2008 Access to Medicine Index

Three years ago, the Access to Medicine Foundation set itself a daunting task. Enlisting the help of stakeholders from all sides of the issue, we set about to create an Index that will help give millions of people on the planet better access to medicines that they urgently need.

The Access to Medicine Index is an independent initiative that ranks the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies according to what they are doing for the millions of people in developing countries who do not have reliable access to medicine.

Reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other poverty-related diseases comprise three of the United Nations’ eight Millennium Development Goals. Getting universal access to existing treatments, and finding new, affordable treatments for diseases that have been largely neglected in the past, are crucial for the development of low-income countries.