Contents page 1 — “Pharma firms should be competing to see who does more Good” side 2 “could Soon give it a solid lack of Penicillin” On a page
read There are diseases that are statistically so rare that it is profitable for pharmaceutical companies to research drugs. And there are States in which millions of poor people are to diseases, such as Malaria or Aids, few of whom have insurance for treatment or money for expensive medicines. How fair, how social and how efficiently the global supply of drugs? A Foundation – the Access to Medicine Foundation – explores these questions. Every two years it publishes a Ranking in the rating of pharmaceutical companies according to their social contribution to world health. Today, the latest Access-to-Medicine-Index. What it is supposed to achieve, explained the managing Director of the Foundation.
TIME ONLINE: Two of the seven billion people in the world have no access to medicines that they urgently need. A shocking number, which is called your Foundation now. What exactly do you mean?
Jayasree Iyer: It is a matter of basic medicines, such as the world health organization (WHO) defines it: vaccinations for children, antibiotics or remedy against high blood pressure – not to the many Thousands of other drugs that are in Europe on the market.
TIME ONLINE: What goes wrong is that the supply with the most necessary works in many places?
Jayasree K. Iyer is the managing Director of the Access to Medicine Foundation, which is funded by the Gates Foundation, the British international Development Agency UK-Aid and the Dutch Ministry of foreign Affairs. © Patricia Wolf
Iyer: a Lot of things. Firstly, no products are resistant to some diseases on the market. In order to be at all developed, would need to operate pharmaceutical companies more innovative research. Secondly, the prices of the necessary drugs are often simply too high. In many Parts of the world, people are not able to afford the bulk of the cancer. Thirdly, there is a lack of acceptance, in terms of, for example, vaccinations, HIV drugs, because of infection with the Aids Virus cause often a large Stigma associated.
TIME ONLINE: And what is with the quality of the medium and with counterfeit Medicines.
Iyer: Also here there are problems. In the competitive market the number of manufacturers that do not have production Standards, is growing. The difficulty remains to get the drugs to where they are needed: in remote rural regions, in time of war, cities and villages, territories or destroyed following a natural disaster. This pharmaceutical can help.
TIME ONLINE: In the pricing and in the research.
Iyer: Yes, exactly. We want to move the company, therefore, to assume social responsibility. If companies do improve in poorer countries, automatically, the access of people to medicines.
TIME ONLINE: in Order to increase the pressure out of your Foundation every two years a report in which you evaluate the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies according to how they meet this challenge. How exactly the Access to Medicine Foundation is?
Iyer: We are asking various stakeholders like researchers, activists, representatives of patients ‘ organizations, the world health organization and governments, what is important, in order to give people access to medicines. From this we form indicators. The judge, for example, of how companies use their drugs, even in countries make affordable, with less money; how to deal with patent issues; whether they are researching drugs that benefit people living in poor countries; or whether you choose to donate in the event of humanitarian disasters medication.
TIME ONLINE: The latest Index shows that Some companies are already strong, others not at all. What is your conclusion?
Iyer: There is still much to do. Still, the majority of the research funds of the company incorporated in the development of new or modified products to Europe and the USA – and not in the exploration of such, which would be the world a lot more: about against worm diseases, tuberculosis or viral diseases such as Lassa (see chart). Due to corruption and an inadequate pricing policy, the confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry continues to be bad. At the same time, you must attest to the industry that she has really changed.
TIME ONLINE: a look to the pharmaceutical industry, so on the Finger. What to change?
Iyer: The pharmaceutical industry is, by nature, competitive. Everyone wants to be the Best or the First on the market. Our idea is to exploit this competitive thoughts. Company based on our Ranking, to compare. We hope that there is a race about who does more Good. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies should compete.
Zeit ONLINE: What do you make off of it?
Iyer: We publish reports on those who do it particularly well, in order for others to align with it. Companies should consider during the development of a new drug, such as it is, if it is approved years later, and sold, as many people as possible reached. In addition, our Index of governments and international organizations will be used, sometimes, to put pressure on Pharma to exercise the company.
