Pharmaceutical Knowledge Commons for the Most Neglected Populations in Global Health: The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative

In Pharmaceutical Knowledge Commons for the Most Neglected Populations in Global Health Fraundorfer presents an in-depth study of how the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) has reshaped the global politics of neglected tropical diseases over the past twenty years. By weaving together concepts from different academic disciplines (commons, common goods, orchestration, and healthcare innovation ecosystems) into a novel theoretical framework for the analysis of transformational change in global health, the author argues that DNDi has orchestrated pharmaceutical knowledge commons to produce novel treatments and other knowledge for neglected tropical diseases as common goods.

Focusing on three neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that have particularly affected neglected populations in the global south - Chagas disease, the leishmaniases, and sleeping sickness - this volume examines the strengths and weaknesses of DNDi’s collaborative governance model and illustrates how pharmaceutical knowledge commons help conceptualize processes of innovative transformation in global health to serve the common good.

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) was created in 2003 and developed a not-for-profit approach that would put neglected patients, rather than profits, first. In the past two decades, DNDi has consolidated its alternative pharmaceutical model, showing how to develop novel treatments for a range of neglected tropical diseases and empower R&D (research and development) communities from NTD-endemic countries. Despite these achievements, DNDi’s political role in global health has remained underexplored.

Markus Fraundorfer, Associate Professor of Global Governance, University of Leeds

Markus Fraundorfer is an Associate Professor of Global Governance at the University of Leeds. His research explores how to reform global governance to address global challenges more effectively and equitably. As part of this work, he previously analysed the role of Brazil in innovating global governance processes. Another strand of his work concentrates on regional governance in Latin America, examining how state and non-state actors tackle global challenges at the regional level. He has also worked and studied at the University of São Paulo, the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), and the University of Brasília.