BRENDA COLATRELLA, an executive of the multinational pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., remembers being stunned at a meeting back in 1996 by a proposal made by a colleague at the World Health Organization (WHO). Since 1987, Merck and the WHO had been partners in an innovative program to eliminate onchocerciasis, a leading cause of blindness in the developing world. Merck's donations of its breakthrough drug Mectizan, with the WHO's technical support, had already saved millions of Africa's poor…

To read this article and start a full year of unlimited online access, subscribe now!

Already a subscriber?

Need to register for your premium online access,
which is included with your paid subscription?

Support SSIR’s coverage of cross-sector solutions to global challenges. 
Help us further the reach of innovative ideas. Donate today.

Read more stories by Jonathan B. Levine.