The World Health Organizations and other international health agencies identify a select group of 13 tropical infections as the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These diseases, which include leprosy, kala-azar, river blindness, guinea worm, schistosomiasis, hookworm and lymphatic filariasis, strike the world’s poorest people living in remote and rural areas of low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Americas. They inflict suffering by causing life-long disabilities, disfigurement, reduced economic productivity, and social stigma (WHO, 2003). Unlike better-known global health threats such as HIV-AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, the NTDs do not receive enough international attention. Instead, they are neglected diseases among forgotten people found only in the setting of geographic isolation and intense poverty (Molyneux, 2004). Impoverished and marginalized populations with the NTDs represent the lowest priority markets for US and European pharmaceutical manufacturers. The NTDs do not occur in the industrialized world or even among the substantial wealthy and middle-classes in developing countries. They are not a significant health risk for foreign travelers or the military. This is in contrast to the more substantial commercial markets for HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis (“the big three”). The recent creation of massive funding schemes for the big three, such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief provides additional financial incentives, as well as a certain amount of panache and luster. In contrast, the commercial market for NTD drug