Best practices identified in the 2024 Access to Medicine Index

The aim of a Best Practice

The diffusion of Best Practices is one of the Access to Medicine Index’s mechanisms for supporting the pharmaceutical industry in achieving greater access to medicine. Best Practices are shared to accelerate adoption of similar practices by other companies, and to help raise the overall level of standard practice to achieve greater access to medicine. Furthermore, recognising those companies trialling or scaling up innovative, unique policies or initiatives is an important way of acknowledging companies that stand out from peers and are willing to risk new approaches to expand access to their products in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). 

What defines a Best Practice in the Index?

Best Practices are ones that can be accepted as being the most effective way of achieving a desired end, relative to what the industry is currently doing in that area and what stakeholder expectations are. It can also be described as a benchmark. 

Best Practices are not new practices – they have already been conceived of, applied and proven to meet at least some of the following criteria: 

• Sustainability 

• Replicability 

• Alignment with external standards/stakeholder expectations 

• Proven effectiveness 

In different Technical Areas within the Index (for example, in Research & Development vs. in Governance of Access) how a Best Practice is identified may be different. Best Practice need not be unique among companies; it might be an example of a ‘gold standard’ of practice; a best-in-class policy; or a strategy, programme, product initiative or group of behaviours closely aligned with stakeholder expectations. 

Best Practices should be considered as an exemplar of positive practices in the corresponding Technical Area in comparison to those of the other companies that submitted data within the current period of analysis. These Best Practices are identified based on evidence of progress submitted in the data collection period and verified with public information and through consultation with experts, where appropriate. 

How Best Practices were selected for the 2024 Index

To determine which of the company’s practices would be highlighted as Best Practice, the Foundation’s Index Research Team evaluated all aspects of company practices, compiling those that met the criteria used for the purpose of scoring with additional standards for each Technical Area, where necessary. Company practices that met these outlined criteria were reviewed and finalised by the Foundation’s senior management with additional input from experts in the corresponding field, when required. 

Best Practices identified in the 2024 Access to Medicine Index

• GSK voluntarily discloses information about transfers of value to healthcare professionals

• Novartis targets R&D gaps for antimalarials with access plans for its late-stage projects that are superior in quality and breadth

• MSD shares high-value intellectual property assets to accelerate drug development for tuberculosis

• Comprehensive inclusive business models to provide more sustainable access in LMICs

• Widespread and swift registration of newer products is a critical step towards improved access

• End-to-end technology transfer initiatives for vaccines to improve availability

• Roche supports early diagnosis of cervical cancer in LMICs by supplying its WHO-prequalified HPV test to nearly 50 countries in scope of the Index

• Tracking progress of access strategies against patient reach goals