Tag Archives: Access to medicines

Global Health Progress Encourages Global Partnerships on Access to Health Care

Starting this month, members of Congress will be looking closely at U.S. spending as they work with the White House to build the 2012 budget. One area that has come under increased scrutiny is U.S. spending on global health programs. Several groups last week announced a petition (http://www.supportglobalhealth.org/) seeking support for global health spending through the United States Global Health Initiative. Many fear that even flat spending in this area could jeopardize important programs in vaccine research and treatment.

News like this highlights the important role that public-private partnerships play in supporting access to global health care. The Global Health Progress initiative seeks to bring research-based biopharmaceutical companies and global health leaders together to improve access to medicine and health care in the developing world. We are committed to being part of the effort to create a sustainable health care system that includes improving access to health care and continuing medical innovation and progress for all people.

Research-based biopharmaceutical companies and their partners around the world are working to implement sustainable solutions and strengthen the health care delivery systems so they can meet tomorrow’s challenges. Millions of people lack access to essential medicines due to factors including incomplete delivery systems, lack of training for health personnel, lack of infrastructure and the cost of treatments. We must address the underlying barriers to health care, such as weak and fragmented health systems, limited health care personnel and inadequate resources for scaling up proven solutions. The innovative research and development (R&D) of new drugs and vaccines is a critical component of improving health care and combating epidemics in developing countries.

Through meaningful public-private partnerships with others in the field, including policymakers in the developed and developing world, multi-lateral institutions, non-governmental organizations, and academia we can help shape sustainable solutions that improve the health of all people.

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Global Health Progress Commends European Union and India Agreement Increasing Access to Drugs in Developing Countries

According to a Reuter’s article, the European Union (EU) and India have come to an agreement which should ease the process of exporting Indian drug manufacturers’medicines to developing countries, increasing these countries’ access to drugs.

Karel De Gucht, commissioner of the European Union (EU) has confirmed an agreement between the EU and India that will resolve some of the disputes that lead to the seizure of generic drugs in transit last year. This agreement will allow shipments of medication to pass through Europe to developing nations without being checked for anything except counterfeiting.

The new agreement will also amend custom codes allowing shipments of medications from India to reach countries located in South America via Europe. The confirmation comes amid trade talks between the EU and India.

Global Health Progress commends the agreements between the European Union and India, which will increase access to drugs, primarily generic medication, for underdeveloped countries. This process affects the affordability of generic medications to underdeveloped countries which fight the prominence of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

Since the 1960s, the philanthropic efforts of research-based biopharmaceuticalcompanies have worked to get medicines to the people that need them the most. In 2005, biopharmaceutical companies responded to requests with more than $3 billion in medical products donated worldwide.

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Global Health Progress Applauds HIV-Prevention Medicine Trial, Encourages Access to Medicines in Developing Countries

The New England Journal of Medicine recently released the results of a ground-breaking trial of an HIV-prevention method called oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Data from the trial revealed an almost 44 percent reduction of new HIV infections among participants who took the antiretroviral tablet daily to prevent HIV, compared to those who took the placebo pill.

Participants in the study included 2,499 HIV-negative gay men, transgender women, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) from Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand and the United States; these were randomly chosen to receive the antiretroviral (ARV) drug TDF/FTC (brand name Truvada) or a placebo pill. Regular HIV tests were administrated throughout the study. At the end of the trial, 36 participants who took Truvada had become infected, compared to 64 of the participants who took the placebo pill.

Similar trials are currently being conducted among heterosexuals in Africa and injection drug users in Thailand. Additionally, a trial of a similar ARV in gel form is currently being tested in three US cities, Pittsburgh, Boston and Birmingham, Alabama.

Global Health Progress is encouraged by the outcome of this trial, as it could lead to the prevention of HIV in developing countries and around the world. However, additional funding is needed not only to continue developing drugs like this, but to increase access to medicines around the world. As the world of medicine continues to advance, it is the responsibility of the entire international community to facilitate access to medicines. Success depends on all sectors working in partnership; not only to make medicines more accessible, but also to ensure continued innovation into new medicines for the treatment and prevention of all diseases.

Research-based biopharmaceutical companies help the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic by providing millions of doses of anti-retroviral drugs at discounted prices and, in some cases, for free to patients in developing countries. These donation programs for Least Developed Countries and sub-Saharan Africa, together with programs for lower and middle income countries, apply to more than 87 percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

About Global Health Progress:
Global Health Progress also supports efforts to raise awareness and mobilize resources to address health challenges in the developing world by bringing local leaders together with international health experts, policymakers, donor governments, and the private sector. www.globalhealthprogress.org; twitter.com/globalhealth;facebook.com/pages/Global-Health-Progress/124850684219049; linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2972068

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Global Health Progress Amplifies New Report that Outlines Barriers in Securing Access to Medicines in Least Developed Countries

“There is a public health crisis in the least developed countries. It is a crisis made by humans and solvable only by humans. There is urgency for governments, businesses, NGOs and academia to collaborate in dealing with this most urgent of problems,” declares Cameron Institute’s new 200-page report, Pharmaceutical Access in Least Developed Countries: on-the-ground barriers and industry successes.

Executive Director D. Wayne Taylor, Ph.D., F.CIM., who prepared the report, cites the recent World Health Organization’s (WHO) Draft Global Plan and Strategy for Action in stressing the importance of pharmaceutical industry partnerships. The report states that the industry must focus its energies on “the growing burden of diseases and conditions that disproportionately affect developing countries, and particularly women and children.”

Global Health Progress actively supports the report’s outlined actions needed to solve this issue, including endorsement of public-private partnerships (PPPs), protecting intellectual property and drug patents as the cornerstones of affordable innovation, improving access to medicines and developing new drugs.

Public-private partnerships are one key way to improve access to medicines in the least developed countries. As the report notes, the research-based pharmaceutical industry, in various public-private partnerships, has been improving access to medicines in the least developed countries of the world since the 1950’s. To date, there have been 150 public-private partnerships whose aim it is to improve access to medicines and currently 90% of PPPs are industry-led.

Additionally, innovation is cited by the report as “the hallmark of the pharmaceutical industry. Without innovation there would be no immunizations,
medicines or biologics to save lives, improve quality of lives, and to save much needed healthcare dollars. A basic right in law is to retain possession of one’s own ideas and discoveries.” The report also notes the importance of protecting this innovation through intellectual property and drug patents, as well as through the infrastructure and legal structures needed for healthy growth.

The report adds that every dollar invested in new medicines relieves the healthcare system of seven dollars of expenditure elsewhere, and that new drugs increase life expectancy and life-time income by about 1.0% per year while also decreasing years of life lost. It also provides a summary of 2010 data regarding contributions provided by research-based pharmaceutical industry to least developed countries:

• USD 8,450,000,000 of product and investment
• 950,000,000 patients treated
• 9,500,000,000 doses/treatments administered
• 350,000 doctors, nurses and other health personnel trained

Despite this progress, actions are still needed to solve the problem without creating additional difficulties. For example, even though existing medicines for HIV/AIDS has reduced mortality rates in developed countries by 70%, adherence and compliance are two major obstacles, amongst many, to the successful deployment of these drugs in developing countries. Additional barriers to access and improved health in least-developed countries include “on the ground” barriers, such as market failure, corruption, non-existent health human resources and infrastructure, and the lack of both local and international political will.

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Fact Sheet Reveals Mexico’s Increasing Investment in Biopharmaceutical Sector

A recent Global Health Progress fact sheet highlights how Mexico’s investment in its biopharmaceutical sector has spurred economic growth, fostered global competitiveness, reduced the health and economic burden of disease on local citizens, and improved access to medicines. With the tenth largest economy in the world, Mexico is currently investing more than 1% of its gross domestic product into its biopharmaceutical sector and this percentage is anticipated to increase as the country works to develop tomorrow’s medicines.

Like the U.S. and other big emerging markets, Mexico has recognized the potential of the biopharmaceutical sector to be an important source of economic growth through the creation of high-quality, high-skilled jobs. Currently, Mexico’s biopharmaceutical sector employs nearly 25,000 Mexican nationals at more than 32 biotechnology companies. The number of skilled workers entering the workforce is predicted to increase as more than 750,000 engineering and technology students in Mexico are currently enrolled in local universities. Additionally, collaboration between the public and private sector has resulted in the creation of more than 100 research centers.

Mexico’s emphasis on job creation stimulates the developments of new drugs, which improves access to medicines for its entire citizenry. For example, there are approximately 254 medicines in development or awaiting regulatory review for Mexican patients and Mexico currently ranks 19 out of 25 in terms of active clinical trial sites. The growth in share of global clinical trial sites can bring health benefits to Mexican patients, such as diffusion of medical knowledge, greater patience access to medicines and high quality care and effective medical practice.

Recognizing the potential for economic growth, improving access to medicines and inspiring drug innovation, the Mexican government has sought to implement policies to foster the growth of the sector. The National Council for Science and Technology, the principal government funding agency for scientific research in Mexico, provided approximately US $16 million to fund basic science projects between 2001 and 2004. Mexico also has several bioclusters, made up of biotechnology, biopharmaceutical and related companies, focused on pharmaceutical R&D. In addition, public-private partnerships between the Mexican government, academia and industry are increasing due in part to the government’s continued commitment to science and technology research and education.

Please view full PDF for additional information and list of sources.

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Global Health Progress Highlights ViiV Healthcare’s Announcement of New Initiatives

Global Health Progress highlights ViiV Healthcare’s announcement of a new series of initiatives, including improving access to medicines, to support people living with HIV/AIDS in the poorest and most vulnerable countries.

To address the evolving treatment needs in these countries, ViiV Healthcare will now allow people living with HIV/AIDS to access the whole portfolio of ViiV Healthcare antiretroviral medicines, produced by generic companies. Additionally, ViiV Healthcare is implementing the groundbreaking step of making all patents available to generic manufacturers in these countries for all future pipeline developments, such as the novel integrase inhibitor jointly under development Shionogi – ViiVHealthcare, LLC.

ViiV Healthcare is also expanding the number of countries eligible for this expanded access to medicines to include all least developed countries, all low income countries and all of sub-Saharan Africa – that is 80% of all people currently living with HIV. “At ViiV Healthcare we wanted to go one step further in addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis and supporting access for people living with HIV in the worst affected countries. As a company totally focused and dedicated to tackling this epidemic we are passionately committed to thinking and acting differently and taking new steps to expand access,” said Dr Dominique Limet, CEO of ViiV Healthcare, “At present the numbers of people in the least developed countries moving onto second line therapy is very low compared to the developed world. However as more people have access to treatment, there is an increased need for second and third line treatment options once initial treatment failure occurs.”

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