Child 'Survival Pack'; £25

As everyone watches out trepiatiously for their local sparrows to start sneezing governments around the world are stoking up on 'Tamiflu' - the key anti-viral drug to combat a mutated H5N1 avian flu strain that is contagious between people - Thailand has only enough for 62,000 people. Its population is 62,000,000. The [sole] maker of 'Tamiflu' (what is it with pills & stupid names?), Roche has said it would "consider" relaxing its patent in a pandemic. Woo hoo. Big deal. How kind.

Hulking great multinational pharnaceutical companies hold over 90% of all drug patents. That's a stranglehold on the market and then some. Why is this allowed? People deserve to benefit from their inventions and discoveries, but surely there's got to be areas where the patent system is not working as it might. This one, for example.

30,000 people die every day because effective medications are too expensive.

Many of those who succumb are children - wee tinies under 5. These 'survival pack' thingies are important health basics (yes, basics, we're not talking antiretrovirals or anything adventurous here) — immunizations, antibiotics, rehydration solutions, insecticide-treated netting, Vitamin A and other micronutrients — helping children survive to age five in developing countries. It's a start.

[ Rx for Child Survival, UNICEF, Save the Children, Care; link ]