Drugmakers in Davos Shift Focus to Chronic Diseases of Poor

Friday, January 20, 2017

Two decades after they were spurred into action to tackle AIDS in Africa, global drugmakers said on Wednesday they would invest an initial $50 million over three years to fight cancer and other non-communicable diseases in poor countries.

Twenty-two companies, including Pfizer, Merck, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline, will contribute funds and expertise to the project, which is backed by the World Bank.

The so-called Access Accelerated initiative was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos and aims to improve both treatment and prevention.

In the past, the focus of healthcare in poorer parts of the world has been on fighting infectious diseases, whether through vaccinations, drug programs or the roll-out of anti-malarial bednets.

Source: Reuters (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Health Care
Tags
infectious diseases, vaccines