Inter Press Service reports on “a conference organized by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) on World Cancer Day [February 4] in Geneva,” during which experts warned about the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — “cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, among others” — especially in low- and middle-income countries. The news service describes the formation and actions of the NCD Alliance and includes comments from Jeffrey Sturchio, senior partner at the consulting firm Rabin Martin; Cary Adams, CEO of the Union for International Cancer Control and chair of the NCD Alliance; and Margaret Kruk of Columbia University’s school of public health. While the work of the NCD Alliance has “result[ed] in a plan of action that stretches to 2025, with clear targets such as reducing NCD-related deaths by 25 percent in that time frame, … financial resources are stretched thin, and it is unlikely that the funds needed to launch a massive global campaign will be readily available,” IPS writes (Agazzi, 2/5).