A research programme by the Access to Medicine Foundation
The foundation

Access to Medicine Foundation

The Foundation stimulates and guides pharmaceutical companies to do more to improve access to medicine. It is an independent non-profit organisation.
Our programmes

Access to Medicine Index

Ranks 20 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies based on their efforts to address access to medicine, including in strategy, governance, R&D and pricing. By publicly recognising the best performers, the Index spurs companies to compete to be the best.

Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark

Tracks what the 30 most active companies in antimicrobial R&D and manufacturing are doing to bring antimicrobial resistance under control. By assessing the level of action, it provides a reality check on progress against AMR.

Access to Vaccines Index

Reports what vaccine companies are doing to ensure all children can be immunised wherever they live. By uncovering what is working and where, this Index helps ensure vaccine markets also reach the poorest and most remote communities.
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Access to Medicine Index homepage

Key Finding - 20 Nov 2018

2018 Index finds progress being led by a handful of companies, including in pricing and R&D

The 2018 Access to Medicine Index finds that the pharmaceutical industry continues to mature in its approach to access to medicine with models for good practice in areas such as access planning and licensing.

6th Access to Medicine Index: latest analysis of pharma action.

The Index reports how 20 pharmaceutical companies make medicines, vaccines and diagnostics more accessible for people in low- and middle-income countries.

Key finding

Five companies are carrying out 63% of the most urgently needed R&D projects

Five companies are carrying out 63% of the most urgently needed R&D projects

Pharmaceutical R&D priorities have been identified for people in low- and middle-income countries. Companies are responding: priority R&D accounts for a fifth of all R&D projects analysed.

Key finding

Most key on-patent products have access initiatives, but these are limited in reach

Most key on-patent products have access initiatives, but these are limited in reach

The Index has identified 53 products that are critical candidates for companies’ access initiatives: they are on-patent, first-line therapies seen as essential for all healthcare systems.

News related to the Access to Medicine Index

16 Jul 2020

Tunnel vision or global outlook? Global pharma's dependency on the US

COVID-19 is a litmus test of whether health systems can pool assets and expertise and fairly distribute resources so that patients worldwide can benefit equally, writes Jayasree K. Iyer, Executive Director of the Access to Medicine Foundation.

10 Jul 2020

Will COVID-19 harm or help pharma's access to medicine efforts, asks 2021 Access to Medicine Index

The next Index will be published in January 2021 – one year after China imposed the first lockdown to control COVID-19. It will capture how the world's largest pharmaceutical companies are responding to COVID-19.

09 Jun 2020

Progress against HIV, malaria and TB is under threat, with children at risk. Here’s what is needed.

COVID-19 and drug resistance are threatening to derail the progress made against the 'big three'. Greater momentum is needed to develop new child-friendly meds and to rapidly make them accessible.

20 Mar 2020

100+ investors endorse the Access to Medicine Index

Eight new investors have pledged support to the Foundation’s research and signed the Access to Medicine Index Investor Statement, taking the total number of signatory investors to 103 with total assets under management of USD 14 trillion.

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"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

Executive Director Access to Medicine Foundation

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View our detailed overview of each company’s performance in the Index, including breakdowns of their product portfolios and R&D pipelines.

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