A call for increased investment in oft-forgotten bugs

All eyes are on the new coronavirus outbreak, and scientists are rushing to discover means to contain it. But, quietly, more well-known pathogens are wreaking havoc without nearly enough attention being given to them: Tuberculosis, diarrheal illness, malaria, and pneumonia kill thousands each and every day, writes Dr. Nick Chapman, CEO of the think tank Policy Cures Research.

There still isn’t enough investment in these diseases — though Chapman points out that this might change. His organization put out a survey of 200 funders, and found that for the first time, investment in neglected disease R&D has grown three years in a row, with funding reaching a record high of $4 billion.

But there won’t be any meaningful improvement in treatment of these overlooked diseases unless funding continues over the next decade — and begins to come from a greater variety of funders, he writes.