Getting Global Health on the Radar of Private Sector Investors and Asset Managers

Elaine Ruth Fletcher, writing for Health Policy Watch, recaps a panel discussion "Global health challenges: Can investors and civil society work together," which was hosted by the Geneva Graduate Institute and the Global Health Centre on October 11. As one of the speakers on the panel, Bram Wagner, the Foundation's Investor Engagement Officer, discussed how investors employ the Access to Medicine Index to assess investee companies' engagement in promoting access to medicine.

Wagner shared insights into how the Foundation is mobilising different stakeholders, including investors, on access to medicine issues. Drawing a parallel between the tech and pharma industries, he underlined that ensuring the accessibility and affordability of life-saving medicines involves distinct ethical considerations compared to tech products.

Speaking about the Foundation's biannual Access to Medicine Index, Wagner emphasised that, in addition to evaluating company performance and benchmarking companies against each other, the Index identifies specific improvement opportunities and highlights best practices that can serve as learning points for companies. He shared how the Foundation is collaborating with the internal access teams within pharmaceutical companies, underlying that it is one of the key elements of its changemaking approach.

Wagner also discussed the Foundation's role in helping investors understand the intricacies of access challenges and the unique circumstances of individual companies.

"So, when we are empowering internal access teams at pharma companies to drive change, a discussion that is then subsequently taking place in a boardroom can really tip things the other way if shareholders have a voice – they find the issue is important and they want it to be managed effectively."