Neglected tropical diseases in Europe: rare diseases and orphan drugs?

Abstract

Neglected tropical diseases are becoming more and more frequent in Europe due to the increasing immigration from endemic areas. Nonetheless specific treatments are scarcely available in many European countries, since they are neither officially licensed nor marketed. Only a few referral health centres can afford to access drugs for NTDs due to complex bureaucracy and high cost, importing or providing them via the WHO. Health professionals and institutions in this domain should solicit other stakeholders (such as NGOs, the civil society, scientific societies) to sensitize health authorities to improve access to treatment for such debilitating diseases.

Keywords: Access to care; Migrants; Neglected tropical diseases; Orphan drugs; Parasitic.