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

The first report to compare what pharmaceutical companies are doing to bring antimicrobial resistance under control. By highlighting where good ideas are being implemented, it encourages their wider uptake.

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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Results

The 2018 Access to Medicine Index analyses the actions of 20 pharmaceutical companies across 69 metrics in 106 low- and middle-income countries and for 77 diseases, conditions and pathogens. Here you find the three key findings from 2018 and a selection of leading graphics from the full report.

All Key Finding Leading graphics

Key Finding

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

Most priority R&D projects (63%) are being conducted by five companies: GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck KGaA, Novartis and Sanofi. The global health com...

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Key Finding

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

From the 20 companies evaluated, the Index has identified 53 products that are critical candidates for companies’ access initiatives. The Index uses f...

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Key Finding

Access initiatives for cancer products focus on pricing, mainly for small populations

Cancer is taking an increasing toll in low- and middle- income countries, where more than half of deaths due to cancer now occur. The Index...

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Leading graphics

Priority R&D: are the most urgently needed new products being developed?

Globally, two billion people cannot access the medicines they need, with millions in low- and middle-income countries dying each year from diseases be...

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Leading graphics

On-patent products: how do pharmaceutical companies use pricing, licensing and donations to improve access to key medicines?

Low- and middle-income countries are home to the majority of the world’s poorest people. Whether medicines, vaccines and other products reach the peop...

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Leading graphics

Gap analysis: which diseases have treatments on the market or promise in the pipeline?

When pharmaceutical companies take action to improve access to medicine, it has the largest impact on their own products. The Access to Medicine Index...

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Leading graphics

Access planning: How do pharmaceutical companies plan to make new products quickly accessible after launch?

New medicines and other life-saving products must be made rapidly available to patients who need them, wherever they live. This requires advance plann...

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Leading graphics

Product registration: Which markets do pharmaceutical companies target?

A product can only be marketed in a country once it is registered for sale. Which means pharmaceutical companies must apply for registration as rapidl...

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Leading graphics

Patents: Do companies license products on terms that facilitate access?

How companies manage their intellectual property (IP) impacts the availability and affordability of medicines, most significantly when they facilitate...

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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.