June 11 - 15, 2001 As more research is conducted in developing countries, ethical issues that reflect differences in cultures, politics, wealth, standards of care, individual and group rights, and priorities are surfacing with increasing frequency. The present ethical codes are not always sufficient for the broad new set of problems faced by funders of international health research, members of Ethical Review Boards, government agencies, and researchers themselves.

The South African government announced yesterday that it will not declare HIV/AIDS a national emergency, a move that under World Trade Organization rules would have allowed the country to import generic drugs "regardless of objections from drug firms claiming abuse of patent rights," Reuters reports (Reuters, 3/13).

Increased desertification and drought represent a serious threat to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed this concern at the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) which was held in Bonn, Germany (11-22 December 2000).

Ghana remains without any of the drugs that allow people with AIDS in rich countries to lead full lives. Efforts by an Indian company to market them in the country failed when a drug multinational issued a patents challenge. Eugenia Adofo visited an Accra hospital to speak to a patient.

One of the world's biggest drugs companies yesterday relaxed its patent over two Aids drugs, allowing manufacturers in South Africa to produce cheaper copies for local use, after protests from the scientific community.

World leaders in health philanthropy will convene in London for an Inaugural Global Health Philanthropy Summit, to be held at the Royal College of Physicians from 9-11 May 2001. The Academy for International Health Philanthropy's Summit will address how philanthropists can make a greater and lasting impact on world health by pooling knowledge and by more effective targeting of their support. Registrations applications are available at the AIHP website or by e-mail.