Acursory glance at the developments of recent years would suggest that things are on the mend in the world of medicine. The pharmaceutical industry is coming up with new blockbusters - with the latest a much-trumpeted "miracle" drug against obesity. Neglected diseases - such as tuberculosis, sleeping sickness and kala-azar, for which industry sees no sufficiently lucrative market to justify investment in research and development - are seemingly catered for by partnerships to develop drugs, diagnostics and vaccines.

Big pharma uses these developments to boost its tattered image. The dark days of 2001 seem long gone, when more than 40 companies took the South African government to court in a misguided attempt to protect profits in the face of the country's efforts to provide cheaper Aids treatment to its people.