Media sources discuss recent efforts by public and private entities to invest in African health, manufacturing, and research and development.

Financial Times: Drugmakers learn to blend commerce with philanthropy in Africa
“Africa has rarely been a source of good publicity for big pharma. But two events this week suggest the drugs industry is finally developing a positive story to tell about its role there. On Wednesday, Bill Gates will hail the ‘phenomenal’ efforts of companies such as Sanofi, Novartis, Merck and Johnson & Johnson to tackle neglected tropical diseases — mostly in Africa — as the Microsoft founder and other donors commit $240 million of fresh funding. This follows an announcement by GlaxoSmithKline on Monday that it plans to invest up to £130 million in Africa over the next five years to increase manufacturing capacity and to set up a research facility focused on new medicines for Africans…” (Ward, 4/1).

Uniting To Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases: Global Partners Are Taking the ‘Neglect’ out of ‘Neglected Tropical Diseases’
“Two years after the launch of a landmark private and public partnership, the world is accelerating progress in combating 10 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Global leaders gathered in Paris today at the Institut Pasteur to announce that this partnership has catalyzed momentum and crucial resources against NTDs — parasitic and bacterial infections that put one in six people worldwide at risk of being sickened, disabled or disfigured…” (4/2).