LAUSR

Ri ch ar d H or to n I crossed paths with Peter Sands at the World Health Assembly last week. I greeted him warmly, I thought, and asked how he was settling into his new role as Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He looked uncomfortable. His manner was frosty, possibly even icy. Our conversation, such as it was, faltered. We parted awkwardly. I understand why. After we published a laudatory welcome following his appointment, we criticised the Global Fund’s partnership with drinks manufacturer, Heineken—a partnership endorsed by Peter himself. We were not the only ones. The NCD Alliance called on the Global Fund to “immediately end” its collaboration with a company that contributes to 2·8 million deaths annually. The Fund did eventually sever its ties with Heineken. But Peter was clearly upset by the controversy. He told The Lancet, “the global health community needs to engage the private sector more rather than less”.