Pfizer Faces Delays In Drug Access Initiative For Low-Income Nations

Pfizer has signed agreements with less than a quarter of its targeted countries in an initiative aimed at offering not-for-profit pricing on medicines to some of the world’s poorest nations. This effort, known as “An Accord for a Healthier World,” was launched in 2022 and expanded in 2023, intending to cover 45 low-income countries.

Challenges in the Procurement Process

Despite the ambitious goal, progress has been slower than anticipated. Pfizer’s CEO, Albert Bourla, noted that “few countries are really mobilising themselves to bring the products in.” Currently, only ten countries have signed up under the accord.

Bourla emphasized the bureaucratic challenges that these countries face, stating, “It is extremely challenging in terms of bureaucracy. They need to change the process of how they’re going to procure and they need to register the products, and those are the bottlenecks.”

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Many of the countries targeted, including South Sudan and Myanmar, are dealing with serious obstacles such as conflict, natural disasters, and disease outbreaks.

Initial Commitments and Progress

In 2022, five countries—Rwanda, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda—committed to the initiative. Rwanda received its first shipment of 1,500 treatment courses for various diseases in September of that year, but further updates on deliveries of drugs or vaccines have been sparse.

A health official from Rwanda reported that the country has increased the number of products it can purchase from Pfizer from eight to twenty and is actively working with the company to access more options.

Focus on Off-Patent Products

Pfizer is also in discussions with ten additional countries about joining the programme. However, Bourla admitted that the company had not directly engaged with all countries on its target list, instead relying on some countries to showcase the program to their neighbors.

A spokesperson for Pfizer stated, “We are actively working with nearly half of the 45 accord-eligible countries.” They added that the accord could potentially reach one million patients this year, based on delivered doses and product orders.

Bourla mentioned that many countries are particularly interested in Pfizer’s off-patent products, such as sterile injectables frequently used in hospitals, including basic items like saline drips. He remarked, “It’s not a question of price,” noting that Pfizer’s pricing for these drugs under the accord is competitive with generics available in these countries.

He added, “It is, of course, the quality (that matters) in countries where they have suffered a lot from counterfeits.” The uptake of innovative drugs has been slower, and the company is working with local physicians to improve access to diagnosis and the management of these medications.

(INCLUDES INPUTS FROM ONLINE SOURCES)

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