Winner
Human African Trypanosomiasis – Not Neglected
Summary of work
In partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Sanofi launched a campaign in 2001 to combat sleeping sickness Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT).
Since the partnership began, the annual number of new cases of HAT has declined by 63 per cent: from 26,950 in 2001 to 17,616 in 2004 and then 9,878 in 2009 – the lowest level seen in almost 60 years. Since 2001, 160,000 lives have been saved as a direct result of the partnership.
At the outset the principal objective of the sustained programme was to keep HAT at bay, but thanks to the success of the original programme, which has been expanded to combat leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, Buruli ulcer and, most recently, yaws, complete elimination of the disease is now a realistic objective.
HAT, despite being at the heart of the programme throughout, remains a relatively unknown disease that does not explicitly feature in Millennium Development Goal 6 – and yet it still kills almost 10,000 people every year. Critical to this programme, therefore, is sustainability, the challenge being to create a platform for continued awareness and actions. To secure this longevity, Sanofi has worked to raise the profile of the disease via events, summits and media coverage in 2010. Most importantly, negotiations for the third partnership agreement took place over the course of last year, with the continuation of the decade-long partnership to eliminate HAT announced at the launch of the First WHO Report on Neglected Tropical Diseases in October 2010.
With this commitment to further action confirmed, Sanofi will continue to work with the WHO to take this project forward, with sights set firmly on the elimination of HAT.
Judges’ comments
“This is a clear winner. It raises the bar and there is a clear scale of ambition and clearly measured impact. It was easy, deliverable and quick, and deserves to have a song and dance made about it. The partnership and sustainability jump out and the reputational gain for the industry is massive. The objectives are beautiful – it’s not just a feel good exercise.”
