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Rebecca Voelker

JAMA. 1999;281:123.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

A leading drug manufacturer has joined forces with a philanthropic foundation to combat blinding trachoma in five developing nations.

Officials from Pfizer Inc and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation announced late last year that they formed a new organization—the International Trachoma Initiative—aimed at eliminating the disease in Morocco, Mali, Ghana, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Pfizer will provide oral antibiotics while the Clark Foundation will contribute funds and technical expertise to launch the $66-million program.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), trachoma, a bacterial infection of the upper eyelid, has affected more than 150 million people worldwide. Some 6 million have been blinded or are at immediate risk of blindness from the disease. Because it is most common in populous regions where poverty and poor hygiene are pervasive, the WHO estimates that almost 10% of the world's population is at risk.

The new elimination initiative will focus on a . . . [Full Text of this Article]