Research
2018 Access to Medicine Index
20 November 2018
Ten-year analysis
Are pharmaceutical companies making progress when it comes to global health?
The Access to Medicine Foundation has published a new report outlining the progress made by 20 of the largest pharmaceutical companies in improving access to medicine in the past decade.
Date
16 May 2019
The Access to Medicine Foundation's report is the first independent assessment of how 20 leading pharmaceutical companies have responded to the call for improved global health over the past ten years. The Foundation collected and analysed data covering 106 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), examining the progress made by these companies and identifying areas where further efforts are needed to bridge the access gap and ensure equitable healthcare for all.
What’s in the report?
The report provides a detailed analysis of the pharmaceutical industry's efforts to improve access to medicine over the past decade. It explores six areas:
Governance & Strategy
Analyses strategies companies have implemented to improve access to medicine, and outlines how companies' mindsets towards responsibility for delivering on them have changed.
Conduct & Compliance
Identifies breaches of laws or regulations relating to misconduct, and tracks changes made by companies in how they audit compliance with codes of conduct. Also looks at how they incentivise good ethical conduct by sales agents.
Research & Development
Explores changes in: the number of R&D projects for specific diseases, conditions and pathogens; company involvement in different R&D areas; and planning ahead to facilitate access to new products in LMICs. Also examines which products have reached the market in the past decade.
Neglected tropical diseases
Assesses the extent to which companies have increased their engagement in donations and R&D efforts related to neglected tropical diseases since 2010.
Access to specific products
Assesses companies' changes in their approach to equitable pricing and licensing in LMICs over time, and examines their practices in registration filings, support for the Doha Declaration, and patent transparency.
In-country access initiatives
Examines two ways in which companies can directly address barriers to access for specific populations and communities: inclusive business models and capacity building.
Next steps
The Access to Medicine Foundation will use the findings as it identifies what the main focus on access to medicine should be for the pharmaceutical industry and its partners in the next decade, through discussions with leading experts working to improve access to medicine. The core question will be how to sustain a response to global health challenges at scale amidst increasing pressures.
“Going forward, the big challenge for all of us working on access is to match the scale of action to the scale of the problem.” Jayasree K. Iyer, Executive Director, Access to Medicine Foundation.
