Page 11 - NIH Bulletin Vol. 21: January - June 2023 NIH Way Forward

Vol : 21 • January - Jun 2023 •

CELEBRATING 20 ANNIVERSARY OF DRUGS FOR
th
. .
NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE (DNDi)
• • • • • •

Dr. Sujatha Suthandiram

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) of Malaysia hosted a special talk on the occasion of the DNDi 20th
Anniversary in Southeast Asia (SEA). The welcome speech was delivered by Datuk Dr. Muhammad Radzi
Abu Hassan, Director-General of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, and Member of DNDi’s Scientific
Advisory Committee.
Dr. Luis Pizarro, DNDi Executive Director, gave a special talk entitled: “DNDi 20th Anniversary – Empowering
Endemic Countries in Delivering the Best Science for the Most Neglected” on 6 April 2023 in Auditorium 1,
NIH. The event was co-organized by DNDi, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, and the Institute for Medical
Research (IMR) Malaysia.
This talk focused on DNDi’s 20th Anniversary activities for SEA and success stories detailing the organisation’s
journey in developing 12 new treatments for six deadly diseases since 2003. Dr. Luis also presented on
the evolution of DNDi’s Research & Development (R&D) portfolios and how the empowerment of science
for R&D in the Global South will help to deliver medical solutions to neglected patients in need without
leaving them behind.

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