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The report focuses on the lack of antibiotics in the pharmaceutical pipeline. Until now, it says, problems of resistance have been overcome by the development of new drugs. The older ones, to which bacteria or parasites have become resistant get phased out, and the new effective ones are brought in. But what happens when the cupboard is bare?

After a year's investigation of the problem, the authors say that while all stakeholders have a part to play in reducing the effect of resistance, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are best placed to take the lead in developing new drugs. The reason for the slump in production has been the high risk involved in investing large sums of money in drugs that might not yield a high return (especially if the drugs are most needed in poor countries).

Legislative and policy changes are needed to spur the pharmaceutical industry into action, says the report. Changes might include allowing companies to extend the exclusivity period on drug patents if they develop a priority antibiotic, tax incentives for R&D of priority antibiotics, or a guaranteed market (for example, by a government or donor agreeing to buy large quantities of drugs).

This annual update gives an overview of the latest developments in the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and provides regional statistics on the diseases's spread. It shows that numbers of people living with HIV and the number of deaths from AIDS are growing.

The report presents trends in HIV prevalence, including estimates of the number of young people and women infected in different countries. It discusses how high-risk behaviour such as unprotected sex and intravenous drug use contributes to the epidemic and how external factors such as malaria, tuberculosis, migration or political conflict affect HIV prevalence.

This paper maps African countries' knowledge base through patent applications and publications. It shows South Africa as academically, and technically, the strongest country of the continent. The number of publications is growing in other African countries, but patenting remains limited all-round.

The paper ends on a positive note, arguing that African countries already possess the basis for knowledge-driven development.

This draft document contains general guidelines on the creation and governance of health research ethics committees (HRECs) in Nigeria.

It also lists the principal characteristics research projects need to demonstrate in order to gain HREC approval. Research in Nigeria must have social or scientific value, be scientifically valid, ensure fair selection of participants, minimise health risks and undergo independent review. In addition, all participants of research projects must give their informed consent and be respected at all times. All projects must adhere to good clinical and laboratory practices. Researchers must do all they can to ensure their work has a lasting impact — transferring technology where appropriate and contributing to capacity building efforts.

A vaccine that stops people passing on the malaria parasite to others would benefit communities rather than individuals — since individuals could still become infected with the malaria parasite. This report summarises this and other conclusions of a 1999 meeting between international scientists and representatives of industry, funding agencies and the World Health Organization to discuss the feasibility of developing and using such a vaccine to control and prevent malaria in different types of epidemics.

A vaccine that stops people passing on the malaria parasite to others would benefit communities rather than individuals — since individuals could still become infected with the malaria parasite. This report summarises this and other conclusions of a 1999 meeting between international scientists and representatives of industry, funding agencies and the World Health Organization to discuss the feasibility of developing and using such a vaccine to control and prevent malaria in different types of epidemics.

Researchers led by Bob Snow of the Kenyan Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Laboratories used new and existing data to map the incidence of the most severe form of malaria, caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Their results indicated that there were more than 500 million cases in 2002 — double the World Health Organization's estimate.

The malaria parasite's genetic code — published in 2002 — has created a whole new foundation for basic research into malaria. This article, part of a special supplement published in the 19 August 2004 issue of Nature, describes the different technologies being used to study interactions between the malaria parasite and its human and mosquito hosts. These include using 'gene chips' to analyse which parasite genes are switched on at any particular stage in its life cycle, and the science of 'proteomics', which searches malaria proteins for new drugs and vaccine targets. The article is aimed at readers with some scientific background.

This policy paper says government policies on the development of drugs for neglected tropical diseases, including malaria, are based on misconceptions and need revising. Widely held but outdated beliefs include the notion that neglected diseases offer little commercial incentive for large pharmaceutical companies. In addition, it says, there is the perception that public-private partnerships (PPP) — which bring researchers from industry and academia together in non-profit drug development ventures — are too inexperienced to inspire confidence. The reality in 2005, however, is quite different, says the paper. About ten new drugs for neglected diseases are expected within the next five years, mostly because of PPPs. These have included collaborations that aim to provide drugs to poor countries at not-for-profit prices. A full report by the paper's authors is on the Wellcome Trust's website.

This article highlights ways of improving advanced research and development (R&D) of malaria drugs to speed up their eventual licensing and use. Public-private partnerships are boosting funding for such R&D and increasing the number of drugs being developed. But better administration and funding are also needed to ensure new drugs are tested adequately in the field, including their use in combination with other drugs. The authors also stress the need for more involvement by scientists and organisations in developing countries. The article is part of a special supplement published in the 19 August 2004 issue of Nature.

This review describes how new antimalarial drugs act on the malaria parasite. It also describes factors affecting whether or not drugs are finally licensed, and how private-public partnerships are boosting research and development.

This overview of malaria vaccine research focuses on potential vaccines that are in, or expected to enter, clinical trials by the end of 2005. Reviewing both published and unpublished findings, the article categorises different types of vaccines currently in development according to the stage of the malaria parasite life cycle they target. The article assumes knowledge of vaccine terminology, but presents a useful overview, including a summary table, of the status of different vaccine candidates. It also describes growing optimism in the field owing to new funding from private-public partnerships, including new North-South collaborations.

Part of a special supplement published in Nature in 2004, this article describes possible solutions for the control of mosquitoes as malaria vectors. The difficulties of scaling up and sustaining access to insecticide-treated nets, and the presence of insecticide-resistant mosquitoes, means that many people remain at risk of being bitten by mosquitoes. Solutions that could become reality within ten years include new insecticides that attack the mosquito in different ways or prevent resistance from developing, and releasing genetically modified mosquitoes that cannot breed or carry the malaria parasite.

This feature article, written for non-specialist readers, looks at the prospects of controlling malaria by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into the environment. The rationale is to render mosquitoes incapable of transmitting the malaria parasite, but it will be many years before such technology is developed and shown to be environmentally safe. Issues to be resolved before such mosquitoes are released include the possibility that the genetic modification could disappear in subsequent mosquito generations.

The Roll Back Malaria partnership aims to halve deaths from malaria by 2010. In its first comprehensive report since its launch in 1998, the partnership reveals that malaria still kills more than a million people a year in poor countries. But despite a resurgence of the disease in many parts of the world, the report outlines the progress being made in scaling-up control and prevention measures. These include fighting the spread of parasite resistance to drugs such as chloroquine by introducing new drugs, promoting the use of insecticide-treated nets and intermittent preventive treatment of pregnant mothers, and using early warning, detection and response systems to cope with epidemics. The full report and summary are available online in French and English.

The Roll Back Malaria partnership aims to halve deaths from malaria by 2010. In its first comprehensive report since its launch in 1998, the partnership reveals that malaria still kills more than a million people a year in poor countries. But despite a resurgence of the disease in many parts of the world, the report outlines the progress being made in scaling-up control and prevention measures. These include fighting the spread of parasite resistance to drugs such as chloroquine by introducing new drugs, promoting the use of insecticide-treated nets and intermittent preventive treatment of pregnant mothers, and using early warning, detection and response systems to cope with epidemics. The full report and summary are available online in French and English.

The Roll Back Malaria partnership aims to halve deaths from malaria by 2010. In its first comprehensive report since its launch in 1998, the partnership reveals that malaria still kills more than a million people a year in poor countries. But despite a resurgence of the disease in many parts of the world, the report outlines the progress being made in scaling-up control and prevention measures. These include fighting the spread of parasite resistance to drugs such as chloroquine by introducing new drugs, promoting the use of insecticide-treated nets and intermittent preventive treatment of pregnant mothers, and using early warning, detection and response systems to cope with epidemics. The full report and summary are available online in French and English.

This report from a workshop on “Promoting R&D in Preventive Health Technologies,” held in India in December 2004 outlines the potential role that the biotechnology sector in India could have in HIV vaccine research and development. India, as other “innovative developing countries” such as Brazil and China, has the research and manufacturing capacity to take a significant role in HIV vaccine research and development. The report strongly advocate’s IAVI’s strategy of promoting public-private partnerships in order to finance such developments.

This report publishes the results of a survey of organisations that fund genomics research throughout the world, and was produced for an international conference hosted by the Global Forum for Health Research and the World Health Organisation. It provides an analysis of funding and links it to current (at September 2000) trends that include private sector research and development funding, patent ownership and the market value of publicly traded firms.

Findings include: the private sector is a larger funder of genomics than the public sector; the majority of genomics funding goes to the United States; ownership of patents and other intellectual property is heavily concentrated in the United States.

The report concludes that the focus in genomics research has been to create valubale data rather than to consider a balanced distribution of benefits among the world's population. This lack of focus at the international level has meant that the initial technological fruits of genomics are likely to consist primarily of therapeutic and diagnostic applications for conditions affecting rich countries.

This major report was produced by the WHO's Advisory Committee on Health Research - after wide consultation - to highlight the relevance of genomics for global healthcare, with a particular focus on the implications for developing countries. It aims to ensure that genome technology is used to reduce rather than exacerbate global inequalities in health status.

The report focuses on human and pathogen genomics but also acknowledges the potential benefits of plant and animal genomics. Some of the issues surrounding the impact of genomics in developing countries are highlighted, for example, the high cost of genomic research, intellectual property rights and the way in which the pharmaceutical industry operates.

The report concludes with a series of recommendations for genomics and health in WHO member states, focusing in particular on the ways in which international cooperation may provide greater universal benefit of genomics research and technologies. The report is a useful resource, overviewing many aspects of genomics and the implications for healthcare in the future.