Chances are you’ll live much longer than your ancestors thanks to a treatment developed by a drug company. Unfortunately, not everyone benefits equally. That’s because there is no guarantee curing a deadly ailment that primarily afflicts poorer patients – such as dengue fever and malaria – will pay off for the drugmaker.

This puts us all at risk, argues James Leahy, a chemistry professor at the University of South Florida. The good news is that nonprofit ventures are starting to fill this gap, and their efforts “could prove paramount to the survival of the human species,” he explains.

Also today:

Top story

Millions of young children get malaria. These two got it in 2010. AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam

There’s a way for modern medicine to cure diseases even when the treatments aren’t profitable

James Leahy, University of South Florida

There's a big market for new treatments for TB, malaria and other ailments. But most of these diseases afflict low-income people unable to pay for medicine.

Politics + Society

  • 3 countries where Trump is popular

    Monti Datta, University of Richmond

    Most of the world might hate Trump, but in some places, based largely on his policies, there is hope and even admiration.

  • How Congress turns citizens’ voices into data points

    Samantha McDonald, University of California, Irvine

    Advancements in computer technology are changing how Congress handles citizen communication, which affects how elected officials represent their constituents.

Health + Medicine

Economy + Business

Education

Ethics + Religion

Most read on site

Today’s chart

 
 

Know people who may be interested in The Conversation's stories? Click here to forward this newsletter to them and ask them to sign up at https://theconversation.com/us/newsletter