Pfizer commits to offer drugs not-for-profit to 45 low-income countries
Pfizer has announced that it will provide all of its current and future patent-protected medicines and vaccines—that are available in the US or EU—on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries.
Launched last week amid the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “An Accord for a Healthier World” seeks to “greatly reduce the health inequities that exist between many lower-income countries and the rest of the world”.
Albert Bourla, chairman and CEO of Pfizer, said: “As we learned in the global COVID-19 vaccine rollout, supply is only the first step to helping patients. We will work closely with global health leaders to make improvements in diagnosis, education, infrastructure, storage and more. Only when all the obstacles are overcome can we end healthcare inequities and deliver for all patients.”
The Accord countries include all 27 low-income countries as well as 18 lower-middle-income countries that have transitioned from low to lower-middle-income classification in the last ten years. Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda are the first five countries to commit to joining the Accord.
Pfizer will work with healthcare officials in these five countries to identify opportunities to ensure all medicines and vaccines can reach those in need.
Now, Pfizer has committed to providing 23 medicines and vaccines that treat infectious diseases, certain cancers, and rare and inflammatory diseases. Pfizer’s newly-launched medicines and vaccines will also be included in the portfolio on a not-for-profit basis.
With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Pfizer is advancing work on the development of vaccine candidates for the prevention of Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a leading cause of stillbirth and newborn mortality in low-income countries. Pfizer and the foundation are also discussing opportunities to support another development of a maternal vaccine for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said: “Everyone, no matter where they live, should have the same access to innovative, life-saving drugs and vaccines. The Accord for a Healthier World could help millions more people in low-income countries get the tools they need to live a healthy life. Pfizer is setting an example for other companies to follow.”
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