Do patent rules limit the development of drugs for tropical diseases?
There is a clear disincentive to invest in R&D on drugs to combat the diseases of the poor (pneumonia, malaria, typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis, etc.) as opposed to those of the rich. This reality responds to the limited market for drugs aimed at diseases associated with developing countries. The R&D numbers confirm this trend. It is estimated that although more than US$56 billion is spent annually on health research, less than 10 percent is directed toward diseases that afflict 90 percent of the worlds population. Between 1975 and 1997, 1223 new compounds were introduced on the market but only 11 of these were aimed at tropical diseases. As the WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health concluded, this can only be solved by a major international effort that is backed by increased aid and facilitated by public-private partnerships.
