Industry Initiative Against Non-Communicable Diseases Launched At WEF

Nearly two dozen top biopharmaceutical companies have launched a global initiative intended to increase access to prevention and care of non-transmitted diseases in low and lower-middle income countries.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos on 18 January, 22 companies launched a collaborative initiative called Access Accelerated in partnership with the World Bank Group and the Union for International Cancer Control.

The program starts with a 3 year commitment intended to raise access to NCD “prevention and care” with collective funding of US$50 million and increased individual company commitments.

“Through the commitment and expertise of the Access Accelerated partners, we will work towards a shared vision where no person dies prematurely from a preventable, treatable disease,” said Ian Read, Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer and President of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), on behalf of the initiative.

The full press release is here.

Efforts will be evaluated with the support of independent experts at Boston University to establish a framework for progress, measure effectiveness and deliver ongoing reporting, it said.

“With the World Bank Group the initiative will identify solutions to address financing, regulatory and service delivery barriers at country level,” the release said. “Additionally, the World Bank Group will conduct pilots in primary care to improve NCD outcomes in several countries.”

NCDs include cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and mental health disorders.