Pfizer offers Uganda, 44 countries cheaper drugs

New medicines and vaccines to be availed on a not-for-profit basis

Kampala, Uganda | AGENCIES | Drug manufacturer Pfizer Inc. has announced that it has significantly expanded its commitment to An Accord for a Healthier World to offer the full portfolio of medicines and vaccines for which it has global rights on a not-for-profit basis to enable greater health for 1.2 billion people living in 45 lower-income countries.

Launched in May 2022, the Accord, a transformative initiative focused on greatly reducing health inequities that exist between many lower-income countries and the rest of the world, initially included a commitment from Pfizer for access to all its patented medicines and vaccines available in the U.S. or European Union on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries.

On Jan. 17, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Pfizer announced that to better align with disease burden and unmet patient needs in these countries, it will now expand its offering under the Accord to include off-patent products, bringing the total offering from 23 products to around 500 products.

The Accord portfolio offering now includes both patented and off-patent medicines and vaccines that treat or prevent many of the greatest infectious and non-communicable disease threats faced today in lower-income countries.

This includes chemotherapies and oral cancer treatments that have the potential to treat nearly one million new cancer cases in Accord countries each year. It also includes a wide range of antibiotics that can help to address the rising morbidity, mortality and costs associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and help to prevent around 1.5 million deaths that occur each year in these countries as a result of bacterial infections in hospitals and community health clinic.

As Pfizer launches new medicines and vaccines, those products will also be included in the Accord portfolio on a not-for-profit basis.

“We launched the Accord to help reduce the glaring health equity gap that exists in our world. Our hope is to empower country governments and co-create solutions with them and other multi-sector partners to break down many of the system-level barriers to better health. In the months since the Accord’s launch, we have heard resoundingly from these leaders that access to a broader and more immediate scope of consistent, high-quality products is needed for meaningful and sustainable transformation. We believe this expansion of our product offering, combined with continued efforts to help address the barriers that limit or prevent access, will help us to achieve and even expedite our vision of a world where all people have access to the medicines and vaccines they need to live longer and healthier lives,” said Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla.

Since its launch in May 2022, An Accord for a Healthier World continues to make progress towards its goals to help address global health equity through both medicine and vaccine supply and health system strengthening.

Uganda is one of five initial launch countries where Pfizer is working closely with government and health experts. The others are Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, and Senegal.

Pfizer says it focused on listening and understanding the health needs of these countries to identify how the Accord can most effectively support national health goals and impact patient lives.

Rwanda has already received delivery of nine Pfizer medicines and vaccines for the treatment of certain cancers, infectious and inflammatory diseases. In collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Health, Pfizer has provided professional healthcare education and training to support the delivery, and in November, Pfizer deployed its first Global Health Team to the country to help identify opportunities for long-term supply chain optimization. Collaboration is also underway with the Ministries of Health in Malawi, Ghana and Senegal as well as a number of other Accord countries to better understand the critical healthcare needs and opportunities for health system strengthening.

“The Accord is an important step toward sustainable health security for Rwanda and the broader continent. The expanded portfolio offering, combined with public health system strengthening efforts, will further enhance our progress and offer valuable support to key national health initiatives that lead to positive health outcomes,” said His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda.

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