The pharma industry is facing increasingly urgent calls to ensure that vital health products are accessible to all, regard less of where patients live or their socioeconomic status.
A new report from the Access to Medicine Foundation takes a first-ever look at the critical issue of how some of the largest pharma
companies are reaching patients worldwide in pursuit of health equity, especially in low- and middle-
income countries (LMICs).
The report examines big pharma current approaches for measuring and reporting patient reach, unveiling what needs to be done to translate ambitious access commitments into meaningful change for underserved populations.
According to the report,despite comprising 80 percent of the global population, people in low- and middle-income countries
(LMICs) still face significant challenges in accessing essential healthcare products.
It further says that as demand for these pharma products grows in underserved regions, the limited availability—often due to production by only a few companies or single suppliers—becomes more pressing.
“Pharmaceutical companies must optimise their
efforts to expand access and focus on how many people are benefitting from them to address critical
health needs effectively,” says the report.
Ahead of the 2024 Access to Medicine Index, the Access to Medicines Foundation developed this first-of-its kind report
focusing on how companies are approaching patient reach across their operations.
“We have seen that the pharmaceutical industry is making ambitious commitments to reach more patients
worldwide. However, this report reveals that there is still much work to be done in achieving meaningful
impact and calls for urgent steps to ensure lifesaving products reach every patient, everywhere,” Jayasree K. Iyer, CEO, Access to Medicine Foundation.
By outlining how pharmaceutical companies are tracking patient reach, Access to medicines Foundations analysis gave a
comprehensive overview of current industry practices to establish a baseline for measuring progress.
According to the analysis 19 of the 20 companies assessed have reported using approaches to track the patients they
reach with their essential medicines in LMICs, with the exception of AbbVie.
However, there is no consensus on how to calculate the number of patients reached, resulting in widely varying approaches
across companies.
Overall, the data demonstrates that across the 19 reporting companies, there are both product and geographic gaps in measuring patient reach, leaving the number of patients reached in some areas and for
some diseases unknown.
Only six companies—Astellas, AstraZeneca, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, and one company reporting under a non-disclosure agreement— share patient reach approaches that encompass all countries where they operate (including those within and beyond the Index’s scope).
Notably, many pharmaceutical companies set ambitious goals and make public commitments to expand
their global patient reach, particularly in LMICs.
Among the identified goals associated with patient reach
approaches, companies have commitments addressing various diseases, with initiatives ranging from
improving product delivery and eradicating diseases to enhancing access to care for specific populations,
such as women and insulin-dependent individuals in LMICs.
A few of these commitments, including those set by Bayer, GSK and Johnson & Johnson, are clear, measurable and ambitious, with targets aligned with high global disease burdens.
However, findings also reveal significant potential for companies to refine their commitments and better
their efforts to reach those in need.
For example, the major insulin manufacturers—Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi—control over 90percent of the market share and have pledged to expand access to their products in LMICs. Yet, their commitments collectively address only 1percent of the diabetes prevalence within the 113 LMICs in the scope of the Index, which currently stands at over 350 million cases out of the global 525million cases, according to Global Burden of Disease data from 2021.
The Foundation’s assessment shows that, overall, companies are engaging in efforts to measure patient reach. While some of these approaches are newly developed, others have evolved from the groundwork
laid by companies through access programmes and initiatives implemented in LMICs over the years.
Based on the five key findings in the report, the Foundation outlines ways for companies to seize opportunities to strengthen and expand their current approaches to measure patient reach, as well as to collaborate and learn from one another.
“Companies must prioritise patient reach or risk falling short in addressing health inequity. Our findings lay
out a clear path for pharma companies to do this, emphasising how they can embed equitable access
within their business operations.” Claudia Martínez, Head of Research, Access to Medicine Foundation.
Health inequity is a chronic problem, and addressing it requires the pharma industry and its partners to embed patient reach at the core of their business and partnerships. Failing to do so risks leaving underserved populations behind.
To truly make a difference, companies must also complement their efforts with concrete actions, such as registering products, implementing affordable pricing, and ensuring
sustainable supply.
The analysis identified examples, as well as areas that require more action, outlined opportunities for companies to learn from existing approaches and scale up their expansion efforts to ensure as many
people as possible receive their healthcare products.
