Neglected tropical diseases affect a major part of the global population, but treatments have generally not been optimized.

We provide a comprehensive systematic overview of performed pharmacokinetic studies in all 17 neglected tropical diseases, advantages and drawbacks of different methodologies, and gaps in pharmacokinetic research through which neglected tropical diseases therapeutics can be further improved.

For most neglected tropical diseases, adequate pharmacokinetic studies were found lacking or completely absent, pediatric patients have largely been ignored, and population-based modeling and simulation techniques have not generally been applied.

To more optimally use the limited available resources in this neglected area, more emphasis should be given to simulation-based pharmacokinetic studies enabling the design of improved dosing regimens.