Competition is close for top positions
Pharmaceutical companies continue to inch forward in addressing access to medicine in low- and middle-income countries, finds the 2021 Access to Medicine Index. Pfizer moves into the top five. GSK retains its number one position, yet only slightly ahead of Novartis.
1 | Novartis AG |
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4.53 | |
Novartis AGRead more |
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2 | GlaxoSmithKline plc |
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4.36 | |
GlaxoSmithKline plcRead more |
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3 | Pfizer Inc. |
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3.91 | |
Pfizer Inc.Read more |
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3 | Sanofi |
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3.91 | |
SanofiRead more |
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4 | Novo Nordisk A/S |
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3.81 | |
Novo Nordisk A/SRead more |
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5 | Johnson & Johnson |
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3.78 | |
Johnson & JohnsonRead more |
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6 | AstraZeneca plc |
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3.29 | |
AstraZeneca plcRead more |
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7 | Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. |
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3.22 | |
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.Read more |
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8 | Merck KGaA (Merck) |
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3.16 | |
Merck KGaA (Merck)Read more |
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9 | Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH |
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3.09 | |
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbHRead more |
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10 | Eisai Co. Ltd. |
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3.06 | |
Eisai Co. Ltd.Read more |
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11 | Bayer AG |
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3.03 | |
Bayer AGRead more |
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12 | Roche Holding AG |
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2.92 | |
Roche Holding AGRead more |
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13 | Gilead Sciences Inc. |
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2.50 | |
Gilead Sciences Inc.Read more |
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14 | Astellas Pharma Inc. |
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2.35 | |
Astellas Pharma Inc.Read more |
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15 | Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. |
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1.90 | |
Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd.Read more |
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16 | Merck & Co., Inc. (MSD) |
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1.82 | |
Merck & Co., Inc. (MSD)Read more |
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17 | AbbVie Inc. |
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1.30 | |
AbbVie Inc.Read more |
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18 | Eli Lilly & Co. |
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1.25 | |
Eli Lilly & Co.Read more |
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19 | Bristol Myers Squibb Co. |
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1.15 | |
Bristol Myers Squibb Co.Read more |
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The ranking above shows the position and score of each company in the 2021 Index. Click on a company's name to go to its full report card.
Insights
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All companies have essential medicines or vaccines
Of the 757 marketed products included in the Index analysis, 75% are medicines. More than half these products target non-communicable diseases, while few target neglected tropical diseases such as snakebite envenoming and trachoma. The majority of companies are patent holders of at least one medicine listed on the WHO EML.
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Few products are registered in high-burden countries
The countries in scope with the most registration filings mainly include Brazil and Thailand. The countries with the least filings include politically unstable countries, e.g., Somalia and South Sudan, or have small populations such as Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Companies should prioritise countries with the highest disease burdens when planning for registration.
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Few products are covered by access strategies in LICs
Access strategies with the biggest potential impact on access to medicine are strategies that aim to make products affordable for all patients across the income pyramid. The Index finds that many of the world’s poor countries still do not benefit significantly from pharma companies' access strategies.
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Partnerships help ensure uninterrupted supply
19 companies report working in some form of a partnership to address supply challenges: e.g. collaborating with supranational partners to supply medicine, liaising with government and purchasers on demand forecasting and working with local distributors to tackle supply barriers.