Although more pharmaceutical companies are tailoring their business models to focus on low-income countries, a new analysis finds that overall industry efforts remain limited and patient access continues to suffer as a result.
Notably, momentum has stalled in reaching licensing deals that are designed to make lower-cost generic drugs available in parts of the world where brand-name medicines are unaffordable, and few companies have pursued technology transfer agreements. Meanwhile, most clinical trials are not conducted in lower- to middle-income countries, even though they represent the majority of the global population.
Moreover, the few large drug companies that have launched programs dedicated to improving access in poor countries largely fail to consistently and thoroughly report how many patients are being reached, according to the Access to Medicines Foundation, an independent nonprofit research organization that regularly evaluates drugmakers and their access plans.
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