During the 1990s, MSF teams made a bitter observation: we were failing to treat some of our patients suffering from infectious diseases, while in developed countries, remarkable progress was being made in the field of health. Two decades on, medicines in developing countries are still either too expensive, aren't suitable to be used in many of the contexts in which we work (for example, in hot, humid conditions or where there's a lack of electricity), or simply don't exist for the diseases we need to treat.
In 1999, we launched the Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, now known as the Access Campaign. Its mission focuses on three areas: overcoming barriers to access to essential medicines, stimulating research and development for neglected diseases, promoting health exceptions to global trade agreements.
In 2003, MSF joined several research institutes, including the Institut Pasteur, to create the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a non-profit research and development organisation engaged in research and development of new treatments for neglected diseases.
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MSF helps develop a simple rapid HIV/AIDS viral load test
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MSF supports opposition to Gilead's tenofovir patent application in India
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World Intellectual Property Day: Governments should ignore the conclusions of WHO report on intellectual property and public health at their own risk
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Lesotho's painfully slow fight to treat HIV
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Patent application for AIDS drug opposed for first time in India
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New TB strategies for children in Monrovia
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TB patients still waiting for new diagnostic tools and treatment
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Five reasons to focus on children
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