UN Calls on Big Pharma to Reduce Cost of Life-Saving Medicines

Thursday, September 15, 2016

A United Nations high-level panel on access to medicines has called for major changes to the way in which research and development (R&D) of life-saving medicines is funded in order to make them more affordable for patients around the world and fight neglected diseases.

The report from the panel, established by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, warns that “it is imperative that governments increase their current levels of investment in health technology innovation” in order to provide “fair rewards for the inventors while ensuring that prices remain fair and affordable”.

The panel, which was made up of a wide range of global experts, including pharmaceutical industry leaders, public health officials and human rights campaigners, recommended that “innovative financing methods … delink the costs of R&D from the end prices of health technologies”. The final report also called for greater transparency of R&D costs, something campaigners have long pushed for.

Source: The Guardian (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care