Drugs for Tropical Diseases in the Third World

Abstract

The relationship between the World Health Organization's Special Programme for reducing tropical diseases and the pharmaceutical industry is the author's main theme. The problems of malaria, schistosomiasis, filariasis trypanosomiasis – both types – leishmaniasis and leprosy are surveyed with references to their chemotherapy, the search for new drugs and possible immunity. It is concluded that existing drugs are far from perfect, but untll better ones have been discovered, they represent the best treatment for most of the diseases reviewed.