How can we ensure global access to medicines? The roles of cooperation, policies, and innovations
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The global availability of medicines and vaccines has become a critical issue, especially highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite ongoing efforts, significant barriers to equitable access remain, underscoring the urgent need for global cooperation. However, new EU-level policies and emerging technological innovations present promising pathways toward more sustainable solutions.
While the challenges of medicine availability are evident across Western countries, they are further exacerbated by global disparities in healthcare infrastructure and resources. This situation raises crucial questions about how the responsibility for improving access to medicines in vulnerable regions should be shared among various stakeholders. What innovative solutions are emerging to tackle this issue?
To gain deeper insights into these topics, we interviewed Tiina Aitlahti, Director of Pharmaceutical Care and Services at Pharma Industry Finland.
What are the key challenges currently affecting the availability of medicines?
The availability of medicines is influenced by complex and multifaceted challenges, including raw material shortages and unpredictable fluctuations in demand. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly exposed new risk points in production and supply chains. Additionally, stringent pharmaceutical quality standards can impede rapid process adaptations, as every component, including packaging, must undergo regulatory approval and meet consistent quality benchmarks.
Among the key challenges are the persistent price pressures on established medicines. This has led to the consolidation of production on a global level. In such a concentrated system, if one part fails, it can easily have widespread effects on the availability of a specific raw material or medicine.
What approaches are being implemented to tackle these challenges?
During the pandemic, many countries recognized the importance of stockpiling medicines as a precaution. Efforts are also being made to review supply chains to ensure sufficient alternatives at every critical point, reducing dependency on any single supplier. On the regulatory side, initiatives are underway to increase flexibility in approvals.
The pandemic further highlighted the critical need for global cooperation to facilitate efficient information flow, particularly through effective disease surveillance systems that share data and insights on viral frequencies.
In the EU, pharmaceutical legislation is undergoing significant reform, with a strong focus on ensuring medicine availability. This includes establishing new regulatory requirements for pharmaceutical companies and responsibilities for authorities, to guarantee the continuous supply of medicines. Globally, there is a growing need to build a resilient regulatory system, involving multiple stakeholders, to foster sustainable practices capable of withstanding future crises.
Did the pandemic significantly impact industry practices?
Yes, COVID-19 was the first time that the pharmaceutical industry demonstrated unprecedented speed in developing new vaccines and treatments for an unknown disease, as well as scaling these solutions globally. An extraordinary number of partnerships among different companies were formed to ensure the successful production and distribution of medicines worldwide. The pandemic underscored the critical importance of scalability, revealing bottlenecks in various areas, such as glass vials and syringes.
With only a few players in the market, risks increase: what happens if one player encounters issues?
Relatively little funding is allocated for the development of new antibiotics. What measures are being taken to address this issue?
Antibiotic resistance is an escalating global concern, largely associated with how and for what purposes antibiotics are used in different countries. In Finland, the issue is less pronounced because we have consistently adhered to responsible usage; for instance, we do not administer antibiotics to livestock to promote growth.
A major issue in Europe is the lack of incentives for developing new antibiotics, as market mechanisms don’t work when these medicines must be reserved for rare, last-resort cases. This creates a commercial challenge, as companies must invest heavily in products that will be used minimally. The EU’s pharmaceutical reform aims to address this by creating effective incentives for antibiotic development.
How can a pharmaceutical company align business goals with ethical responsibilities related to medicine availability?
Pharmaceutical companies operate in a global environment, with their primary goal being to ensure the continuous availability of medicines to patients worldwide. However, market demand and technological advancements significantly influence the direction of medicine development. Over the past two decades, there has been a notable rise in biological medicines, and advancements in gene technology are enabling more precise targeting of treatments.
To address the needs of poorer nations, global cooperation among companies, governments, and non-profit organizations is essential. For example, malaria primarily affects impoverished regions, but pharmaceutical companies have partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) to create viable conditions for developing treatments for those in need.
Artificial intelligence can significantly enhance medicine availability by refining global demand forecasting, tracking the movement of goods, and pinpointing areas facing shortages.
What role do reimbursement systems play in ensuring the availability of medicines?
The role of reimbursement systems is intriguing, particularly regarding what is valued when selecting medicines for the health reimbursement system or hospital formularies. The key question is whether continuous availability is prioritized or if the focus is solely on price. Over the past 10–15 years, the importance of price has grown, especially for older products. This focus can weaken availability since production becomes viable only in large quantities. With only a few players in the market, risks increase: what happens if one player encounters issues?
Isn’t low-price still a critical factor in ensuring the global availability of medicines?
While a low price is essential, it is important to consider whether it should be the sole criterion in public procurement in countries like Finland. Globally, we hope that systems are developed with each country’s ability to pay in mind. This may require solidarity among countries, where wealthier nations accept that poorer nations can be offered medicines at lower prices. However, care must be taken to avoid situations where cheaper medicines are diverted to other markets.
How can the availability of medicines be affected by legislation?
A significant amount of regulation aims to ensure the quality, efficacy, and safety of medicines, but EU regulations also emphasize the continuous availability of medicines in the region. I also believe that as the EU develops regulatory measures to ensure the reliability of supply chains, this benefits global supply chains as well, since they often rely on the same production and distribution networks.
Can new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, improve the availability of medicines?
Artificial intelligence can significantly enhance medicine availability by refining global demand forecasting, tracking the movement of goods, and pinpointing areas facing shortages. Overall, digitalization plays a big role in addressing these availability challenges. For instance, utilizing electronic product information allows for the sharing of product information to patients through QR codes, which reduces the need for country-specific packaging requirements, such as Finnish and Swedish language package leaflets. This facilitates the distribution of medicines to regions with the greatest need.
What additional innovations are currently being developed to enhance access to medicines?
Sustainability is a central theme in the pharmaceutical industry today. The goal is to use scarce resources more efficiently, which often also improves the availability of medicines. However, as mentioned, achieving global access to medicines necessitates a collaborative approach. Different stakeholders must work together at a global level to address these challenges.
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