A renewed partnership agreement signed by Novartis and the World Health Organization (WHO) will drive the global push towards making leprosy history. The five-year extension of the partnership – which was first signed in 2000 – will see Novartis continue to donate multi-drug therapy (MDT) medicines to treat leprosy up to the end of 2025.

"Leprosy can be cured and prevented. With a comprehensive approach, we can see the end of leprosy,” said Dr Lutz Hegemann, Chief Operating Officer, Global Health, Novartis. “By supplying this treatment free of charge to WHO over the last 20 years we have helped over seven million people be cured of leprosy. We look forward to helping increasingly few over the coming years.”

Novartis is working with WHO and the Global Partnership for Zero Leprosy – together with other stakeholders – to develop improved access to MDT globally. An additional future step seems certain to include the rollout of prophylaxis programmes in affected countries. 

“WHO welcomes the extension of this long-standing partnership with Novartis. Multi-drug therapy has been a cornerstone of the programme to eliminate leprosy,” said Dr Ren Minghui, Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage / Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases, WHO. “We need to ensure we are reaching the last patients who are often in remote areas or informal settlements. It is in these deprived communities where much of the world's remaining leprosy is concentrated.”

The new agreement with WHO also covers the continuing donation of triclabendazole for the treatment of fascioliasis.