Paul-Ehrlich-Institut

01/30/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/30/2026 07:24

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day: Paul-Ehrlich-Institut Actively Contributes to Global Health Through Research and Regulation

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day: Paul-Ehrlich-Institut Actively Contributes to Global Health Through Research and Regulation

As 30 January 2026 marks World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, would like to draw attention to the continuing relevance of these diseases for global health. More than a billion people worldwide are affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) - especially in poorer tropical regions. The World Health Organization (WHO) counts 21 infectious diseases and snakebite wounds on the list of neglected tropical diseases, including dengue fever, rabies, chikungunya fever, and leishmaniasis. Research to develop new approaches to therapy and prevention and safe, innovative medicines whose quality, efficacy and safety are reliably assessed and monitored are crucial to effectively contain neglected tropical diseases.

Source: James Gathany/CDC

Scientific Research on Infectious Diseases at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut

Research carried out at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut complements its regulatory tasks and ensures a high level of scientific expertise for the evaluation of innovative medicines. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut is investigating topics such as immunological mechanisms in infectious diseases in various research projects. The aim of this research is to identify new starting points for therapies and vaccines and to better understand pathogen infection strategies, for example those involved in parasitic diseases like leishmaniasis. Such findings can help to enable new therapeutic approaches in the future via targeted intervention in pathogen transmission mechanisms and therefore also play an important role in the fight against neglected tropical diseases.

European and International Cooperation in Medicinal Product Regulation

Source: T.Jansen/Paul-Ehrlich-Institut

Combating neglected tropical diseases requires close cooperation between science, which develops innovative solutions; regulatory authorities such as the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, which assess the safety and effectiveness of those solutions; and politics, which creates the necessary framework conditions from funding to global distribution.

Professor Dr Stefan Vieths (President of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut)

At the European level, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) uses regulatory procedures such as EU-M4all to support the scientific evaluation of medicinal products intended primarily for use outside the European Union. New vaccines, such as those against the chikungunya virus, have also been authorised in the EU in recent years and are expanding the possibilities for prevention. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut actively lends its expertise to these European processes and thus contributes to making safe and effective biomedicines available worldwide.

Updated: 30.01.2026

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