2024 Access to Medicine Index finds that pharma companies are missing opportunities to reach more patients in low- and middle-income countries

The article emphasizes that although pharmaceutical companies have adapted their business models to target low-income countries, progress in securing licensing agreements to facilitate the availability of affordable generic drugs in LMICs has stalled. Additionally, only a small number of companies have engaged in technology transfer agreements, and most clinical trials continue to be conducted outside of LMICs, despite these countries being home to the majority of the global population.

The article also points out that five companies—Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and Sanofi—are now focusing on low-income and least developed countries within their inclusive business strategies, aiming to improve access to their products in 102 LMICs included in the 2024 Index. However, the 2024 Index finds that the outcomes of these models are somewhat mixed, and transparent reporting on how many patients are actually being reached remains insufficient.