Closing gaps in access to medicine for children: how R&D and delivery efforts can be ramped up
With significant gaps in paediatric treatment options, this analysis takes a deep dive into the actions of 20 of the world’s largest pharma companies to develop and deliver much-needed medicines for children.
Almost 5.2 million children under five, most of whom live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), still die every year from preventable and treatable diseases. Despite the clear need to improve access to medicine for these children, the stark reality is that they are often waiting last in line. This analysis looks at the current actions of the pharmaceutical companies assessed in the 2021 Access to Medicine Index to develop and deploy treatments aimed specifically at children under 12.
What the analysis shows:Â
Paediatric pipeline breakdown, showing which diseases benefit most from pharma R&D efforts
Comparison of companies' late-stage paediatric pipelines, including coverage by access plans
Examples of potentially game-changing products that have now gained market approval
Tangible actions that pharmaceutical companies, product development partners, governments and the global health community can take to help ramp up R&D and delivery efforts.
This finding is part of the 2021 Access to Medicine Index. The opportunities presented in the finding provide an update to the Foundation’s 2020 series on the urgent need for new child-friendly treatments for HIV, malaria and TB and sets out reforms for shaping policy and scaling up progress across paediatric medicine. By investing in these opportunities, companies, product development partners, governments and the global health community can help close the gap from pipeline to patient and the global inequalities in children’s healthcare.
ELMA greatly values the Access to Medicine Foundation and their work to make children and infants, and particularly those living in Sub-Saharan Africa, a bigger priority. Their new report outlines the issues impeding access, highlights potentially game-changing innovations for kids, and offers concrete solutions for a variety of stakeholders to consider for ramping up access. Together, we can ensure that investments in health innovations reach children urgently in need, including for neglected tropical diseases and HIV to move forward towards an AIDS-free generation.
Tom McPartland
ELMA Philanthropies
The survival rate for childhood cancers is approximately 80% in high- income countries while, according to the WHO, less than 30% of children with cancer survive in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Addressing this inequality is a social obligation. UICC welcomes this report and calls for all stakeholders to come together to improve access for new and existing medicines, and to simultaneously address other aspects of comprehensive treatment and care, like access to diagnostics, capacity building of the health work force and building a strong referral system.
Prof. Anil D’Cruz
President, The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
