Many diseases are endemic in the developing world, yet for a number of these there are few safe and effective treatments. This lack of medicines results from an industrial model that has been in place for more than 50 years. Basic scientific research carried out in the public sector is translated into life-saving medicines mainly by pharmaceutical companies. This is a lengthy, onerous and expensive process — taking about 15 years and costing hundreds of millions of dollars per drug — and comes with a high risk of failure.
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