The health status of Africans remains far worse than that of
people in many other developing regions, to say nothing of
Europe and North America. Although a lack of access to health
care and serious health system deficiencies are important
reasons for this phenomenon, other elements aggravate it. One is
insufficient research and development aimed at addressing
Africa’s unmet health needs. The result is a lack of efficient
therapies for many illnesses that affect that continent almost
exclusively and are therefore beyond the scope of most research
efforts in the developed world. Consequently, improving the
health of Africans implies not only addressing the deficiencies
of access and health systems but also stimulating the
development of suitable drugs and diagnostics. A look at the
relationship between GDP per capita and life expectancies
illustrates the magnitude of the problem. While the GDP of
Africa as a whole has grown by over 200 percent in the past 20
years, only two extra years of life expectancy were