EDCTP: Two decades of Africa-Europe partnership delivering excellent science and life-saving innovations

Despite remarkable progress in global health, the world faces new threats, from re-emerging infections and pandemics to antimicrobial resistance and climate-related health impacts. Amid growing geopolitical instability, Europe-Africa cooperation has never been more relevant for our prosperity and security.

Now in its third iteration, Global Health EDCTP3 is funded by the European Union, together with 15 European and 31 African countries, with the aim to accelerate the clinical development of medical innovations against infectious diseases and other global challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, pandemic preparedness and the health impacts of climate change, while building research capacities and collaborations across Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

Over the past two decades, EDCTP has become one of the world’s major players in advancing science cooperation to address unmet medical needs and protect children, pregnant women, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations.

Delivering scientific breakthroughs where it matters most

Today, we celebrate three Africa-Europe success stories, and their transformative impact and tangible value

Coartem Baby: the first malaria treatment for young infants

Malaria affects more than 250 million people each year and kills over half a million, mostly children under five living in sub-Saharan African. EDCTP has been instrumental in supporting the clinical research for a number of malaria prevention and treatment interventions, and continues to drive innovation to close critical treatment gaps.

In 2025, research co-funded by the second EDCTP programme (EDCTP2), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Novartis led to the authorisation of Coartem Baby, the first malaria treatment for infants weighing 2 to <5 kg. This innovation, delivered as part of the PAMAfrica consortium, fills a long-standing treatment gap for the world’s smallest patients.

"As a product development partnership, every one of MMV’s major achievements comes as a result of close collaboration with a diverse set of stakeholders. Our involvement in EDCTP-supported consortia like PAMAfrica has helped expand the antimalarial toolbox, strengthen research capacity in endemic countries, and grow the global network of partners working together to build a malaria-free future."
_{Martin Fitchet. CEO of MMV}

Ivermectin/Albendazole: a child-friendly breakthrough for worm infections

Worm infections, transmitted through contaminated soil or water, affect more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, causing chronic illness and compromising healthy development in children. Co-funded by the EDCTP programmes and the Mundo Sano Foundation, and developed by Insud Pharma, a new fixed-dose combination of ivermectin and albendazole promises to change the treatment landscape, both in mass drug administration campaigns and in clinical settings. 

Formulated as a mango-flavoured tablet that dissolves upon contact with saliva, this combination aims to provide a safer, more acceptable medicine with superior efficacy against more parasite species, all in one-pill. In January 2025, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a positive opinion for the treatment, paving the way for its introduction in priority countries.

"The fixed-dose coformulation of ivermectin and albendazole is the result of 15 years of commitment, by Mundo Sano and Insud Pharma, to deliver better Public Health solutions through rigorous research, an innovative mindset and effective public-private partnerships. Nearly 20 institutions have collaborated in this development, which will provide countries with a better tool to tackle their control and elimination goals."
_{Dr. Marina Gold, CEO of Mundo Sano}

Fexinidazole: the first all-oral cure for sleeping sickness

Sleeping sickness, a fatal parasitic disease transmitted by tsetse flies, remains endemic in 36 African countries. Traditional treatments required hospitalisation and painful lumbar punctures. With Fexinidazole, the first all-oral, patient-friendly cure, treatment is now simpler, safer, and more accessible.

Developed by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Sanofi, the treatment received a positive opinion from the EMA for the T.b. gambiense strain of sleeping sickness in 2018. With continued EDCTP support, the medicine received a positive opinion from the EMA for the rare but deadlier T.b. rhodesiense strain in 2023 and is now distributed free of charge by the World Health Organization in Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

"Thanks to the approval of fexinidazole for T.b. rhodesiense sleeping sickness in 2023, with support by EDCTP, doctors from almost every corner of the African continent are saving lives now with this easy-to-take, all-oral treatment. With fexinidazole and another game-changing single dose treatment that we are developing, the elimination of sleeping sickness is now within reach."
_{Dr Luis Pizarro, Executive Director of DNDi}

Looking ahead: the new phase of the partnership

These breakthroughs show more than scientific success, they exemplify the strength of EDCTP’s equitable partnership model, where African and European partners share ownership, leadership, and results. They also highlight EDCTP’s catalytic role in translating science into tangible health innovations that have real-world benefits with lasting impact, by bringing together product development partnerships (PDPs), industry, foundations, and other key research partners. 

These health solutions are developed in response to well-targeted, open, and highly competitive calls for proposals launched annually. Global Health EDCTP3 will be publishing its Work Programme 2026 soon, which will open new funding opportunities for researchers and partners committed to advancing global health research. 

As European and African leaders meet in Angola this week to assess progress and explore opportunities for cooperation, we celebrate EDCTP as a model of a successful partnership between the two continents that demonstrates how long-term, equitable partnerships in science can deliver tangible innovations and lasting impact, and, crucially, build the trust and credibility across actors and regions needed to tackle our most pressing global societal challenges.