Mundo Sano

Mundo Sano (Spanish for "healthy world"), or Fundación Mundo Sano, is a scientific, nongovernmental foundation in Argentina working for the prevention and control of communicable diseases such as dengue fever, Chagas disease, malaria, leishmaniasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis.[1] Its main objective is to facilitate equal access to health and welfare among people who are vulnerable to these otherwise avoidable diseases, mainly by promoting strategic policies for the improvement of the quality of life of affected communities.[2]

Mundo Sano
Founded1993
FounderDr Roberto Gold
TypeCorporate donor
FocusParasitic diseases
Public Health
Location
Area served
South America
Spain
Africa
MethodResearch
Technology Transfer
Executive Director
Silvia Gold
Websitehttp://www.mundosano.org

Mundo Sano was originally established to combat against Chagas disease that is prevalent in Latin America, and was transmitted to other parts of the world from there.[3][4][5] Expanding its mission, the foundation now plays an active part in the international coalition including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the major pharmaceutical companies that coordinate the world's largest project to control neglected diseases.[6] It has funded numerous research programmes in the field, and also involved in development of new drugs, especially Abarax.[7]

History

Mundo Sano Foundation was founded in 1993 by Dr Roberto Gold with the aim of improving of the quality of life in Argentina, where human helminthic diseases were rampant. Initially as a family enterprise, the foundation's main focus was on Chagas disease and its consequences throughout the continent. The disease still affects an estimated 8 to 10 Latin Americans, who are at constant threats of cardiac and gastrointestinal complications. Gold and his wife, Dr Miriam Turjanski, as pioneer pharmacists in Argentina, were inspired from their pharmaceutical activities and commitment towards societyn, and this urged Gold to create a foundation through which suffering from the infectious disease could be eliminated.

In 2000 the foundation was strengthened with a broader view on other parasitic diseases, and a proper organisation of the management was formulated. As imposed by the guidelines laid down by the founder, Gold's daughter, Dr Silvia Gold became the president to enforce more extensive research and intervention programmes.[8]

Mission and objectives

Mundo Sano promotes scientific research as a means for changing reality. It aims to encourage research activities that lead to equal health access to the populations that are exposed to diseases which can be prevented, and to develop strategic policies leading to changes in the overall communities' quality of life. The foundation's research activities are based on the objectives such as:

  1. Focusing their actions on vector-borne disease.
  2. Directing their actions towards endemic areas.
  3. Developing and promoting strategic efforts based on technology transfer, and applying them to the selected areas.
  4. Generating knowledge on the basis of multidisciplinary scientific research.
  5. Achieving an assessable and sustainable social impact.
  6. Producing and disclosing model-based extrapolation in different domestic and international scenarios.[9]

Achievements

Tropical diseases

Mundo Sano has devoted its effort to eliminate tropical diseases. It forms many partnerships such as with the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases to fight Strongyloides stercoralis infections and other soil-transmitted helminths (STH) in Argentina.[2]

Mundo Sano played an active role in the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases of 30 January 2012, the largest collaborative disease eradication programme till date. The project aims to eradicate or control 10 neglected tropical diseases by 2020. Mundo Sano specifically contributed US$5 million for project expansion and program enhancement for selected sites in the Americas and Africa.[6]

Bendznidazole

Benznidazole is the primary treatment of choice for Chagas disease, is produced in Latin America where the disease originates and is most prevalent, at the public pharma LAFEPE in Brasil. Mundo Sano and the Chemo Pharmaceutical Group developed a second generic version of benznidazole, which is manufactured by the Argentine company Laboratorio ELEA under the name Abarax. On 20 March 2012, the Argentine Minister of Health, Dr Juan Manzur triumphantly announced the first ever production of benzinidazole in Argentina.[7][10]

In 2017, August 29[11] the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Chemo Research's New Drug Application (NDA) for benznidazole 567891011 . This is the first drug ever approved[12] by the FDA to treat Chagas disease. The FDA's decision approves benznidazole for children ages 2–12 years old 12.[13] Mundo Sano played a central role in registering benznidazole with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in close collaboration with Exeltis (Chemo US-based pharmaceutical division), with the support of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), a non-profit drug development organization.

Literature

Mundo Sano funded the free publication and distribution of a book Contar La Ciencia (Telling Science) in 2012. The book is an anthology of 40 science articles in Argentina, published by the Argentine Network of Science Journalism to be the first ever of its kind published in Latin America.[14]

References
  1. Uniting to Combat NTDs (2010). "Mundo Sano". unitingtocombatntds.org. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  2. Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases (17 May 2010). "Global Network, Fundación Mundo Sano and the Instituto de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales Partner to Tackle NTDs". Global Network. Sabin Vaccine Institute. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  3. Sabin (16 November 2012). "The United States is also affected by Chagas disease". sabin.org. Sabin Vaccine Institute. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  4. Navarro M, Navaza B, Guionnet A, López-Vélez R (2001). "Chagas disease in Spain: need for further public health measures". PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 6 (12): e1962. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001962. PMC 3531505. PMID 23301105.
  5. Pellettieri L (7 June 2013). "Migration spreads Chagas disease from rural Latin America worldwide". UPI.com. United Press International, Inc. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  6. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (30 January 2012). "Private and Public Partners Unite to Combat 10 Neglected Tropical Diseases by 2020". gatesfoundation.org. Press Room, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  7. MSF Access Campaign (20 March 2012). "Argentina joins Brazil in producing life-saving drug for neglected disease". msfaccess.org. United Press International, Inc. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  8. Mundo Sano. "THE FOUNDATION History". mundosano.org. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  9. Mundo Sano. "THE FOUNDATION Vision/Mission". mundosano.org. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  10. ISGlobal (4 March 2012). "New Source of Benznidazole, the First-Line Treatment for Chagas Disease". isglobal.org. Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  11. Eisenman, Theresa (August 29, 2017). "FDA approves first U.S. treatment for Chagas disease".
  12. Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). "U.S. FDA approves Chemo Group's benznidazole to treat children with Chagas disease". Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).
  13. "FDA says granted accelerated approval to benznidazole for use in children ages 2 to 12". Reuters. August 29, 2017.
  14. World Federation of Science Journalists (2 April 2013). "First Argentinean Anthology of Best Science Articles". wfsj.org. WFSJ. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
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