Foundation to co-host event focused on NCDs access alongside UNGA

In September 2025, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will hold its 80th session in New York City, where the Foundation will host a series of events convening key global health stakeholders and experts to discuss urgent access-to-medicine issues and identify pathways forward. 

Among these events is a roundtable discussion on access to healthcare for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), “Bridging the gap: Scaling innovative approaches to NCD medicine access in LMICs,” co-hosted with the Medicines Patient Pool (MPP), the NCD Alliance (NCDA) and the NCD Policy Lab.

NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer are on the rise in LMICs, but access to essential medicines and products for these conditions remain out of reach in many communities due to limited availability, high out-of-pocket costs and supply chain inefficiencies, hindering equitable access.

Jayasree K. Iyer, CEO of the Access to Medicine Foundation, will present strategies for how attendees – including representatives from pharmaceutical companies, governments and investors – can work together to overcome these obstacles.

A discussion will centre around collaborative strategies that accelerate and stabilise access, such as volume guarantees, pooled procurement, voluntary licensing, technology transfers and local manufacturing. Jayasree will highlight best practices identified in the Foundation’s research that demonstrate the success of these approaches, and explain the scalability and transferability of these models across countries and health systems.