Lack of new drugs for tropical disease should not be accepted

EDITOR—In their overview of recent advances in the treatment of common tropical infections Murray et al note the dramatic resurgence of African trypanosomiasis, which claims tens of thousands of lives annually in sub-Saharan Africa.1 They also describe the toxicity and increasing resistance associated with current drug regimens.

In their discussion of newer drugs to fight trypanosomiasis they remark that more effective drugs exist, though they are more costly and of …