Investors have the power to influence companies to take action for global health. Armed with the Foundation’s analysis and insights, investors can make informed decisions and steward investee companies towards both sustainability and prosperity. Besides providing tailored advice on access to medicine topics, we also generate opportunities for collaborative action.
Investors are strongest when they pool their influence. By joining the Foundation's collaborative initiatives, investors can jointly steer investee companies to do better.
SDG3 Collaborative Engagement
This unique opportunity allows investors to collectively drive pharma companies toward the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3: to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. This long-term investor-led engagement uses the Access to Medicine Index to drive and track pharmaceutical company progress and impact on increased access to medicine in LMICs. To date, over 145 investors managing assets of more than USD 22 trillion have committed to use our data and insights. Read our investor statement here.
Investor Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (IAAMR)
Launched in 2020 by the Access to Medicine Foundation, the FAIRR initiative, the Principles for Responsible Investment and the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care, this initiative focuses on the role of capital markets in tackling the global threat of rising drug-resistant infections.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly’s second-ever High-Level Meeting on AMR in September, the IAAMR launched an Investor Statement calling on global leaders and policymakers to combat AMR. It includes seven critical requests, spotlighting solutions to the AMR crisis. The Statement seeks to galvanise investor efforts to address global AMR and is open for signing until 31 December 2024. So far, 80 investors managing USD 13 trillion in assets have signed the Statement. If you would like to become a Statement signatory, please reach out to the Foundation’s Investor Engagement Manager, Suzi van Es at svanes@accesstomedicinefoundation.org.
Pharmaceutical companies have human rights responsibilities in relation to access to medicines. Part of this responsibility relies on the companies’ capacity to ensure that essential products and services reach out patients, and especially, most vulnerable patients, including groups such as children, pregnant women and minorities. In other words, pharmaceutical companies shall identify and assess the needs, vulnerabilities and obstacles to access, implement access plans and strategies with specific measures to ensure patients are effectively reached, adopt indicators to monitor the effectiveness of their policies, be transparent about their programmes and results, and – last, but not least – consult with relevant stakeholders throughout the process. Patient reach is also a material issue for these companies, as in the long-term, prioritizing patient reach will also drive innovation and widen product availability. More robust and transparent patient reach strategies, with clear and defined frameworks and indicators, as presented in Access to Medicine Foundation’s last report, will help investors tracking companies’ performance, both in terms of human rights and materiality, and facilitate investors’ capacity to assess and monitor companies’ strategies, policies and results.
Camille Bisconte de Saint Julien
Human Rights and Social Analyst and Direction Solutions ISR, La Banque Postale Asset Management (LBP AM)
Who is on board?
Leading investors use the Access to Medicine Index
More than 145 institutional investors, accounting for a total of USD 22 trillion in assets under management, use our research to aid in the investment decision-making processes.
Investors play a vital role in improving access to medicineÂ
Issues of access to medicine in low- and middle-income countries can present potentially significant business impacts for essential healthcare companies. By encouraging systematic action to improve access, investors can guide investee companies towards a more sustainable profile. This is vital for the long-term commercial success and viability of companies, as emerging markets and ESG considerations become ever more important.
At the Access to Medicine Foundation, we recognise the power of investors to spur positive progress towards global healthcare equity. Our independent research and data-driven insights provide input for investment decisions, while our investor engagement team are on hand to offer tailored advice and facilitate collaboration.
2022 Access to Medicine Index investor launch event co-hosted by Goldman Sachs in London (November 2022)
2022 Access to Medicine Index investor launch event co-hosted by Deloitte in Tokyo (December 2022)
Bram Wagner, Investor Engagement Officer, speaking at the Generic & Biosimilar Medicines Programme: Company Profiles investor launch event, co-hosted by Nomura Asset Management (October 2023, Amsterdam)
Suzi van Es, Investor Engagement Manager, speaking on a panel discussion on 'Antibiotic resistance: What role do investors have in addressing this systemic societal risk?’ at Responsible Investor Europe 2023 (June 2023, London)
Bram Wagner, Investor Engagement Officer, speaking on a panel discussion on 'Global Health Challenges Can investors and civil society work together' hosted by the Geneva Graduate Institute and the Global Health Centre (October 2023, Geneva)
How we engage with the investor community
Our investor engagement team helps institutional investors to use the Foundation’s findings and analysis to better manage risks and opportunities for essential healthcare companies. We analyse financially material topics for the industry, including how essential healthcare companies approach governance, R&D, pricing and intellectual property management.Â
Through our Access to Medicine Index and Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark, we identify best practices, evaluate company performances and assess industry trends. We regularly publish reports that cover profitable business lines, such as oncology and cardiovascular health, as well as global health priorities such as infectious diseases, including COVID-19.Â
Investors use our data in various ways, including integrating findings into quantitative models and qualitative company assessments, as well as in their interactions with companies. Our team interacts regularly with investors to provide tailored advice and analysis as needed to inform investment decisions. We also help investors to engage essential healthcare companies through roundtable discussions, research launches, collective calls to action and collaborative engagements.
A number of our signatories have outlined the value they see in Access to Medicine Index and the Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark, and why investors should engage:
Australian Ethical: "Access to Medicine: The issue, the Foundation, and the investor call-to-action." Read more. Â
Candriam Investors: "Access to medicines, or how equality has become a central issue for pharma businesses."Â Read more.
Coho Partners: "ESG Insights: The Pandemic, Vaccines, and the importance of Access to Medicine." Read more.Â
Ecofi: "Pharmaceutical companies and access to medicines: what role for investors?''Â Read more.Â
Janus Henderson: ''Access to medicine - the need for innovation, partnerships and data capture.''Â Read more.Â
Rathbone Greenbank Investments: "Antibiotics: Preserving the miracle cure". Read more.
It is up to the investment community to hold [pharma] companies accountable...and to challenge companies over whether they are doing enough to ensure their products are reaching as many people as possible.
