Chemical & Engineering News may not sound like a publication where one would expect to find an article describing the phenomenon of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the development of new technologies to address the infectious diseases of poverty.

But the latest issue of C&EN does have, as its cover story, a very comprehensive article on this important topic. As author Lisa Jarvis rightly says, a decade ago the private sector had almost entirely abandoned research efforts on diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and the neglected tropical diseases. The advent of PPPs - “conceived of as a way to address the gulf between drug need and availability by bringing together resources across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors” - has brought industry back into the picture. Between 2000 and 2004, PPPs spent $112 million to develop a combined 46 drug projects.

The article describes projects including the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, the TB Alliance and the recently launched MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories. It also includes interviews with some of the key people involved in these initiatives. The article is highly recommended and may be accessed in full here.