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<p>Most drugs required to treat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are donated free
of charge by pharmaceutical companies. However, in some cases the drugs need to be
purchased. In these cases we work to secure good value for money in our procurement
and also encourage flexible approaches to increase availability, such as licensing
and technology transfer partnerships with low-cost, high-quality generic manufacturers.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p>DFID also funds research into new NTD treatments through Product Development
Partnerships (PDPs). PDPs use patents flexibly to ensure products are available at
lowest possible cost. This includes negotiating royalty-free access to patented products
and developing products as ‘open source’ so that anyone can use them, with requirements
for distribution at the lowest possible cost. PDPs can also patent new products at
an early stage and then use the patent to attract partners to help develop the products
and make them available at the lowest possible cost.</p>
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