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Nature 449, 174-175 (13 September 2007) | doi:10.1038/449174a; Published online 12 September 2007

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Neglected Diseases Patent sense

Paul Herrling1

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Protecting intellectual property saves lives in the developing world, argues Paul Herrling.

Many diseases are endemic in the developing world, yet for a number of these there are few safe and effective treatments. This lack of medicines results from an industrial model that has been in place for more than 50 years.