Broadcast 12th February 2001

	Listen to an interview with Daniel Berman of Medecins Sans Frontieres

At last, a cure for sleeping sickness may reach millions of sufferers in central Africa.

The disease, spread by the bite of the tsetse fly, drives victims mad before killing them. The cure - a drug called eflornithine, is so effective that some call it the resurrection drug.

Eflornithine was discovered a decade ago, but only now are the drug companies willing to donate the product to medical charities. The reason is that they have recently discovered that it has a much more profitable use: it removes women's facial hair.



Daniel Berman of the Medecins Sans Frontieres believes the announcement itself is very significant.

"This donation by Bristol Myers Squibb is going to allow people to get the drug by the end of May. The current treatment is arsenic-based, so three to five per cent of patients are dying just from the treatment. This is good news but we are asking Bristol Myers Squibb to commit to the long term."

We know we cannot expect a long-term donation, but we want them to make the drug available to the international community at an affordable price. Daniel Berman

Bristol Myers Squibb have offered to donate enough eflornithine to cover three years. But is it impossible to develop medication to treat diseases which afflict poor people economically?

Daniel Berman believes it depends on the disease. Diseases in poor countries have been divided into two categories. There are those which affect huge numbers of people, like malaria and tuberculosis - he believes these diseases create an incentive for governments and international organisations to subsidise research.

But Daniel Berman feels for diseases like sleeping sickness, the lion’s share of the patients are very, very poor - this is something the international community needs to take on.

He feels that governments and international organisations have to become directly involved in research and development.

"Eflornithine has been available for ten years, but nobody has been able to get it to the people who need it. A MSF worker has methodically tried to find a company to produce the drug."

Governments and international organisations have to become directly involved in research and development. Daniel Berman