Modulating the profit motive to meet needs of the less-developed world

The success, despite the problems, of academic/industrial collaborations over the past decade owes much to the profit motive. However, market-driven research and development has little to offer patients in the less-developed world. Some flexibility has already been demonstrated on drugs for orphan (rare or under-researched) diseases. Many diseases in less-developed countries are not rare. Academic researchers should be encouraging the establishment of funding for basic and clinical research that is directed at patients' needs in the less-developed world and that is independent of a commercial ethos.