World NTD Day: Turning innovation into impact through new treatment for preschoolers with schistosomiasis

30 January marks World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day, a global awareness day to recognize progress, renew commitment, and accelerate action to end NTDs. For the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium, of which Unlimit Health is a member, this year’s World NTD Day is a moment to reflect on a powerful milestone from the past year: after more than a decade of collaboration, innovation, and partnership, a game-changing treatment for schistosomiasis is finally reaching preschool-aged children, an age group previously left behind.

Turning innovation into impact  

In March 2025, the first preschool-aged child received the new pediatric formulation of praziquantel developed by the Consortium, marking a breakthrough in equitable access to schistosomiasis treatment. Before this, millions of children under six years of age had no approved, age-appropriate option, despite being at high risk of infection and long-term health consequences.  

This momentum continued throughout 2025, with a series of major Consortium achievements that together signal a shift from development to delivery:  

• Global recognition: The new pediatric praziquantel treatment was added to the World Health Organization List of Essential Medicines — an important endorsement supporting country uptake and sustainable access.  

• Regulatory progress: The first marketing authorization was granted in Tanzania, paving the way for pilot rollout, while local regulatory submissions were completed in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda.  

• Local manufacturing capacity: Technology transfer to Universal (Kenya) advanced significantly, supporting large-scale, regional production and long-term supply security.  

• From approval to access: The Consortium’s ADOPT Program successfully executed pilot implementation activities in Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, and Kenya, focusing on real-world delivery, acceptability, and health system integration.  

• Global recognition of partnership: The Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium program was nominated for the Prix Galien Bridges Award (Best Public Sector Initiative), recognizing the strength of its cross-sector collaboration.  

Voices from the ADOPT program  

Reflecting on the Consortium’s progress, Peter Steinmann, ADOPT Program Co-Lead at Swiss TPH, emphasized the significance of moving beyond development:  

“World NTD Day reminds us that innovation only matters if the product reaches those who need it most. Thanks to our work within the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium, we are now seeing years of research translate into access to treatment for preschool-aged children —something that was simply not possible before.”  

Jenny Burrill, ADOPT Program Co-Lead at Unlimit Health, highlighted the importance of implementation partnerships:  

“The Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium ADOPT Program is about more than delivering a medicine — it’s about working with countries to understand what successful rollout looks like in practice. The pilot studies we have conducted in our three target countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Uganda) are helping ensure that the new pediatric treatment can be integrated sustainably into national NTD programs, so no child is left untreated.”  

Matthias Helmreich, Director, CMC & Launch Lead, Global Health Projects at Merck spotlights the criticality of local manufacturing:

“Building local manufacturing capacity is one of the most effective ways to enhance access, independence, ownership, and economic growth. By transferring technology to Universal for the large-scale production of the new pediatric medication for preschoolers, we are taking a significant step toward realizing this ambition.”

A World NTD Day call to action  

Despite this progress, schistosomiasis still affects millions of children, undermining health, nutrition, and cognitive development. On World NTD Day 2026, the Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium calls on:  

• Governments to prioritize inclusion of preschool-aged children in national schistosomiasis control programs  

• Global stakeholders, like funders and Ministries of Health, to support scale-up, procurement, and implementation of this new medicine  

• The NTD community to continue collaborating across sectors to translate policy commitments into on-the-ground impact  

Ending NTDs requires sustained investment, political will, and partnership. The milestone we reflect on this year show what is possible when these elements come together. On this World NTD Day, we reaffirm our shared commitment: every child, everywhere, deserves protection from schistosomiasis.