Scientific American has come up with a list of the most promising pharmaceuticals this year, most of them targeting the world's biggest health threats such as HIV, malaria, and lung cancer. New treatments pass through a number of trials before they are distributed to the public, namely: phase I safety trials, phase II or III efficacy and toxicity trials, and finally, phase IV clinical trials.

The treatments listed below have all passed phase I. A point of note: any new treatment, drug, or therapy in development has a risk of failing, even after passing the three initials phases.

• Alzhemed - This new drug is designed to target the root Alzheimer's Disease, a degenerative disorder that has become more widespread as life expectancy increases.
• Live attenuated 17D yellow fever and dengue chimera - A vaccine for Dengue, a disease mostly afflicting the tropics generating larger and increasingly frequent epidemics, is also under way.
• Technosphere Insulin System - This one is for Diabetes, inhalable insulin to help regulate blood sugar levels.
• E1E2/MF59 - A preventive vaccine against Hepatitis C is under development, a world first.
• Naproxcinod - A promising replacement for Vioxx, a painkiller for Arthritis, contains nitroglycerin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Stimuvax - This one for Lung Cancer, a new vaccine that doesn't have the side effects of the traditional therapies.
• RTS,S/AS02A - If it goes the distance, it would be the first commercially available vaccine to combat Malaria.
• NicVAX - A drug that immunizes the body against nicotine, this might be the cure for smoking.
• Bevasiranib - Another world first, an interfering RNA drug which is a viable treatment for vision loss.
• HPTN 046 and Nevirapine - This treatment prevents the transmission of HIV from mother to child, probably helping in minimizing the epidemic in the long run.