On World Leprosy Day 2016 on Sunday, the Novartis Foundation called for a greater global commitment to the fight against leprosy to support efforts towards zero transmission of the disease and to reduce stigma. The Novartis Foundation continues to work with partners around the world on early detection and treatment of leprosy, proactive surveillance, the development of diagnostic tools, and contact tracing with preventative treatment.

"The dream of the Novartis Foundation is that we see the day when the number of people newly diagnosed with leprosy - especially children - is zero," said Dr. Ann Aerts, head of the Novartis Foundation. "Though we have seen a large reduction in the prevalence of the disease in the last 30 years, we cannot stop now. The last mile to eliminate leprosy will be tough, and to succeed we need greater awareness, more resources, and innovation. It is important for leprosy to be put back on the global health agenda to make this happen."

2016 marks 30 years of commitment from the Novartis Foundation in the fight against leprosy, beginning with initiatives to improve access to treatment, quickly followed by the development of innovative programmes to improve access to healthcare services, reduce stigma and support patient rehabilitation. Now the goal of the Novartis Foundation is to accelerate the elimination of leprosy with a rigorous strategy to interrupt its transmission.

Significant progress in the fight against leprosy has been one of the greatest public health successes. Global figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on leprosy highlight these early successes, showing that the global burden of leprosy has been reduced by 95 per cent since the 1980s. This is due in large part to the widespread availability of multidrug therapy (MDT) which has reached 16 million patients since 1981.

However, the case detection rate (incidence) for leprosy has now plateaued at about 200,000-250,000 new diagnoses per year over the past 10 years and the disease remains endemic in high-burden pockets in many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

New diagnoses occur in children as well as adults, which indicates continued transmission of the disease, and too many patients are diagnosed late and with irreversible disabilities. The challenge of the last mile in the fight against leprosy is to interrupt transmission.

In 2014, the Novartis Foundation launched a new leprosy elimination strategy developed with the top leprosy and disease elimination experts. The strategy includes four pillars: early detection and treatment, contact tracing and preventative treatment, strengthening of surveillance systems to become action-oriented and the development of diagnostic tools for faster and earlier diagnosis.

Multidrug therapy (MDT) consists of three drugs (rifampicin, clofazimine and dapsone), two of which (rifampicin and clofazimine) were developed in the research laboratories of Novartis. MDT has made it possible to treat patients, interrupt the transmission of leprosy and prevent disabilities. Even some patients with the severest form of the disease show visible clinical improvement within weeks of starting treatment.

Novartis and the Novartis Foundation have a long-term commitment to leprosy treatment and control. Since 2000, Novartis has donated more than 56 million blister packs valued at approximately USD 90 million through the WHO, helping to treat more than six million leprosy patients worldwide.

In 2015, Novartis renewed its pledge with the WHO to work to end leprosy by extending its donation of MDT medicines to treat leprosy to all patients worldwide through the year 2020. Overall it is expected that the program will reach an estimated 1.3 million patients during the next five years. This is part of the company's commitment in 2012 to the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases.