Longitudinal Analysis 2010-2012
The study measures changes in company performance with regard to access to medicines and technologies for 33 relevant diseases in 103 low- and middle-income countries.
Despite many efforts and real progress in many countries, about one third of the world’s population remains without regular access to essential medicines. Most of the “bottom billion” living on less than a dollar per day are found in sub-Saharan Africa, India and other emerging economies.I Such people face many barriers to obtaining necessary medications. Lack of access may simply be due to high prices and lack of funds, but physical access to health facilities, poor quality of the product, deficient distribution systems, social and cultural barriers and irrational prescribing also play a role. In some cases, the necessary essential medicines do not exist, such as heat-stable insulin for patients without refrigerators in tropical climates, or paediatric combination syrups for treatment of HIV in young children. The responsibility for resolving these problems lies with many actors, one of which is the pharmaceutical industry.