Investment in health research needs scrutiny

Closer tracking of money invested in health research around the world is essential if resources are to be used effectively, says a new report from the Global Forum of Health Research. Spending on health research has tripled in the past two decades from an estimated $30bn (£16.5bn; 荤24bn) in 1986 to $106bn in 2001 (the latest year for which data are available). It is uncertain, however, whether this increase has narrowed the “10-90” gap—the term coined in 1986 to emphasise the fact that only 10% of the world's …