In their article published in this issue, Steven J Hoffman & John-Arne Røttingen note that an international agreement on the important issue of research and development (R&D) could take any number of forms. ¹ Following discussions at the 2012 World Health Assembly (WHA), the authors describe a variety of administrative, financial, decision-making, oversight and compliance mechanisms, their point being, presumably, that concerns expressed at the WHA (which are described below) can be overcome if attention is paid to the most appropriate form that an international agreement on R&D might take.