs for decades, thanks to longstanding bipartisan commitment.

Supporting the Sustainable Delivery of NTD Services

For more than 17 years, RTI International has supported governments to deliver successful, integrated, cost-effective, and sustainable programs to control and eliminate NTDs.

To date, RTI’s initiatives have supported governments to provide more 2.2 billion treatments to more than 223 million people living in NTD endemic areas, often in the most remote and hard-to-reach communities.

Through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East program, RTI and partners are supporting governments to reach their populations with treatment, conduct surveys to assess impact, and strengthen health systems to deliver NTD services. From technical assistance on policy and governance, and human resources, to support for domestic resource mobilization, USAID and RTI are working hand-in-hand with governments to integrate NTD priorities into routine planning, financing, service delivery, and monitoring.

Through internally funded research, RTI is also identifying critical knowledge gaps and piloting innovative approaches to accelerate progress toward NTD elimination.

Changing the World One Dose at a Time

Trachoma–the leading infectious cause of blindness globally–is a public health threat for an estimated 125 million people who remain at continued risk, living in hyperendemic areas of Africa, Latin America, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

An estimated 1.9 million people suffer visual impairment because of infection, and women are up to four times more likely to be blinded by trachoma than men.

For over 25 years, Pfizer and the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI)—which is a program of the Task Force for Global Health—have galvanized trachoma elimination efforts in support of the World Health Organization (WHO) 2030 NTD control and elimination roadmap. With governmental and nongovernmental agencies at local, national, and international levels, such as United Nations agencies, WHO, and USAID, Pfizer, the ITI and others have delivered more than 1 billion doses of Pfizer donated antibiotics as part of the WHO-endorsed S.A.F.E. strategy, which includes: surgery to treat the blinding stage of trachoma; antibiotics to clear infection; facial cleanliness; and environmental improvement for water and sanitation access.

In June 2022, Pfizer announced the extension of its antibiotic donation program through 2030, enabling continued trachoma elimination programs in 18 countries globally.

Lasting Impact

Decades of progress have demonstrated that the end of NTDs is within reach. Already 50 countries globally have eliminated at least one NTD, marking the halfway to the target set forth in the World Health Organization Road Map for NTDs.

While challenges remain, thanks to global elimination efforts, the global burden of trachoma has been reduced by 92% since 2002, with an estimated 217.9 million people now believed to live free from the risk of trachoma. At the national level, 18 countries have officially eliminated trachoma as a public health problem and additional countries nearing elimination, including Burkina Faso, Burundi, Eritrea, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, and Vietnam—a testament to the collaboration between Pfizer, ITI, WHO and USAID, country governments and civil society organizations.

Efforts to eliminate NTDs are one of the most successful public-private partnerships in global health history, thanks to the commitment of USAID, private-sector pharmaceutical partners like Pfizer, and non-governmental partners such as RTI. To date, more than $29.9 billion in donated medicines have been donated to the countries supported by USAID’s NTD program.

For every $1 invested by the U.S. government, $26 have been leveraged in donated medicines, ensuring that treatments reach those in need.

More than just big numbers, these programs have improved the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people and strengthened sustainable, country-led programs around the world.