Supplemental issue
Accelerating Innovation to Impact:
Learning from Triple-Drug Therapy (IDA)
for Lymphatic Filariasis and from Other Innovations
This supplement is focused on sharing learnings from successful innovations to reflect on and document elements that are frequently overlooked in the published literature. We will, first, recognize and analyze in detail the recently developed and newly deployed treatment for LF: IDA Triple Drug Therapy (ivermectin, DEC, and albendazole); then review the experience and lessons learned from the development of other innovations that include a vaccine, a diagnostic, and a novel therapeutic. From these examples we end with a conceptual framework for consideration to accelerate introduction and scale-up of future innovations to contribute to achieving the WHO 2030 NTD Roadmap targets and the SDGs more broadly.
The supplement was coordinated by Bridges to Development with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The team would like to thank the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their generous funding support which has made it possible to gather and share these stories chronicling the accelerated delivery of new innovations in global health including the introduction of triple-drug therapy for lymphatic filariasis. We also would like to thank guest editor, Eric Ottesen, for his keen and confident direction, insights, and timely support in moving along all of the contributions through the peer-review process. The authors themselves must be acknowledged, firstly for their roles in the projects bringing new innovations in global health to those who would benefit from them as well as for the time and energy put into writing these articles to share lessons learned which we hope will help accelerate future innovations in global health. We would also like to acknowledge Nicole Vecchio for coordinating the process with and providing support for the authors on behalf of Bridges to Development. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the excellent and dedicated editorial team at the AJTMH, especially Phil Rosenthal, Cathi Siegel, and Alison Jaeb.
We dedicate this supplement to the memory of Dr. Mwelecele Ntuli Malecela, Director, WHO, Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. This supplement documents examples of the best practices and vital problem solving that were exemplified by Mwele. Her determined, no-nonsense, get it done and do it right the first time approach was an inspiration. I recently heard her described as “warm but fierce”, which I think is a perfect description. She was kind and compassionate, focused on the people her work served, and fierce in her fight to get them what they needed. I hope that we can all learn from her dedication and determination to decrease suffering from NTDs and lead the way forward to a world free of these treatable and preventable afflictions. Thank you for all the lessons, my friend. - Julie Jacobson
In order to provide our readers with timely access to new content, papers accepted by the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene are posted online ahead of print publication. Papers that have been accepted for publication are peer-reviewed and copy edited but do not incorporate all corrections or constitute the final versions that will appear in the Journal. Final, corrected papers will be published online concurrent with the release of the print issue.
The role of innovation in delivering the 2021–2030 NTD road map
Mwelecele Ntuli Malecela
Foreword: Towards Accelerating Tool Development for Global Health
Eric A. Ottesen
Julie Jacobson
Gary J. Weil, Peter U. Fischer, and Alison Krentel
Purushothaman Jambulingam, Swaminathan Subramanian, Kaliannagounder Krishnamoorthy, Taniawati Supali, Peter Fischer, Christine Dubray, Carl Fayette, Jean Frantz Lemoine, Moses Laman, Christopher King, Josaia Samuela, Myra Hardy, and Gary J. Weil
Jonathan D. King, Julie Jacobson, and Alison Krentel
Bhupendra Tripathi, Nupur Roy, and Neeraj Dhingra
Merelesita Rainima-Qaniuci, Hansell Blanche Lepaitai, Rasul Bhagirov, Eswara Padmasiri, Take Naseri, Robert Thomsen, Kimberly Y. Won, Tara A. Brant, Emily Dodd, Motusa Tuileama Nua, Fara Utu, Aifili Tufa, Emi Chutaro, Janet Camacho, Lynette Suiaunoa-Scanlan, Li Jun Thean, Jyotishna Mani, Myra Hardy, Josaia Samuela, Lucia Romani, John Kaldor, Andrew C. Steer, Daniel Faktaufon, Vinaisi Bechu, Flora Naqio, Vine Sosene, Makoto Sekihara, Junko Otaki, Tamara S. Buhagiar, and Aya Yajima
Raj Shankar Ghosh, Pradeep Haldar, and Julie Jacobson
Anastasia Pantelias, Jonathan D. King, Patrick Lammie, and Gary J. Weil
Development and Introduction of Fexinidazole into the Global Human African Trypanosomiasis Program
Olaf Valverde Mordt, Antoine Tarral, and Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft
Julie Jacobson and Alan Brooks