A binding international convention would facilitate a move towards more equitable access to R&D in health, according to Suerie Moon and colleagues.

Trade deals are threatening generic drugs — we need new ways to incentivise affordable drug development, says health expert Daniele Dionisio.

There is a pressing need for Africa to bolster its pharmaceuticals industry, and that requires the right policy framework, argues Priya Shetty.

Improving health for the poor depends on nurturing local innovations — and learning how to deliver them, argue Abdallah Daar and Peter Singer.

The revised malaria death toll suggests a need for research into uncertainties in controlling neglected tropical diseases, says Mark Booth.

India's carefully targeted strategy against polio holds lessons for other countries, and for other diseases, argues Priya Shetty.

New clinical trial designs can work for testing both Western and traditional medicines, argue Liang Liu and colleagues.

Diseases, and drugs used to treat them, behave differently in men and women. Drug development needs to account for this, says Priya Shetty.

Excitement about new drug treatment for HIV prevention does not mean we should lose sight of other methods, cautions Priya Shetty.

Developing world scientists should be empowered to do their own medical genomics research, say Carlos D. Bustamante and colleagues.

Impact studies warn that TRIPS-Plus provisions can lead to higher prices and reduced access to medicines, say Nusaraporn Kessomboon and colleagues.

Health research partnerships do more for development than just tackling illness, argues AIDS vaccine R&D leader Seth Berkley.

Both fake and substandard medicines threaten public health, and efforts to tackle them must put the focus on quality, says Leena Menghaney.

The Greater Mekong Subregion must build on current initiatives for a lasting response to fake and substandard drugs, says Charles Delacollette.

After recent gains against trypanosomiasis, new diagnostic and treatment tools mean we can make the final push, says Priya Shetty.

The funding stream for partnerships between the pharmaceutical and public sectors cannot be allowed to dry up, says Priya Shetty.

Many Sub-Saharan African technologies are languishing in labs because of a failure to commercialise them, say Ken Simiyu, Abdallah S.Daar and Peter A. Singer.

Nanomedicine requires careful development, not a great rush to jump on the bandwagon, argues nanotech expert Manoj Varma.

Malaria researchers must join forces to present a clear and detailed call for the resources they need, say Ian Boulton and Steve Ward.

Priya Shetty discusses why biomedical research is vital in steering progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.