Dutch research project offers hope in reducing maternal and child mortality

Every year almost 11 million children under the age of 5 die in developing countries. In addition, more than 500,000 women die every year during pregnancy, child birth or shortly thereafter, and 20 million women suffer from illness and disability for long periods or even lifelong due to complications.

This week (20th and 21st of June, 2007), an international OECD Forum in Noordwijk under Dutch chairmanship has requested that more attention be devoted to this problem. Reducing maternal and child mortality is an important Millennium Development Goal, set by the United Nations and endorsed by the entire international community.

Victor Nickolson, Managing Director of TI Pharma: “This is a problem that really can and must be solved. It is unacceptable that millions of women and children in developing countries are dying unnecessarily.”

Together with a number of Dutch universities and pharmaceutical companies, TI Pharma is carrying out research, amongst others on making vaccines and other labile drugs ‘heat-stable'.

This is extremely important since most vaccines and drugs like oxytocin, which is used to treat women who have given birth, are not heat-stable and therefore cannot be used in developing countries. Such heat-stable medicines would, moreover, be of vital importance in case of a worldwide outbreak (pandemic) of influenza.

Daan Crommelin, Scientific Director of TI Pharma: “In this research project, we are not focusing on vaccines alone, but are also working to make oxytocin preparations heat-stable. In the Netherlands, women are treated with oxytocin after delivery in order to stop bleeding. In developing countries, many women die after delivery due to bleeding because, since it must be stored and shipped refrigerated, oxytocin is not generally available in these countries. With this project, we will make oxytocin suitable for use in developing countries.”

It is TI Pharma's ambition to develop heat-stable vaccines and other medicines as rapidly as possible, also for diseases such as hepatitis B, diabetes and influenza. As an integral part of this project, the production and distribution of these medicines will also be given the necessary attention.

In addition, good healthcare and qualified personnel are necessary to provide care to mothers and children. The World Health Organisation's Department of Medicines Policy and Standards is very pleased with this unique initiative of TI Pharma.

Richard Laing, member of the WHO Expert Committee, states: “Medicines for developing countries often are not given priority because this market is financially unattractive for many companies. In its Priority Medicines report, the WHO has requested more attention for this problem. The fact that TI Pharma is now making this research possible is highly praiseworthy from a social point of view.”