The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and many other organizations are involved in the procurement of pharmaceutical products. In particular, the supply of pharmaceutical products used in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), malaria and tuberculosis has become a major concern at both the international and country levels. Commitments by the European Commission and G8 countries, among others, offer the potential for significant increases in funding for efforts to combat communicable diseases. Low-cost pharmaceutical products of assured quality have the greatest potential for maximizing the impact of these efforts...