Pharmaceuticals in society

The great discoveries in biology of the twentieth century have enormous potential to improve global health. There are, however, many challenges. How do we handle the fact that one billion people are overweight and obese while one billion are undernourished? That drugs for poor people are often considered to be a bad investment? Sick care or health care? Can health care be delivered effectively through a profit-driven free market system? What will be the role of pharmaceuticals in the twenty-first century? This role must be considered not only from a scientific perspective, but also from global social and economic perspectives.