NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Lianna Matt McLernon

The almost yearly Access to Medicine Index measures the 20 behemoths of the pharmaceutical industry, encapsulating 70% of global pharmaceutical revenues. However, the report doesn’t look at the bottom line: It looks at medicine accessibility in low- and middle-income companies (LMICs), and—as with everything in the past year—COVID-19 made its mark, demanding supply chain innovation and collaboration in new ways.

In a foreword to the report, Access to Medicine Foundation Executive Director Jayasree K. Iyer writes, “The Access to Medicine Index provides a guide to the practical, proven steps that can be taken by multinational pharmaceutical companies to improve access to life-saving medicines. Importantly, these measures will not only help the world’s poor but also improve companies’ long-term business sustainability.”

The Access to Medicine Foundation, which centers its research and collaboration on medicine accessibility and antimicrobial stewardship, acknowledges that many companies did help pandemic response via drug licensing, donations, and more, but the report notes that these accessibility efforts should continue long after the pandemic ends.