Intro
The overall goal of this chapter is to introduce the multistep process that leads to new product development and use and to outline the economic and institutional context for products developed specifically for major global diseases. In addition, it attempts to define the major financial efforts under way to help stimulate the process. Because product development is integrally related to intellectual property issues and to regulatory and liability concerns, these topics are also included. Data on product development for the developing countries are not systematically available. We have, therefore, used information based on analyses for developed countries and, when possible, made comparisons.
