Pharmaceutical industry’s medicine access efforts stall in poor nations

The article emphasises that although pharmaceutical companies have made some progress in expanding access to essential healthcare products in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), their overall efforts remain limited.

“Companies could do a lot more to scale up their initiatives to make lifesaving treatments accessible and affordable everywhere they are needed,” the article quotes Jayasree Iyer, CEO of the Access to Medicine Foundation. “Until that happens, many essential medicines and healthcare products will remain out of reach for billions of people living in low- and middle-income countries.” 

The article underscores some significant concerns revealed by the 2024 Index: fewer than half of all clinical trials take place in LMICs, despite these regions being home to nearly 80% of the global population. Additionally, progress has slowed in reaching licensing deals that are designed to make lower-cost generic drugs available in LMICs.

On a positive note, an increasing number of companies are now targeting LMICs through 'inclusive business models' (IBMs) designed to reach populations that have historically been overlooked. However, the article reflects the findings of the 2024 Index, which reveal that the outcomes of these models are inconsistent, and there is a lack of clear reporting on the actual number of patients being reached.