Seventh meeting of the working group on monitoring of neglected tropical diseases drug efficacy

Overview

Helminth control programmes based on preventive chemotherapy for the control of schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis are continuing to expand providing significant benefit to the population covered. However, this expansion may triggering the development of anthelminthic resistance to the medicines used.

The Working Group on Monitoring of Neglected Tropical Diseases Drug Efficacy was established by the WHO in 2011 with the purpose of promoting:

• the establishment of a standard system for monitoring drug efficacy;
• the judicious use of anthelminthic medicines in order to sustain their efficacy and delay resistance; and
• the testing of alternative medicines or combinations of medicines should resistance emerge against the anthelminthics currently used in preventive chemotherapy programmes.

The seventh meeting of the Working Group on Monitoring of Neglected Tropical Diseases Drug Efficacy was held at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on 26–27 February 2018. The meeting was chaired by Professor Josef Vercruysse.