For the first time anywhere in the world, moxidectin is being used in the treatment of river blindness in Ghana. The Ghana Health Service has launched the Momentum Project, a community-based mass drug administration campaign with the aim of reducing the transmission, prevalence and the potential elimination of the disease.

River blindness is caused by a worm parasite spread by the bite of the black fly with symptoms including intense itching, significant skin changes, and permanent blindness. The health, social and economic consequences of the disease are damaging and far reaching, threatening more than 200 million people in some of the poorest regions of sub-Saharan Africa, with at least 20 million people living with active infection.

This treatment has been made possible through the research and work of Medicines Development for Global Health (MDGH), an Australian not-for-profit pharmaceutical company funded through grants, awards, impact and philanthropic investment.

MDGH strives to eliminate neglected diseases by developing medicines for those who need them the most but can afford them the least – medicines that would otherwise not be developed. Impact investment is central to MDGH’s funding model.

Australian Philanthropic Services (APS) has been able to support MDGH with our public fund APS Foundation and some Private Ancillary Fund (PAF) clients committing to donate and invest through their philanthropic structures over the long term, helping MDGH build on their research and work with continuous funding.

David Ward, Technical Director at APS, has been a longtime supporter. “It has been so rewarding to see this outcome, and to see moxidectin now being deployed to treat river blindness. It is brilliant to see MDGH, an Australian company, leading the fight against a disease which is so devastating for so many people in Africa.  It highlights the collective effort and commitment of so many individuals and organisations over the last 10 years, and the use of innovative funding models to tackle public health challenges with much needed positive impact in these communities”, Mr Ward said.

MDGH has big plans to further use their world-class expertise and offer impactful investment opportunities to investors who want to make a difference to the problem of global health inequity.

Moxidectin is now being developed to treat other neglected diseases, with another new treatment, Dovramilast, being investigated to treat tuberculosis and leprosy type 2 reactions.

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Published 5 February 2025