Pharmaceutical industry faces pressure to improve patient reach in developing countries

Citizen Digital covers the Access to Medicine Foundation’s latest report, which takes a first-ever look at how some of the largest pharma companies are reaching patients worldwide in pursuit of health equity, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The article outlines the progress and notable shortcomings in the pharmaceutical industry's efforts to deliver essential medicines to patients, as detailed in the Foundation's recent report. It then covers a few findings from the report:

42 different approaches employed by pharma companies were identified, with AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Roche among those working on a more nuanced measurement framework.

19 of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies have developed patient outreach methods, however, a unified measurement approach is still lacking.

Many companies are making ambitious commitments to expand their reach in LMICs, yet there is still potential for them to better their efforts to reach those in need.

There are both product and geographic gaps in measuring patient reach, leaving the number of patients reached in some areas and for some diseases unknown.

“Companies must prioritise patient reach or risk falling short in addressing health inequality,” the article quotes Claudia Martínez, Head of Research at the Foundation. “Our findings lay out a clear path for pharma companies to do this, emphasising how they can embed equitable access within their business operations.”