Pfizer commits to offering patent-protected medicines at price in Africa

“Fast and inexpensive entry to superior medicines and vaccines is the cornerstone of worldwide well being fairness”, stated Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, throughout Pfizer’s bold new launch at Davos 2022.

Albert Bourla, Chief Govt Officer at Pfizer agreed. “We reside at a time the place science is more and more capable of tackle the world’s most devastating illnesses. However a well being fairness hole exists, a spot which determines who can entry these improvements, and people who can not.”

The Accord goals to bridge this entry hole and by so doing vastly scale back the well being inequities that exist between many lower-income international locations and the remainder of the world. To this finish, Pfizer will present all medicines and vaccines accessible within the US or the European Union on a not-for-profit foundation to 1.2 billion folks in lower-income international locations.

“Whereas we goal to implement the Accord globally,” he continued “that isn’t potential instantly. So, we’ve got chosen just a few international locations from which to be taught from and enhance our processes first.” Rwanda and Malawi shall be joined by Uganda, Senegal and Ghana.

Invoice Gates, Co-Chair of the Invoice & Melinda Gates Basis, recommended this strategy. “We predict that it is a nice mannequin – not solely will it get medicines on the market – however we will additionally be taught from these pioneering international locations and apply classes discovered earlier than increasing the Accord.”

The President of Malawi, one of many pioneering international locations, spoke enthusiastically about its potential. “The great thing about this Accord is that it isn’t a handout, however an actual partnership. With the completely different strengths of its founding members – and our guiding goal of placing well being over revenue – this Accord signifies that we’ve got an actual shot at bettering well being globally.

All contributors agreed on the significance of a holistic strategy to implementing the Accord. The expertise of COVID-19 vaccine supply repeatedly got here up. “Now we have discovered that supply is barely step one in the direction of guaranteeing that vaccines and different medicines attain folks the world over,” stated Angela Hwang, Group President of Pfizer.

All panellists agreed that sustained and efficient cooperation between key worldwide stakeholders can be important to the Accord’s success.

“The accord is the embodiment of what the Discussion board is all about – a strategic synergy between key decision-makers in governments, corporations, and civil society – which brings collectively main stakeholders to do on a worldwide scale what they can’t do alone,” stated Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi.

The launch was ended with a name for motion by Pfizer, who known as upon different international well being leaders and organizations to affix this groundbreaking new initiative, and convey their experience and sources to assist shut the well being fairness hole and create a more healthy world.