Report on neglected tropical diseases: German…

Berlin Despite increased research into neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in recent years, a study has shown that Germany is still not among the world leaders. According to a report, the growth in German research activity is below the average of the ten most productive countries in the world. report which was developed under the leadership of the Bernhard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine (BNITM). This was presented last night in Berlin.

“We believe that more efforts are needed to achieve the goals of sustainable development and the control, elimination and eradication of NTDs,” said BNITM President Jürgen May. “More attention is needed to the role of NTDs, and their role in the emergence of epidemics should be taken into account.”

It is crucial to maintain awareness of this ongoing health threat at this time, the study says. Thus, Germany’s financial contribution is moderate compared to other countries.

To date, NTDs include 21 diseases that the study found primarily affect disadvantaged groups in poorer countries and, according to the study, a total of 1 billion people. About 200,000 people die each year from NTDs as the primary cause, May said. He described a frequent vicious cycle of poverty and disease.

Examples include Chagas disease, tapeworms and dengue, but also snakebite poisoning, rabies and leprosy. The survey contains individual representations of NTDs, such as distribution, epidemiology and needs analysis.

The goal is to end the global spread of NTDs by 2030. Until now, incentives to promote research and product development have been scarce, despite so many people being affected. These diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins.

The work was compiled by a group of around 30 experts from 16 German research institutions and organizations. The first edition of the NTD expertise was published in 2018.

More publications on the topic of Germany

One of the main results of the study is that German research institutions increased the number of their publications on NTDs between 2018 and 2022, in line with the global trend: by 8.5 percent compared to the period 2013 to 2017. In However, there is an average increase of twelve percent in the ten most productive countries.

In general, scientific publications were published with a higher impact factor than in the period from 2013 to 2017, as May said.

Compared to the 2018 edition, there is a stronger contribution from German research institutions in clinical studies and patents: 25 patents are registered for Germany during the period examined, making it the leading country in converting research into patents within the European Union, the report said.

After a peak in 2019, a decline in publications was recorded in 2022, May said. This can perhaps be explained by the corona pandemic and the concentration of many researchers on SARS-CoV-2. This applies particularly to open access publications. Easy access to information is particularly important for professionals in countries affected by NTDs.

Difficult overview so far of financing amounts

Funding for research into neglected tropical diseases is difficult to measure accurately for several reasons, the paper says. “We recommend creating a more structured database for all aspects of NTD funding in Germany,” it says.

The work assumes fluctuating funding amounts for German NTD research. The level in 2018 and 2019 was between twelve and thirteen million euros. A drop in the first pandemic year of 2020 (11.6 million) was followed by a sharp increase to over twenty million, but this was due to an extraordinary funding amount of eight million euros for a larger project. 2022 will already have the lowest amount in the last five years: nine.6 million euros.

Until now, research on the topic has benefited greatly from public donors, both nationally and internationally. This also carries risks and can mean dependencies.

It is to be feared that, under the increasing pressure of economic challenges, global health research will receive even less priority and the impact of global health problems on our society will also be underestimated. Excerpt from the research

According to the analysis, in Germany it is mainly universities and specialized non-university research institutions that publish on NTDs. Personal responsibility and equal rights of partners in affected countries must be taken into account, May emphasized.

Germany is committed to combating NTDs

At the beginning of 2022, Germany signed the Kigali Declaration against Neglected Tropical Diseases. With coordinated measures such as the development of laboratory capacity, health systems in the affected countries are to be expanded by 2030 to reduce the incidence of these diseases. Affected tropical states, but also other actors such as supporters, non-governmental organizations or companies, can join.

May said she was very pleased with the turnout. Important activities included identifying and providing substantial funding. Donors need to be reminded repeatedly of their commitment at events such as the presentation of the study, but also in general.

What makes research more difficult

Among other things, several experts discussed at the event the reasons for the role of German NTD research to date. Beate Kampmann, director of the Institute for International Health at Charit Berlin, said that in addition to the amount of funding, it also depends on the opportunities for collaboration with international organizations. She herself worked for a long time at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, among others, before returning to Germany in 2023.

In England, even against the backdrop of the colonial era, there are still many established structures in which equal partnerships could be implemented in a different way, Kampmann said. German colleagues are still seen as solid partners internationally, but bureaucracy is often criticized. Research funds cannot be easily transferred to African partners, which is different in England.

Achim Hrauf, director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology at the University Hospital Bonn, also advocated reducing bureaucracy: It is important to consider which legal loophole could be eliminated. Sometimes people make things very difficult for themselves in Germany. Hrauf emphasized that care must also be taken that experts do not migrate abroad due to a lack of ongoing support.

Experts also emphasized that there is much to be done in including partners from African countries as article authors. To date, the success of studies has unfairly depended on authors’ affiliations; this is a fundamental problem, said May. The question of authorship is one of the main frustrations of African partners, added Kampmann. However, some journals with higher impact factors have already recognized the problem. © ggr/aerzteblatt.de