How pharma can
reach the poor.
We work every day to change how pharmaceutical companies bring their medicines to the poor. Today, millions of people have yet to benefit fully from modern medicine.
What we do
The Access to Medicine Foundation has been working to stimulate and guide the pharmaceutical industry to do more for people living in low- and middle-income countries for more than ten years.
How we drive change
Our team uses a 3-part model to ensure our research is constructively applied by the many stakeholders working in access to medicine, to limit antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and to drive up standards across the pharmaceutical industry.
Our history
The Access to Medicine Foundation was founded in 2003 by Dutch entrepreneur, Wim Leereveld. It started with a single idea: how can we encourage the pharmaceutical industry to do more to help the world’s poorest people access the medicine they need?
Governance & financials
The Foundation is an independent non-profit organisation, funded by the UK and Dutch governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, AXA Investment Managers and Wellcome Trust. The Foundation is a registered charity in the Netherlands (ANBI-status).
Our team
Our team has diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Together, we work to ensure our research is constructively applied by the many stakeholders working in access to medicine, and to drive up the standards across the pharmaceutical industry.
Work with us
Would you be a good fit for our team? Then get in touch about one of our current vacancies.
What leaders say
"Africa has been overlooked when it comes to research and development of life-saving medical commodities, including COVID-19 vaccines. Free market demand and supply principles will not work on their own without an equitable access dimension. The Access to Medicine Foundation is important for accountability - tracking how and where healthcare companies live up to their commitments; as well as encouraging them to do better – in bridging gaps in equitable access to health products and achieving universal health coverage."
Dr Githinji Gitahi
Group CEO, Amref Health Africa
"I’ve been impressed by the Access to Medicine Index. It presents well-balanced stakeholder views on good practices for the pharmaceutical industry and it provides clear standards against which the performance of individual companies can be judged."
Mary Robinson
Chair of the Elders, First woman President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
"When I talk to executives from pharmaceutical companies they tell me that they want to do more for neglected diseases, but they at least need to get credit for it. The Access to Medicine Index does exactly that."
Bill Gates
Co-chair and Trustee, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
"There have been massive improvements in global health in the past decades, with all major pharmaceutical companies taking action. To close the gaps that remain, a greater diversity of companies must get involved and stay engaged."
Jayasree K. Iyer
CEO, Access to Medicine Foundation