With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing even more of the world’s population into poverty and increasing the risk of debilitating illness, now is the time to redouble our efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases. And yet, increasing demands on government budgets seem poised to halt – and even reverse – hard-won progress.

US President Joe Biden’s decision to back the call for waiving intellectual-property protections for COVID-19 vaccines reflects the extent of global pressure for universal vaccine access. Yet the world’s poor suffer from many other preventable and treatable diseases, with dire social and economic consequences.

Neglected tropical diseases – such as elephantiasis, trachoma…